sharpening ??

[opakitas]

I am guessing I need a sharpening tool in my start up box is this correct? Also what is a really good cut out knife? I have a flexcut but I don't think its that sharp as I am having a hard time cutting things out. Trying to do a dog. I am new so any thoughts would help

thanks
Tammy

[BobT]

Flexcut knives are really sharp when new. You can strop it to sharpen more, or resharpen.
What kind of wood are you carving?
there are hundreds of brands of knives out there, and asking what knife to buy will get you hundreds of opinions, very few the same.
I think Flexcut is a good place to start. They cut well, and are pretty durable. Then if you think you need another knife, think about thick or thin blades. Detail or Roughout? There is a big difference. My personal choice for Roughout is a Wells/Shipley 2 1/4 inch blade. For Detail, probably Ralph Long. Once again, my opinions. Watch how this thread grows when the opinions come in. Probably 99% of the knives out there are very high quality. Then watch some of Lynn Doughty's videos and see what he does with a simple Utility Knife. It is like Magic.
BobT

[Eddy-Smiles]

BobT's advice is right on the money. Just remember that a blade starts dulling the minute that you put it to wood so that you have to continually strop it to maintain it's edge.

[Mitchell]

There are LOTS of threads on sharpening.... you may want to check them out to get some pointers.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Like the others said, lots of stropping. I strop every 10-15 minutes. As for knives, I like Drake, Ralph Long, Knotto, Denny, Helvie and Alan Goodman (agoodknife).

Dave