gordo

[Ripton]

I started with a Butz knife and only used them for a very short time, since then I purchased a few Flexcut knives and love them. With some work (sharpening/honing) on the Butz, it seems to work better, but still not up to par of the Flex.. At this point the Butz knives are my practice sharpening tools until I either get it right or ruin them..

[STAR]

Thank you Claude for your direct answer.

I had to google Exacto to see what that was. My interpretation of it now is what we see in craft kits with disposable surgical type scalpers.

I have a few cheap sets, although they look the same as what was on the exacto page. I suppose for sharpness, it is not the holder but the blade that we are interested in. Come to think of it I do have some surgical scalpers and blades hidden in one of my animal husbandry boxes. Surely we do not need any sharper then that.

One problem I see with these disposable blades is they might be too thin, do you think they have a place in wood carving.

I hope Gordo is getting as much out of this thread as I am. To Gordo, I say this, I have 100 posts up, some of my questions have had to be asked several different ways to drag out the answers I was looking for.

Keep asking, keep probing, some people on forums can get fed up with new people asking nieve questions when they have been told the answer many many times, its not that we mean to be dumb its that we do not have the background to see things as clearly as a more advance carver.

This quote sums things up nicely. ( 'I know what you think I said, but I am not sure that what you understood, is what I meant ". )

Keep pushing through Gordo, the fellowship here is fantastic and as I have said before we have a lot of experienced, caring and sharing people here.

Pete

[Claude]

Originally Posted by STAR

...
One problem I see with these disposable blades is they might be too thin, do you think they have a place in wood carving.

...

I use an exacto blade now and then when I need a special shape to make a certain cut. I even have used a utility knife a few times, but mine does not have a fixed blade, and I'm a little of wounding myself using it. I have not tried a scalpel, as the shape of the blade with the rounded end is not something I've needed so far...my daughter in law is a nurse, so I may have to ask her to get me a couple of scalpels to try out.

Exacto and scalpels would not, in my opinion, be useful for carving large objects, but for small carvings (less than 8 inches tall), I think they have a place. The utility knife can be used for carvings from 12 to 18 inches tall with no problem (see Lynn's posts).

Claude

[Dicky]

When I started out, I thought (and still do), that Xacto blades were sharp from the factory. Then I honed and stropped a couple, Now I hone and strop utility knife blades, Xacto blades and even snap-off Olfa blades before using unless I plan to cut paper or cardboard. For me, this is just bringing them up to carving knife standards. Scalpels are another world, for details like undercutting snake scales and such IMHO they are hard to beat.

[buckbeans]

I will answer Gordo's question. There is good basswood and there is lousy basswood. I did not know this until a couple of years ago when a friend brought me 16 firewood length logs just cut from Wisconsin and transported directly to arizona. I was amazed at how easy it was to get large smooth cuts with little effort. I now have about ten left that I would graded slightly better than palatte board because they had dried out too much from the arizona sun. I am sure the video carvers are given the best of the lot from the suppliers.
When you get you knives as sharp as you think you can, go ahead an order a freshly kilned piece from Heineke and try it out. You may be surprised at how sharp your knives really are.
As a side note, I have examined scalpel blades in the past and feel that most properly sharpened woodcarving knives from the carvers around here are actually sharper that scalpels. Scalpels are not use for the majority of incisiona during surgery as the doc use the electric bipolar cutters which can cut and cauterize at the same time

[STAR]

I hope Gordo is getting as much out of this thread as I am. it answers a lot of my beginner questions and doubts.

If these posts do not make sense to Gordo at the moment I am sure with a bit more research and reading the penny will drop and the lights will come on. I at least, for the time being, can now put any of my sharpening doubts aside and wait for the next problem to arrive.

Which should be due any time soon..

Pete

[BobD]

Buckbeans,
Totally off topic, but I was reading an article the other day about some surgeons, for delicate cuts, use a one-use scalpel made from obsidian (volcanic glass). From what I read, the glass fractures to an almost microscopically sharp edge. But after one cut, it's no longer that sharp....

Bob

[Terry Vance]

Hey Gordo,

I see there has been lots of good advise here and I will add mine in there as well.

There are 5 carving clubs listed here in the carving clubs section of the web site, two of them are less than an hour from where you are. I suggest you go to one of their meetings and take your kinfe and wood to see if someone there will help you out. I am sure they will. Every club has people who excell in sharpening and in instruction. Plus all clubs are interested in getting new members. You may not be able to attend every meeting but going at least quarterly would be a good thing.

Good luck!!!

[Mitchell]

You may also be expecting too much too soon. It takes time and practice to figure out how to take large cuts of wood.

It's a matter of many functions. tools, wood, hand strength, where to place your tool and even how to apply pressure.

Another tip - do not push the knife directly into the wood...instead use a slicing motion. It doesn't have to be exaggerated; just a slight diagonal pull or push.

Take it slow. Start by taking small chips at first. This is especially true if your wood is suspect.

[Robson Valley]

The included angle at the cutting edge of the blade is important. I read most of Leonard Lee's book, A Practical Guide To Sharpening, 2X and still refer to it. He is THE MAN behind both Lee Valley & Veritas.
Kitchen veggie & meat knives and cleavers: 15 degrees water stones & rods
Soft (eg cedar) woods carving tools: 20 degrees + stropping
Carpenters' chisels and plane blades: 30 degrees oil stones/coarse & fine
Hard woods carving tools & lathe tools: 30 degrees oil, maybe water, stones
Knot-busting chisels made from crappy screwdrivers: 40 degrees. oil stones

My oil stones get flooded with good old Pennzoil!
Really thick blades do jam in the wood, I couldn't agree more (eg 1S/25e Pfeil skew chisel)