# What tools do I need for spoon carving?



## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

Im interested in starting to carve spoons, I have a Hook knife, Carving knife, And a little carving knife for more detailed work. I have access to a band saw and a chop saw. Is there anything else I need to make spoons? And are there any other hand tools I could get to make the process faster?

Thanks.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

I carved 70 spoons and 30 forks for sale. I needed to work as fast as possible.
First, I carved a bunch of prototypes to learn what people wanted. Thick handles. Small bowls.
Forks for stirring because they never ever splash anything out of the pot.



I cut all the birch blanks on a table saw. 

Next, I drilled one hole in the bowl part to be my stop cut (3/4" Forstner bit.)

I carved back into that with a mallet and a 9/15 gouge. Finished with a crooked knife.

Next step was to shape the round handle with 2 spoke shaves (Samona $16.00 each).
One set for thick cuts and the other for thin finishing cuts.
You count at each corner to get the handle evenly rounded.


Olive oil, oven baked finish in 3 mnutes and 30 seconds and they were done for sale.


I got so bored with the tedium that I quit. 

I won't carve another spoon, ever, without a life-threatening reason to do so.


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## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

Okay thanks! that helps a lot.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Lots of carvers use different tools. I was working for speed.
In batches of a dozen, each one took about 90 minutes from blank to finished.


I hope you can see what tools you might apply.
Get some soft wood, growth ring count of 20-50 per inch. 

Clear 2x4 or 1x4 would be nice to mess with.

Carve some "quickies" to get an idea of the moves you have to make (experiences).


My red-colored ones are western red cedar. All the white ones are dry birch.
There are 2 pairs of farrier's hoof knives (12 degree bevels from factory 25 degrees)
The 2 Pacific Northwest crooked knives I made from 2-edged blades that I bought.


I tend to focus on the Pacific Northwest and coast as I've lived here most of my life.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If all you are going to make is spoons I don't know if chisels is the answer. Chisels are a expensive and difficult to sharpen if you haven't done it before. You might consider a flap disc on a angle grinder to shape the contour. 

If you do want to use chisels the type and size depends on the size of the spoon and the amount of curve you desire. The widths of the gouges are given in metric sizes. You don't have to have a chisel as wide as the spoon but I would at least get one half as big. The curvature of the chisel is called sweeps. A completely flat chisel like a carpenters chisel would be a #1 sweeps and one that was U- shaped would be #11. Then you will need some slip stones to sharpen them.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Steve, as you know, the bevels on all the top quality gouges (not chisels) are on the outside of the sweep.
As you know then, a slip stone is not the form of abrasive needed. Flat abrasives such as water stones and fine automotive finishing sandpapers do an excellent job of sharpening and honing gouge sweeps.



Interesting as you can see, all of the bevels on all of the Pacific Northwest First Nations style of carving tools are on the inside of the sweeps. Farrier's hoof trimming knives included. That design is always meant to spall off the shaving to the bevel side.
Same as the action of a shake splitting froe. The geometry makes sharpening adzes such as mine a bit of a new challenge.


I have some experience carving spoons. I use a stop cut which you can see is a 3/4" hole = a stop cut.
Cutting back into that with a mallet and a gouge is very fast, you should try it for 20 spoons.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Brian T said:


> Steve, as you know, the bevels on all the top quality gouges (not chisels) are on the outside of the sweep.
> As you know then, a slip stone is not the form of abrasive needed. Flat abrasives such as water stones and fine automotive finishing sandpapers do an excellent job of sharpening and honing gouge sweeps.
> 
> 
> ...


All of the gouges I have the bevel is on the outside of the chisel. I don't believe I've ever seen any that were ground on the inside before. I use Arkansas slip stones to sharpen all of my chisels. I just use the flat face of the slip stone to do the outside of the gouge and the rounded edge for the inside. Ground either way though I believe I would use the slip stones to do the honing.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

There are several techniques for spoon carving. Pick one and learn it. I needed speed.

I tend to ignore the $25,000 digital machinery to carve a spoon.
Then $5.00 for a used farrier's hoof knife ($60 new) that can be revised to do a perfect job.



Crooked knives used all over the Pacific Northwest have bevels on the inside of the sweep.
They have been this way for centuries. Kestrel Tool will make some "reverse" designs by special order.
Carving adzes, D adzes, gutter adzes and elbow adzes, such as I use, are all inside bevels as well.


At more than $100 each for adze blades and $50 - $75 each for knife blades, 

I fully intend to do quality freehand sharpening to sustain useful bevel angles.


That means, specifically, to use a honing compound with a nominal particle size of 0.5 microns or less.
I can't get used to the idea of a stone of indeterminate particle size as being superior to 

known manufactured standards where I even have some choice.


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## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

I tried to do some carving today on some maple, but dang! thats way harder that it looks, my hook knife is razor sharp but for some reason im having a huge amount of difficulty with it. I cant get more than a tiny shaving off.

I think it would be way easer with a gouge and mallet. for me atleast, Ill take a look at some crooked knives too


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Conner.Michaux said:


> I tried to do some carving today on some maple, but dang! thats way harder that it looks, my hook knife is razor sharp but for some reason im having a huge amount of difficulty with it. I cant get more than a tiny shaving off.
> 
> I think it would be way easer with a gouge and mallet. for me atleast, Ill take a look at some crooked knives too


Maple is harder than Superman's knee caps, you might want to try a softer wood or use a mechanical burr of some sort, if you want to use Maple. JMHO


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

See? You're learning about the wood already. 

If you want to carve dry seasoned woods, you have to re-think your choice of tools.

Many of the broad leaf woods go from cheese to bone when they dry.
There are a few that dont:
Just about any birch. Stiff, but I have the experience to call it good.
Basswood from a single dealer = Heineke. 

Basswood growing in the north is more consistent, whiter and easier to carve than southern basswood.


Me? I carve western red cedar most of the time, some yellow cedar and birch.
Conifer woods are weak and they don't hold much detail without splitting.
Look at Pacific Northwest totem poles and story poles = massive carvings and no small details.
Yes, you can try to carve details, one piece it works, the next piece snaps apart.


Crooked knives: Some east coast bladesmiths admit that they copy the blade designs from Kestrel.
Kestrel will sell you finished blades in many sizes and sweeps. Then you haft that yourself (they supply plans).
North Bay Forge won't sell blades, just finished knives. So maybe you get one with the wrong size handle for your hands.
You can see 2 of my knives with the yellow cord whipping.


The really cool fix is on the left in that picture = farrier's hoof trimming knives. OK handles, just change the bevel angle from 25 degrees to 12 degrees. The key feature is that the blades finish in a tight hook. You can sharpen that as a scorp.
Those are right and left pairs of Mora Frosst #171. Mora #188 is double edged. I have 2 of them.
I don't think I have revised more than 2 dozen of these.



This is running into big bucks sooner than later.


So you go and visit your local farrier. They are forever sharpening and grinding down their hoof knives.
Lots of people let their horses run barefoot all winter and now everybody wants their horses shoed yesterday.
A used "worn out" farrier's knife will have a lifetime of steel in it for wood carving.
Hall(Canada) and Ukal (France) knives have very hard steel.
A pair of new Hall, left and right, was $100.00. I offer the farrier $5 each for worn down Hall and he thinks it's a deal.
They really are a bugger to grind down to 12 degrees from about 25. But they are a dream to carve with as you watch the shavings spall off the edge of the blade.


Idaho is home? You ought to have farriers all around you. Go visit, if you can ever catch one at home at this time of year.


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## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

Okay, I will buy a Farrier's knife, is it necessary to modify it in any way to make carving easier? I'm going for speed and ease.


I have a local imported and domestic hardwood store about 30 mins away from me, Its probably better to use fresh wood but I have no way to get it, So is it okay to use Basswood lumber?


Also other than basswood what are some woods that can stand everyday use but are soft enough to carve with ease? 


For a farriers, knife is this okay? https://www.centaurforge.com/Anvil-...-Right-Hand-Regular-Handle/productinfo/ABKRH/


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

I'm flattered that you had the patience to read all I wrote!


I do not know all the different brands of farrier knives. I have seen 9 or 10 names. I use 4 different ones:
Mora (Sweden), Hall (Canada), Ukal (France) and Diamond (Taiwan).


Hall is a competition blacksmith and farrier to the Calgary Stampede (The Greatest Horse Show On Earth.)
You will learn, soon enough, that you really need both a right and a left handed knife.
I need to post this to see your link. Back in a minute.


OK, I had a look = exactly what I like and, they forge both RH and LH blades. Good stuff.
See the hook at the tip? A mini-scorp like that, by itself , might set you back another $40.00.
This is a deal. The hook is for cleaning out the frog on a horse's hoof.
For a caever, it's the deep bottom corners of dishes and such. In between the tines of a salad fork.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Conner.Michaux said:


> I tried to do some carving today on some maple, but dang! thats way harder that it looks, my hook knife is razor sharp but for some reason im having a huge amount of difficulty with it. I cant get more than a tiny shaving off.
> 
> I think it would be way easer with a gouge and mallet. for me atleast, Ill take a look at some crooked knives too


Yea, maple is hard to carve. I did this project onetime and have never carved maple again. 

I do think basswood is to soft for spoons. I think you will have problems with the spoons bending when you are trying to use them. I think poplar would be a better fit.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

The next step, whether the hook knife is new or used, is to cut the bevel down from about 25 degrees to 12 degrees for carving.
I have stand-up cards with 12 degree angles drawn on them so I do less guessing!
Clamp the knife handle to the edge of the bench. Gloves on and rip the bevel down with a 7/32" chain saw file.
Lean into it. There's no prize for fiddling around. Gotta get into the hook and it is hard work.



>Hall knives are such hard steel that I wreck a Swiss Oregon chain saw file over 2 knives. I buy a box of 12 at a time.
Only have to do that once.


Now, you use the cs file as a mandrel to work your way up from 600 to 800 to 1,000 to 1,200 to 1,500 grits.
I work with 3M wet & dry fine automotive sandpapers. Last is to hone on CrOx/AlOx scribbled on file card.
From day to day, you won't need to go back to bigger than 800 ever again. A few swipes on the back side flat to keep cutting off the wire edge.
I'll find some pictures but don't hold your breath. The bevel angle change is a big deal.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

Conner.Michaux said:


> Im interested in starting to carve spoons, I have a Hook knife, Carving knife, And a little carving knife for more detailed work. I have access to a band saw and a chop saw. Is there anything else I need to make spoons? And are there any other hand tools I could get to make the process faster?
> 
> Thanks.


Hi Conner,

I've been following along...I carve spoons, and do a lot of other "green woodworking," both for fun and professionally...

Brian T. has you covered in what you need to get going with this...Dried wood and "spoon making" typically don't go together for the most part. This is true "green wood" crafting at its best...

If you ever get a chance Greenwood Fest is a great place to meet others like us...:grin:

As for the tools...there are many approaches to this craft...Some traditions are mostly (or all?) "knife work" as you are learning from Brian T., while others are "gouge" based...and some (like me and many others) are a mix of different traditions. 

As such, carving gouges of all kinds can be really helpful...both *"incanal" (bevel on the inside)* and *"outcannal" (bevel on the outside)* types as each has a specific application to spoon carving methods. The "incannal" (aka "pattern makers gouges") have not been discussed yet, and of the "gouge systems" of wood carving, they are some of the very fastest methods to move wood by hand...and perhaps one of the oldest as well...

Let me know if you would like me to expand on anything?


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Jay C. White Cloud said:


> Hi Conner,
> 
> I've been following along...I carve spoons, and do a lot of other "green woodworking," both for fun and professionally...
> 
> ...


If you get a chance could you give some detail as how the incannal is used?


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## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

Okay guys i'm really confused about all your saying, i'm very new to wood working, I also have a very tight budget, I cant afford any nice files or multiple grits of sandpaper. 

The only things I have for spoons is, A hook knife, and two carving knives, I have no other wood working tools. And the only wood I have access to is dried hardwood lumber. 

I can afford to get some wood today, but Im still not sure if I can carve on lumber.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Can you find some spruce or pine firewood? Maybe a piece of a fence post?
Nothing wrong with those things to play with chips and shavings.
You have all the tools you need. I started with a banged up/used farrier's knife.

"Carving sharp" is a skill that you have to learn.
I've seen it done with extremely fine-grained river stones and a bucket of water.
I want to learn to do that. Old ways. Will take some learning

Since it's winter, your local streams and rivers ought to be really low water.
Long oval banana-shaped smooth, smooth river stones to search for.


These Dragonfly dishes are western red cedar fence post.
Crooked knives all the way.


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## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

I have last years Christmas tree in the backyard, thats pine. I don't have anything to cut it up though.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Well, start at the fat end. Peel off some bark and try different cuts.


Watch for a Personal Message. Christmas will be later than you think.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

*Don't be confused...!*



Conner.Michaux said:


> Okay guys i'm really confused about all your saying, i'm very new to wood working, I also have a very tight budget, I cant afford any nice files or multiple grits of sandpaper...The only things I have for spoons is, A hook knife, and two carving knives, I have no other wood working tools. And the only wood I have access to is dried hardwood lumber...I can afford to get some wood today, but Im still not sure if I can carve on lumber.


Hi Conner,

Your getting a lot of information, and that can be overwhelming for a beginner. Don't try to take it "all in." Process it in small bits.

Your goal is just making some simple spoons for now, and the wood for that is not hard to get and shouldn't cost you anything. Some landowners, if you ask nicely, will let you take a few small trees, or limbs that are still green. If all you can absolutely get is "dry fire wood" then soak it in a tub of water and oil it with a vegetable oil as you work it. This will make the cutting much easier even in woods like Maple. BE CAREFUL...too much oil can cause you to slip and cut yourself...but the oil does make a huge difference in lubricating the cuts and softening the wood also.

I was remiss yesterdays post of not mentioning the number one tool I personally recommend to anyone with limited funds and time to get into all the different hand carving methods. That tool is a simple "carving jack."

On my left hip, in a brain-tanned sheath (of squirrel and woodchuck...:vs_laugh...you will always find my "right handed" carving jack. It has six of the most common carving tools used, comes with a hone block and is all you really need to do some pretty advanced carving...spoons included.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

BigJim said:


> If you get a chance could you give some detail as how the incannal is used?


For the OP's project (spoons) if he is going down the path of..."carving chisels"...He doesn't need much...

Carving chisels, in general, cover a broad spectrum, and from many cultures. The diversity is just about endless; with each culture having there unique characteristics. Carving Chisels, have virtually and endless array of geometries with each manufacture (or Smith) perhaps having some standards. They will come (no mater the geometry) as either..*."incanal" (bevel on the inside) and "outcannal" (bevel on the outside) types as each has a specific application.*

In "spoon carving" the "incannal" (aka "Teahouse (Sukui) House joinery chisels" {外丸鑿 - Soto maru nomi What I use quite often...}..."Scribing gouges"...or..."pattern makers gouges style") are typically employed on the back of the bowl, the neck and the lip the most, but can have other applications as well...

I'm attaching a video below that is someone I respect and admire. He has given one of the best explanations out there regarding this topic. As he describes, and I learned as a child from my mother (a Master Carver in stone and wood) that as your skills progress you will advance into a more diverse range of profiles and bevel geometries...both incannal and outcannal...


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Thanks for the video Jay, I appreciate it. That explains how and in seeing the video it has given me more ideas how they could be used. Cool.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

*You are most welcome...*



BigJim said:


> Thanks for the video Jay, I appreciate it. That explains how and in seeing the video it has given me more ideas how they could be used. Cool.


I'm very pleased you enjoyed it...The "incannal gouges" are often overlooked and not well understood these days, as you could tell from just this conversation the OP started with a simple query...

They are often what I reach for the most...and love the best of all chisels...!!!...:grin:...Today was a day of cutting joinery in a massive Dutch Barn...What was in my hands...???!!!...the most...a 4" wide 3' long "clabbard slick incannal gouge...and a 30mm 外丸鑿 - Soto maru nomi amoung other esoteric gouge chisels seldom used today...:laugh2:


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## Tennessee Tim (Dec 15, 2010)

Jay and Conner,
Here's a video I think would also help.....I enjoy most of third coast craftsman 's you tubes as there interesting and informative.






Enjoy!!!!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Tennessee Tim said:


> Jay and Conner,
> Here's a video I think would also help.....I enjoy most of third coast craftsman 's you tubes as there interesting and informative.
> 
> Carving A Spoon From The Endangered American Chestnut // Woodworking ASMR!! - YouTube
> ...


That was my thinking also it would be a lot simpler to use common carving chisels to carve out the spoons. One thing I didn't care for in the video for the OP is the use of spoon chisels. They would be more difficult to learn how to sharpen than straight chisels and for that application are unnecessary.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

The OP has a spoon knife. Good.



SN: "Spoon bent" gouges are not chisels and they are designed for a purpose.
All kinds of sharpening require learning. Probably driven by need and desire.
There's long-bent, short-bent and tracery-bent gouges to learn to do if you needed them.


Free-hand is no big deal but you have to practice and practice and practice.
Then, I found that all Pacific Northwest designed edges required a reverse or opposite sharpening process!



I freehand sharpen maybe 2 dozen+ crooked knives over my knee. 

You can stand and watch and never figure out what I really did.



One overlooked orthodox process is the standard wood carving practice to carve a "stop cut" first 

and then carve back to that to eliminate the possibility of long run-out splits.
You can see that in my picture of spoon carving = 3/4 Forstner bit cut hole.
That allowed me to do most of the rough out with a 9/15 then finish with crooked knives.


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

Steve Neul said:


> That was my thinking also it would be a lot simpler to use common carving chisels to carve out the spoons. One thing I didn't care for in the video for the OP is the use of spoon chisels. They would be more difficult to learn how to sharpen than straight chisels and for that application are unnecessary.


Carving modalties are very individualistic in nature..."chisel" or "knife" methods...both are about equal in the hands of a proficient practictioner...

I prefer "chisel" myself, however that is what I grew up around, and only saw my mother use "knife work" on rare occasion. She too, found them applicable only to specific styles of work comparably. With that said, in the hands of a Pacific Coast Carver, or other indigenous groups that use knife-work, the speed and dexterity of carving is both efficient and extremely fast...

Both are more than applicable for spoon work, and since the OP is a "clean slate" for having a foundation, either can serve them very well...

As for sharpening...that is purely a personal perspective in regards to speed and ease of learning...

I find most folks I have taught sharpening to learn to sharpen knifes and gouges about the same as it is as much "feel" as it is achieving a "set geometry." Of those that develop the skills to become proficient at it...me included...I find a convex (outcannal) surface much easier to quickly sharpen (hand or machine) than I do a concave (incannal) surface, yet the differences, once the methods are learned and muscle memory developed for them...the difference is marginal at best...with straight and oblique chisels not that far behind at all. 

I (and those I teach) with the right set up can hone a keen edge (shave sharp if you choose?) in less than 30 seconds in most applications and even a damage (i.e. chipped, bent, or bevel change) usually taking less than 5 minutes before the honing process puts the tool back to work...if using a powered sharpening system. 

Tools for knife-carving that have an incannal profile do not lend themselves to power sharpen as easily (though it can be done) and take a bit more time...



Brian T said:


> ..."Spoon bent" gouges are not chisels...


I agree..."The OP has a spoon knife." and this is good, as he is moving in a direction that will at least get him started...

As for "gouges are not chisels"...:vs_worry:...I think I have to challenge that understanding perhaps...and/or...ask more question of why you think so?

By definition (in English) a "chisel is: noun - a wedge like tool with a cutting edge at the end of the blade, often made of steel, used for cutting or shaping wood, stone, etc. and in many definition sources this includes gouges as being a "curved edged chisel."

As such they can be made of stone, glass, biological enamel, bone, as well as alloys, and have all manner of geometry.

When we look at other "wood carving cultures" the word for..."chisel"...includes gouges as well as straight edged versions of the tool...

Case in point for just two examples:

Japanese: "Nomi" 鑿 (or 鑿子是) mean the generic term "chisel" while "Maru Nomi" 丸鑿 is the word for "gouge" and you can see the same kanji used in both names...

Chinese: "Záozi" 凿子 means "chisel, "zhí záo" for "straight chisel; "xié záo" 斜凿Oblique chisel; yuán záo 圆凿 (Round chisel) "gouge" and the list goes on...

Within most of Europe carving cultures from the Nordic to Eastern European and Middle Easter culture the same holds true as far as I know?


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

In english, the term "gouge" provides me with a superior sense of the design of the tool = the edge has a sweep.
A "spoon-bent" gouge is not a spoon knife = totally different.
The function of the gouge is replaced by the progressive sweep of a Pacific Northwest crooked knife.



I think it's useful, also, to describe the "knife" in terms of the blade design.
Everything from the little straight-bladed detail knives through the swept "crooked" knives with their many shapes 

to the massive crooked knives from the fur trade, the "Mocotaugan" style knives.
I have and use all of those. 

The Mocotaugan blade is particularly useless as a carver. 

For pack frames, canoe parts & paddles and snowshoe frames, magnificent.
Mine is a Sheffield blade of the pattern sold by the Hudson's Bay Company in their fur trading posts in the late 1700's.
I made the knife 3 ways crooked (sweep, cant & offset). Weak, weak performer.



I learned by long experience that the single-edge, single bevel farrier's hoof trimming "crooked" knife is a wonderful wood carving tool.
The tip is a scorp. Want a point, instead? A Dremel + curoff wheel will fix that in a minute. Many of the bladesmiths make both a right and a left handed knife = unlike a hoof, changing wood grain makes the pair very useful.
Mora #171 (Sweden) are single edged as are the Diamond #271 (Taiwan). Mora #188 is 2-edged but now you're far better off with a serious PacNW blade like a Kestrel 'C' profile. Besides Hall and Ukal, I know that there are at least another dozen big regional names.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Jay C. White Cloud said:


> Carving modalties are very individualistic in nature..."chisel" or "knife" methods...both are about equal in the hands of a proficient practictioner...
> 
> I prefer "chisel" myself, however that is what I grew up around, and only saw my mother use "knife work" on rare occasion. She too, found them applicable only to specific styles of work comparably. With that said, in the hands of a Pacific Coast Carver, or other indigenous groups that use knife-work, the speed and dexterity of carving is both efficient and extremely fast...
> 
> ...


The guy in the video was just carving out a spoon with a spoon chisel which is fine for him. My thought is the OP has probably never sharpened a chisel and there won't be anyone there hands on to teach him. It's difficult enough to learn at first how to sharpen a chisel without having to start out with a spoon chisel.


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

Adequate instruction makes short work of learning to freehand sharpen a real spoon gouge, best known as a "short-bent" gouge.
The option that you can see is a "spoon knife." Very specialized when compared with a PacNW crooked knife.


Flat abrasive surfaces are entirely adequate. I will teach that in 5-10 minutes with quite a few things to practice to be consistent.
I was taught by a full-time career carver who was doing very, very well for himself. I am grateful for the instruction.



I would like to own a copy of the _complete_ part of the London Pattern Book which defines all the sweeps and bends.
I know that the numbers run up into the 70's with letters such as 'e' and 'F' (fishtail) appended to them.


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## SeanStuart (Nov 27, 2011)

The first time I carved anything I bought this set from harbor freight. It is low quality, but sharp and lets you use a few tools. I carved a few spoons with this set, plus I used a knife and a hatchet. https://www.harborfreight.com/woodcarving-chisel-set-5-pc-69553.html


After that, if you like it, you may want to get a few finer gouges and specialty tools. Pheil gouges come very sharp and so are very user friendly, but not cheap. A kind of crappy picture of some recent spoons:


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## 35015 (Nov 24, 2012)

SeanStuart said:


> The first time I carved anything I bought this set from harbor freight. It is low quality, but sharp and lets you use a few tools. I carved a few spoons with this set, plus I used a knife and a hatchet. https://www.harborfreight.com/woodcarving-chisel-set-5-pc-69553.html
> 
> 
> After that, if you like it, you may want to get a few finer gouges and specialty tools. Pheil gouges come very sharp and so are very user friendly, but not cheap. A kind of crappy picture of some recent spoons:


Beautiful work Sean...!!!...:grin:


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## SeanStuart (Nov 27, 2011)

Thanks Jay!


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## Brian T (Nov 3, 2018)

I like the diversity. Some carvers don't do any "exploration."
Choices? I like the little ones the best. Makes me think of herbs and spices.


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## Conner.Michaux (Jan 21, 2019)

How’d all, I’m finally going to be carving my first spoon, I have some rough sawed fresh cut cherry. Thanks for all the info, ive been coming back to this topic and have been reading it very often.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

Conner.Michaux said:


> How’d all, I’m finally going to be carving my first spoon, I have some rough sawed fresh cut cherry. Thanks for all the info, ive been coming back to this topic and have been reading it very often.


Please post photos. I would like to learn more.


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## faith michel (Sep 10, 2017)

Conner.Michaux said:


> Im interested in starting to carve spoons, I have a Hook knife, Carving knife, And a little carving knife for more detailed work. I have access to a band saw and a chop saw. Is there anything else I need to make spoons? And are there any other hand tools I could get to make the process faster?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks.







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