Gift shopping for the woodworker in your family? We took the time to come up with some thoughtful, unique wood carving gift ideas for any budget. Here are our 2020 favorites.
As we’ve mentioned in an earlier post, woodcarvers generally either love or despise a skew chisel; very few are ambivalent about the tool. Those who dislike the skew chisel frequently complain that it’s tricky (or nearly impossible) to sharpen well. This post addresses the fine points of sharpening a skew chisel. We’ll cover the factors that affect how quickly your skew gets dull, when to sharpen it, and how to sharpen it. Along the way, we’ll provide tips and tricks that make the job easier. What factors affect how quickly a skew chisel gets dull? Here are the big things that affect the sharpness of a skew chisel. Combine two or more of them, and your skew chisel can get...
What's Your Sharpening Process? I’m not going to bury the lead. If you talk to three different carvers, they’ll probably have three different ways to sharpen their tools. Here’s the bottom line: If the tools are sharp, and you’re able to carve the shapes and details you need with them, that’s what matters. Especially for the beginners and hobbyists out there. Carver #1 - Dick Belcher Today, we’ll start with Dick Belcher’s sharpening process. Dick is a professional carver and carving teacher, with more than 40 years’ experience using and sharpening wood carving tools. He knows a thing or two. First, a couple things to understand: All gouges have two bevels – inner and outer. This is different than a chisel,...
