Thread: Made a couple of chip carving knives.

Looks spot one M8!

I caught a bit of Wayne Barton on the wood working channel the other day, and the thumb position is correct, stick it out and pivot on it.

Boy does he make it look easy!

Ta mate. I'm finding it tricky. At least I know I'm doing it right.

I suggest you get Wayne Bartons book "Chip carving Basic Techniques and Patterns" and follow his directions exactly, no matter how awkward they feel at first...you will have it in no time! I started carving in chipcarving and with that book....your tools look great, except I prefer the blades be thinner...but that may well be a personal choice! Happy Carving!

The knives look great, good work- but i have to admit i never really learnt how to use them , and i still use chisels for all my chipcarving...

P.S.-Hi, i just joined the forum-been reading for some time.My English needs a lot of improvement- and every now and then i may post something to make people jump at me- please, be patient

Thanks.

I may too prefer thinner blades. Just haven't the experience to know yet.
Might make a thinner one when I get the chance.

Sounds like your doing better than me Artesano. I've only ever done whittling. I've got some carving chisels but never really used. And I wouldn't worry about your english too much. Every now and again I think I make people jump and english is my only language.

Hi Jake
I love the knives,
I know nothing about chip carving , but felt the need to
comment on them,
IMHO , the whole process of making your own tools adds a whole new dimension to the end piece.
beatifully done
cheers underfoot

Ta . But I think if you had a closer look at them they wouldn't look anything special. Just focused on getting the profiles of the blades right, and hardness. Nothing worse than a blade that bluntens quickly. ...and that they set tightly in the handles. (just epoxied them in )...

Aiming to decorate my work with thin floral like designs. Minimal though. One thing that I don't like about most of the chip carvings I've seen, is I think they look too busy.

Just want to feel confident in adding a little something here and there when I think it needs it.

Gota make that thin knife silver mentioned.

Nice looking knives apricotripper.Would you let us know how you hardened the steel once you'd shaped it.

Love to see a WIP of the knife being made and harded
like to give it ago when l have time next

Ok. I'll make another blade and take a few photos. Gota think of a profile that may be useful.

Tried to get a photos in. The photos aren't the best I'm affraid. Just trying a few different profiles. Trying to squeeze it all in this morning before work.

I'm no expert carver remember. But I have had plenty of experience hardening my plane blades, that too were made from old files. And the results are excellent IMO.

pic 1. - thats another profile I've tried. Thinner blade this time. Made from an old needle file.

pic 2 and 3 - after grinding and buffing the tip sharp (doesn't matter if you overheat the blade since you'll be re-hardening) I stick it under a couple of map gas torches.........then when she's bright red I dunk it into oil. The redder the better when it hits the oil. Only need one torch, but more heat with two.

That leaves the steel very hard and apparently too brittle for use. Your supposed to draw the temper on it at this point by waving it under a flame, watching the flow of colours and dunk again in oil (or water) to make it softer,BUT I haven't of yet, for one reason or another haven't had any edge failure by just leaving it rock hard without drawing the temper. Don't ask me why.

My plane blades have had much use(and abuse), and they have excellent edge retention. Razor sharp blades.

Don't use stones to sharpen. Just all grinder and hard felt buffing wheel.

Stick with what works you see.

pic 4 - havn't made a handle for it yet. But I made another blade up eariler the same way with a slightly different profile for fine whittling work.

Thought it was worth mentioning. For a long time I didn't re-harden blades at all. I was just careful on the grinder not to burn the steel. Old files seem to hold there edge ok already without treatment. Might be good for you if you don't have access to a torch...

Thank you ,the best post l have read ,
Do you find that the oil can catch on fire somtimes and the smoke well its a lot of smoke when l did it on some art work ,

Just started teaching high school kids, would love to teach them how to make a carving knife nothing longer it may be bad for my helth

the fire thing worries me as well ,maybe l didn't do it right

please can you show me/us how to make and fit a handle

great post

Originally Posted by SPIRIT

Thank you ,the best post l have read ,
Do you find that the oil can catch on fire somtimes and the smoke well its a lot of smoke when l did it on some art work ,

Just started teaching high school kids, would love to teach them how to make a carving knife nothing longer it may be bad for my helth

the fire thing worries me as well ,maybe l didn't do it right

please can you show me/us how to make and fit a handle

great post

Pleasure mate. remember though, its probably not the best way of doing it. Its a way that works for me without the need for forge etc. so it only takes a few minutes to have a reliable edge.

Its really just basic stuff. An expert knife maker probably laugh at it though. Nothing pretty about the look of the knife. All practical.

Those needle files have a shank around 3mm.....so to make the handle all I did was ruff cut out a blank of wood, drilled a hole in the end for a tight fit (not so tight that you can't get it out). Filled it all with epoxy and pushed it in. Thats it.

The first two knives made from regular files had triangular type shapes......Same sort of thing to make it fit the handle. But this time I just wiggle the drill bit around as I was drilling to take the shape of blade shank.... Proper knives would have a ferral, or a rivet like bind through the blade and handle.

As for fire hazard. No, the oil doesn't catch alight. If it worries you still, you can just use water, but oils apparently better. I just use sunflower oil.

You'd probably want to be the operator of the torch with those kids about. Maybe get them to hold their blades in front of the flame by plyers and dunk it quickly into the oil. I don't know. Make sure the rooms ventilated.

The mapp gas torches you can buy from hardware stores. Mine cost me about $40. There's fancy ignition attachments that up the price on some. But you don't need them. The nozel from propane torches of the brand 'benzomatic' fit their map gas tanks as well.

It'll only work though if you can get all of the edge of the blade red before quenching....so uno, small blades only. Torch just isn't big enough. If you wonder why patches of the edge wear faster than other areas. Could be because those patches weren't red before they hit the oil. I've noticed that plenty in some I haven't done properly.

Goodluck with those kids. Admire your patience at being able to look after them all day. I'd have a lot of trouble doing it for a living.

Thanks apricotripper, I'm going out into the shed this weekend to make a chip carving tool from an old file I have.