Thread: Scalpels For Marquetry and Veneer?

For 31 years, I did my carving with Feather (brand) scalpels. #10? #12 handles? I forget.
#11, #12 and #15 blades were my stock-in-trade. I used to crank the handles in a vise so I had LH and RH shapes (needing to be very ambidextrous). I engraved my name on the cranked handles so when they came out of the autoclave, I got my stuff back.
Two things:
1. There's so little steel behind the edge for mechanical support, they are unsatisfactory for wood carving. As useless as Exacto. Meat carving is another matter.
2. The fine tips do break off in wood. If you don't sense when that happens, you are in for a big surprise to hit that with a $50 gouge.

I use neither of them. Neither of them is strong enough for the job.

Stanley knife!!! You know, with the break off blade. I do all my work with Stanley, no need for scalpel or other special tool.
The handles are not for cutting veneer and the blade is weak.

The Stanley comes in different sizes, you can experiment which one is comfortable in your hand.
Ok I also have a Japanese knife, but I rarely use it, only for the minute details when veneers are not co-operating. But it has a very strong tip, not like the scalpels.
cheers

The common knives here with break-away blades are made by OLFA (France, perhaps?)
I've been relief carving in flat stone slabs for eventual printing. Those blades cut better than I ever expected. We did some expts and the stone seems between 2 and 3 hardness.
There are some people around me that do either marquetry and/or intarsia. Very, very quiet about what they do and how they do it.

yes OLFA is the best for sure, and it is Japanese.
In 1956 Yoshio Okada invented the world's first SNAP-OFF BLADE CUTTER. It is still the best.