How to sharpen wood carving knives?

Bruce Bump

Bruce Bump

Joined
Dec 2, 1999
Messages
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I get calls from people that carve wood. Some of them are very talented and demand scarey sharp edges on their expensive carver knives. They have blades of all shapes and sizes and my regular method wont do the job. They are very fine compared to most cutlery Im used to. Do you guys know what wheels and methods will work?
 
I've been a cabinetmaker and boatbuilder for 25 years. Most wood guys are not good grinders, and do a lot of sharpening by hand, often on waterstones. Another method is called scarry sharp, which is basically a non-motorised sanding approach.

Large catalogues like LeeValley.com sell meriad sharpening systems. Leonard Lee wrote a serious book on sharpneing published by tauton press. A library should be able to get it. Another big name in tools is Tom Lie-Nielsen, he has a new book out on sharpening which I haven't seen.

How people sharpen tends to depend on where they fit on the skills continueum, and what particular style of woodwork they are involved in.

Carving requires the sharpest possible edge. It also requires control surfaces to manouver the edge with.

Fire away with any specific questions.
 
First start out with a good steel .At least 1% C ,perhaps a A2. Something like S30V would be nice too . However like Protactical says it depends on the users skills. It's a balance between how hard to sharpen vs how long the edge lasts.Other than the initial grind angle the rest is really up to the user .He has to establish what's best for himself as he will be sharpening on a regular basis.I never used more than a standard stone and the ceramic ones are very nice .Some of course will buff the edge.Any way, it's done over and over since dull tools make for a poor job !!
 
Most carving tools are sharpened by hand with slip stones and a strop. Rick Butz has a great video out on sharpening carving tools, he goes through every type of knife and gouge made. "The tools you need and how to sherpen them" contact
WHMT sales
(800) 950-9648
P.O. Box 17
Schenectady, NY 12301

Tony Moyer
 
Thanks Guys! Tony that video sounds like my kind of education. I would hate to ruin a couple dozen of their favorite carvers. I can imagine they love those knives like we love our bowies.
 
Bruce Bump said:
Thanks Guys! Tony that video sounds like my kind of education. I would hate to ruin a couple dozen of their favorite carvers. I can imagine they love those knives like we love our bowies.
Click to expand...

an angle gauge and a jig Bruce :D the rest is history..:)

if you attach a match lock hammer to it you'll figure it out for sure.;)
 
Rick Butz is a guru on sharpening carving tools.I do it all by hand except when an edge is severely damaged.There are slip stones for every shape gouge.Angle jigs are great,but it is the skill of the honer that gets the edge sharp.A good carver can have well over 100 edged tools.Most are never really dull.They are stroped on a fine crocus and then on a leather strop before each use.During carving they are regularly given a quick re-strop. Many carvers use diamond paste to get a micro-sharp edge.
Wood Carvers Supply has lots of books,videos, jigs,special strops,and supplies.
Surgeons often use duller scalpels than wood carvers tools.
Stacy
 
I should also add that the edge and techniques are different depending on the wood. Ebony , rosewood , hard maple , basswood, pine , they're all different .Keep it sharp !
 
In the woodworking shops I worked in, we used the large DMT diamond "stones" for any flat-beveled edges. And we sharpened the tools at the end of the day, every day.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=33005&cat=1,43072


And, of course, the various curved stones/strops for any curved edges.


Regular stropping kept the edges "fresh" during the day.


So, for me, all my wood carving tools have a polished, semi-convex edge. (just sharpened them again last week...don't do as much carving lately as I'd like to....too busy makin' knives! :D)
 
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