Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-1, страница 27

is sharp it w ill make a clean cut (Pholo 10).

All gouges are sharpened basically the same way. regardless of the sweep. The only exception is ihe V-gouge (also sometimes called parting tool}. This extremely useful toot is one of the trickiest to sharpen properly.

Begin by treating each side of the V-gouge as a tiny knife, and sharpen it by sliding it back and forth on the stone (Photo 11). Each side of the V-gouge is held at a 25-degree angle to the sharpening stone, just as the knife was. This sharpening motion will hone the flai sides of the gouge, but the V-profile of the culling edge will cause a small "hook" to form al the point of the V (Photo 12). You must remove ihe hook before the tool will cut properly. Otherwise, it will plow into the wood causing splinters. Remove the hook by treating the bottom of the V like

January/February l^lW

a miniature gouge. Gently rock it back and forth on the stone w ith the same motion used on the other gouges (Photo 13).

Use the angled edge of the slip stone to remove the burr on the inside bevel (Pholo 14). Polish the outer bevel with the leather strop. When your V-gouge is properly sharpened it will look like this (Photo 15).

Check the sharpness of j our V-gouge by cutting cross-grain on a piece of soft wood (Photo 16) Il should eul smoothly and cleanly w ithout tearing the wood.

After your tools are sharp, you arc ready lo begin carving. However, even with perfectly honed tools, you still need to give some consideration to your wood.

We use basswood or white pine for many of our carving projects. These soft woods can be purchased at lumber stores or

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