Woodworker's Journal 1993-17-6, страница 37

different methods and sharpening materials 1 always find myself returning to my original method.

Start with an India stone (Photo 2). This is a medium-fine oil stone made from fused aluminum oxide grit. It's been manufactured for decades, and is called an India stone because it's a man-made version of a natural stone once mined in India. Place a few drops of 3-in-l light machine oil on the stone. Then, hold the knife blade on the stone at a 25-degrce angle and slide it back and

4. Levering cut

forth along the stone. Work both sides equally. Eventually this will form a fine burr of metal along the cutting edge. Next, stroke ihe blade along a leather strop to polish away the burr edge. This will eventually result in a razor sharp cutting edge—just what you need for carving.

Try Your Luck

Just about any wood can be carved successfully, but the best wood lo use for starting in carving is a soft wood like basswood or Northern while pine— preferably air-dried to season the wood. Don'i use balsa wood. It is too soft and fragile. The fibers w ill crush instead of carving cleanly.

There are two hand techniques that are used about 95 percent of the time when carving with a knife. The first is called a paring cut. or whittler's cut (Photo 3).

November/December 1903

First, place your thumb on the block of wood and slowly close your hand as you draw the knife through the wood. Keep your ihumb low enough on the wood so ihe knife doesn't hit it.

The levering cut is handy tor getting into areas thai are hard to reach with the paring cut. Place your left thumb on the back of the knife blade and pivot the knife, using your thumb as a fulcrum (Photo 4). This allows you to nibble off small chips of wood very precisely. Remember, these are small controlled movements using only the muscles of your fingers and hand. It's dangerous to pull a knife through the wood toward yourself with the full power of your arm. Whenever I start feeling impatient. I think of the old woodcarvers* saying. "Three small chips are better than one big one."

V-gouges can be very handy for adding Ihe final details lo small carving projects. The V-shaped cutting edge incises a line in one cut, whereas you would have to make two cuts with a knife blade lo create the same grooved shape. To carve small details and textures such as the beard and fur trim of the Santa Claus project (page 38), hold the V-gouge in a pencil grip (Photo 5). Simply hold the shaft of the gouge the

5. Hold a V-gouge in the pencil grip

way you would a pencil and gently push il through the wood with your fingertips, l or added control, you can brace your little finger right on the wood. Like ihe paring and levering cuts, this technique is a small motion using just your fingers, not your whole arm. And remember, don't let the fingers of the hand holding the carving get in front of the cutting edge of the gouge.

These tools and techniques are all you need lo carve ihe Traditional American Santa Claus and many other small projects. E3i

Sources

Woodcraft Supply Corp.

210 Wood County Industrial Park j Parkmburg. WV 26102 tel 1-800-225-1153 (curving tools, Biitz knife, I woodhurnine pens, general woodworking supplies)

Albert Constantino & Son, Inc.

2050 Eastehester Road

Bronx. NY 10461

EeL l~SG0rI23-&087

(curving UHiis, some wood, general

w<>o4nyrkittg supplies)

Garrett Wade Company, Inc.

161 Avemiv of tbe Americas

New York STY 10013 (el. I 800 221 2942 (caning i* >ois.. general woodworking supplies)

Wood Carvers Supply. Inc.

P.O. Box 7500 Englcwood. FL 34295 (carving tools, glass eyes, metal feet, acrvlic paint!

P.C. English. Inc.

P.O. Box 380

Tliomburg. VA 22565

tel. (703) 582-2200

(canin;r hmls. Htukibnrnin^ pens,

glass eves, metal feet)

Dick Biick

P.O Box 1267

Galesburg. IL 61401

tel I 800-447-8192

(acrylic, alkyd. oil, <tnd water paint v,

brushes, general art supplies)

£*e Valley Ibols Ltd.

1080 Morrison Drive

Ottawa, Ontario Canada K2H 8K7

tel. (613)596-0350

(earning tools glass eyes, acrylic j paints, general woodworking supplies)

General Woodcarving Information

National Woodcarvers Association

P.O Box 43218 I Cincinnati, OH 45243 :

tel. (513) 561-0627

The National Carvers Museum

P.O Box 3B9 Monument, CO 80132 tel. (719) 481-2656

37

J. Paring cut