keeping them sharp..

[Jason Conwell]

Advice on keeping my carving tools sharp.

I have a strop/honing leather and polishing compound to help keep my tools sharp but they do not seem to be as sharp as I would like. I am careful when sharpening them to not round them over or anything like that. I guess I use the strop and compound but as I carve it seems like it takes a lot of effort. I see videos and it seems like their tools are cutting through the wood like a knife through butter. Is it my technique when I carve making me use extra effort? Do I need to get a sharpening stone? The wood I have been using is baswood. Advice?

[Doug Duffield]

What brand of carving tools are you using, Jason? Some come sharper than others, and some need a little more grit put on them before stropping. It's not knocking the tools, but some brands leave the final sharpening to the user.

In bass wood, most tools should cut very well. I don't have any problem with mine. I do know that poplar gives me some fits, but it's a weird wood.

One thing you want to watch for when stropping is to make sure you are not forcing the cutting edge into the leather too far, resulting in a roll over of the cutting edge. That usually results in a steeper cutting angle and doesn't cut the fibers as easily.

[Matt Evans]

For clarification, you say you use a leather strop and polishing/honing compound ONLY to sharpen, and do not have any sharpening stone?

If that is the case, Yes, you need a sharpening stone. I have made all of my slips from old broken oilstones found at the flea market. THe main factor is the 2-3" stone for the outside bevel. Even the softer, cheaper man made stones are going to help you out a lot. The fact that they are soft and will "dish" with wear isn't all that bad with carving chisels, since you aren't seeking a perfectly flat, straight edge, rather, looking for a single point of contact as you rotate the chisels' outside bevel.

Dowels and sandpaper can take the place of a slip stone, but I would go out and get a stone or three to sharpen the outside bevel. Another thought is that you may wish to knock the bevel down a bit. The hard edge that most carving chisels seem to come with is not at the right angle, and prevents the chisel from slicing through the wood smoothly, even if it is sharp.

Better carvers than I can probably give you better advice, but thats my two cents.

[Jason Conwell]

I use flexcut tools. From what I understand they are not the best tools on the market but are also not the worst. Maybe you may tell me other wise though being these are the only brand I have ever used since I am new to this. I do not have a sharpening stone. I was told the strop would keep them sharp. They are sharp but I dont think I am getting my full potential out of them because they are not as sharp as they could be. I go with the grain as I am suppose to but I guess you could say it just doesnt feel like a smooth cut.

[Matt Evans]

Jason,

A strop will keep the cutting edge cutting well longer between sharpenings, but I would still suggest a sharpening stone. They will stay sharp after you get them to where you like them for a good while, but when it is time to sharpen, a stone is the way to go. A strop has enough play in it that it is difficult to get the chisel properly registered consistently for sharpening.

An alternative to a stone would be sandpaper on glass, or possibly a few coarser grades of honing/polishing compound on glass or a very hard piece of wod (Hard maple/Hickory/Ironwood, etc.) If done on wood, you can make a few different cuts with your chisels, giving you the correct registration for that particular sweep.

The Flexcut chisels are good for some sorts of work, so I can't really knock them too badly. I much prefer a larger, more substantial chisel, as I find it gives me a bit more control. The Flexcuts I used didn't give me enough of a "feel" for what the chisel was going to do, unless I was doing a small paring cut. I really found them annoying for mallet work. But, like I said, they are good for some sorts of work.

If you want a larger chisel just to try them out, with a minimum of expense, MasterCarver has a website and a catalog that you should look at. The Lamp brand is recommended, but I ended up going with their hand forged chisels. They really work well, and are pretty inexpensive for a quality tool. The only problem I have with them is the handles. The finish is not the best, and they come loose from the socket pretty quickly. Making a new set of handles is almost a must for the forged chisels.


I don't know if any of that helps out, but if you have any other questions, just ask! I may not know the answer, but someone here should.

[Jason Conwell]

I will look into a sharpening stone. Any recommendations? I mostly do small relief carving right now. I say that but its more of wood destruction then wood carving HA!

[Matt Evans]

Norton makes pretty decent oilstones, and if you can afford the expense, get natural stones in a few different grits. A lot of people don't like oilstones, prefering either diamond or water stones, but I find oilstones to be just about perfect for my method of sharpening.

Traditional woodworker has some decent priced smaller oilstones, and if carving tools are your main sharpening issue, I would go with those to start out. Just do a search for Natural Arkansas stones, and you should find several suppliers. I would also get one India slip, and one fine slip, for the inside face. They normally aren't that pricey, and will last a good long while.

[randall rosenthal]

havent touched a stone in a decade. i use a cotton wheel and very fine rouge. i get the tool as sharp as the metal will allow and if i use it for five minutes it gets another 10 seconds on the wheel. i hold it against the dry side of the wheel for about three seconds to get that micro bead and all rouge off.

insanely easy and it works for me. when i nick myself i never know till i see the blood. the tools are to sharp to feel it.

[Matt Evans]

Jason,

Give Randall's' suggestions some weight. I am a cabinetmaker, not a carver. I like dabbling in carving, but I don't do nearly the amount(or caliber) of Randall's work.

[Dave McGeehan]

Randall, what type of rouge do you use? I'm assuming your cotton wheel is very firm? Also your gouges must end up with a hollow grind as opposed to a flat grind?

I also use buffing compound but with various shaped leather strops that I've made to fit different sweeps and shapes. With just a few strokes when needed I keep my gouges razor sharp at least throughout each project. But at some point the flatness of the bevel starts to round over until I must raise the handle higher than I'd like. At this point I reestablish the bevel angle using motorized water stones. And then I'm good for a few projects by only stropping.

So with your method you are able to keep the full bevel angle by using just rouge and a wheel? That sure would be a time-saver.

[randall rosenthal]

dave...its all feel and eyeball...kinda like the sculpture itself. i get a lot of stuff at the jewelry supply store. right now im into "blue". to be honest i dont know what it is...i just asked for the finest. i use mostly fishtail gouges. the wheel is soft. first i do the bevel side never standing still. then the flat side. its very important to do the flat side flat. then i hold the flat side on the flat of the wheel. the whole process takes just a few seconds but assumes a fairly sharp tool to begin with.

starting from dull i use coarse compound, then fine, then the rouge. im not above changing the original shape for a special need. a gouge is not a chisel....the fluidity of the edge can be played with.

the trick is once its sharp.....................keep it sharp.

[Dave McGeehan]

Good info, Randall. I only use a fine compound for honing purposes. It sounds like your course compound takes the place of using a stone for quick metal removal. Your method is unique and judging by your incredible work it works well. I agree with your "keep it sharp" philosophy. Years ago an old-timer told me, "Always sharpen your tools before they need it." It took me awhile to understand what he meant but it really helps. If you wait until they are dull, it's a lot more work to get them back to a razor edge.

If you ask 10 carvers how they sharpen you'll get ten different techniques. Mine has evolved over the years yet I'm always looking for a better method. Thanks for the info.

[Mike Henderson]

Like Randall, I do power sharpening. You can see what I use here.

The big advantage to power sharpening is that you spend more time carving and less time sharpening.

Mike

[Danny Comsa]

Another trick is to use a thin piece of cardboard and put stropping compound on it. It won't curl the edge like leather will and stands up to stropping quite well.

Ceral Box works well and if you use a "liquid type", find one with a "hard finish" on the outside, as it is treated to resist the soaking in of the outside medium.

[Marty Rosen]

I find that the best gouge edge comes from a wheel grindstone. the slow turning ones are the best. There are expensive and very expensive wheels. The expensive sharpening machines (around $130) don't provide sophisticated jigs to hold the gouges at the proper angle which is about 20o. The very expensive ones ($500 and up) do. The grindstone makes a hollow grind. What that does is put the curve of the wheel into the end of the gouge. This hollow curve allows only the edge and the heel to make contact with the honing leather (which is glued flat to a board). In this way you only have to grind once and you're good to hone hundreds of times. Honing puts a new sharp edge on a gouge every time with only a few strokes. More time carving and less sharpening. I've just discovered Wenol polishing compound. Red (course) and blue (fine), under $10 a tube. So far I'm happy with the results. Edges that cut like butter. I hardly ever use a mallet. I've been carving all my life from my first Xacto set in a wooden chest when I was 10 years old till now.And that's a lot of years. While I'm at it I might say that it helps to have good gouges like Taylor and others of that quality. It is better to have one of them than 2 or 3 cheaper ones.