Knives for wood carving: types and selection rules

Knife for carving - the main tool of a master engaged in the manufacture of decorative objects from natural wood. There are several varieties of this equipment, the choice of which is determined depending on the work performed.

Woodcarving knives can have different shapes, but they will all have a fairly short blade compared to a simple cutlery. This design is due to the fact that if you cut correctly during operation, the tip will experience significant pressure, and the smaller the length of the metal part, the greater the likelihood that it will not break. Like any other knives, wood tools are equipped with a convenient handle, “nose”, pickaxe, “heel” and a shank.

The best of them have a blade made of high quality metal cloth that can withstand severe loads. As a rule, carbon, alloy or high-speed steels of certain grades are used for this purpose.

The dimensions of the blade and the shank are selected depending on the tasks performed. For example, to perform rough work it is better to purchase a tool with a cutting part equal to 70-90 millimeters, and for delicate work, an edge from 30 to 60 millimeters is enough. In a standard jamb knife, the handle is somewhere between 100-150 millimeters, while the size of the blade does not go beyond 30-70 millimeters.

The main characteristics of a knife for carving can be considered on the example of a tool Morakniv brand. Its thin cone-shaped blade is made of carbon-fiber laminated steel, and the wooden handle of birch is additionally saturated with oil.

As a rule, a set of wood carving masters includes several professional knives.

The jamb knife is considered to be universal tool related to the main incisors. The tool is used to create geometric shapes, regular lines and elements, as well as for the final decoration. It is irreplaceable when creating both flat and volumetric compositions. The oblique knife has a blade sharpened at an angle of 60 degrees. In the kit, this tool is often represented by several variations that differ in size, material being processed and the specifics of the work performed.

The knife cutter is a universal cutter necessary for work both for the beginner and for the professional. The elongated blade may be straight or have a slight bend, but the pick is always curved. Sharpening is carried out at an angle of 35 degrees. Most often, the cutter is used to create geometric patterns on three-dimensional panels. A convenient blade perfectly copes with the design of curved shapes and the formation of smooth lines. A kind of cutter is called a corner.

A hatchet knife is considered a rare kind of carving knife, despite the fact that it allows you to perform most of the basic work. As you can guess from the name, its appearance resembles a tool a miniature ax, one side of which is the heel and the other is the toe. During sharpening, the required angle is selected depending on the characteristics of the processed wood. It is customary to create a hatchet knife with your own hand before performing a specific job. You can use it not only on both sides, but also the middle part of the blade.

The Bogorodsk knife, also called “Tatyanka”, is used to perform the Bogorodsk carving - creating handmade wooden figures. Outwardly, it looks a bit like a European cutter, but it has an elongated blade and a shortened handle. It can be used both for initial works and for final finishing. The tool has a smooth edge, but is subject to partial sharpening. This variety can exist in several sizes, and the length of the blade ranges from 3 to 9 centimeters.

If the interaction is with soft wood, then with this knife you can implement the whole cycle of work. A convenient handle creates the necessary pressure on the blade, and therefore with the help of the Bogorodsky knife, you can perform the most “power” thread.

Some beginners find wood carving suitable ordinary clerical knife with sharpened interchangeable blades. The tool is very inexpensive and allows you to adjust the length of the tip, but its use is very dangerous. Since during the working process pressure often falls on the side surface of the blade, it can quickly break and fly off and scratch the workpiece. Nonetheless a clerical knife will be useful for initial marking.

Leading manufacturers of wood carving knives include Flexcutsupplying the market with sets of quality knives, as well as Frost in addition to incisors, additionally producing spoon cutters. Company Dem bart specializes in butt decoration tools, and "Petrov and the Son" produces straight knives of different types. Swiss brand guarantees high quality Pfeil, in the assortment of which you can find even left-handed knives, jambs, as well as the Swedish brand Mora

A knife designed for woodcarving allows the craftsman to make decorative items from natural wood. The main feature of the product is the presence of a shortened blade, allowing for delicate work. With the help of a handmade knife, you can create a complex ornament and create a deep volume, as well as make indentations in spoons and other products. Some varieties of the tool are suitable for contour, embossed, curly or screw carving, while others are ideal for phasing out a miniature figure. The knife allows you to clean the grooves and background, as well as chamfer. Of course, it is he who is the main tool for artistic carving.

For beginning masters, it is recommended to purchase not a separate knife, but a ready-made set for carving, including, for example, also rivets and glucars. Good product feedback both domestic and foreign manufacturersTherefore, the choice of goods on the market is quite extensive. For the initial work it will be enough to buy a small kit, including models with straight round blades. Over time, part of the knives can even be made with one's own hand, so that the handle fully matches the outlines of the brush, and the hand does not slip during hours of work.

Before buying, it is important to find out not only the country of production and the manufacturer, but also the brand of steel used. When choosing a knife, you should definitely hold it in your hands, evaluate the convenience of work and the comfort of movements. It is important that the blade is strong and well hardened and that there are no traces of rust or any defects on the surface. The entire cutting part must be securely fixed in the handle without any backlash, unless, of course, this is a model with interchangeable blades.

It is necessary to track the smoothness of the handle, as well as the absence of cracks, clings and burrs. It is most convenient to engage in carving with a knife with a cylindrical, conical or mushroom-shaped handle. On the market today there are models with anatomically shaped handles and special recesses for the fingers, but most novice masters find them uncomfortable. By the way, the included scabbard is a nice bonus.

High-quality sharpening knives is an important condition for the manufacture of beautiful and neat carved products. To perform this procedure, several bars are needed, both coarse-grained and fine-grained, an old leather belt that helps dressing, as well as GOI paste or its equivalent. Before sharpening the knife, the bar must be wet. The work begins with the participation of a coarse-grained tool - the cutter is positioned on it at the required angle, and then it is sharpened by pressing in the direction from itself. Typically, an angle of 15 to 24 degrees is selected. Next, the sequence of actions is repeated on a medium-grained bar - a sharp sharp edge should appear at the knife as a result.

The final stage is carried out on a diamond bar of fine abrasiveness, during which the metal chamfer that appeared in the previous stage is removed. Finally, a layer of paste containing chromium oxide is smeared on the belt and used to polish the knife tip. Finishing on the belt, by the way, can be carried out more often than a full sharpening, allowing you to quickly fix a slightly dull cutter.

Knife for woodcarving "Bogorodsky" is presented below.