Carving knife with both straight edge and convex blade shapes

[mike swindell]

After spending time grinding my floor scraper blade knife why hasn't anyone flat ground both edges. Granted you have to be extra careful but a longer exposed tang would hopefully warn you you were close to the blade. Thoughts by the veterans ??

[Claude]

Interesting idea... For me, the blade ideally is between .030 and .035 thick on a regular blade, and that measurement is at the back, maybe 3/8 wide, give or take. Without looking at the geometric measurements, the means your blade would be about .015 to .018 thick in the middle, where the grind changed from flat to convex to keep the same included angle of 6 to 9 degrees. On the other hand, if you prefer a thicker blade with included angle between 12 and 15 degrees, it might work ok.

Best way to tell, is to go ahead and make one and see how you like it...

Claude

[Brian T]

Double-edges blades, flat ground, both straight and crooked, are commonplace tools among wood carvers of the Pacific Northwest. First Nations in particular.
I split out the sizes of most cedar wood that I carve. The surfaces are very splintered and uneven.
I have 2-handed double-edged "planer" knife blades set into dog-leg willow handles. These allow me to smooth the surfaces enough for drawings.

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[4ND3R5]

Wow, nice tools Brian!

[dave.keele]

I typically prefer a longer blade vs. a shorter one, which allows me to reach further/deeper when needed. As a result, I find I "choke up" often to push on the back of the blade. Too dangerous for me to have a sharpened back side.

[Just Carving]

Here's why I only use knives with the cutting edge on one side. I use a carving technique called the thumb push or push cut. You place the thumb of the hand holding the knife on the back of the blade and you push with the thumb of the other hand holding the wood. I have a controlled cut, and I am carving away from my body. I always know where the knife is going.

BobL

[mike swindell]

I have carved nothing yet but I'll try caricature and flat plane. The dual sided blade just came to me. I have a bunch of vintage chef's knives and I understand these forged blades will make ideal blades especially for an upsweep/scimitar shape.
Claude I guess I was not clear, the body of the blade is all flat ground not convex . One edge straight the other convex for a slicing type blade. Bob L-this design is not for everyone,and in same vein That is why I would have a long tang so the thumbs might not touch the blade. I will make one to test my idea.

[Dark Lightning]

If I ever make a carving like those First Nation ones, I'll have to figure out how to use what I have. I've spent enough money on tools (said no one, ever).

[Brian T]

The farrier's knife in the first picture is a double-edged Mora 188. Used junk farrier's knives might run you $5.00 each (new $40-60 each). Spring shoeing is done here for the summer. Most people let their horses run barefoot for the winters. I might be able to score 1/2 dozen used Hall for $30.00 and there's a lifetime of great carving steel in every one of them.

There's nothing wrong with single-edged blades so you can push on the spine of the blade.
The only thing if it's a crooked knife is that you need both the right and left hand blades of a pair with single bevels to even do something like cut a V-groove circle (8 cuts).

First Nations carvers do a lot of pushing with the off-hand thumb, always on the tapered wooden nose of the knife. I still have to make a conscious effort to do that. Using pull cuts, I got hit and cut in the chest a few times with crooked knives. Wrecks shirts as well. I made a high bib front apron from the canvas of an old airline flight bag. Lots of scratches but great protection.

[4ND3R5]

I suggest you start carving. After a bit you will find out what you like or dislike about certain knives.