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[Brian T]

ONLY eight pieces? Remarkable carving.
You have just about brought it to life. Well done.

[Brian T]

I can imagine an ultra-cool string of those (carved both sides) in a Christmas tree.
Nobody would have one of those.

These are the wild big eight from my place. I suppose I could have added a cow and a horse but I was into wild things. Outside on the fence posts in the grapes, facing...

[Brian T]

Just about the same face. Change horns and antlers and you will carve elk, caribou, mountain sheep, mountain goat, bison, white-tail deer and mule deer. All the great herbivore animals from my place!

[Brian T]

I suggest finer abrasives for sharpening. 1500 - 2000 grit. Hone with green Chromium Oxide on a simple flat box card strop.
I suggest a lower bevel angle, 6 degrees each side. That's the thickness of a dime, a beer mat, under the spine of the blade.

I have all my bevel angles...

[Brian T]

As an offering and reminder of what a mess 2020 has been, those are really easy on the eyes.
I would buy what you carve.

[Brian T]

Try searching for "Canidae." This is the correct name for the group of animal species which
includes foxes, jackals, coyotes and all the other "doggy-looking" animals. You will get thousands of pictures.

[Brian T]

I really like the cone carving. The cone scales look exactly like that in so many species.
If you had glued a bunch of pine needles on the top, I would not blink.

[Brian T]

Big Sky Country. Welcome from the BC Rockies.

[Brian T]

Make a few of your own. Just little flakes of steel.
Hack saw blades and Sawzall blades are great steel.
Old and worn down farrier's hoof trimming knives are good steel.

You can cut Ulu, Umialiks and cleavers from 10" saw blades.
Ford F350 leaf springs are just...

[Brian T]

I see a puzzle. Such as most carvings are. Puzzles have solutions, as drawn out as they may be.

[Brian T]

Welcome from the Pacific Northwest.
Is there any particular style of carving that you like best?

[Brian T]

The OP wants to carve spoons and cups.
Which is exactly why I named specific tools designed for those very purposes.

[Brian T]

Look at Mora (Sweden) The Morakniv #162, #163 and #164 are meant for spoon and kuksa carving.
You will need a straight knife, the Mora Sloyd ought to be OK.
Watch some YouTubes regarding sharpening the curved spoon knives.
Most carving edges need honing on a strop every 30 minutes...

[Brian T]

I believe it takes a little study to decide which will be the glue faces.
None of my glue-ups have ever been more than 4 pieces.
I think that for me, I'll do one joint (clamped) at a time. A+B, then C+D, then those two.
I mark one end common to all the pieces so I get the grain the...

[Brian T]

Yes, Sikkens is #1, #2 and #3 choice. I don't like the orange color.
But if I have just dropped $25 megabucks on a log home, the cost of the finish disappears.

[Brian T]

I use nothing for color except acrylic paints. Then, when I'm done, I will use acrylic medium as the recommended varnish (matte, satin or gloss) to get the finish I want to see. Oil and acrylic do not mix.
If you have big carvings, Home Hardware sells a nice brand of house paint that sure does...

[Brian T]

Welcome. We all would like to see the carvings needed for fiber weaving projects.

[Brian T]

I attended a relief carving beginner's class. Tremendous fun but not what I had in mind.
Then I realized that if I did very dramatic relief on the top and all 4 sides, I would see what I wanted.

I make pencil drawings. I have a Lee Valley pantograph to scale them up or down....

[Brian T]

That bear needs sea ice to hunt for seals.
The posture in the image will make a very powerful carving.

Some observers suggest that polar bear extinction might happen in the next century.

[Brian T]

Thank you very much, Paul. Much appreciated observations.

I carve mostly down to lean into a gouge but in front of me with the crooked knives.
I try to avoid ever holding a carving in my hands.

Little pole carvings, 5" x 5" x 64", can lie down with some...