Sharpening Carving Tools Booklet

Sharpening
Carving Tools

FOR BEGINNERS

Learn to Keep
Your Knives,

Gouges &
V-Tools in
Tip-Top Shape

LORA S. IRISH

Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 3
Why Sharpen Your Tools? ......................................................................................................... 4
Building Your Kit ......................................................................................................................... 4
Types of Sharpening Stones ...................................................................................................... 5
Stone Shapes ................................................................................................................................ 6
Lubricants.......................................................................................................................................6
Sharpening: A Basic Overview ................................................................................................... 7
Sharpening a Knife .................................................................................................................. 10
Sharpening a Gouge .................................................................................................................. 17
Sharpening a V-Tool ................................................................................................................ 23
Sharpening a Chisel .................................................................................................................. 28
Storage & Cleanup .................................................................................................................... 30

Glossary Knife: A carving tool with a double- Slip Strops: Sharpening stones that
beveled blade. Knives come in many are pre-profiled to fit chisels, round
Bevel: The angled cutting surface that sizes and shapes. gouges, and V-tools.
allows a tool to slice through wood. Strop: A flexible strip of leather used
Chisel: A flat-bladed tool with a single Secondary Bevel or Micro Bevel: to hone and refine the edge of a tool.
beveled edge. An additional bevel included on Most strops have two sides: a raw
Double-Edged Blades: These blades some carving tools at the very edge leather side and a tanned leather side.
have a bevel on both sides; the bevels of the blade. Some carvers prefer to The raw leather side uses stropping
meet to form a sharp point in the maintain this secondary bevel during compound, and the tanned side
center. Classic bench knives, chip sharpening, while others prefer to (meant to be used afterward) does not.
carving knives, and some whittling remove it. V-Tool: A carving tool with a single-
knives are double-edged blades. Sharpening: To set the bevel on a beveled cutting edge consisting of two
Emery Cloth: Extremely fine-grit cutting edge that has worn down flat surfaces that meet to form a V.
metal sandpaper used for sharpening over time (or was only minimally These tools come in various sizes
gouges and V-tools. sharpened at the factory). The and degrees.
Gouge: A carving tool with a single- sharpening stage always precedes the
bevel, curved cutting edge. Gouges honing stage. Basic Elements Blade
come in many sizes and sweeps; the Sharpening Stones: Made with a of Sharpening
lower the number, the flatter the blade variety of materials, both natural
(a #3 is flatter than a #7). and synthetic, these tools come in Bevel
Honing: To refine the cutting edge different grits and are used to set the
after sharpening. Not to be confused bevel on a cutting edge. Stone
with sharpening itself. Single-Edged Blades: These blades
have a bevel on one side. Gouges,
V-tools, and chisels are single-edged
blades.

2 Sharpening CarvingTools for Beginners

Types of Sharpening Stones

You can purchase sharpening stones in grits running as low as 80-
grit to as high as 10,000-grit, in naturally occurring minerals or in
man-made compounds, and in a huge variety of sizes. Extremely
coarse, man-made (synthetic) stones are readily available at your
local hardware store. For finer grit stones such as ceramic, Japanese
wet, and Arkansas stones, you can order through a woodcarving tool
catalog or online.

Ceramic
stones are
created from
kiln-fired
porcelain
(white stones) or stoneware
(brown stones) clays. Over time, these stones will
develop streaks from the tool filings. To clean these
away—no matter the lubricant used—place the
stone under warm running water and scrub with dish
washing soap and a stiff brush. Let the stone dry
thoroughly before using it again.

Arkansas stones are cut from a wide range Waterstones are often made of a clay composite that
of naturally occurring minerals and come in breaks down into a muddy slurry during use. This is
various grit sizes. optimal for fine sharpening, but keep in mind that
Diamond stones are man-made, with the these stones tend to belly out over time. To re-flatten,
diamond grit adhered to a metal base presoak the stone. Then place a large piece of coarse-grit
for stability. These tools are durable, sandpaper on a flat surface and rub the stone over the
lightweight, and usually small sandpaper, working up through progressively finer grits.
enough to fit in your carving kit.
What Does “Grit” Mean?
Emery cloth is a flexible
substance that incorporates Grit refers to the size and number of grit
aluminum oxide and can be used particles that fit inside a given area. In carving
similarly to a fine-grit stone. tool sharpening, a coarse grit may begin at
Replace these often, as they are 400- and go up to 1000-grit. These coarse
good for a few uses each. stones are used to establish the bevel of the
cutting edge. They remove large amounts of
tool metal and create the burr or tin-edge that
is needed to bring the knife to a very sharp
finish with the fine stone. Fine-grit sharpening
stones begin around 1000-grit and can go as
high as 10,000-grit. High numbered grits are
used to sharpen the beveled edge that was
created with the coarse-grit stones.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 5

Sharpening

A Basic Overview

Bench knives, chip carving knives, and most
whittling knives are double-edged blades. The
cutting edge is beveled and honed on both sides
of the blade, bringing the leading cutting edge
to the center of the bevels.
Most chisels, round gouges, and V-tools
are single-edged cutting tools. With these
tools, the bevel or angle of the cutting edge
falls on only one side of the blade, with the
second, unbeveled edge level with the tool shaft
(see diagram below). No matter what you’re
sharpening, the basic process is the same:

Profile of a
double-edge
blade (left), and
a single-edge
blade (right).
Stage 1: Coarse Sharpening
The coarse stone, 1000 to 2000-
grit, establishes the bevel or angle
of the cutting edge. When you’re
working with hardwoods, such
as walnut or cherry, you want a
wide bevel between 20° and 25°.
Softwoods, such as basswood
or butternut, use a narrow bevel
between 12° and 15°. Coarse stone
work also removes any dings or
dents along the cutting edge.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 7

Stage 4: Polishing
Use several sheets of newspaper,
folded into quarters, to brightly
polish the cutting edge and to
blend the cutting-edge area
smoothly into the unworked
belly of the blade. The ink in
heavily printed areas of the
newspaper acts as a ready-made
lubricant or honing compound.

Stage 5: Testing the
Cutting Edge
A well sharpened cutting edge
will slice a sheet of free-floating
newspaper. Because the cutting
edge is much thinner than the
thickness of the paper sheet, it
will cut into the paper with a
small amount of pressure. If the
newspaper edge folds or rolls
rather than cutting easily, the blade
is not sharp enough.

Now that you
understand the
basic stages of
sharpening, let’s
dive in.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 9

Sharpening
a Knife

COARSE SHARPENING

1 2
Mark the edge. Using a wide-point permanent marker, draw Set the bevel angle. For a narrow, low bevel, as used in relief
a line along both sides of the cutting edge of a bench knife. You carving, lay the bench knife against the stone. Lift the back (blunt)
will use the pen line to check the accuracy of both the coarse- and edge of the knife above the stone to the thickness of two credit cards.
fine-stone beveling.

10 Sharpening CarvingTools for Beginners

Crisp Cutting Edges

A. A s you use the carving knife, the
cutting area will begin to belly out
into a gentle curve. You also begin to
lose the crisp cutting point.

B. T he first working of the blade
against the coarse stone might start
to remove the bellied-out sides,
but more work is needed to refine
the point.

C. Carefully working both sides
of the blade will result in a crisp
cutting edge.

Tin-edge burr

What is a Burr? Finding the Burr

As you work the knife blade across the coarse stone, you Even if you cannot see the burr at this stage, you will be
thin the leading edge of steel. Some steel works off the able to feel it. Run your finger from the back, blunt side
blade and onto the stones, but a small amount turns of the blade toward the cutting edge. On one side of the
into a very thin flap of metal right at the front cutting blade, you will feel a thin, rough edge—that’s the burr.
edge. This flap, called the burr or tin edge, can be seen As the burr develops, it becomes loosely hinged at the
above as a thin, bright white line. A burr along the edge cutting edge. The hinged burr can be on either side of
of a knife will leave the blade extremely dull. The burr the knife.
will become more pronounced as we move through the
steps. You want to create a good burr and then remove woodcarvingillustrated.com 13
it while stropping.

Sharpening
a Gouge

Single-edged tools carry the cutting bevel on only COARSE SHARPENING
one side of the tool blade. The opposite side is flush
with the metal shaft of the tool. These include gouges
and V-tools. We will tackle gouges first. As you work
through this section, note that most of the work on
both the sharpening stones and the strop is done on
the beveled cutting side of the blade tip.
Round gouges come in a variety of widths and
arc sizes. Wide-arced profiles are called sweeps
or fishtails. Narrow, tight-arced profiles are called
U-gouges or veining tools. They are all sharpened in
the same manner. There are several specialty tools
for sharpening round gouges and V-tools (see page 21
for more on Speciality Tools).

1
Prepare the tool. The beveled edge of a round gouge is found
on the backside (outside) of the tool. This is the edge you will sharpen.
The inside edge of the round gouge is flush with the shaft and will
be worked only to remove the burr or tin edge. Begin by marking the
backside (the beveled side) of the round gouge with a marker.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 17

2
Sharpen all along the cutting edge. Lay the bevel against the coarse stone. Pull the tool toward you, across the stone,
rolling it along the bevel as you pull. Rolling the tool allows the entire cutting edge to come in contact with the sharpening
stone. Work gouges by rolling once in one direction, followed by a roll in the opposite direction. This keeps the sharpening even
all along the cutting edge.

3 4
Refine the bevel. As you pull and roll, keep the bevel fully Inspect your edge. If ink is still apparent on the two corners of
against the stone’s surface. Return the tool to the top of the stone and the cutting tip, on the inside edge of the bevel, return to the coarse
work it in the opposite direction. If you rolled the tool to the left with stone and rework it for about 10 to 15 more strokes, until all the ink
the first pull, roll it to the right with the second pull stroke. Work the has been removed.
gouge about 15 to 20 times across the stone. Check the marking ink to
confirm you have worked the entire beveled edge.

18 Sharpening CarvingTools for Beginners

Sharpening
a V-Tool

The V-tool has two straight chisel-like sides bent at an times during both the coarse and fine stone work,
angle at the mid-point. V-tools are single-beveled tools you move the burr forward, where it can be released
with the beveled cutting edge on the back side. The more easily.
inside is level with the metal shaft. V-tools come in Be sure to work both chisel sides of the V-tool
various angles; for this demonstration, I’ve chosen 90°. evenly, so that they meet at the centerpoint in a
straight, even edge. Working one side as over the other
Only sharpen the beveled side of the V-tool. can cause a small protrusion at the centerpoint. That
protrusion, even if sharp, will prevent your V-tool
Sharpening both the outside (beveled side) and the from making a clean cut. When necessary, work the
inside of the V-tool creates a double edge, causing you taller protrusion side several times on the coarse
to lose the sharpness along the cutting edge. stone until the cutting edge has returned to a straight,
The burr or tin-edge of the V-tool develops not smooth line.
only along the straight edges but also at the center
cutting point. By pulling your V-tool across a honing
board or across the edge of your leather strop several

woodcarvingillustrated.com 23

Checking Your Progress 5
Move the burr forward. To control the burr or tin edge, pull
In this photo, you can see the bright white spot at the the V-tool just once or twice across the V-profile on a honing board, or
centerpoint of the V on the inside of the V-tool. This is along the edge of the tanned leather side of the strop. This moves the
the beginning of the burr or tin edge. Also, you can see burr forward, helping to weaken it.
that the tops of the two sides are not even. The taller side
needs more work on the coarse stone.

6 7
Return to the coarse stone to work the high side of the Re-mark the beveled side of the V-tool with the marker.
cutting edge.

woodcarvingillustrated.com 25

Sharpening
a Chisel

We have worked so far using ceramic sharpening
stones. But you may also use emery cloth, a sandpaper
made specifically for metal, especially if you are just
starting your carving hobby. Emery cloth comes in a
large variety of grits. You want a range of grits from
400 (coarser) to 1500 (finer). Chisels can be sharpened
using the same stones as for knives, gouges, and
V-tools, but here I will demonstrate the emery cloth
method for some variety. Note: You can use the
emery cloth for several sharpening sessions, but it
loses its grit quickly.

COARSE & FINE SHARPENING

1 2
Prepare the cloth. Tear or cut the emery cloth into small Bevel the edge. Mark the beveled side of the straight chisel
squares around 4" by 6" (10.2cm by 15.2cm) in size. Tape these small with the marker. The first sharpening of the straight chisel is on the
sheets to a scrap of plywood using masking tape or painter’s tape. coarsest-grit emery cloth (in my case, 400-grit). Lay the beveled edge
Using a marker, note the grit size of each sheet of emery cloth on of the chisel flat against the emery cloth and pull the tool toward you.
the tape. Repeat for about 15 to 20 strokes.
28 Sharpening CarvingTools for Beginners

Storage &
Cleanup

Rust Happens!

Any small area of metal that is exposed to moist air will
rust—but don’t panic. Use emery cloth to lightly sand all
over the metal surface. This will remove the rusted top
layer, exposing the fresh metal beneath. Now proceed
with your normal sharpening steps.

Short-Term Storage Long-Term Storage

Proper storage affects the longevity of your For long term storage, sharpen all your tools before you put
tools in a big way. I do not store my carving them away. Rough edges, pits, and dings increase the surface
knives in cardboard boxes, small wooden area along the edge, giving the rusting process more surface
boxes, or velvet or leather-lined boxes. All area to grab.
four of these materials absorb and hold the Coat the metal areas of the knife or tool with an even layer
moisture from the air. They trap the carving of petroleum jelly. It seals the metal surface from contact with
tool blade in a damp environment. the surrounding air. Then wrap the cutting blade in waxed
Consider that a simple cigar box, made of paper or a thick layer of kitchen plastic wrap. Press the paper
wood and lined with velvet, is purposefully firmly against the metal and hold it in place with a rubber band.
created to keep cigars moist. Our carving When you are ready to put your tools to use again,
knives need dry, non-humid air conditions to wash them in a light solution of
prevent rust from developing. diluted dish washing soap.
I prefer to use folded canvas tool wraps, Dry well!
which have an open-weave, breathable surface
that can adjust to changing humidity. Wicker TIP
baskets also absorb air moisture, but the open ALTERNATE METHOD
weaving of the reeds allows the basket to You may also use any fine-grade machine oil
breath. A simple plastic tote—sans lid—works to coat the metal blade of your tool for long-
wonderfully, as long as your tools are only one term use. After applying the oil, slide your
to two layers deep. Denim rolls work well, too; entire tool into a zip-lock freezer bag. Push
if you want to cut costs, head to your local out all the air from inside the bag as you
thrift shop and buy some cheap blue jeans. close it. Drop this bag into a second zip-lock bag and repeat. I
With a little cutting and a little stitching, the store tools that I have coated with machine oil with the blades
legs of those jeans can quickly be converted down to prevent the oil from getting to my handles.
into sleeved rolls.
I recommend adding a desiccant package
such as calcium chloride, which will absorb
moisture over a long period, to your carving
tool storage.

30 Sharpening CarvingTools for Beginners

What’s Inside: The Ultimate
Guide to Caring
• A helpful breakdown of For Your Carving Tools
sharpening kit supplies
I f you’re new to the craft of carving, knowing how to
• S tep-by-step tutorials for properly sharpen your tools is a crucial, fundamental
sharpening knives, gouges, skill. In this beginner-friendly guide, renowned artist
V-tools, and chisels Lora S. Irish walks you through several sharpening
sessions, step-by-step, to equip you with valuable
• T ips on protecting and knowledge that will keep your tools in working
storing sharp edges order, ultimately leading to safer and more enjoyable
carving. Featuring overviews on basic techniques,
• Troubleshooting guidance sharpening kit supplies, how to sharpen double-
• A nd more! edged and single-edged blades, and how to care for
sharpening tools, this must-have resource offers a
wealth of understanding that every carver needs to
practice and master!

Sharpening Carving Tools for Beginners

$9.99 US | $11.99 CAN

ISBN: 978-1-4971-0312-2

50999

9 781497 103122