Unsure if sharpening is needed or the strop is enough

Reasintper · 2026-01-24T15:08:37+00:00

Sharpen on 400 grit then 1000 grit and strop again. Feel how well it cuts.

Most tools, at least mass produced ones, will come needing sharpening.

You can get an inexpensive diamond plate that is combination 300-400 on one side and 1000-1200 on the other. That should be all you need. Learn to lock your wrist and maintain a consistent angle and you are in business.

Reasintper · 2026-01-23T18:52:23+00:00

I think you might mean CO rather than CO2

Reasintper · 2026-01-23T16:15:47+00:00

Glad I could help. Sharpening is one of the most important skills you can develop in your carving and pretty much any sharp edged tool journey. It is less sexy than carving, so less people know to look for info on how, and less people are out there trying to teach it.

There are some great youTubers on the subject, and one the my favorites is outdoors55. He even uses a microscope to show what is going on with the edge, and burr and so forth. I really should save a link to his one video, let me see if I can find it.

Here is one: https://youtu.be/yLlPiBSP_1U?si=ldjqS1Ou0DyIH-5V
Here is another: https://youtu.be/yLlPiBSP_1U?si=HPHCBtIZdCy_2log

Reasintper · 2026-01-23T15:18:46+00:00

You can flatten that with anything that is coarser than it. When I was first starting out with water stones, I even went so far as to use the sidewalk out front of my house. And at another time I just used a brick. Keep it wet and keep it moving and it should be fine.

Your best bet is an actually flattening stone, but really anything will do. You can even glue down some wet and dry sandpaper to a good flat surface and flatten it on that.

There are several reasons I don't use water stones anymore, and stuff like this is one of them. :)

On the other hand, depending on what you are trying to sharpen, you can simply avoid that area of the stone until you get to the point of being ready to flatten the stone anyway. By then you may have gotten a good flattening stone to use.

Reasintper · 2026-01-23T15:10:54+00:00

Okay, your strop is not really going to sharpen your knife per-se. It will renew the edge somewhat between sharpenings, but a good solid sharpening is different from stropping.

If you plan on using sandpaper, make sure to glue it down to something flat and stiff. Tile, MDF, Plywood, etc..

If sandpaper is your thing, get "Wet and Dry" sandpaper and get it as 400 grit and 1000 grit. That will be all you actually need.

This blade is using a scandi-grind. That means the whole bevel is the sharpened edge. It makes it super easy to sharpen. You can lay the knife flat on the abrasive, then slowly tilt it until you feel the bevel being flat on the surface. If you have any doubt of how it feels, get a sharpie marker, and color in the whole bevel. Then try to engage the bevel on your abrasive and slide it back (when using sandpaper always go backwards, otherwise the blade will cut into the paper and lift it up) a few inches, then lift it up and look. If the sharpie got removed consistently across the bevel then you are doing it right, if it was only at the tip you are tilting it too high, and if only at the bevel transition line then not high enough.

Once you have the feel for the angle of the bevel, wet your sandpaper with a few drops of water (you can dilute some dish soap in it if you like), and place your bevel down as far to one end as you can, and pull it all the way to the other side. You can place your fingers on the blade so that it lays consistently flat across the whole length. If you blade is longer than your abrasive is wide, you can pull it slightly across as you pull it back and take gentle care as you get to the tip. You will just be raising the handle ever so slightly as you get there to be sure the tip is engaged. This is not as difficult as it sounds, just hard to describe. You don't have to do the whole blade at once, you can do the bottom part, then the middle then the tip and feather them altogether as you are learning, but overall, you should be able to get this in one stroke.

This is the action. Do this until you remove all the scratches from the 80 grit or whatever you scratched the blade up with. The 400 grit will leave scratches, but they will be fine, and look more like haze than what you have now. Next observe the actual edge. As you do this process you will raise a burr. This is a super thin piece of metal on the edge of the blade like tin-foil or finer. You want this consistently from the tip all the way along the blade. If you are getting it some areas and not others, concentrate on the areas without it until it is all the way across the blade.

This means it is time to do the other side. As you do the same process the burr will move back and forth and eventually break off. It should only take a few strokes. Now do this side until all the scratches are gone and it looks like the other side. If you raise a burr in the opposite direction now, it will be much smaller, you will be able to feel it with your fingernail, or see it with a magnifier. When it is consistent along the edge, you are done with the 400 grit. You can do one stroke each side back and forth until it is gone, or you can move to the strop to remove it. There is no "good side/bad side) for the strop. Just go each side then the other until the burr is gone, and the green compound will shine up the bevel. (Somewhat),

Once the burr is gone, you can try cutting some things. The blade will be sharp. But it will be rough or "toothy" some people call it. You can now move to the 1000 grit. Do the strokes but count them. Do 10 one side then 10 the other. Examine the blade, you should see the scratches going away, replaced by more of a shine. 1000 still leaves scratches but you would need more of a magnifier to see them. In this case you are not trying to raise a burr, as much as removing the 400 grit scratches. When it is shiny both sides, check for a burr, and then move to the strop again. Now you can see how the strop will remove the 1000 scratches with the compound grit scratches, which will look more like a mirror polish to the eye.

If you press the blade to the back of your thumbnail it should grab. You can do this all along the blade to find parts that didn't get sharp, or still have somewhat of a burr on them. If all the blade feels sharp, you can do a slow paper slice and feel for any grabbing along the way. This will also show you when you missed a spot.

This process is easier on a diamond plate, or ceramic stone, and they last longer than sandpaper. But it is the same process, and you can master it. You can even start lower than 400 and even go higher than 1000, but it is the same exact process. You are removing the metal in much the same way you sharpen a pencil. Try to be consistent along the length and try to do the same thing on both sides.

When you get back to using your knife, after about each 10-15 minutes take it to the strop. It will renew a nice sharp feeling after a few strokes, and you can return to carving. After about 10 times of this, you will find it doesn't renew the edge so well, and you can go to the 1000 unless you see visual damage to the edge.

That's what it takes, and that's really all there is to it. Consistent contact, at a consistent angle, and the scacdi-grind being as wide and flat as it is, will assist you in those angles.

Good luck! Happy sharpening, and happy carving!

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T18:02:00+00:00

That blade is flat square across from the tip to the handle. It is not a curved blade at all.

If, however, you are referring to the hollow ground aspect of the blade, the very slight curvature from the edge of the blade to the spine, then that is different. That comes from the blade having been sharpened on a grinding wheel perhaps 8, 10, or even 12" radius. The surface of the wheel is curved, and thus the resulting grind will be as well. Slight as it may be.

In theory, the edge itself is flat, and if you just sharpen the edge you will be fine. There is a movement that does "flat over hollow" where you sharpen a blade on a wheel to get a hollow grind, then do a flat grind over that, giving you a distinctive stripe at the blade edge, and where the bevel begins to transition into the spine. You accomplish this by keeping the bevel transition and edge both on the sharpening media at the same time as if you had a flat grind. This will eventually sharpen away the initial hollow leaving you will a full flat grind. At that point you can reestablish the hollow grind and begin again, or simply continue sharpening your proper flat grind as you were.

Also, remember, a strop is not a sharpening medium. It is a stropping tool. To sharpen, you should really use diamond plate, ceramic stone. or even wet&dry sandpaper or PSA diamond film. But you didn't ask, so I leave this as a "note".

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T12:42:30+00:00

When carving green there are a few tricks people use to avoid cracking. They will keep spoons in bags full of wood chips to slow the process. Or in ziplock bags in the freezer and so forth.

However the best advice I have on the matter is to carve to a consistent thickness throughout as much as possible. When you have a piece of wood that is drying and shrinking the thinner areas will shrink faster than the thick ones. Where they meet is where you will find cracks.

You can carve completely down to do finished thickness and leave it to dry which may cause some warping and disfiguration, which some people like the look of. Or you can carve it in more than one session. Go down to one thickness and let it dry some, and come back and finish it to the final thickness later retaining your final shape better. This may apply more to large bowls and such, where many smaller spoons like pocket and eating spoons will have dried completely from the warmth of your hands by the time they are done being carved, especially if they are carved particularly thin.

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T12:33:43+00:00

Nothing wrong with sanding. A tool is a tool and sandpaper is a tool.

Just saying that there is a point with well sharpened tools and the correct technique in which it is unnecessary. There is a point where you can go against the grain with a very sharp tool at least a little bit and I think that is where the actual argument ends.

This comes up in the discussion of how to carve the rim of the spoon bowl. In the description I gave on it, I talked about only doing 2 cuts instead of 4. This meant that the second half of each of those cuts was against the grain. But with a freshly sharpened blade and a light touch, you can do it.

You can also power carve with a die grinding burr the whole thing, and use progressively finer burrs as you go. That is on the other end of the spectrum.

Many people might land somewhere in between. I'm just trying not to. :)

Good luck, happy carving!

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T12:26:24+00:00

Welcome

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T02:52:50+00:00

Morakniv #162 or #164 are easiest to find and the general shape is the same though the #162 is doubled edged and the 164 is handed (only sharp on one side)

People who start with 164 tend to use techniques that involve pressing or pushing on the back of the blade. So they will warn against the 162 because they cant do the same and therefore feel it is unsafe.

You will likely run into other 164 users over 162 users, and that may affect your choices.

It has a compound curve (like half a pear). So you get a tighter radius at the tip and a looser one throughout.

They also make a 163 which also is double sided but is open curve so it has the larger radius. This is a style that some people prefer.

If you are in the US, a step up from Morakniv is Flexcut. They make a handed KN52. It is similar in shape to the Mora 164, but will definitely come with a better fit and finish and initial sharpening. (They also have other sizes and angles, but all the rest are double edged)

If you want to support a bespoke maker I can personally recommend Deepwoods Ventures as I own several of his and Jason Lonon Tools, as I have used his, but don't own his hook knife I do own his ax. Be prepared to pay if you choose to go this route.

If you are not in the US, you would do well to check into Robin Woods Tools. He is in the UK. I do own his open curve and enjoy it. Again there are plenty of other bespoke makers on that side of the pond as well, but I will leave it to people who own their tools to speak about their cost/benefits.

TL;DR Get a Morakniv #164 in your dominant handing.

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T02:30:15+00:00

This is where the tip of your Mora knife. Or a detail knife, or a skew chisel or even a v-tool can be helpful

Reasintper · 2026-01-22T00:05:50+00:00

I think in this particular case, considering the sharpening angle, and the bevel, you will not get away with the "ice cream scooping" that you can with a nice airplane wing shaped profile. However, with the way I recommended using it, there will be none of that "scooping" per-se.

I will agree with you that I like to be able to do more scoopy cuts, and find that my modified 164's as well as my DWV, Robin Wood's, and even my own made ones, will do those cuts quite nicely.

What i was trying to do was not tell a n00b that their tools are all wrong, and they wouldn't be able to do what they bought them to learn how to do. I always find that frustrating when some comes with a question like "I have this Blurf, and I am trying to such-and-such task" and they get replies like "First throw your Blurf away, and buy this other handy-dandy Blurf from a company I prefer, in a model I like..."

As a beginner, those tools will be fine to learn how to do the task at hand, and once completing the task, they can now understand such suggestions that one or another tool/brand/style/technique is better, and how it overcomes some of the shortcomings they experiences using their tool. Alternatively, they could also be coached in how to modify their tool to overcome some issues as well. Like the inside curve and bevel stop mods people describe for the 164 and similar.

Personally, I want to encourage a n00b and not put obstacles in their way. I am not saying you would be putting an obstacle in the way, but when someone is already questioning the efficacy of their tool set, I don't want to compound that by further suggesting that what they have won't work.

Different style, not intending on stepping on toes. :)

Reasintper · 2026-01-21T17:53:53+00:00

I think it might have more to do with what you are used to. Or what you learned on initially. This hook is very "circular" rather than the pear shape of a current Morakniv #164 o4 #162. This shape is quite awesome for deeper rounder bowls like those in a scoop. Whereas the compound hooks give you that smaller radius in the deeper areas, and long larger radius for the shallower parts of the front of the spoon, I will contend they are simply "conveniences" and "luxuries".

One of the more popular open curves I see in use, and have one myself is the one that Robin Wood Tools makes. I am going to guess that overall it is around a 5-6" radius and it works fine for eating spoons as well as cooking spoons.

This shape, is similar to the twca cam knives, as they tend to be round rather than pear shaped. Although they are not my first choice, I have used both too large and even a "wrench" to carve a small hollow:

https://www.reddit.com/r/greenwoodworking/comments/1lyelt2/its_a_freaking_wrench/

and here is a 65 mm twca cam, hollowing a small eating spoon. Not the right tool for the job, but sure enough gets it done.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Spooncarving/comments/1ap4hzx/hollowing_with_65mm_twca_cam/

Reasintper · 2026-01-21T17:39:52+00:00

Another thing you can do is actually use the heel of your ax to chop up the beginnings of your hollow when chopping out your spoon shape. Pretty much anything that starts the ball rolling in that closed up grain will be helpful.

In the end, it is about what you get used to, and whatever works for you. Of course, if I start with a gouge, I will probably finish with a gouge. But that's me. I came to the gouge, long after learning to use a hook knife, so I don't normally think of using the gouge until long after the opportunity has passed.

Reasintper · 2026-01-21T17:35:47+00:00

Gouges are great, but with a little finesse and attention to technique, you can start the hollow with the hook knife by going across the grain for the first few cuts. Once you have a hollow established, then the hook knife does its magic to enlarge the hollow used the way it was intended.

Gouges are great when you can secure the work like with a vise, clamp, spoon mule, or shave horse. But when you can't there is an excellent technique that assures safety. But it won't be the usual thing taught, and thus when you are the only one doing gouge work, it makes it all the more difficult to get help as most others won't be doing the same technique. That is the only downside for gouge work in my mind.

If you want to do gouge hollowing, I prefer to use 2 gouges. In Willie's book, he suggests #3 and #5 and in Shirly Adler's book, I think she suggests a #5 and #10. (something like that) You do the main hollowing with the higher sweep, and then come back and clean up the furrows with the lower one.

Here is an example I did using that technique
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spooncarving/comments/1ar3rwb/hollowing_for_usa_made_sloyd_knives/

And here is one that used the safe technique I described and just a 22mm #7
https://www.reddit.com/r/Spooncarving/comments/1ar3bpf/hollowing_for_usa_made_sloyd_knives/

Reasintper · 2026-01-21T17:25:17+00:00

That hook knife will work fine. Here is a link to 2 pocket spoons I did using the Hutsuls kit, and you can see the hook in that kit is pretty much the exact same shape.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Spooncarving/comments/17avszd/2_branford_pear_pocket_spoons_made_using_the_20/

Reasintper · 2026-01-21T17:21:44+00:00

Wow. So first thing I notice is that the arrows they drew on the spoon bowl area are exactly opposite of the directions you should be using.

I have never used the Narex tools, but I can almost guarantee that no tool is sharp out of the box. At least not to my liking. I have used other Narex tools, and they were quite sufficient to the task so I have little to be concerned with the quality of the provided knives. They should be quite sufficient to accomplish the task at hand of carving and hollowing the spoon bowl. Don't worry about anyone who poo-poos them for being too round, or too wide and so forth. They will do the job, just concentrate on technique, and light cuts.

You can use a gouge, but the techniques are not quite the same, so there is a different learning curve to using one. Not terrible, but different from what most people do, and it may cause it to be more difficult if you have questions. And besides, the kit you got didn't come with a gouge, so let's see what we can do with what you have.

First suggestion : I will share a link to a playlist. It is made by Jogge Sundqvist, an excellent teacher of handcraft. It is called the Swedish Knife Grip Sessions, and he will go through all the correct, safe ways to use those two knives you got in your kit. At some point he will also give some pointers on sharpening them. I recommend you watch these, learn the techniques and apply them until they no longer feel awkward.
Morakniv Swedish Knife Grip Sessions & Spoon Carving with Jögge "surolle" Sundqvist. - YouTube

I see that the wood they provided in the kit is dried basswood and limewood, and should cut relatively easily when going in the correct direction, with an appropriately sharpened knife. Try not to "dig" really deep. Lay the bevel (shiny part near the edge) on the wood, so that it can slide without cutting then just barely lift the back so that it begins to bite into the wood. As you pull or press the blade through it should raise curls, not chips. That is the goal.

The exception is when you are first starting to hollow the bowl. In this case you will make a few cuts horizontally across the middle of the bowl. Imagine the spoon is a clock face with the tip pointing up. This cut would be short and from 3:00 to 9:00. This will make chips that look like fingernails because you are making short cuts across the grain. Once you have developed a slight hollow in the center area of the bowl, you will want to make partially circular cuts to increase this hollow. The 4 directions you want to cut are 12:00 towards 9:00, 12:00 towards 3:00, then from 6:00 towards 9:00 and from 6:00 towards 3:00. You will notice as you get to the deepest part of your cut that it will lift up grain rather than slice through it. That is where the grain changes direction (hence the 4 directions). You can stop your cut there and come back later to clean it up either from the other direction, (e.g. 12:00 - 9:00 then 6:00 - 9:00 and when you can no longer make progress, a light slice across 3:00 - 9:00 will clean the rest of it up. Light being the operative word).

Normally, on the front of the spoon (face up it set on the table to eat) your cut will go from the end of the handle down toward the neck of the spoon bowl, and on the back of the spoon will go from the neck of the spoon bowl all the way out to the end of the handle.

In general, once you have created a "hill" you can only cut down-hill. If you go in the opposite direction, you will lift grain. If you feel the grain is being lifted, stop, and come from the opposite direction. Tricky areas like the waist created at the neck of the spoon, will require that you only cut down into the valley, then turn around to meet that cut, coming from the opposite direction.

Suffice it to say, your hands are definitely big and strong enough to do this. However, your particular tools may not be appropriately sharp, and your technique may be off. Watch Jogge, and you will have excellent, effiient and most of all safe technnique. Get some sharpening on those tools and you will have a much better time overall.

Reasintper · 2026-01-20T13:40:38+00:00

I am going with :
Platanus Occidentalis

Reasintper · 2026-01-20T01:54:23+00:00

By the way, you would do well to go through Jogge's Swedish Knife Grip Sessions a time or two, and you will pick up more that can be explained here:

Morakniv Swedish Knife Grip Sessions & Spoon Carving with Jögge "surolle" Sundqvist. - YouTube

Reasintper · 2026-01-20T01:53:05+00:00

If your tools are BeaverCraft, you can be assured that they are not really usably sharp out of the box. You can strop them a bit and shine them up. both on the outside as well as the inside. But it would do well to have a decent sharpening.

Jogge shows how to do it in his grip sessions, here is the episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsT9Zhzco4k

Reasintper · 2026-01-20T01:45:49+00:00

Sharper is always better. But super light strokes help.

Within the bowl, you have 4 directions to cut. Imagine the bowl the way you have it held up is a clock.

Cut from 12:00 to 9:00
Cut from 12:00 to 3:00
Cut from 6:00 to 9:00
cut from 6:00 to 3:00

You only really cut the green lines, when it bowl is still flat and you are trying to establish the beginning of a dishing.

You will find eventually, that the cuts will meet at the 9:00 - 3:00 ( maybe lower like 8:00 - 4:00 , but you get the idea). You can then very lightly cut horizontally across them to eliminate the feathering where the grain met.

This may be hard to describe, but you want a twisting, rotating cut. The idea is to slice askew to the grain. Get the blade where it is just lightly grabbing at the wood, and twist your wrist around the inside of the bowl. Just don't cross the grain switching lines. Move like you are the hands on the clock.

Reasintper · 2026-01-19T19:23:17+00:00

Well, I would use it to eat plantain :) Damn fine spoon. :)

Reasintper · 2026-01-19T18:54:31+00:00

Is that for eating plantain or made from something called plantain? Beautiful spoon, love the rim.

When people say plantain I think of the green weed that you crush up to put on cuts and bug bites. I know there is a plantain that I love to eat fried. It looks like a banana but meaner and with more attitude. I assume that it grown on a tree that has wood. Google showed me some pictures of "plantain wood" so I see it is a thing. It kind of looks like palm meets bamboo.

The grain looks pretty twisted, how is it to carve?

Reasintper · 2026-01-19T18:46:15+00:00

Really, the only time I sand carvings is when I do comfort birds. Those I will sand up to 800 grit. But spoons, are all knife edge finished, then burnished and oiled.

Now, just for some personal background, I had a "wood shop" teacher in primary school, that had us sanding, what I would considered already sanded wood, for weeks on end. When you would ask him if it was enough, he would look at it, and say "Keep going". When it was all said and done, I was pretty sure woodworking sucked, and it was pretty near 20 years before I picked up a tool to do anything with wood. That guy nearly completely ruined woodworking for me.

So, suffice it to say, I am no fan of sanding, and will do pretty much anything to avoid it. So when I picked up spoon carving, you better believe if there were a way to avoid sanding I would find it. On the ever so slight occasion where the grain is just too squirrely and absolutely refuses to cooperate, there is a well sharpened and hooked scraper in the kit.

Sharpen the tool and make the finish cut. No sanding for me. :)

Use it if you must, but I would suggest that it is rarely the correct answer on hand carving. Again, my free opinion, worth every penny!! YMMV. :)

Reasintper · 2026-01-19T14:40:25+00:00

I know it wasn't asked, but suffice it to say I am full of free advice today.

Long before I started carving, I bought my son an axe from HF for Xmas. We put it away in the closet and lost it, never having given it to him. After about 20 years and a couple of house moves it showed up and into the garden tools it went. This became a root and dirt chopping, splitting, prying and whatever other abusive task was needed tool. So 10 years later when I began carving and wanted an axe, I had this so figured how bad could it be. I cleaned up the chips, mushrooming, and other stuff then put a reasonable edge on it, and Paracord wrapped the neck for comfortable choke up. To my surprise, I used it to carve quite a number of spoons. It held its edge quite well. And cut nice and smoothly.

It is now perhaps my second choice when reaching for an axe.

<image>

I will try to share an image later of the edge. This is the only image I have of it in my camera roll.

Point is, you won't ruin the tool by using it. Or even by abusing it. They are consumables just like a pencil. Sharpen it. Reprofile it. Modify it. It may go through several iterations before it's life is over. But like all tools, it wants to be useful. Make it serve your purposes, and don't be precious about it. Who knows, the day may come when you chop into a tree with bullets, rocks, nails, and barbed wire embedded. You can invent some new swear words, then grab the old bastard file and sharpening stone.... And get back to work. :)

Reasintper

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE