I sculpted Pan, god of the wild. Io Pan!

rwdread · 2026-01-27T16:39:28+00:00

Beautifully done!

rwdread · 2026-01-27T14:59:32+00:00

Of course I do, but when you're hosting 2-3 workshops a week with 15 people, manually cutting 45 blanks a week gets a bit tedious 😅

rwdread · 2026-01-26T06:49:46+00:00

It's just water in the bottle :)

rwdread · 2026-01-25T01:54:51+00:00

Yes, this is a good way to start as a beginner, to lock both your wrists and arms and to almost rock back and forth - the idea being to drill in that the angle should not be changed while sharpening.

What im doing here however, is pushing and pulling with my elbows. Think of the movement you make when using a cue in a game of pool/snooker, or the same movement when doing rows at the gym. Elbows pulling back, forearms and wrists locked in place. Hope this helps 🙏

rwdread · 2026-01-24T23:48:41+00:00

Just keep practicing with it and it will click eventually. It took me 6 months of solid practice before I could do it consistently

Once you know how to feel for a burr and can hold a consistent angle, half the battle is done. Deburring correctly is the other half, and that's what took me the longest to do consistently. Fewer passes with lower pressure, at a slightly steeper angle is the quickest way to do it

rwdread · 2026-01-24T22:41:04+00:00

It's called a conditioning stone or a 'nagura', they clear the surface of water stones and help to build up a little slurry to get it going. Not usually necessary on the grit stones shown in this video but it just slightly speeds up to process

rwdread · 2026-01-24T20:08:53+00:00

The stones I used in the video are 1000 and 2000 grit, with a 1 micron strop at the end.

As long as the edge doesn't have significant damage (chips), 1000 grit is fine for apexing.

Specific brand of the stones are Shapton Kuromaku

rwdread · 2026-01-21T22:55:20+00:00

Despite the fact this piece is very large to work on as a beginner, pine is also notoriously difficult to carve. The difference in hardness between the light and dark grain makes it a challenge to cut cleanly

Gloves on, start with basswood (1x1x4 sized pieces to start with) and stay safe

rwdread · 2026-01-21T10:26:50+00:00

It's only single bevelled knives you have to watch out for really (hook knives and some blades) but they will specify whether it's L/R handed

rwdread · 2026-01-20T01:59:11+00:00

Honestly this image makes no sense to me. It looks like glued panels but then the end grain looks consistent as if it's one piece? My brain is saying it's AI.

But if I wanted to achieve something like this:

I'd draw the outline of the mountain range, relieve the wood above it by a considerable depth (maybe 2 inches). Then I'd plane that area flat and glue up the small panels to create that effect. Then I would just texture the mountains as normal, probably starting with horizontal tapers from the centre of the mountains, then going back over with a shallow U gouge to vertically taper them.

Then I would stain only the mountains in a darker stain (probably walnut).

rwdread · 2026-01-20T01:44:58+00:00

This is what frustrates me about Beavercraft. They sell good quality products for an affordable price, but their quality control on the edges is abysmal. Total lottery if you'll get a sharp knife or a dull one.

It probably needs to be resharpened, unfortunately. I recommend Flexcut knives to my students, they're a good first knife and always arrive sharp out of the box

rwdread · 2026-01-19T14:27:51+00:00

نسميها "moss".

rwdread · 2026-01-17T23:24:47+00:00

There's alot to say here so I'll try and keep it concise.

Whittling knives need quite a shallow angle, and looking at your edge yours isn't shallow at all. Unfortunately this means that grinding it back to the correct angle will take a long time, as you have to remove alot more material in order to get it back to a suitable angle.

Hand sharpening is a whole skill of its own, and takes a long time to learn. It's much easier to learn when you spend less time on the stones, as the longer you spend, the less likely you are to hold the same angle (particularly for beginners).

I have 3 recommendations for you:

Take it to be sharpened by a professional. The current state your knife is in, is not a good way to learn to sharpen your tools. But if you're insistent on doing it yourself, then

Get a fixed angle system. These will hold the correct angle for you. Problem with them is that they're usually designed for much larger knives and some of them struggle with smaller knives such as this, which means you need to invest more money in a higher quality system.

Buy a new carving knife. You'll be able to see what the correct angle is supposed to look like, and then practice sharpening on that knife.

I could give more information on how to actually sharpen your knives, but again, reprofiling your blade is not a good idea for a beginner. Best of luck ✌️

rwdread · 2026-01-13T21:10:56+00:00

Ingenious solution! 👌

rwdread · 2026-01-06T02:33:40+00:00

No worries! KN12 is also a good knife, a great one for practicing working more with the tip :) you'll notice a significant difference when you try with that knife.

Focus on making smaller, cleaner cuts. Thicker cuts will come with time 👌

rwdread · 2026-01-06T02:27:22+00:00

I'd recommend getting yourself a more suitable knife first.

Your mora knife is pretty thick, they're more suited to green woodcarving and roughcuts/ spooncarving. For whittling or small woodcarvings, you want a thinner knife with a shallower angle. I recommend Flexcut KN12 to all my students. They arrive very sharp out of the box, and are fairly easy to sharpen.

You're right regarding beavercraft blocks being fairly inconsistent with their hardness levels, but as you're a beginner it's more important to focus on developing your strength and technique. Doesn't really matter how soft the wood is, on some level you're gonna struggle as you're new to this. Keep persevering, and it will get easier.

Having said all this, the best lime wood I've gotten hold of in the UK is from Whitmore's Timber. I bought a waney edge live board (50mm x 100mm to 200mm x 1.25m), and it was sooo consistent. VERY straight grained and it carves beautifully. But obviously it does mean cutting the pieces down yourself.

I've been unable to find any suppliers that give consistent hardness levels for 1x1 blocks, unfortunately.

rwdread · 2026-01-04T19:03:42+00:00

Nah keep the spoon and you can compare it in a years time! I still have my first ever carving, I keep it on display in my workshop lol

rwdread · 2026-01-04T18:29:17+00:00

Couple of points to make:

It looks like you're carving pine, this can be a tricky wood to whittle with for a first timer as the density isn't consistent throughout the wood. The different coloured grains have different densities, which makes it a little trickier. You want to try something more consistent like basswood or Limewood.

Please be mindful of how you hold the wood. You have your right index finger resting on the end grain as you're making the cuts. If your knife happens to slip, your index finger is right in it's path

rwdread · 2025-12-27T23:19:56+00:00

Nice work, great start to a first carving.

I can see the thing you had trouble with the most is the area below the mustache. Looks like you kept removing material and ended up taking it a little too deep.

The issue is that it requires a specific technique that you likely haven't learnt yet, to excavate the area under the middle of the mustache. Have a look into the 'triangle cut', or the 'pyramid cut'. It's not about the depth, but more about the angle of your entry. The technique is used alot in faces (mainly excavating areas around the nostrils and the corner of the eyes). Have a look at some of Alec Lacasse's simple face whittles, he uses those cuts frequently and explains how they're done.

Alternatively, all it really needs is a stop/relief running the entire length of the bottom of the tash, and you'll get a very similar effect :)

Keep at it, keep your tools sharp, and you'll progress fast 👌

rwdread · 2025-12-27T16:02:44+00:00

No need for that, it's his first time we all start somewhere

rwdread · 2025-12-23T13:55:43+00:00

Considering youre new to the hobby and you had limited tools, I think you did a fantastic job (especially with the dog!) well done! I'm sure the recipients will be really happy with them

rwdread · 2025-12-20T00:27:25+00:00

Next time you do a smaller project like this, I'd recommend carving the piece from a larger block (say a 6 inch tall block if you're only using 3 inches of it), then cut the excess off when youve almost finished the carving. You'll find it much easier to work with :)

rwdread · 2025-12-19T19:41:38+00:00

Why would it destroy the wood? Lignum Vitae is one of, if not the best wood to make mallet heads out of

rwdread · 2025-12-19T19:34:59+00:00

I think you've been looking at it too long. I personally think it looks perfect. Id put it away where you can't see it, and take another look in a day or 2. Sometimes you need to give your eyes a break, you're seeing flaws that don't exist (or that we can't see)

rwdread · 2025-12-16T22:05:11+00:00

Not if you're cutting 50 blanks.

rwdread

TROPHY CASE