Recent Comments

Hi Joe,
I try to put some reference, but it is often a photo of the actual finished piece that I carved. The main reason for this is copyright issues. If the photo that the design is based on comes from a source where I need permission to reproduce the photo, it can get difficult. Quite often it can be quite a long process to get permission. However, I will make a point of including this when I can.

It can be quite a brain tease. The simple solution is a basic silicone rubber that is flexible enough to get into all the details. It can get quite expensive and if you are planning on doing a lot of molds, getting a 5-gallon bucket is a lot cheaper than if you get them by the gallon. Be careful if you plan on storing them for more than a year, as they do get old. That was the only time one of the rubber molds did not cure was when I used some old material. I will NEVER do that again. My poor carving got locked in goo forever!

Have fun!

There have been issues with the Dastra v-chisels, and I have found the Stubai are much sturdier and a finer shape. The Dastra have a very sharp inside corner (almost impossible to fit a slip stone into this) and also a much longer bevel, creating a more fragile edge. The Stubai have a gentle radius on the inside which seems to clear the wood easier and is also easier to sharpen (slip stone fits nicely). The Stubai also seems to hold an edge longer - most likely because of the shorter bevel. With the way I use v-chisels (hogging out wood and outlining designs) I really need the edge of the tool to be able to hold up through a lot of heavy work - either with mallet or without.

There have been issues with the Dastra v-chisels, and I have found the Stubai are much sturdier and a finer shape. The Dastra have a very sharp inside corner (almost impossible to fit a slip stone into this) and also a much longer bevel, creating a more fragile edge. The Stubai have a gentle radius on the inside which seems to clear the wood easier and is also easier to sharpen (slip stone fits nicely). The Stubai also seems to hold an edge longer - most likely because of the shorter bevel. With the way I use v-chisels (hogging out wood and outlining designs) I really need the edge of the tool to be able to hold up through a lot of heavy work - either with mallet or without.

It really depends on a lot of things. And to be honest, I never have actually measured any angle on my tools - as I have a variety of angles. Here are a few things to consider - are you going to be using your gouges in very hard wood or soft wood, like basswood? You can get away with a lower degree angle with soft wood, and higher degree angle with harder woods - just to keep the edge sharp longer. Also, when you are carving, are you needing to lift your hand holding the handle far off the wood? If so, the angle is too large, and the cutting angle can get awkward. My guess (and I will make a point of checking this) is that most of my angles are between 18 degrees and 22 degrees.

Another thing to consider - are you going to be using a mallet a lot to remove or hog out a lot of wood? Increase the angle to strengthen the blade.

The back of the bevel should be flat. You will need to make a decision of where the correct position of the tool is on the stone and then lock your wrist to keep it flat. The difficulty with having a rounded bevel is that when you carve, it will force you to make scooping cuts and you will need to raise the tool quite high in order to even start the cut. I like to make "slicing" cuts, and having a rounded bevel will make these cuts difficult to make. It's OK for hogging out a lot of wood with a mallet because at that point, you just need a sharp tool. But for delicate finesse work, try to have the bevel on the back of the tool flat.

Hope this helps!