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What would you guys like to see in a build along?
Mr. Woolery:
I tend to leave a forged surface where it won't interfere with function. I love the brut de forge look.
I'd love to see your personal hook knife! Whenever I get together with other spoon carvers (which happens very seldom, I want to look at their spoons, then I want to look at their knives. There is so much to learn from how people use the tool, but first you have to see the tool they are using. (If the spoons are bad spoons, I don't really have anything to learn, but if they are nice spoons, I want to see what the tools were and then we can talk technique.)
I'm really looking forward to it! Thank you.
-Patrick
Handforged:
I wish I was a better carver. I had professional native woodcarver and basket weaver (I forget which tribe) contact me years ago about making Mocataugen for him. He sent me a very crude knife that he had made as an example. I think I forged 4 for him that were different concave shapes. One was all but straight with a slight bend to the blade for finishing larger bowls and working weaving slats. He teaches classes and those students ordered a good many of those tools for a few seasons and then like things do, it just sort of dwindled out. As I mentioned before there was a pull for them a few years ago but that resurgence seems to have died out. At least for me it has. That is the only reference I have for them.
I tried to make a Kuksa once upon a time and gave up on it after about a week. I believe it's still in the shop somewhere. A couple weeks later I got another nice burl and made myself one with the power tools and liked that MUCH BETTER! HA! I finished it up with the Mocataugen but the vast majority of it was shaped via power tool. So my reference in their use is fairly low unfortunately.
Mr. Woolery:
Kuksas (fun trivia: old woodcraft books generally called them "noggins") are a lot of work to carve. I have started several and never finished one. I make spoons. They just suit me. I will sit and carve a spoon while my youngest plays at the park. In between classes (back to school in my 40s), I would sometimes just bring my carving bucket and make a spoon while I waited for the next class to begin. There's nothing else I can think of where I can have several razor sharp blades out in the open and have moms approach me to ask questions, even bringing kids over to see what I'm doing. Anything else I could do with knives, other than carving, is likely to get me a visit from a polite gentleman with a badge.
And I think the way to get to be a good carver is by having an obsessive need to carve. Like being a good smith starts with having a need within you to forge metal. You only get good at anything by doing and you only do if you have it in you to really want or need to do.
-Patrick
Handforged:
Ok does everyone have their stuff together for a crooked knife build? I may start on it this afternoon and post some pictures. I'll start another thread to get it going. If this thread allowed it I had thought about raffling them off and donating the money to the website but I don't think we can do that here. As it is I'll likely give them away or trade them to someone who would like them. So you guys get your materials together and lets get started!
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