Anyone relax by woodcarving with homemade tools
:)When I am out and about I tend to carve on whatever dead wood I can find and always carve "Wood Spirits" on walking sticks, staffs etc. Anyone besides me so cheap you make carving knives and other tools from old hacksaw blades, and carving knives made from cut nails? The nails work great. They can be ground down, keeping them cooled down with a handy glass of water next to the grinder. Can drive the nails into whatever you are gonna use as a handle and they make darn good edge holding tools. I have made knives forging & stock removal but this is faster, easier and CHEAP!! :D:D
Making Carving Tools on the cheep
You can make them as fancy or practical as you want. Buy a pound of cut nails those are case hardened and used now for mainly concrete. these look like old handmade nails and are tapered and flat on the sides. Simple handle is a 1" dowel. Cut it to a comfortable handle length and drive the cut nail an inch or more depending on how much of a blade you want. Shape whatever tool you are trying to make on a grinder being careful to keep the tool cool, keep water handy. Grind to whatever tool shape you want. As long as you can keep it cool you can get a working edge on the grinder. The dowel is very easy to carve down to fit your hand and use a hone, leather with a little red rouge and keep it touched up. If you got this far you probably will never have to use anything but the leather, smooth side with rouge to keep em sharp. Main thing is don't get it hot when grinding and if you screw up you ain't out much. :D:D
