Anyone relax by woodcarving with homemade tools

[Ole WV Coot]

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!!

[RBB]

I have made some home-made chizels and crooked knives. The crooked knife is my preferred tool for carving bowls, cups, and spoons.

[Rick]

Ole coot. There is a post on here with a video about making snowshoes and the craftsman uses nails to carve the wood. I was pretty impressed. He did exactly as you described. The nail is embedded in a wooden handle and he uses one as a gouge and another as a drill.

[Beo]

Why is this post in this forum?

[Ole WV Coot]

Why is this post in this forum?

I guess you could call it relaxing in the woods, self reliance, adapting materials to fit your need, being flexible, being inventive and just overall serving as an example of making do with what's available at home or in any survival situation. Maybe getting younger survivalists to learn you can make use of lots of things you wouldn't think of. Now just where do you think it should be besides the obvious one that occurred to me ????? Sounds pretty darn General Info. to me.

[Rick]

I think Beo was questioning why it was in the site quiz and forum feedback section rather than why you posted at all. It's actually a very good post.

Sarge - Can you move this to General Chat?

[Wanderer]

Ole WV Coot, very interesting topic, and dear to my heart. I too love doing the type of carving you mention, walking sticks, hiking staffs, pendants out of pieces of interesting looking wood I find in my wanderings.
Either I'm too cheap, or too lazy to buy proper wood carving tools, and anyways I dont want to lug them along when I'm out rambling, which is where I do the majority of my carving...I'm more inspired when I'm out in Nature.
As for tools used, I have an old Camillus 'Bullet' pocket knife that does all my wood and bone carving.
Alex

[Tahyo]

I use to find beaver cut sticks in Arkansas that had dried and some of them were hard as iron. Almost perfect size for walking sticks. I haven't done it in a while, but I use to carve decorative designs at the top 5 or 6 inches.
I've been thinking about fiddling with some carving again, in fact I'm looking at a couple of those short bladed whittling knives.

I've never been that talented at it. My brother on the other hand is very gifted when it comes to wood carving. I have a couple things here that he carved for me. I'll try to snap off a couple of digital pics later today and post them.

[Tahyo]

Here's a couple things my brother carved years ago.
I've always had a fascination with Native American culture so he carved me the "Ancient Tales" carving in a couple days.
The other one he carved for my two sons when they were younger.

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[Rick]

Man! That is awesome!!

[Alpine_Sapper]

yessir, those are beautiful. I've actually been thinking about this alot. The one christmas I spent with my dad and his new family when I was a teenager he gave my stepmom a dolphin on a stand that he had carved. I've always remembered that gift...It seemed to have more meaning than anything else exchanged that year. I got the itch when I saw the kuksa's on a different thread, and was thinking of doing something similar for my wife this year.

[Ole WV Coot]

You can make all the carving tools you'll need for a couple of dollars. I enjoy it because it will completely let you concentrate and forget any problems you may have. Your brother does good and with patience you could do as well. I have so many hobbies I sometimes wonder how I ever found time to work.

[crashdive123]

Wow Tahyo, your brother has quite a talent.

[Tahyo]

You can make all the carving tools you'll need for a couple of dollars. I enjoy it because it will completely let you concentrate and forget any problems you may have. Your brother does good and with patience you could do as well. I have so many hobbies I sometimes wonder how I ever found time to work.

Same here.. so many hobbies and with spring and summer coming... not enough time in my day.

[crashdive123]

Coot and Tahyo, what do you use to make your carving tools, and how do you do it? If this has been posted elsewhere I apologize.

[Tahyo]

I think Coot is going to have to answer that one Crash. I've been looking at store bought carving or whittling knives, but it hasn't gotten serious yet. I meant to ask Coot the same thing earlier but I got side tracked.

[crashdive123]

I know he said in another post that he used nails. Just trying to picture it.

[FVR]

I build bows without the use of modern tools. I use a hatchet, an old drawknife, a horse file, and a few cabinet scrapers.

Had a bandsaw once, more trouble than it was worth. Felt like I was cheating.

[Ole WV Coot]

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.

[crashdive123]

Thank you.