How to sharpen wood carving tools – A complete guide for beginners
For many years, people have used the best wood carving tools to create art or build something practical. Blunt tools reduce accuracy and smoothness, which ultimately block the carpenter from achieving the desired results. Therefore, tool maintenance is essential in the works of the professionals, which can only be achieved by checking the tools regularly, preventing them from rust and damage by storing them properly, and keeping them sharp to preserve efficiency. The following article will tell you everything you need on how to sharpen wood carving tools. A significant part of a woodcarver’s job is to keep the wood carving chisels and other tools sharp to preserve tool maintenance and the quality of work.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
Table of contents
Why do We Need to Sharpen Wood carving Tools?
Wood Carving is a highly delicate business, and because it possesses aesthetic beauty, the accuracy and smoothness of the work stand out a lot. A good woodcarver is aware that he/she requires more than just skills to drive the best possible results. That is precisely why tool maintenance is fundamentally essential. As a part of this process, sharpening wood carving tools contains the utmost importance because bluntness in contact with the surface of the wood could put the desired results into jeopardy. Keep the tools sharp and ensure the best results!
Sharpening Wood Carving Tools
How to Sharpen wood carving gouges and V-tools
Carving Gouges and V-tools have a particular body structure, which is more delicate than other wood carving tools. The edge angle is smaller on these tools, and the steel is thinner. The sharpening process begins with the bent edge and the grindstone. The area in contact with the grindstone is tiny, so the transferring pressure is high. In case of over-sharpening, you may need to re-ground the shape of the edge. The first thing to consider in sharpening is to figure out whether your tools need sharpening or honing. This is one of the reasons why it is important to know how to sharpen wood carving tools. This point depicts itself fully while working with delicate and small tools. Usually, for such tools, honing them on leather is a better option.
Using a grindstone to sharpen woodcarving gouges and V-tools is a stand-out way of reaching perfection for the woodcarver if the tools are in specific conditions. For instance, you may need to use a grindstone if the edging surface has tuned too dull for honing. In other situations that you desire to change the edge shape or edge angle, you may use a grindstone. This way is also very handy when the edge has been damaged somehow, and you need to fix it before you use it again for wood carving. That is why using a grindstone is such an effective and efficient technique in sharpening wood carving tools.
Sharpening wood carving knife
A knife is another helpful tool when it comes to wood carving. In case of getting dull, you can use a 1000 to 3000 gritstone to sharpen it. The instruction is simple and easy to maneuver. First, you need to lay the blade with the right angle close to the flat. Then you can sharpen the wood carving knife. Sharpening the knife can happen in three different ways of pushing the edge away from you, dragging the knife toward you, and making some motions on the blade in a circular manner. You should bear in mind that the grinding stone consumes metal on the knife, which untimely will make the blade less efficient. Using a leather strop is a better way.
The Grinding Process
The first thing you do is placing the edge correctly on the grind, which is vital if you want to land perfect results. You can rather use a free hand or a jig, but you should know that jigs make working with grindstones easier. They also increase your concentration, which ultimately helps you reach a better outcome. The blunt edge depicts light, and that is why it is called the line of light. It shows you which part exactly needs grinding. Bear in mind that you only need to take care of the thick parts and stop sharping when the line of light disappeared from the edge. That’s why you need suitable lighting to see the line of light on the edge. Better to use a flexible lamp so you could be able to adjust it however you want.
The Honing Process
Honing is an essential part of the sharpening process since it gives the tool remarkable smoothness. It also makes them cut more easily and stay sharp for a more extended period of time. After the honing process, the edge you are left with is smooth and ready to do delicate work. Using Jigs could also guarantee precise results because you can adjust the angle the same as you did with the grindstone when using jigs. Therefore, the patterns and effects will be more accurate in the end as you adjust them the way you want on the honing wheel. This is an excellent point to remember when it comes to sharpening your wood carving tools.