WOOD CARVING GENERAL

>>/diy/woodworking general

Bumping for interest

>>1089738
Great board but I'm interested specifically in getting /out/'s take on the craft - I know a lot of people here like to whittle in camp. A lot of bushcrafting techniques require solid carving skills as well.

>>1089754
m8, i wish it were otherwise but /out/ consists of a lot of faggots and LARPers and you'd really be better off on /diy/. it isn't like there aren't cross-board posters who could get behind your wanting to discuss woodworking from an outdoors perspective

You know one good thing about carving wood is I bet people stop asking you why you have all the knives.

>>1089855
/diy/ is probably the best board by far but /out/ isn't that bad i think

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i usually carve what i forgot at home. spoons, spatulas, tent pegs. pot hangers and such

probably not the strongest tent peg design but its what i usually go with and its never failed yet

could never get kuksas to work they always split or start falling apart as the wood swells when i use them

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>>1089712
Yeah, this is more of a home >>>/diy/ thing, for me for a couple of reasons. One, all my wood carving tools rust easily and having them outdoors, for an extended period, simply makes them rust faster than normal. Excess oil on them, to prevent rust, screws up the work piece. Then there's safety. These things are excessively sharp and I sharpen them many times while carving to keep them as sharp as possible. One accident can mean a trip to the emergency room to get sutures. I've never had that happen, but it is always a risk.

The main reasons safety is more of a risk while /out/ camping is that I've been doing extra work for the campsite and will already be a bit more tired than normal. Proper wood carving requires being fresh and spry. You need to take breaks very frequently and check your tiredness level. It is the same when working around power tools. When you are tired mentally you end up doing some pretty stupid things you normally would never do. When your hands are tired they can't do what you want them to do with the precision you want them to do. Thus, these factors can cause you to miscalculate what you want to do so that you end up screwing up your work piece or getting injured.

>old reposted pics

The fork was an experiment. It didn't turn out. Everything is made from American Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis); which is an amazing wood to carve as it never splits or checks. It is best carved while green. When it dries it is much tougher to carve. The mallet is the only thing not sycamore. It is from Wild Plum (Prunus americana), which is extremely hard to carve in any state, but once it dries it is like chipping at rock. It splits and checks with abandon. It is essentially the worse wood for carving anything. Though, I needed a super tough wooden mallet and this wood fits the bill. I've given it almost 5 years of hard labor and there's almost no sign of wear on it still. The giant split on the side doesn't affects its ability.

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I'll repost this on /diy/ later and link over for anyone that's interested.
Meanwhile here's a detail from a box I have. No idea who made it but I think it's from SEA.
Anyone know which woods are best for food use? I've got some spoon-sized scraps of white oak, hickory and various softwoods and I want to try making something with just my mora, some sandpaper and a folding saw

>>1090197
http://www.hardwooddistributors.org/blog/postings/top-hardwoods-for-carving/

That info will give you lots of insight an a place to start researching for yourself.

>>1090075
>kuksas split or fall apart
Do you oil it? It should be thoroughly oiled (olive oil or rapeseed or such) before use, and when you get back, just wash with warm water and re-oil.

Some people say you should make strong coffee and leave it in, blah blah, but oiling actually works.

And never ever drink booze from it, not good for the wood. Only water. Or coffee. (Or tea I guess)

Mine also developed a small crack even after oiling, after use, because I was lazy. I just oiled it really well and left it for a while and now it's as good as new.

>>1090075
>>1090284
The type of wood is more important than oiling them since you are not actually supposed to oil them. First of all, you need to make them from a burl, regardless of the wood type. Since the wood type is based on locality, you need to familiarize yourself with the local woods and how they react when seasoning. Keep away from one that check and split badly. You can find that info on many online sites about wood types for wood carving. You also need to select a non-toxic wood that is non-toxic after it has seasoned.

>>1090313
A kuksa is usually made from birch and yes, you are supposed to prepare it, and as for how to prepare, there are different schools of thought.

You can use strong coffee (drink) in it or rub the coffee grounds on it but that is a bit meh - it's all about the oil in the end. So just use oil used for making food: rapeseed, olive or brassica rapa subsp. oleifera oil or something.

There are other oils I've seen mentioned like "paraffin oil" but stuff you use for cooking won't be harmful and it's easier to get a hold of.

>>1090284
i never oiled it on the inside only the outside, and i used linseed oil. also tried the coffee stuff
>>1090313
>>1090434
the one there is made from birch, but the moral of the story is that i should quit being lazy and actually track down a propper burl. they just seem so small, is there a rule of thumb on how thick i should keep the walls?

>>1090639
Thickness is some function of size, but I am not an expert in making those. Start thicker, you can always thin it. Mine is a "big" one / adult size and maybe 4 mm thick at thinnest point. It was made by some old dude in Jokkmokk.

There are very big burls available too.

Be sure to oil from the inside, with oil you use for food making. It'll be good. Oh and don't use your booze in it.

Here's the /diy/ thread for anyone interested:
>>>/diy/1235630
>>>/diy/1235630
>>>/diy/1235630