Sometimes you have an interest in creating your own knife. You may want to customize the handle shape and size or you have a special piece of wood that you think will make an especially attractive handle. Crafting a blade is job requiring a special skill so, if you’re like me, you can purchase a blade that has already been shaped and tempered. That means it’s ready for you to add a handle. I am a big fan of Helvie knives and although they can make a knife perfectly suited for me, I have ordered blades without handles so I can add my own. I know the blade will be high quality and my efforts wil ..read more

In July of 2020 I attended a carving class conducted by Dave Stetson of Scottsdale, Arizona. Dave is a founding member of the Caricature Carvers of America. I have taken three Zoom classes with Dave and have learned a lot. I recommend Dave’s classes either in person or on Zoom. Dave offers a wealth of information on design, including human anatomy, carving techniques and painting. He has been teaching for many years and is genuinely concerned for the student’s comprehension and learning experience. This class was based on a woodcarving roughout developed by Dave. Not all of Dave’s classes use ..read more

This is a simple example of beginning with a blank cut on the bandsaw and creating variations. The pattern is from CCA menber Ryan Olsen. The wood is Basswood. The figure is three inches (76mm) tall and one and a half inches (38mm) square ..read more

Traditional Patterns Traditional patterns  Cardboard pattern  Carving An Old World Toothpick Holder I’ve been fascinated by carved toothpick holders, especially the old European ones. Near the end of World War I a company called ANRI began producing and marketing hand carved products, both decorative and utilitarian. Toothpick holders are some of the more useful ones. They were mostly whimsical representations of women, men and gnomes. The carving style was very simple and some of the features were just added with paint. My intent was to retain the symplicity of the originals by limiti ..read more