The best Knives for woodcarving

I've always been particularly fond of carving with a knife, it probably stems from the fact that my original passion was for the knife itself and I started carving after I started making and sharpening knives. My greatest passion has always been for attaining that perfectly sharp edge and I have found that nothing quite compares to the satisfaction of using a sharp edge to shape wood.


There are endless arguments on carving, bushcraft and knife-making forums about what constitutes the best woodcarving knife. How hard should the steel be, should you use carbon steel or stainless, fixed blade or folder, it goes on and on. Equally there are many views on what should be used for sharpening. I don't pretend to have all the answers and I don't pretend to be right, but I can tell you what works for me.


When I carve I like to leave my carvings as they are created by the sharp edge, I mean I do not like to use abrasives and sandpaper does not factor anywhere in my carving kit. I find that if all I am using is a knife or gouges then to get a good finish on a carving I need to use a hard wood. I don't mean a hardwood, as that could refer to anything from Balsa wood to Lignum Vitae. What I mean is that the wood needs to be a particularly hard species rather than the favourite of most whittlers, Lime (Tilia x europea). I particularly like Box (Buxux sempevirens), Apple (Malus), Pear (Pyrus communis) and Maple (Acer campestre). 

Because I like to carve with hard timber I like to use tools which will hold their edges well and not need to be re-honed too often. I've often found that commercially available tools need to be honed too often for me as they are hardened and tempered in line with commercial standards so that users can sharpen them easily and get a good edge on them. This has the effect of making their edges softer than I like. I have found that in order to get a knife which is hard enough to hold an edge the way I like I need to make my own. May favourite carving knives have all been made from old files, that way I get a super hard edge. It takes a bit more work to get them sharp but once they are they stay that way much longer.  My favourite knife has served me well for, and I'm a little shocked at this, 30 years. It has never broken and never let me down. I am always surprised to find it still razor sharp straight from a long stint of carving Box. My current favourite is this, a thick blade with a convex grind and as hard as nails. The antler grip fits perfectly in my hand and feels just right.

I prefer fixed blade knives for comfort and strength but I always keep a folder in my pocket in case I get a few minutes to carve in peace. My favourite folder is currently a seahorse Whittler from Case 

Seahorse Whittler

but I also use a large stockman from Coleman and a single bladed lock knife from EKA, a swedish company. The lock knife, whilst being great in the hand and a really good rough out carver is just too big for everyday carry and your average law enforcement officer would probably arrest me on the spot for carrying it.

Coleman Stockman

EKA Nordic T8

For bought fixed bladed knives I don't think you can beat the Scandinavians, their laminated blades with hard steel cores between two softer pieces of steel are just perfect. I have a beautiful little Helle knife which is my largest carving knife. 

Helle Nying

I also have a couple of Mora Sloyd knives which are very cheap but really well made. I tend towards the opinion that if you find you need a blade which is longer than about 3 inches (75mm) long then get yourself an axe.

Frosts Mora Sloyd 


I'll deal with sharpening in detail another time but I just wanted to say that I usually use a range of stones, I have a preference for Arkansas stones for sharpening and I use slate for final honing and polishing. I find that the extremely fine texture of slate provides a perfect honing/stropping surface which does not deform around the edge like leather does and thus strops the blade without affecting it's geometry. I make my own slate strops and use them extensively for both kitchen knives and carving tools.


Whittling for me is more about the therapeutic effect of sitting outside and enjoying the air and countryside whilst keeping hands and eyes busy than it is about the finished article. I'm actually quite disappointed when I finish a carving because it means I have to start again. Especially when it turns out as well as this rose, and yes the keen eyed among you will notice that it is carved from Lime so it doesn't have quite the finish I'd like.

Getting back in the saddle 

After a long period of not carving (18 months) I've decided it's time I got back into the groove as it were. I always have a small inner conflict when it comes to carving. Part of me wants to sit down with a piece of wood and a few knives and small gouges and just carve, no big tools, no electricity, just me, the edge and the wood. The other side of me wants to go monumental and take the biggest piece of wood I can find and create something big and beautiful.
With the small idea I can carve almost anywhere but with the monumental I need a workshop.
At the moment I am a little challenged as far as a workshop and time to use it are concerned so I guess it's back to my trusty knives.
So, here we go, honing stones at the ready and sharp knives a plenty I'm going to get back into practice with a lovely piece of box and a sharp knife to create a small rosebud. It's a subject I've done a lot of in the past so I know the form well.