Reduce movement

Many things are done to minimize movement of the knife – keeping your elbows tucked into your sides, a forearm contacting the side of your leg or your stomach, and the workpiece on your leg or against your stomach are all tech­niques to help you control the knife properly. Some grasps and techniques allow you to not follow these basic guidelines, but they are the exception, not the rule.

A few basic tips

• It’s important to be mindful and consider where your body is when using these sharp tools.
• Seldom should you position a workpiece for carving in the area between your legs. Major veins and arteries are located on the inside of the legs.
• The workpiece is very often rested on the top of the leg, towards your knee. This helps keep the workpiece stationary during cuts. Just ensure your leg isn’t in the knife’s path when the knife exits the workpiece.
• Small cuts are generally better than large ones, though an expe­rienced carver can safely remove large amounts of wood with a single knife pass.
• “Towards body” and “Away from body” grips can both be accomplished safely, contrary to popular belief. The first three grips listed here use “Away from body” grips, while the next three employ a “Towards the body” grip. The final grip is differ­ent from the first six grips.
• Cut slowly to practice and improve your knifework.
• These grips are explained as if you were right handed.

Start slowly

It’s impossible to give complete guidance and explanation of the grips here. Practice making light cuts, using only a small amount of pressure, before adding more strength and power. If you feel your hand trembling with energy as you wait for the knife to finally remove a chip of wood, you’re likely removing too much wood at once, are using a dull blade or are using one of these grips incor­rectly. It’s when a blade explodes free of a workpiece that damage can happen to the workpiece, the knife or the user. We can easily grab a new workpiece or purchase a new knife, but you certainly don’t want to injure yourself.

GRIPS

Elbow Grip (also called the forehand grip) – Thumb underneath the handle, fingers wrapped over top of handle. Angling the knife is a more efficient use of the blade and its cut­ting geometry. Use your right knee to support the work. Start the cut with the portion of the blade closest to the handle, moving the cutting action towards the tip of the knife dur­ing the cut. Most of the movement comes from the right elbow joint. This is a common grip when carving spoons, but it’s not overly powerful.

Power Grip

This is a slight variation of the elbow grip. Straighten your right elbow and have the movement come from your shoulders and upper back. Use your right knee to support the work. This is a much more powerful grip than the elbow grip. With experience, it’s easy to remove rela­tively large amounts of material with this grip.

Thumb Push Grip

Though there are a few slight variations on how you hold your knife, they all have the edge of the blade facing away from your body. Grasp the workpiece with your left hand with your left thumb raised slightly above the workpiece. Place your left thumb on the back of the blade or on the back of the handle, very close to the blade. The workpiece is usually held in mid-air. The knife is essentially positioned, angled and rotated by your right hand, while your left thumb provides much of the power. Push with your left thumb to make short, controlled cuts. The knife doesn’t move forward without your left thumb pushing it, so this is a safe and controlled grip that’s often used for either carving tighter curves or for making smooth, finished cuts on the spoon’s surface. You can regularly reposition your left hand to cut further along the workpiece. A variation includes slightly rotating the knife with your right hand, causing the knife to pivot around the end of your left thumb. Although your left arm is quite tight to your body, your right elbow is usually free to rotate and move around a bit. Your right arm isn’t generating the power, so this is much less dangerous.

Scissor Grip

Also called the backhand or palm up grip, the scissor grip starts with the user holding the blade so the edge of the blade is facing them, though strangely the cutting action actually takes place when the blade moves away from the user. Both hands are then rotated inwards, so your palms are facing upward, before any cuts are made. Start with both palms facing upward. Keep the inside edge of your right hand, or the inner edge of your right fore­arm, pressed against your chest or stomach. Your left forearm and elbow are generally pressed against your chest or stomach. You should be able to see most of your fingernails while you use this grip. This is a powerful grip for removing large amounts of mate­rial, but it also provides you with a fair bit of control.

Pull Grip

Also called the backhand grip, it’s relatively easy to use and safe, though if done incorrectly this grip can be dan­gerous. This grip is used while working towards your body. One critical thing to remember is to always have the tip of the knife pointed away from yourself. Another important aspect of this grip is that the heel of your right thumb and palm must come into contact with your body before the knife. This stops the knife’s motion, eliminating any chance of injury. While holding the end of the workpiece in your left hand, press the opposite end into the sternum area of your body. Your thumb can wrap under the handle or be placed over the handle, beside the index finger. Using medium pressure, the inside of your right forearm should be pressed into your side during cuts, further reducing the chances of losing control of the knife. This can be a very controlled cut, and can be used both to smooth relatively flat surfaces and to fur­ther refine curves. It can also be used to remove larger amounts of material. Another benefit of this grip is the fact that you can cut to a line more easily, and easily gauge how much material you’re removing. A variation of this grip is to rotate your left hand so your fingers are almost on top of the workpiece. Then, with your index finger and thumb holding the workpiece, place two or three fingers on the back of the blade. These fingers can be used to power the blade in a very controlled way. This variation is generally used for very refined and light cuts. The biggest risk with this variation is the fact that your left hand needs to be prop­erly rotated so the base of your left thumb is out of the way of the blade.

Thumb Skew Grip

Similar to how you would peel a potato, this grip involves holding the workpiece in mid-air with your left hand, planting your thumb on a surface that’s perpendicular to the surface you want to cut, and using your thumb to generate power to remove the chip. As the name implies, skewing the knife makes the cut easier and more efficient. The most important aspect of this grip is to place your thumb entirely on the adjoining surface, with absolutely no overhang. Any amount of overhanging thumb will quickly and cleanly be removed with your knife. This grip is mainly for refining the wood near either end of the workpiece. Not only can you remove side grain wood (with your thumb placed on the end grain), but you can also pivot the workpiece, place your thumb on the side grain and chamfer the end grain of the workpiece. This technique is pictured in this article’s lead photo on page 27.

Hook Knife Grip

While all the other grips use a straight knife, this grip uses a hook knife, which is the most common tool for hollowing out the bowl of a spoon. The grip is some­what similar to the thumb skew grip, especially when it comes to your thumb placement, how your thumb provides the opposing force for the cut, and keeping your thumb out of the cutting path of the knife. A hook knife is generally used across the grain. As you rotate the knife during use, the cutting edge will travel in a curved path, going deeper and deeper into the bowl as you work. A variation is to press your left thumb against the base of the blade or very end of the handle to power the blade while grasping the workpiece with your left hand. This offers a lot of control, and can assist with cutting downhill in certain areas of the spoon’s bowl.