This week I decided to buy a new spoon knife from English Blacksmith and Toolmaker Dave Budd. You can buy complete knives from him or just the blade, and he offers several different types. I wanted to have an opportunity to try some off centre turning, so I went with the blade only option. At just £15 I thought that it was definitely worth giving it a go. This is how the blade arrived (sorry about the poor picture, I don't know why I held onto it. I'd been in the sun for a while, so maybe it was heatstroke).
Initially I was a bit concerned about having to put the final edge on it, but it took a lot less effort than I thought. Probably about 30 mins max. Turning the handle was interesting. I watched an episode of The Woodwright Shop with Roy Underhill and picked up the technique from there. I'd like to have another go and try to put ridges in it like the Svante Djarv handles. I figure that if I mark positions on the tool rest and return the gouge to the same place on each centre, then it might work.
I haven't really had a chance to use it properly, but I did use it to finish off the bowl of an old spoon and I was really pleased. Watch this space for a full review. Here it is on the left next to my Svante Djarv knife and my Ben Orford knife. You can see how it's a fair bit longer and includes a shallow area similar to the curve of the Ben Orford, which is perfect for finishing cuts, and also a full curve for more aggressive hollowing.
Check out Dave Budd's website
I never seen like this knife. I always like this knife.
ReplyDeleteOut Of The Front Knife
I have recently been a a knife making course at Dave's work shop . I also purchased one of his spoon knives . I was impressed with the performance and more importantly how much easier it is to sharpen. This is due to the concave that Dave puts in the back of the spoon knife . This allows you to easily maintain a true flat on the " back face " of the knife .
ReplyDeleteYes I agree, I was surprised at how easy it was to get it so sharp.
ReplyDelete