Post #505148 by pdrake on Sun, Jan 17, 2010 11:12 PM

so, i haven't carved with my big chisels in over 2 years. i recently started again and for some reason, i'm treating them different. they're more of a creative tool than just something to remove material. it's odd.

i seem to have a better appreciation for what they do. the sharpness and precision they hold is more than i ever thought.

good steel is important. anyone just starting, keep in mind that the chisels you may start with are not the obstacles to your art. sometimes the artist is only as good as the tool

i'm not saying i'm great, but it sure makes a difference when you see a line in the wood then put a tool to it and it happens, instead of fighting the grain and slope. having to really muscle a tool is never a good thing. there's a reason they call the wrong tools, "knuckle busters".

sorry to ramble . . . i was going to try and get feedback on how people handle their chisels. do you hold it tight, do you just put your hand around it? do you use a hard, wooden mallet or a tiny hammer with little, yellow, plastic heads (;-P)?

i think that chisel control is an important part of carving. even if you choose to use power tools, i think that chisels come into the equation at some point.

mahalo for reading this far.