Reddit reviews Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife with Carbon Steel Blade, 0.5-Inch Internal Radius

I live in a forest, so finding wood to use isn't an issue at all.

I just walk around looking for cherry/apple/maple etc. I try to collect as many branches that I might be able to use. Then I split them down the center. Most of the time, you can make a spoon from each half. I try to use branches that are bigger than 4" inches or so.

I like to draw a rough shape of the spoon on the wood. I use a hook knife to carve out the bowl, It takes some getting used to, but it works very nice. It's a little difficult to sharpen though.

Then with a hand saw, I cut out as much wood as possible. I also make a couple relief cuts to make carving around the neck easier. Next I use a draw knife to shape the handle. I also use a good sharp knife. The handle is probably the easiest part to carve, but it's easy to make it off center from the bowl.

The key is keeping the tools razor sharp at all times. After the initial sharpen, you should constantly hone the edge. This is most commonly done on a leather strip that's been loaded with a waxy honing compound. Honing is considerably easier/faster than sharpening, and keeps a wicked edge, but you still need to hit the stone every so often. All you need to do is wipe each face of the edge across the leather, wiping away from the edge of the blade.

Instead of using expensive sharpening stones, you can also just tape some sandpaper to some glass/granite. But I totally recommend the DMT diamond steel blocks. A coarse, and fine, will coast you about $100, but they work great.

It generally takes me about 4-6 hours to carve a spoon. I try to always finish in a single day, otherwise the wood will become dry, and harder to carve. I'll put the spoon in a plastic bag with some of the wood shavings to sit overnight so it doesn't lose much moisture.

I also like to make things on a wood lathe. Like whistles, spinning tops, mushrooms, containers, bowls, trays, baseball bats, mallets, wands, etc.
It's a lot of fun, and there's little stress in getting it right. There's no "right" shape of a mushroom, just go wild.

If you want to make spoons then that set isn't really want you need.

What you need is a hook knife for carving the bowl and a straight knife for all the other cuts.

It would be great to have a hatchet to rough out the shape of the spoon so it doesn't take you all year. I've seen lots of people do the roughing with a band saw though. You could use a coping saw if you don't have one.

I don't love the hook knife I have. If the wood is a little dry it kinda hurts my hand. It's this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00343VCCK/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1487362012&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mora+hook+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=31qGjXQoECL&ref=plSrch

I wound up grinding the bevel off mine to make a smooth curve and it worked a little better than new. But it works ok as is.

I've also got this straight knife https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005IW5YN8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1487362243&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=mora+carving+knife&dpPl=1&dpID=31CuaoTEJGL&ref=plSrch

They have a shorter version that would probably have given more control, but I'm ok with it.

You'll also want to make a strop to maintain the cutting edge. You'll need a block of wood, a piece of leather and stropping compound. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0000DD35C/ref=pd_aw_fbt_469_img_3?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YGCVJKF34JWCTN2MNFPV

Can't say about this compound. I got mine from lee valley.

All in all, if I did it over again I would have bought higher quality knives, but the ones I wanted (from a guy named Nic Westerman) were out of stock. And since you're on a budget they would fit in your price range.

You need a quarter round bit for a router to round the sides and then a hook knife to carve the bowls.

https://www.amazon.com/Mora-Frost-164-Woodcarving-Knife/dp/B00343VCCK

I just posted this above but here they are again. Also I used a basic leatherman knife at the very beginning and it definitely was nice to get a real woodworking tool, especially since it took me about 15 or 20 hours. Other than these I used sandpaper and a file (briefly).

Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00343VCCK

Morakniv Wood Carving 106 Knife
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005IW5YN8

Mora hook knife like in the video.

Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife with Carbon Steel Blade https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00343VCCK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apip_avYFrR8BvNjYg

It was this guy: https://www.amazon.ca/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Carbon-Steel/dp/B00343VCCK?ie=UTF8&*Version*=1&*entries*=0 had two bevels, not sure why, maybe they changed their grind in new productions. When did you get yours? Mine was about two years ago when I just started carving. I got it to a useable state but the shape wasn't as good as the deep wood ventures one I got. I don't even use the mora anymore.

Mora makes some nice ones.

http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Laminated-1-9-Inch/dp/B004GATX62
http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Carbon-Steel/dp/B00343VCCK
http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Laminated-2-4-Inch/dp/B004URTI4I

Lifestraw: $19.99
http://www.amazon.com/Vestergaard-Frandsen-527950-LifeStraw-Personal-Filter/dp/B006QF3TW4/ref=sr_1_1?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1394141409&sr=1-1&keywords=lifestraw

Or Alternatively:

Sawyer Water Filtration System: $50.42
http://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-SP181-Emergency-Filtration-Light-Weight/dp/B004TZ86M6/ref=sr_1_2?s=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1394141349&sr=1-2&keywords=sawyer+filtration+system



While not vital, here is something to consider:

Mora Hook (spoon) knife: $22.16
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00343VCCK/ref=oh_details_o06_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

That's what I thought of off the top of my head. I'll see if I can add to the list when I get home.

This is the hook knife that I use... there are lots of youtube videos about using and sharpening these knives. It is pretty fun to use once you get a good edge and learn how to wield it.

Ahh, I saw the 'frequently bought together' under the 164 that also had the short knife and a book, and thought that would be a good start for $50.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00343VCCK/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

So depending on the type of carving you want to do. Like this is a good knife for spoons like wood spoons or salad tongs. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00343VCCK/ref=mp_s_a_1_14?qid=1420451007&sr=8-14&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

some of these no matter what. I wish idid when I started. So many wasted bandages. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0002IY0IS/ref=mp_s_a_1_17?qid=1420451150&sr=8-17&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

The exacto set. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00004Z2UD/ref=mp_s_a_1_5?qid=1420451349&sr=8-5&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70 is a good starting set. Eventually if you like carving you might upgrade to something like this. I have this kit. http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0020LOY7C/ref=mp_s_a_1_28?qid=1420451227&sr=8-28&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70

Not sure if OP used this, but I've heard of others using it for the same application (and have been meaning to get one myself):

Morakniv Wood Carving 164 Hook Knife with Carbon Steel Blade

Nice first shot. Get a mora hook knife and really up your game.

Not sure about the specific knife linked to, but what you're looking for is a hook knife. Here's an amazon link: http://amzn.to/1gM5iIp or just do a google search for hook knife. Roy Underhill has a pretty good video of a spoon carver using one in episode S06e02. I tried to find a link to the episode, but the best I could do is a promo from youtube: http://bit.ly/1fKRppr. Your local PBS affiliate (presuming you're in the US) likely has the episode available to watch for free. Otherwise there are plenty of youtube videos detailing the use of a hook knife as well. I hope this helps.

It very closely resembles a Spoon Carving Knife

I am puzzled buy the length of the "blade" and serrations though.