Following the grain: The direction of the cut

The wood grain direction is a key factor in Spoon Carving.

Starting with a log or a branch, the orientation of the wood grain will be what guides our tools.

See: How to split a log using the axe.

In the same way, with our carving knives, if we visualize and understand the orientation of the fibers along our spoon blank, we will be able to determine the direction in which we need to cut.

We can see this premise illustrated in the following image:

Understanding Wood Grain

This is something we will experience with our knives when we start practicing the different cutting techniques on the wood. We will see how some cuts are made effortlessly and some get stuck on the wood.

That is why we must always make the cut following the grain.

Let’s see how this applies to the outline of a spoon:

DOWNLOAD IMAGE

For the straight knife or Sloyd knife you can see the basic cutting techniques in this article: The Straight Knife.

For the hook knife you can find more information in this article: The Hook Knife

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