Another look at sharpening a V-tool

[Thom]

Another look at sharpening a V-tool with  Mary May. One of my least favorite sharpening chores.

[rich pierce]

Thanks!

[kaintuck]

I found sharpening to be a art in itself!

Marc n tomtom

[alyce-james]

Thom; Sir; hopefully this will help my technique at my attempt to sharping the dreaded "V" gouge. Have a great day. Thanks, AJ

[Acer Saccharum]

That is a very easy looking method.

[Hemo]

After looking at Mary May's sharpening video, I linked onto another of her videos on carving an acanthus leaf on a mahogany furniture leg. Very instructive, and although the scale is a little bit bigger than a gun, her techniques would be very applicable to butt carving or carving around a tang. A longish video, but very well filmed, showing a variety of tools and techniques.



Hemo

[Thom]

Tom: Yes she does make it look quite simple. I always have had a hard enough time just keeping the side flats symmetrical. I always thought my problem was with the way I handled the heel. I think perhaps following the inside radius may be my answer.

Hemo: I most certainly agree, I had never seen Mary May before. I have watched several of her videos since posting this last evening.

[kaintuck]

i've watched her for years...funny thing is, her 'workshop' is very small~ she teaches classes and carves in a place we all would think of as a closet with a window....but that's what she likes.....her and the woodwright guy are my fav people.......!!!!

and i'm THINKing it Dennis~just didn't say it!

marc n tomtom

[cmac]

Does anyone else find it disturbing how fast she moves and how little she draws out on the leaf carving video?   Both great videos!!Thanks

[Acer Saccharum]

Does anyone else find it disturbing how fast she moves and how little she draws out on the leaf carving video?   Both great videos!!Thanks

That falls under the title of 'It's easy....once you know how'.

She's very good at what she does, it's a second language that she uses every day. You will improve by leaps and bounds if you do the same. But you don't appreciate that in the beginning, it's only in hindsight that you get it.

[Jerry V Lape]

I would like to know what adjustments she might make to techniques on curly sugar maple in the very low relief used on longrifles..  Everything I have seen her carve is bass or walnut and with much greater relief.  No doubt she would do it well.  Going to pose that question to her and see if she responds. 

[Acer Saccharum]

You need to take multiple passes on hardwood such as maple. You can split the wood you wish to keep if you go at it too heavy-handed.

[J. Talbert]

Thom,

Thanks for the link.  This morning I have a properly sharpened V-tool for the first time.
I may actually start using it.

Thanks again,
Jeff

[Robby]

I'm still having some trouble with, not sharpening so much, as getting the pitch angle to a point where I have a more natural angle of approach. Right now I feel that it is too steep. I'm thinking I should take more off the bottom and go further back with that removal. Does that sound right? Mostly, I do my incise carving with a knife, but I would like to be able to develop the usage of the V chisel. Buck's county guns have a lot of incise work on them, has anyone done a careful study to see what method they might have used, has anyone seen a V chisel in the inventory of any gunsmith's from the late eighteenth century.
Robby