What would be the best/your favorite tool for whittling/carving a coffee mug?

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fmajor007

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Apr 1, 2010
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Not sure if this is the "best" place for this, but i don't know where else this would go.

What is your favorite whittling blade? Why: Is it the handling? Edge retension? Blade design?

What is your favorite carving blade? Why: Is it the handling? Edge retension? Blade design?

Here's why i'm asking......

I'm giving some serious thought to carving a big 'ol coffee mug from some hardwood (treating it "appropriately", etc). I love coffee mugs and have several from my travels throughout the States and Europe, but want something definitively personal.

I've just bought an Cold Steel American Lawman and am thinking about using my new knife for something "significant" like this. Would the AL be appropriate for this project? It's something i intend spending some time on using so using a Dremel or other motorized device is principally out of the question.

What say you?
 
IMO, a good sharp knife (scandi grinds excel at this IMO) and a decent spoon/crooked knife can accomplish just about anything you need when it comes to carving. If you want to speed things along, a nice sharp hatchet does wonders :thumbup:
 
What Killa Concept said. Use a saw to get it to the length you want, a good sharp knife (scandi's excel here) to get your shape, and a crooked knife to get the bowl shape. If you use coals to burn out the center along with the crooked knife will speed things up considerably.

Never thought about making a coffee mug before. Sounds like a fun project.
 
My favorites are some that my grandfather made out of old bandsaw blades. They're awesome tools, stay sharp, are specifically designed for a particular use and just make me fell good when I'm using them.

For commercial blades, I like Flexcut primarily.

J-
 
For a carving knife you'll want something with a very comfortable handle that works in many, many grips first off. The blade shouldn't be overly long, 3-4 inches is *plenty*. Scandi ground blades do excel at wood carving--I actually bought a Mora for this purpose, and that's nearly all I use it for. Any knife with a good edge will work well for carving, but the scandi does bite better, which makes things go a bit faster especially when carving across the grain.

For carving out the bowl get a hook knife. You *could* also try burning it out. A Mora hook knife is something like 10 or 15 bucks shipped and is very much worth the investment.

Those are my thoughts, for whatever they're worth (bidding starts at "I should be paid to have to listen to this stuff!")
 
The American Lawman will do the job, but I generally prefer a narrow 2.5-3" blade, with a pointy tip and very little belly.
 
Sweet! These are some pretty creative answers. I'll probably use a saw of some sort to get close to size. I like the brace and bit idea to get a hole started.

I'll have access to some fairly advanced tools so may give making my own curved blade a try using some old band-saw material (well, and probably a whole lot of other steel as well). I could easily bend/grind/sharpen some material then stuff it in a wood handle and make a go of it!

As to using my credit card at Wal-Mart (or anywhere else for that matter) - yea, no thanks.

For this project, i want to have my finger-print on it, not something someone else did for me. When i'm drinking my favorite brew in this mug, i will enjoy it all the more for having made it myself.
 
fmajor007 said:
When i'm drinking my favorite brew in this mug, i will enjoy it all the more for having made it myself.
Click to expand...

+1 for the meaning of life hidden beneath one sentence.
good luck, good carving, and you better bring back cool pics:D
 
coffee mug: Burn the center out of the wood you are working on with coals from your fire, scrape out the carbon/charcoal with what ever knife you have and repeat till you reach the depth you desire.

A little work and Voila a Wooden Coffee Mug.
 
HomeBru said:
Probably have a bit of your blood in it as well...:D
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So true!!!

Thanks everyone! I've never heard/seen this process of "burning in/scraping out" to make a hole - cool (new to me) technique!

I'm sure it's gonna take awhile and i'm not exactly sure when i'll be able to start. However, it is on the short list of "important, but not urgent" undertakings.

Now i need to source some appropriate material. I was thinking of dried beach (though not kiln dried, but cut last year for firewood).

Any thoughts about material?
 
fun.jpg

scandi all the way :D
 
555 said:
coffee mug: Burn the center out of the wood you are working on with coals from your fire, scrape out the carbon/charcoal with what ever knife you have and repeat till you reach the depth you desire.

A little work and Voila a Wooden Coffee Mug.
Click to expand...

i 2nd this method
 
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