“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get,” can be adapted to many activities of life. It applies to the carving process, in that the carver does not know how the carving will turn out until it is finished. It is this sense of surprise and serendipity that continues the joy of carving and imaginative creativity ~ we never know what we will get.
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Rich Smithson of Helvie Knives has written a history sketch of the Wood Bee Carver Signature Series knives. The photo above is a photo of the # 1 – Universal Whittler (at top) Prototype of # 2 (in middle) and # 2 – Scimitar (at bottom). The prototype in the middle was made early on with an oak wood handle as a trial run with the cherry wood handle becoming the accepted handle. There were many prototypes of the various blade shapes designed by Mertz and Rich would make. Mertz would test and offer suggestions for blade revisions and handle shape, back and forth until a prototype passed the test and Rich would put it in projection. Rich was always eager to try a new Mertz design and always developed each design into another Signature Series Knife.
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The explanation for why this Old Carver continues to make Other Knives is in an old saying: “Give a monkey a gum wrapper to entertain him for the rest of the day.” Monkeying around with making carving knives is an entertainment for this Old Carver. These knives are made for personal use to experiment with blade shapes that are versatile in the carving process especially for miniature Whittle-Carving.
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HAVE HOE – WILL PLANT is a commission carving of a lady gardener that is carved out of a seven inch tall, two inch by three inch block of basswood using a series of carving knives. The simple verbal description included a gray hair lady with a braid draping over her right shoulder with length going to her waist. She is wearing a light blue tee shirt, khaki shorts, red tennis shoes, and is holding a packet of seeds in one hand and the hoe leaning on her left shoulder. A cat is rubbing against her right leg at the ankle.
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Whittle Doodle Block Heads 2 was carved in a basswood block measuring two inches square and seven eights inch tall. Eight heads were carver around the four sides with a skull carved in the center. Newly made OTHER KNIVES for Miniature Carving were used to carve each head at random times over a period of a few days. The time in between the actual carving was used to imagine what faces to carve next. This “imagination” time is an essential time for any carving project while following the “Imagination Rule: if it can be imagined it can be.”
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The knives pictured above are OTHER KNIVES for Carving Miniatures. Miniatures are any smaller carvings that will fit in a two-inch cube. OTHER KNIVES is the name given to indicate experimental knives made by the Wood Bee Carver for his personal use. Three of the knives in the photos are modified Helvie mini-detail knives and the other with the pistol shaped handles were made using old pocket knife blades that were reshaped and sharpened by hand.
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The WOOD BEE CARVER is primarily a knife carver who also has enjoyed the sideline activity of turning old pocket knives into carving knives. Old junk pocket knives were purchased very cheaply at junk stores, flea markets and garage sales over the years for the purpose of salvaging these once noble instruments of boyhood lore.
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Carved wooden blade covers serve a practical purpose of protecting the blade as well as the carver reaching for a carving knife amid the other knives is the tool tote, bag or box. An instructional posting on how to make a simple blade covers can be found by clicking on KNIFE BLADE COVERS The two photos above are examples of blade covers from a simple wood burned design along with carved faces and a chipped carved cover.
Carving faces on blade covers are an excellent way of practicing the carving of faces as well as letting creative imagination free to carve expressive blade covers unique and functional.
Never miss an opportunity to carve something new and challenging because carving is always a learning experience and the more one carves the better one carves. “Keep carving and carving will keep you carving.” Motto: “Would be carvers would be carvers if they would carve wood.”