The photo above shows a three inch tall Troll Brother in between the two proto type knives being tested with the BUSY BEE on the left and the BUZZ BEE on the right.  The WOOD BEE CARVER has been a serious knife carver for over forty years during which time he experimented with knife blade designs to aid in his carving projects.  Very early in this journey it became very evident that the cutting edge of the knife blade is most efficient as it is used in the slicing action as in slicing a tomato, bread or baloney. Through trial and error, it was discovered that a curved cutting edge created the most efficient slicing action when compared with the straight cutting edge in the common carving knife. In order to do slicing cuts with a straight cutting edge blade it is necessary to skew the angle of the straight edge to enhance the slicing action.  A curved cutting edge, by its design, is already skewed as the cutting edge follows the arch of the curve of the blade.  Thus, all the knives designed by the WOOD BEE CARVER are designed to create the easiest slicing action.  With the designed blades that have a straight cutting edge, the angle of the straight edge angles back towards the handle creating a reverse skew angle so that as the blade is pushed or pulled through the wood a slicing action is produced.  With the curved cutting edge blade designs the curvature of the cutting edge is a series of skewed cutting edges along the curvature resulting in a slicing action as it is pushed or pulled through the wood.

The SIDE WINDER was developed in early 2015 which is designed with a dog leg shaped blade that has three slicing functions in the one blade.  The photo above illustrates the three functions with the larger portion of the blade indicated as “A” is a reversed skew straight cutting edge.  The “C” portion of the blade is located at the tip end of the blade that has a slight skewed curve cutting edge while the “B” is a half circle curve between the “A” and “C” portions of the entire blade.  These three cutting edges allows for a versatility of use during the carving process which was described in its introductory posting on this blog  by clicking on SIDE WINDER

The SIDE KICK was developed in April 1016 that is an adaption of the original Side Winder but with a different function as described in its introductory posting on this blog by clicking on SIDE KICK

The SIDE KICK is used for the “roughing out” stage of the carving process by utilizing the three portions of the blade design to remove and shape wood in a variety of functions.

The versatility of both the SIDE WINDER and the SIDE KICK led to the creation of the BUZZ BEE as an experimental blade design.  The BUZZ BEE utilizes the three portions of the blade designs of the two previous knives mentioned with a slight variation as depicted in the photo below.

The “A” portion is a curved blade from its heel to the half circle curve of portion “B”. The “C” portion is curved from “B” to where it meets the back edge.  The BUZZ BEE is to be used in the “roughing out” stage of the carving process with some utilization in the “detail carving” phase.

The combination of slicing cuts varies by which portion of the blade is uses.  Sometimes the A slicing cut will be made using just the curved portion of the “A” part of the blade.  Sometimes a combination of “A” and “B” will be used in a slicing cut.  Sometimes the “C” portion of the blade will be used along with a combination of “C” and “B” at the same time. Sometimes the “B” portion will be used for a shallow gouge type of slicing cut.  As a carver discovers the various slicing cuts that can be made it will become an automatic and second nature to maneuver the blade to make necessary cuts. The blade can approach the wood right side up, upside down, sideways and even on the edge of the cutting edge as if it was an ice skate.  Using a “slice and roll” action can result in shaping (sculpting) the wood in pleasing results.  As it is with any new knife or carving tool, the carver should doodle with making a variety of cuts on a practice block of wood  in order to discover what all the new tool can do. Illustrations of the use of the BUZZ BEE can be viewed by clicking on the “Troll Brothers” posting.

It needs to be said that there is not one knife that will do every kind of cut a carver would like to accomplish.  That is why carvers accumulate a variety of knives and tools.  The BUZZ BEE can be very versatile but it also needs a companion knife to complete the desired results in the carving process.  This is where the BUSY BEE comes in with it very narrow and curved blade with an extended tang to allow for the entire cutting edge to be usable for making precise and delicate slicing cuts along with regular and longer slicing cuts.  As a scimitar blade shape with the back edge being a mirror image of the cutting edge, ­­­­the narrow blade will fit into very narrow places in those hard to reach places.  The narrow scimitar shaped blade on its extended tang allows the for entire curve of the cutting edge to be used if necessary without being impeded by the end of the handle.  Doing a “slice and roll” action with the cutting edge positioned like the blade of an ice skate will produce a “dished out” or gouge effect on the surface of the wood.  Such an “ice skating cut” will put waves in hair and beard as well as wrinkles and folds in fabric.

The combination of the BUZZ BEE and the BUSY BEE offers a “one-two punch” for whittle-carving.  After further testing of these two knives in their proto type stage they soon may be ready for production by Helve Knives (so wait for future announcement).

Photos below are of the BUZZ BEE and BUSY BEE as the second proto type version in the pistol shaped handle [four inches long]. The third photo is these two blade shapes in antique adjustable utility knives once used in the shoe industry and other industrial uses.

FOOT NOTE: Measurement specifics for BUZZ BEE: overall length of blade = inch and three quarter; [tang is one inch ~ cutting blade three quarter inch long, three sixteenth inch wide]  Measurement specifics for BUSY BEE: overall length of blade =inch and half long: [tang is half inch ~cutting blade is one inch long, one eighth inch wide]