The three SIDE KICK knives were put to the test in carving the basic form of a woman sitting in chair knitting.  Each knife used a variety of slicing cuts to shape a six inch by three inch square basswood block.  The result is a large basic form or rough shape of the knitting lady ready to be refined with detail carving.

The SIDE KICK is used primarily for roughing to basic shape a carving project as it makes bold slicing cuts using the front end “A” almost like a bull nosed carving tool and then using the “B” cutting edge on the side to make a slicing cut in another direction. Where “A” and “B” cutting edges meet there is a small arching cutting edge that can serve as a mini bull nose gouge or for making controlled stop cuts and it also comes into play as a continuation of the slicing cuts of “A” or “B” to make a clean transition at the end of the slice.  The front edge “A” has a curved cutting edge that creates a built in slicing action with the push stroke.  The side edge “B” is basically a straight cutting edge that when used in a slicing action will shape the carving under the guiding hand of the carver.  Like any new knife, a carver needs to use the knife by experimenting with various slicing cuts to discover the SIDE KICK knives versatility.

The first photo above pictures the larger blade of the SIDE KICK illustrating the “B” side of the blade that was used to slice a flat plane in the shaping of the arm area.  The second photo shows the same blade using the curved cutting edge between the “A” and “B” portions of the blade to slice a concaved shaving in the shaping process.

The first photo above pictures the middle size blade of the SIDE KICK II slicing with a push stroke the “A” portion of the blade.  The second photo shows a similar slicing cut being applied to the negative space between the chair legs and the stretcher and seat. The third photo illustrated the SIDE KICK III making a similar slicing cut shaping along the jaw line and neck of the lady.

This test demonstrated the versatility of the SIDE KICK knives to carve the basic shape of a carving project and to be available during the remaining carving process to be used as needed when the need arises.

SIDE KICK knives may be ordered from HELVIE KNIVES ~ 765-675-8811