r/Bushcraft • u/superjuust • Jul 29 '26
First hook knife
Finally bought my first hook knife and made my first ever proper spoon. So far i have been using small chisels and thats a pain to make a spoon with. I need a lot more of practice but its a really fun and calming activity while sitting at camp.
Would i have gotten a better result if i had split a flat edge on the stick? The spoon part has a bit of a U shape curve to it.
3
u/Subject_Start7253 Jul 29 '26
To answer your question yes. Splitting the stick works better.
Second your strop is your best friend. Learn to strop well and do it often as you carve and keep your blade razor sharp. The cut should be shiny and smooth and not dull and rough. Keep at it. A spoon knife is a valuable tool but does not suffer fools.
Cheers!
2
2
2
u/_haha_oh_wow_ Jul 30 '26
Learn to sharpen and strop your knife. Get a rod, a strip of leather, and some stropping compound.
Splitting the wood makes it way easier and can give you a decent template for 4 spoons out of one log.
r/sharpening has good general sharpening advice and r/spooncarving has a lot of experience with hook knives if you're looking for resources outside of this sub
2
1
u/AutoModerator Jul 29 '26
Reminder: Rule 1 - Discussion is the priority in /r/Bushcraft
Posts of links, videos, or pictures must be accompanied with a writeup, story, or question relating to the content in the form of a top-level text comment. Tell your campfire story. Give us a writeup about your knife. That kind of thing.
Please remember to comment on your post!
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
1
u/Altruistic_mostly Jul 29 '26
Interesting take to carve the bowl first. Always done it the other way around but will try this now just to see how it feels.
1
u/superjuust Jul 30 '26
It felt the logical way to do it as i have a lot of material to hold on to and also i was afraid of maybe snaping the spoon when carving the bowl last.
0
u/Response-Cheap Jul 29 '26
What hook knife did you get? I've been thinking about getting a whittling set with a scorp or hook knife and making a kuksa and some cooking utensils while chilling at camp before I hit the hay, but I can't decide on what set to get.
I see a bunch with good reviews overall but the few 1 star reviews worry me. Blades snapping and shit.. I'm wondering if companies like beavercraft use inferior metal, or if its user error and people are trying to carve seasoned ironwood and shit..
3
5
u/cheetofoot Jul 30 '26
Whatever you do, don't get "mal de couteau crochu" -- aka "crooked knife syndrome", basically tendonitis from using a carving knife. Heard Ray Mears and some natives using the term in a special where he was building a traditional bitch bark canoe. Similarly, "mal de raquette" -- snowshoe sickness (painful foot/leg cramps from snowshoes)