Knife&Gouge



Decoys can be carved with about any knife that will hold an edge. Generally, small knives are suitable for carving small pieces—songbirds, miniatures, and decoy heads for example. Decoy bodies, however, are more readily carved using larger knives and gouges that have heavier blades and are designed to remove more wood. Here are two of our favorites...

If you're accustomed to looking at carving tools with highly polished walnut handles, these probably don't look like much to you. These are utilitarian carving tools, and the makers concentrated on the design and the cutting edge. From this carver's standpoint, that's all that really matters. The other thing you don't see here is the frightening price tag... Straight Knife The straight-bladed knife at the top is Swedish-made and comes with it's own case. The case isn't much, but it will protect the blade and your fingers. The laminated high-carbon steel in the knife, on the other hand, is outstanding, and takes and holds an edge as well as any blades in our shop. The wooden handle is comfortable and allows plenty of torque, and the 2" blade is just long enough to do the job without cutting the hand holding the piece (a major concern with longer blades). It's just an all-around good design and it has become a shop favorite. 3/4" Fishtail Gouge There is a bewildering array of gouges available to carvers. Frankly, it doesn't take long to discover that only a couple of them are right for decoy carving. This one has enough radius that the corners won't dig in and spoil your work, yet is flat enough to use over an entire body block. Once you try it you'll recognize that it was designed by a carver...it's that handy a tool. Straight Knife with case.........US$30.00 3/4" Fishtail Gouge..........US$ 20.00 Both are available together with our multi-blade carving set in an Aromatic Red Cedar box for US$95.00 By the way, this set comes with a $5 off coupon for Basic Decoy Carving. Far be it from us to tell you what to do. You can purchase the knife, the gouge, and the carving set in the black box separately, but it will cost you $10 more AND you won't get the $5 off coupon for Basic Decoy Carving.


		More than good tools and more than good carving wood, carvers need information. There's no sense in having to learn the hard way when it's so easily avoided. From the back cover of Basic Decoy carving... Every time I looked for information and had difficulty finding it, I thought to myself, 'This stuff really ought to be written down in one place.' Well now it is, and this is the place." If you could work along with an experienced carver, this is the sort of information you would hope to learn. . Check out the book for yourself...
	How about a decoy starter kit to go with your carving set? Return to Home Page Contact us for details Duck Trap Decoys P.O. Box 88 Lincolnville Beach, ME 04849 phone: 207-789-5363 © 2014 Duck Trap Decoys.