CARVING KNIVES

Incise carving is addictive! Once you learn how to slice the serifs on a letter in the form of a V a whole new world of woodwork will open to you. On page 58 Murray Taylor presents a master class on carving Art Nouveau letters. One tool he uses to make the magic happen is the continental-style bent aside knife.

If you are new to chip carving, I highly recommend that you start your tool collection with a straight and a bent aside knife. The straight knife is just right for slicing out the serifs of a letter, while the bent aside knife allows you to accurately guide the blade from serif to serif. This is done by taking a choke hold on the handle while resting your thumb on the