How to Sharpen a Wood Carving Knife
Sharpening a wood carving knife doesn't need to be complicated.
Read enough sharpening articles and you might come away thinking you need Japanese water stones, perfectly machined diamond plates, several different polishing compounds, a motorized sharpening system, and the patience of a Zen master.
You don't.
I knew a man who carried his entire sharpening kit in an envelope.
At the beginning of our carving club meetings, he'd sit down at the table, pull out a piece of cloth-backed wet/dry sandpaper and a strop, and start working on his knife while everybody else handled the business part of the meeting.
By the time we were ready to carve, he had a razor-sharp knife.
There's a lesson in that.
Good sharpening is more about understanding the edge than owning a lot of sharpening equipment.
The Simple Sharpening Routine
If all of this feels like a lot, here's the process I want you to remember.
1. Strop first.
If the edge comes back, stop.
2. If stropping doesn't work, inspect the edge.
Look for dulling, rolling, or damage.
3. Start with the finest abrasive that will efficiently correct the problem.
Don't automatically reach for a coarse stone.
4. Follow the existing blade geometry.
Don't redesign the bevel while you're sharpening it.
5. Refine the edge with progressively finer abrasive as needed.
Remove the scratches from the previous step.
6. Clean the blade.
Keep coarse abrasive away from your strop.
7. Strop with light, edge-trailing strokes.
Refine the edge and remove the remaining burr.
8. Test it in wood.
That's where a carving knife needs to prove itself.
Videos to show the process.
PDF - Illustrated How to Sharpen Knives - CLICK TO OPEN
Quick video on how we sharpen knives.
How to Sharpen Spoon Hook Knives - Hollow Ground or Flat Ground
The first half shows how to sharpen a hollow ground and the last half shows how to sharpen a flat grind.
And all the technical reading to explain it further.
What Do You Need to Sharpen a Carving Knife?
Not much.
At the simplest level, you need:
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A flat abrasive surface
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An appropriate grit for the condition of the edge
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A finer abrasive for refining it
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A strop
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Stropping compound
That abrasive surface could be:
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Wet/dry abrasive paper
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Diamond sharpening stone
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Ceramic sharpening stone
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Water stone
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Oil stone
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Another suitable sharpening system
I've used plenty of them.
They can all work.
The important thing is understanding what you're trying to accomplish at each step.
Sandpaper Works
One of the least expensive sharpening systems is still one of the most useful.
Wet/dry abrasive paper on a flat surface.
That's essentially what my friend carried around in his envelope.
You can place the abrasive paper on something flat and use it much like a sharpening stone.
A smooth board, piece of glass, or another suitably flat backing surface can work.
If you're repairing an edge, you can start with an abrasive coarse enough to remove the damage efficiently.
Then move progressively finer.
There's nothing magical about a sharpening stone.
The abrasive is doing the work.
Don't Automatically Start Coarse
This is important.
My original sharpening instructions started with 400-grit abrasive paper.
That's fine if the edge actually needs that much work.
But don't automatically start there every time you sharpen.
If you have a significant nick or damaged edge, a coarser abrasive removes material more efficiently.
If the edge is only slightly dull, you may be able to start much finer.
And if the edge simply needs maintenance?
Don't sharpen it at all.
Strop it.
Deepwoods Tip
Start with the finest abrasive that will do the job efficiently.
You can always go coarser if you need to.
Every unnecessary trip to a coarse stone removes steel you'll never put back.
Follow the Existing Blade Geometry
Follow the geometry already built into the knife.
Carving knives don't all have the same grind.
You may be working with a:
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Scandi grind
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Flat grind
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Convex grind
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Secondary bevel
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Combination of geometries
The maker designed that geometry into the knife for a reason.
Your job during normal sharpening isn't to redesign the blade.
It's to restore the edge while maintaining the geometry that's already there.
What About Sharpening Angles?
This is one of the most common sharpening questions.
What angle should I sharpen my carving knife?
The correct angle depends on the knife.
A Scandi-ground knife may give you a broad bevel that naturally registers against the sharpening surface.
A knife with a small secondary bevel needs that bevel maintained.
A convex edge may require a slightly different technique.
Instead of memorizing one number, learn to recognize the bevel you're maintaining.
That will serve you much better than trying to force every carving knife into the same sharpening angle.
Use the Bevel as Your Guide
Look closely at the cutting edge before you start.
Find the bevel.
That's the surface you're trying to maintain.
On some knives it's very obvious.
On others it's quite small.
Place the knife on your sharpening surface and adjust it until the existing bevel makes the contact you're looking for.
Don't raise the spine unnecessarily.
That can create a steeper secondary bevel.
Don't lower it so far that you're polishing the side of the blade without reaching the cutting edge.
You're trying to work the existing bevel all the way to the edge.
A Marker Can Help
If you're having trouble seeing where the abrasive is contacting the blade, use a permanent marker.
Color the bevel lightly.
Make a few sharpening passes.
Then look at where the marker disappeared.
If you're removing marker near the shoulder but not at the cutting edge, your angle is too low.
If you're removing marker only at the very edge, your angle may be higher than the existing bevel.
It's a simple little trick.
But it gives you immediate feedback about what you're actually doing.
Repairing a Nicked Edge
If the knife has a nick, stropping isn't going to remove it.
You need to remove enough steel to get past the damaged area.
This is where a somewhat coarser abrasive makes sense.
Work carefully.
Alternate sides as appropriate for the knife.
Keep checking the edge.
The goal isn't to grind away half the blade.
It's to remove the minimum amount of steel necessary to restore a continuous cutting edge.
Once the damage is gone, move to a finer abrasive.
Work Through Finer Abrasives
After the edge has been restored, finer abrasives remove the scratches left by the previous grit.
You don't necessarily need ten different steps.
For many carving knives, a simple progression is enough.
Something like:
Repair or establish the edge → refine the edge → strop.
The exact grits aren't nearly as important as understanding the progression.
Each abrasive should remove the scratches left by the one before it.
Then the strop finishes the job.
What Is a Burr?
As you sharpen all the way to the cutting edge, you may create a very small wire-like projection of steel called a burr.
Depending on the steel, edge geometry, abrasive, and sharpening method, it may be obvious or extremely difficult to feel.
A burr can be useful because it tells you that you've reached the edge.
But don't make the mistake of trying to create the biggest burr possible.
A large burr means you've moved more steel.
We only need enough evidence to know that we've reached the cutting edge.
Then we need to remove that burr cleanly.
Don't Chase the Burr
This is another place people can over-sharpen.
They keep grinding one side waiting for a dramatic burr.
Then they grind the other side until they get another dramatic burr.
Before long, they've removed considerably more steel than necessary.
Work deliberately.
Check often.
Once you've reached the edge, move on.
Sharpening is not a contest to see how much steel you can turn into black slurry.
Clean the Blade Before Stropping
This little step matters.
After sharpening, wipe the blade clean before moving to your strop.
You don't want coarse abrasive particles from your sharpening surface getting embedded in your stropping surface.
A strop is supposed to refine the edge.
Contaminate it with coarse grit and you've just created a different abrasive surface.
Keep your sharpening equipment clean.
Especially your strop.
Stropping the Edge
Now we're at the final step.
The strop refines the edge and removes the remaining burr.
I normally use leather with a suitable stropping compound.
Cardboard can work too.
Remember my friend with the envelope.
You don't need anything elaborate.
The important part is using the strop correctly.
Always Strop Edge Trailing
When sharpening on many stones and abrasives, you may use strokes that move the edge into or across the abrasive depending on your method.
Stropping is different.
Move the blade away from the cutting edge.
That's called an edge-trailing stroke.
Imagine trying to shave a thin slice off your leather strop.
Now move the knife in the opposite direction.
That's the stropping motion.
If you drive the cutting edge forward into a leather strop, sooner or later you're going to cut the strop.
Use Light Pressure
You don't need to lean on the knife.
Too much pressure can deform a softer stropping surface around the cutting edge.
That can begin rounding the edge you're trying to refine.
Use light, controlled pressure.
Let the compound do the work.
Keep the knife aligned with its existing bevel.
Then alternate sides until the edge is clean and refined.
How Much Stropping Compound?
Not much.
You don't need to frost the strop like a cake.
A thin working layer is enough.
The compound contains the abrasive.
That's what does the polishing and refining.
As the strop becomes loaded with compound and steel residue, you'll learn how it behaves.
You don't need to reload it every time you pick it up.
How Do You Know When the Knife Is Sharp?
There are plenty of tests for sharpness.
People shave arm hair.
Slice paper.
Test against a thumbnail.
Look at the edge under bright light.
All of those can tell you something.
But for a carving knife, my favorite test is much simpler.
Carve wood.
That's what the knife was made to do.
The End-Grain Test
Take a clean slice across the end grain of a piece of carving wood.
Basswood works well.
Look closely at the cut.
A properly sharpened knife should leave a clean, smooth surface.
You should be able to see the structure of the end grain clearly.
If you see roughness, tearing, or a light-colored line in the cut, inspect the edge.
A nick or damaged area can leave a visible track through the wood.
That's useful information.
And unlike shaving arm hair, it tests the knife doing the job it was actually made to do.
What About the Thumbnail Test?
I've used the thumbnail test for years.
Very lightly drawing an edge across the surface of a thumbnail can sometimes reveal a nick because you'll feel the damaged spot catch.
But this needs to be done carefully.
Don't push the edge into your thumbnail.
Don't slide your finger along the cutting edge.
And don't use this as a test if you're uncomfortable doing it.
The end-grain test tells you plenty without putting your hand near the edge.
Protect the Edge After You Sharpen It
You finally have the edge exactly where you want it.
Now protect it.
Don't toss the knife into a drawer with other tools.
Don't cut sandpaper with it.
Don't leave it rolling around on the carving bench.
Don't let the edge bang into hardened steel.
Use a sheath or another suitable edge protector.
A surprising amount of "sharpening trouble" actually starts with poor edge protection.
The easiest edge to sharpen is the one you didn't damage in the first place.
How Often Should You Strop?
I used to tell carvers to strop roughly every fifteen minutes.
That's still a reasonable reminder during active carving, but I don't think you need to run a stopwatch.
Pay attention to the knife.
When you feel the cutting performance beginning to change, give it a few passes on the strop.
Stropping frequently takes very little time.
Waiting until the knife is genuinely dull creates more work.
The idea is to maintain the edge before it deteriorates very far.
How Often Should You Sharpen?
Much less often.
If you maintain a carving knife properly, protect the edge, and strop regularly, you may go a long time without needing to put the blade back on a stone.
That's a good thing.
Sharpening removes steel.
Stropping removes considerably less.
The longer I can maintain the edge with a strop, the longer the original blade geometry lasts.
What About Powered Sharpening Systems?
They can work.
I use powered equipment when making knives.
But for the average woodcarver maintaining a finished carving knife, powered equipment can remove steel very quickly.
Sometimes too quickly.
It's also easy to generate heat near a very thin cutting edge.
If you know what you're doing, powered systems can be useful.
If you're learning, a stone, abrasive paper, and strop give you much more time to see and feel what's happening.
There's nothing wrong with slow.
Especially when you're learning how an edge works.
Sharpening Hook Knives Is Different
A spoon hook knife requires a different approach because the cutting edge is curved.
And even hook knives aren't all the same.
A hollow-ground hook knife and a flat-ground hook knife need to be maintained according to their geometry.
That's why I wouldn't try to cover hook-knife sharpening completely in this general carving-knife guide.
I've included a separate video on this page showing how I approach both hollow-ground and flat-ground hook knives.
Use the technique appropriate for the knife you actually have.
My Advice
Don't make sharpening more complicated than it needs to be.
You don't need a bench covered with sharpening stones.
You don't need six compounds.
And you don't need to sharpen your carving knife every time it feels slightly different.
Learn the edge.
Learn what a properly sharpened knife feels like in wood.
Then learn to recognize the difference between an edge that needs stropping and an edge that actually needs sharpening.
That's the skill that saves you time.
It also saves your knife.
My friend with the sharpening kit in an envelope understood that.
A simple abrasive.
A strop.
Good technique.
And a sharp knife.
That's really all we're trying to accomplish.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to sharpen a wood carving knife?
Maintain the knife's existing blade geometry and use the finest abrasive that will efficiently restore the edge. After sharpening, refine the edge on a strop using light, edge-trailing strokes.
What angle should I sharpen a wood carving knife?
There isn't one universal sharpening angle for every carving knife. The correct angle depends on the grind and edge geometry of the particular knife. Whenever possible, maintain the bevel established by the maker.
Should I sharpen or strop my carving knife?
Strop first. If stropping restores the cutting performance, the knife doesn't need sharpening. Use a sharpening stone or other abrasive when stropping can no longer restore the edge or when the edge is damaged.
Can I sharpen a carving knife with sandpaper?
Yes. Wet/dry abrasive paper supported by a suitably flat surface can make an effective and inexpensive sharpening system. Choose the grit according to the condition of the edge and progress to finer abrasives before stropping.
How often should I sharpen my carving knife?
There isn't a fixed schedule. With regular stropping and proper edge protection, a carving knife may go a long time between actual sharpenings. Sharpen when stropping no longer restores the edge.
How often should I strop while carving?
Strop regularly before the knife becomes noticeably dull. About every fifteen or twenty minutes of active carving can be a useful reminder, but there's no need to time it precisely. Let the cutting performance tell you when the edge needs attention.
How do I know when my carving knife is sharp?
Test it in wood. A clean slice across end grain should leave a smooth surface without tearing or visible tracks caused by nicks in the cutting edge.
Do I need expensive sharpening stones?
No. Quality stones are useful, but a simple system using suitable abrasive paper and a strop can produce an excellent carving edge when used correctly.
Can I use the same sharpening method on a hook knife?
Not necessarily. Hook knives have curved cutting edges, and hollow-ground and flat-ground hook knives require techniques appropriate to their geometry. Use a sharpening method designed for the particular hook knife.
Continue Reading
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