Not much cuts teek well.  It requires special equipment more in line with a cut-rock facility than a carpentry shop.

Then try a tap, put it in the tap wrench, make a guide and drag the tap teeth like a draw knife.

Frosty The Lucky.

Worked better on padauk(sp?). Will see about pics later.

one of my catalog of hand scars, (reviewed in boring meetings), is where I was trying to use a veiner chisel on ebony.  Nice little V shaped scar in the side of a finger that hit a small high pressure line for the always amusing pulsed effect.

Edited July 3, 201510 yr by ThomasPowers

Well you can try some of those weird tools... if you have time to burn!  Vee parting tools and veiners and checkering tools (which are specialized files with very fine, sharp teeth) are traditional tools for working woods.  Personally, I prefer carving hardwoods.  Softwoods tear easily and take poor details!  Typically softwoods are hardened with a penetrating hardener (super glue, Kwik-Poly, thinned polyurethane, etc.) for areas where details are needed. Burnt in texture works well on softwoods or softer hardwoods though. An enterprising knife maker might come up with a way to brand interesting textures with semi-hot irons.  Ideally this would mostly melt the textures in... rather than charring them!

As far as safety while carving... study various power grips that cut with tremendous force and yet never allow uncontrolled motion of the carving tools!  Always use a technique that provides a stop or limit for each cut!  This is carving 101!  I read about a carving club that purchased a half dozen hook knives from various custom makers.  They mailed these around to all the members who tested and rated them.  Later they all met and passed themaround hand to hand. They noted that the most experienced carver among them could make EVERY knife perform better than anyone else could!  Tools count but SKILL RULES!!!  IME hook knives are a bit tricky to use and require unusual techniques to work efficiently!  Thus they might magnify differences in skill levels!  Checkering tools share this trait IMO!

never tried it on a knife handle but i have used an old guitar string on projects in my lathe and they cut super fine lines as deep as you want to go

Edited July 19, 201510 yr by senstrom