Hello Mike, I'm glad you like Tatiana's work. I'm a fan too. I've not tried he method of chip carving so I don't know if it is easier on the hands or not. But I think it will take a lot more practice to get good results than the method I teach at mychipcarving.com.

Why do you feel it would take more practice to learn?

More info: hard on hands? Look at this video of Ukraine chip carver, ffwd to 1:02:11, kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aNJ1h5qfzt6vZn0.html The style I teach has technique that gives repeated same angle of cuts. Using a skew knife or blade like Ukrainian carver requires a good eye to get same angle and depth. Also, curved cuts are harder when using tools as shown rather than a knife.

Thank you so much for the kind words!

@@fancychip I was going crazy trying to understand how you did your work with that knife. I'm using a mychipcarving knife and hope to one day match your work. Very impressive.

@@jacobb. thank you! I am currently working on one big / yet secret project. And, I will tell you a secret, with the help of "this project", you will be able to understand how to work with a skew knife (if you want or interested in that, I will let you know when it is completely done; now I can give an approximate date: autumn, 2019).

@@fancychip sounds good

And a very modified stab knife at that. It is sharpened so it cuts rather than stabs and must be thin enough to slice through the wood as Tatiana shows us.

Andrey Keloshateo I use the same knife and only use my thumb to cut the wood. It's safer, even kids/beginners can easily master this technique.

I would be interested to see a video of your carving style, Ary. Could you send me one or send me the KZfaq link?

@@MyChipCarving I believe that it is referred to as a "skew chisel" or "skew knife". Flexcut manufactures these in this configuration, and sells them combined with a regular chip carving knife and a smaller detail chip carving knife.

Me alegra que hayas disfrutado de su talla de madera

Hello Mary, Tatiana is carving with a skew chisel. She lives in Russia. Her style of carving is harder to master than chip carving with a knife. See this technique at mychipcarving.com or this video kzfaq.info/get/bejne/fdldepCHydylZ30.html. Thank you

At the risk of self-promotion, I have designed the My Chip Carving Diamond Knives (to be released very soon) with a high quality M2 high speed steel. Hardened to Rockwell 63, it will have a very sharp edge and hold the sharpness very well. Please check them out at mychipcarving.com when they are posted in a week or so.

Many thanks for your reply. Will * watch this space * for tool update.

MyChipCarving Diamond Knives are available now at mychipcarving.com

We can only guess but it's probably similar to basswood where I am in MN, maybe 8 to 10% in winter and 12 to 16% in summer

Esta es Marty de MyChipCarving.com. Tatiana está tallando tilo (basswood)

@@MyChipCarving Gracias por responder.

I believe it is curved on purpose. Similar to a skew used on a lathe which is also curved slightly. It aids in cutting.

Tatiana is carving basswood from her home country of Russia. For the best northern US grown basswood please visit mychipcarving.com Thank you.

Northern grown basswood 👍 available at MyChipCarving.com

Go to mychipcarving.com if you live in US. If you live in Russia, you'll have to check with Tatiana

Thank you. If you'd like to learn how to chip carve, please visit MyChipCarving.com for lessons and patterns

This is Flexcut Skew Knife. p.s. Sorry, Marty, I hope you don't mind I answered on this question.

What does "modern carving" mean? I don't understand that. I am from Russia, and here, in my country, all the wood carvers use skew knives for chip carving. And when I studied in the University, the first kind of carving we learned was chip carving and I was teached how to do that with a skew knife. And, honestly, I don't see any reasons I should change the way I carve and a knife I use for carving..

Tatiana your carving is to me the best style for me, please send more lessons thanks Bill Dawe ps. your work is the very best and clean and delicut ya.