Is it just me or do the mora "spoon" knifes suck?

[Tjurved]

Hello I have 3 different mora "spoon" knifes but they all suck imho! One of them works OK after I grind the **** out of it and reprofiled the whole darn edge. Why do they sell knifes that is quite bad for what they are intended to be used for? Moras other knifes I love but their spoon knifes... no.

[MSkiba]

yup mora spoon knives dont come sharp. However their carvers do!

[bmartin1uk]

Funnily enough I've just been 'googling' how to sharpen a Mora spoon knife. Any ideas? I think i butchered mine on my first kuksa attempt - having real problems and i've noticed one side is now much sharper than the other, then realised i have no idea how to sharpen the bloody thing?!

[John Fenna]

Yea - they are pretty rubbish...but they are all I have ....

[mrcharly]

I have the double-sided one.

The real problem with it, imo, is that the blade is bloody thick. It doesn't look it until you hold it side on. This means you have to hold it at such a steep angle to the wood, you can't really take delicate shavings off. Can't really cut a deep hollow.

So what are the better alternatives, guys?

[Everything Mac]

I'm sure I've seen guides up on here some where.

You basically have to wrap fine wet and dry paper over a broom handle or something similar.

Andy

[southey]

I use a S. Djarv Hantverk spoon knife from the woodlore shop, very good, I use a neck loop to increase the leverage on the cuts, comfy . I sharpen the out side of the edge with a DC3 then a quick WIP round the inside with some 400 grit wet and dry wrapped round my finger works to remove the wire and away I go. This works for me, it holds it edge brilliantly and I have no probs with when cutting a deep bowl. Hope that helps.

[bmartin1uk]

Thanks for the sharpening suggestions - i assumed it would be a complicated task as the cutting edge is on the outside

[pastymuncher]

I must have been lucky then.
Mine was sharp out of the box, works surprisingly well considering it's price. I've barely had to retouch the edge despite doing quite a bit of work with it, several spoons, a fork, a kuksa, an egg cup and lots of messing about practising with it.

[Stringmaker]

Me too.

My 164 is seriously sharp.

[Biker]

When I had mine I couldn't get on with it. I suppose it was sharp but it was the whole different technique of holding the tool in relation to the wood that I couldn't get a grip of (pun not intended) I'm more used to holding a wood chisel by the handle withthe sharp end away from me. Holding it like a potato peeler and using it like that felt like I would have an "incident" sooner than later. I eventually traded it on to Whittler Kev' I think. Don't know how he got on with it if at all.

I second that suggestion Southey posted about sharpening the outside edge and taking off the burr inside with wet and dry.

As for alternate tools to use, I much prefer using a chisel gouge to form a hollow rather than a spoon knife.

[southey]

aaarrgggggg O for a gutter adze!

[Biker]

aaarrgggggg O for a gutter adze!

Saw one of those last year at a vide grenier (French Bootfair) the seller wanted €25 (£21) for it. Big hefty blade and iddy biddy handle. Most odd looking thing it was too. Lots of old traditional tools for sale over here at bootfairs.

[southey]

I had a play with AndyN's one from S. Djarv Hantverk and FGYT's own made one just before Christmas, they are surprisingly comfy to use as the blade extends over the hand by quit a way but sit close like choking up on an axe while carving, even OK to use hand holding the bowl to. it's the tool i'm currently saving for to speed up some family orderd projects.

Saw one of those last year at a vide grenier (French Bootfair) the seller wanted €25 (£21) for it. Big hefty blade and iddy biddy handle. Most odd looking thing it was too. Lots of old traditional tools for sale over here at bootfairs.

Ere, if you were to see a decent one you wouldn't be able to maybe grab it and i could shoot you the money for it and postage? flutters eyelashes and gives sweetest grin?

[Biker]

Ere, if you were to see a decent one you wouldn't be able to maybe grab it and i could shoot you the money for it and postage? flutters eyelashes and gives sweetest grin?

Shouldn't a problem Southey, but no promises, it's lucky dip city when it comes to finiding those things. The one I saw was rather like this I just found doing a google image search, seems it belongs to a certain Robin Wood blog.

The spoon on it was huge, much bigger than a gardening trowel.



At the same vide grenier I saw 3 side axes, but the seller knew what they were and was asking €30 each for them. He also had a couple of scorps or inshaves for sale but I couldn't afford the arm and leg he wanted for those.

I like those smaller adze that have a 40mm wide curved blade, they look like you could chop away for hours and turn out a dug out canoe in no time.

Sorry for the thread hijack.

[Everything Mac]

I've seen tools very similar to that one Biker - only the blade was about 4" longer and came right up the handle!

Andy

[Biker]

I've seen tools very similar to that one Biker - only the blade was about 4" longer and came right up the handle!

Andy

Yeah sounds like the same thing Andy, almost like a basket hilt on a sword, but with an open end at the cutting edge. I'm sure it did what it was supposed to but looked so unwieldy

[southey]

that would be cool Dude, defiantly found that patience is the way to get the right tool.

[Everything Mac]

Yeah sounds like the same thing Andy, almost like a basket hilt on a sword, but with an open end at the cutting edge. I'm sure it did what it was supposed to but looked so unwieldy

Exactly. I wondered What such a big tool would be used for. Bowl making or some such no doubt.

Andy

[Biker]

Exactly. I wondered What such a big tool would be used for. Bowl making or some such no doubt.

Andy

The seller told me it was for barrel making. Using it to concave the inside face of the barrel planks. Not sure if it was using cross grain or with the grain direction, whatever. Seemed a bit overkill for such a modest, yet specialised, job. But I suppose coming from a region famed for its Calvados which is stored in barrels I shouldn't be surprised there was a use for the tool.

I thought at first it might be for scooping out the bowl for a chair seat.

[Ian S]

Back on topic....

Unfortunately the Frosts spoon knives are poor to rubbish. You can re-grind and re-profile a 164 (the single cutting edge job) and make it fairly good, but you need to put a lot of work into it.

I have Svante Djarv and Hans Karlsson spoon knives, and I love them - a mate has Ben Orford spoon knives and he loves them.

I'm not sure if anyone is making a good, cheap spoon knife at the moment.
Cheers

[rancid badger]

Simple answer to original question is; YES they are utter rubbish, particularly now that retailers are charging > £21 for a knife you could buy for £5-£7 in 2006!
http://www.ronniesunshines.com/mora-...ife-p-847.html
http://www.ronniesunshines.com/frost...46.html?cPath=
The above are not unusual prices by the way.

They used to be the economy option but not any more, yet they're still shxxe

I don't give a toss what you can make from them, by re-grinding etc.

For what retailers are asking, the knife should come ready and fit for use, but they don't.

for what it's worth, their little carvers, such as the 106 are superb by the way

It's important to remember; to shop around for anything related to bushcraft and find the best price but in the case of Mora/Frosts "crook" knives-just avoid them and pay the extra tenner or so and get a real quality tool like the Svante Djarve's etc.

FGYT( on here) does some very nice spoon knives too, by the way!

R.B.

[pastymuncher]

The double edged one is £13.99 from Clas Ohlson
£24 is far too much

[John Fenna]

That is over twice what I paid a couple of years back! - still too much!

[beachlover]

I bought myself a Flexcut one and it is, like the rest of their carving / whittling knives, razor sharp.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexcut-KN26...d=F82P8ZRRAAM2

[Bardster]

Back on topic....

Unfortunately the Frosts spoon knives are poor to rubbish. You can re-grind and re-profile a 164 (the single cutting edge job) and make it fairly good, but you need to put a lot of work into it.

I have Svante Djarv and Hans Karlsson spoon knives, and I love them - a mate has Ben Orford spoon knives and he loves them.

I'm not sure if anyone is making a good, cheap spoon knife at the moment.
Cheers

They can be turned into quite a usable knife in about 20 mins. but agree with RB, you shouldn't have to. The best cheap knife around at the moment is FGYT's but he's not making many at the moment.

[rancid badger]

I bought myself a Flexcut one and it is, like the rest of their carving / whittling knives, razor sharp.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flexcut-KN26...d=F82P8ZRRAAM2

Ahh now THATS a bargain!

[Biker]

Ahh now THATS a bargain!

Yeah I agree, so much so I just ordered one. Maybe I'll have better luck using it than the Frost one. I bought a Frost whittling knife last year and that's a joy to use.

[Scott Of The Llandow]

Ben Oreford gets my vote,great knifes but i would like to try a fgyt if i can grt one!!!

[johnnythefox]

Ahh now THATS a bargain!

shall i get that and what other knife for general whittling?