Curved gouge wood carving chisel Kirschen 3117

A curved gouge wood carving chisel removes material along a U-shaped path instead of a flat line. The Kirschen 3117 series applies that geometry to cut 8, a deep hollow profile. Blade widths run from 2 mm to 40 mm across sixteen catalog references. Every blade is hand-forged and ground to a 20° bevel. The handle is octagonal hornbeam with a steel ferrule.

Sculptors reach for this shape when a surface needs concave flutes, soft contours or raised detail. The deep sweep clears waste in softwood and still bites cleanly in hardwood. Octagonal flats stop the tool rolling off a sloped bench. They also tell the hand where the cutting edge points. Narrow sizes suit fine relief work, while the widest blades hollow broad shapes. Kirschen lists the same cut 8 sweep in flat, spoon bent and back bent forms.

Curved gouge wood carving chisel Kirschen 3117, cut 8 profile

Series 3117 sits between the straight gouge and the spoon bent versions. The blade curves along its length, so the edge can follow a hollow without the handle fouling the workpiece. That makes long sweeping cuts easier to control on rounded forms and figure work.

Blade geometry and grinding

Cut 8 describes the arc of the cutting edge, a pronounced U-section rather than a shallow flute. Combined with the lengthwise curve of the 3117 blade, it lets the edge enter and leave a hollow in one pass. The 20° bevel keeps cutting pressure low, which helps when paring across grain or working close to a finished face.

• Blade form: curved gouge, cut 8 sweep
• Cross-section: deep U-profile for concave cuts
• Bevel angle: 20°
• Blade production: hand-forged
• Sixteen widths listed in the series
• Blades also supplied without handle

Because each blade is forged by hand, Kirschen notes that stated cuts are not binding and that sizes may differ slightly between pieces. Sharpening and honing follow normal carving practice: keep the bevel flat on the stone, then strop the inner flute with a shaped slip to remove the wire edge.

Octagonal hornbeam handle

The handle is turned from hornbeam and shaped with eight flats. The flats give a positive index in the palm and stop the chisel rolling when it is set down. A metal ferrule reinforces the neck where the tang enters, which matters when the tool is struck lightly or pushed hard through dense timber.

• Handle material: hornbeam
• Handle shape: octagonal, roll-resistant
• Ferrule at the tang shoulder
• Handle length grows with blade width
• Grip suited to two-handed push cuts

Larger references in the series carry proportionally bigger handles and heavier blades, so wide hollowing cuts stay balanced. Smaller widths keep a slim handle for pencil-style control during detail carving. Handle and blade dimensions for each size are shown in the variant table on this page.

Common applications

Typical work includes figurative wood sculpture, relief panels and decorative carving on furniture. The curved cut 8 blade is used to open concave flutes, round over edges and refine raised motifs. Restorers use it to recut damaged mouldings and carved ornament on older furniture. Pattern and mould makers apply the same sweep to hollow timber forms. Both hardwood and softwood can be worked, with narrow sizes handling tight detail and wide sizes clearing volume.

Catalog reference data

The catalog page groups four cut 8 series with octagonal hornbeam handles: 3108 flat gouge, 3117 curved gouge, 3129 flat spoon bent gouge and 3138 flat back bent gouge. Series 3117 is listed in 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35 and 40 mm. Kirschen states that dimensions and weights may vary slightly and that single blades are available.

Choose the width by the radius of the hollow you intend to cut, rather than by the total size of the carving. Many carvers keep three or four widths of the same sweep. They then add adjacent series for cuts the straight blade cannot reach.