Hans Karlsson 5cm adze for bowl carving
I like learning about new tool makers, and Hans Karlsson is a Swedish blacksmith whose high quality, hand-forged carving and woodworking tools are ones I’ve been recently taken with. I picked up a small carving adze and heavy duty bent gouge for bowl making, and the excellent quality is distinct from the get-go.
Here’s some information on Hans Karlsson and his tools that I have been able to glean. If you’re interested in bowl and spoon carving, or any kind of hand tool woodworking, take note!
About Hans Karlsson Tools
Greenwood & Leather Crafts has a nice mini-interview with Hans Karlsson about his entry into blacksmithing. They’ve also got a nice little write-up with photos about making a dough bowl with a basic set of his carving tools. Karlsson runs a small outfit, but makes many many varieties of gouges, axes, drawknives, inshaves, etc.
Through some extensive searching, most of the info I’ve gleaned has been from web forums — there aren’t a heck of a lot of resources on Karlsson tools elsewhere — in fact, the tools themselves are somewhat difficult to locate for purchase. (UPDATE: So difficult at this point, in fact, that they’re basically sold out in all of the online shops listed below. Seems like there is a long wait period due to highly increased demand over the past few years.)
Where to Buy Hans Karlsson Tools
The two best places to buy his gouges, adzes, axes, etc. are the following. There is but one US shop, and that is Drew Langsner’s Country Workshops Maine Coast Craft School, where you can find a few select items, if you’re really lucky to get in on time. Prices are high, and I’ve found Woodland Craft Supplies, (based in the UK) to be much cheaper even with shipping overseas. Matthew (the owner) is a helpful fellow and quick to respond to email queries. (List updated 9/2017)
- Maine Coast Craft School — only US shop for Hans Karlsson tools after the Country Workshops store closed, limited stock
- Woodland Craft Supplies — based in the UK, good prices, great selection
- Woodsmith Experience — also based in the UK, good selection
- Hans Karlsson’s official site — looks like the web store is in Swedish only, limited stock
Karlsson 5cm Adze and Gouge
I decided on a 5cm adze for bowl carving, as it came highly recommended across several forums. This sucker is intensely sharp, has a great heft, and a great finish. It’s small enough that you could use to rough out the bowls of larger spoons with some very careful use. It’s versatile and you can do some serious wasting fairly quickly. It even cut through (green) hard maple quite nicely, although I’ve since backed off from beginning bowl carving with such a tough wood…
Up until now, I’ve never actually used an adze before, but I’ve been fascinated by dough bowls ever since seeing images and instructions for making one in Drew Langsner’s book several years ago. An adze makes very quick work of waste removal, and from my research, I chose the Karlsson model based on the excellent feedback I’ve read. I’m anxious to find a piece of poplar, or somewhat soft wood to try it out some more.
Another view of the one-handed bowl adze by Hans Karlsson
I should have gotten two gouges for bowl carving, as the heavy duty bent gouge (55-40mm) is very solid, but it’s not totally appropriate for finer cleanup work. The heavy gouge can be used to great effect for wasting wood (in place of, or in addition to the adze), and it is really, really nice to hold. The handle like a glove. The end has a bit of rubber to dampen the blow of a mallet, which I quite like. Again, it’s as sharp as one could want right out of the box, and the finish is excellent. This is a very nice tool, and I could see it coming in handy for some specific timber framing joinery as well.
A heavy duty bent gouge
Interested in learning about other hand-forged tool makers? Check out my post, Axes We Love for a list of some of my favorites.