You’re staring at a piece of cherry wood, your spoon blank is halfway shaped, and suddenly, the tool starts tearing fibers instead of slicing them. It’s frustrating. A dull hook knife—or "crooked knife" if you’re feeling old-school—is actually more dangerous than a sharp one because you start putting your shoulder into the cut, and that’s when the blade slips. Sharpening these things is a nightmare for beginners. Unlike a flat chisel or a plane iron, you’re dealing with a complex internal radius that changes as it moves toward the tip. If you approach it like a standard kitchen knife, you’ll likely mess up the bevel geometry within minutes.
I’ve seen people take high-speed grinders to their Mora 164s and essentially turn a fine carving tool into a useless piece of scrap metal. Don't do that. Honestly, the secret isn't about expensive jigs or fancy machinery; it's about understanding that you are sharpening the inside and the outside of a curve simultaneously.
Why Sharpening a Hook Knife Feels So Weird
Most knives have a flat or slightly convex primary bevel. A hook knife is a different beast entirely. It’s designed to hollow out bowls and spoons, which means the blade is literally bent into a "C" or "J" shape. When you try to sharpen it, your hand wants to move in a straight line, but the steel demands a rotational flick of the wrist. It’s a bit like trying to paint the inside of a wedding ring with a house brush. You have to match the tool to the stone, or more accurately, match the "stone" to the tool.
The biggest mistake? People try to use a flat bench stone on the inside of the curve. It’s physically impossible. You’ll only hit the two edges of the stone and create a weird, faceted mess in the middle of your blade. You need a slipstone or, more realistically for most hobbyists, a piece of sandpaper wrapped around a wooden dowel.
The Tools You Actually Need (Forget the Gimmicks)
You don’t need a $200 sharpening station. You really don't. Grab a set of wooden dowels in various diameters—think 1/2 inch, 3/4 inch, and maybe a 1-inch piece. These are your "stones." You’ll also need wet/dry sandpaper ranging from 400 grit up to about 2000 or 3000 grit.
Leather strops are non-negotiable here. A flat strop works for the outside, but for the inside, you need a "profiled" strop. Basically, take one of those dowels and glue a piece of leather to it, or just load the wood itself with polishing compound. Green chromium oxide is the standard. It’s cheap, it’s effective, and it lasts forever.
💡 You might also like: Why the Blue Jordan 13 Retro Still Dominates the Streets
Mastering the Internal Bevel
Let’s talk about the "inside" first. This is where the magic happens. Most modern hook knives, like those from Robin Wood or Ben Orford, come with a specific geometry. Some are "single-bevel," meaning only the outside is ground, while others have a slight secondary bevel on the inside.
Start by finding a dowel that fits the curve of your knife snugly. If the dowel is too small, you'll create a "hollow" grind inside that might weaken the edge. If it’s too big, you won’t reach the apex. Wrap your 600-grit paper around the dowel. Hold the knife in your non-dominant hand and the dowel in your dominant one.
The Motion: You aren't just rubbing it back and forth. You need to roll the dowel as you push it along the length of the blade. Think of it like a rolling pin on dough. You want to feel the steel resisting slightly—that’s the grit doing its job. Work your way through the grits. 600, 1000, 2000.
You’ll know you’re doing it right when a tiny "burr" or "wire edge" forms on the outside of the blade. Feel for it with your thumb, but carefully. If you don't feel that rough little lip of metal, you haven't actually reached the edge yet. You’re just polishing the middle of the blade. Keep going until that burr is consistent from the heel all the way to the tip.
The Outside Bevel and the "Flick"
Sharpening a hook knife on the outside is a bit more intuitive, but it’s where people lose the "sweet spot" of the sweep. Most hook knives have a convex outer grind. This helps the knife "exit" the cut so you don't get stuck deep in the wood.
📖 Related: Sleeping With Your Neighbor: Why It Is More Complicated Than You Think
I prefer to use a "paddling" motion. Hold the knife against a flat stone or a piece of sandpaper on a flat board. Angle the blade so the bevel is flush against the surface. As you pull the knife toward you, you have to rotate your wrist to follow the curve. It’s a rhythmic, sweeping motion. If you stop the rotation halfway through, you’ll create a flat spot. A flat spot on a hook knife is a "catch" waiting to happen when you’re carving.
The Role of the Burr
The burr is your guide. It’s a microscopic flap of metal that tells you you’ve successfully ground down one side far enough to meet the other. When you sharpen the inside, the burr pushes to the outside. When you sharpen the outside, it flips back to the inside.
The goal of honing is to essentially "work" this burr until it becomes so thin that it falls off, leaving a perfectly crisp apex. This is where the strop comes in. Use the green compound. Strop the outside on a flat piece of leather, then use your leather-wrapped dowel for the inside. Ten strokes on each side, then five, then three, then one.
Misconceptions About Grits and Polishing
There’s a weird obsession in the carving world with "mirror finishes." While a shiny blade looks great on Instagram, a mirror finish doesn't always mean a sharp knife. You can have a polished edge that is still "dubbed" or rounded over.
True sharpness is about the intersection of two planes. If those planes meet at a jagged, microscopic saw-tooth, the knife will feel "toothy" and cut well in soft woods like pine but struggle in oak. If the planes are too rounded, the knife will just slide over the wood without biting. You want a crisp, clean intersection.
👉 See also: At Home French Manicure: Why Yours Looks Cheap and How to Fix It
If you find that your knife is shiny but still won't slice through a piece of end-grain basswood like butter, you probably rounded the edge during stropping. It happens. You likely held the knife at too steep an angle on the leather. Back off, go back to your 2000-grit paper, and try again with a shallower angle.
Common Issues with Specific Brands
Different brands require different approaches.
- Mora 162/163/164: These are the most common "starter" hook knives. Honestly, they often come from the factory with a pretty clunky edge. They usually benefit from a "thinning" of the primary bevel. You might need to start with a coarser 220-grit paper to remove some of the "shoulders" of the metal before you can get a truly wicked edge.
- Deepwoods Ventures or North Bay Forge: These are often hand-forged and come much thinner. Be very gentle. You can ruin these by being too aggressive with coarse grits. Stick to 1000+ grit and lots of stropping.
- Narex: These are budget-friendly but the steel can be a bit temperamental—sometimes a bit brittle. Watch for micro-chipping. If you see tiny nicks in the edge, you have to grind past them completely.
Testing Your Work
Don’t just start carving your expensive piece of black walnut. Take a scrap of softwood. Try to take a paper-thin shaving across the grain. The shaving should be translucent and come off with a distinct "whisper" sound. If it "crunches," the edge is still too thick. If it leaves white streaks in the wood, you have a nick in the blade that needs more work with the stones.
Another trick: the "shave test." A truly sharp hook knife should be able to shave the hair off your forearm. It sounds cliché, but it’s the most reliable way to check for a clean apex. If it drags or pulls, keep stropping.
Practical Steps for Maintenance
Once you get that knife sharp, keep it that way. Don't wait until it’s dull to sharpen it again.
- Strop every 20 minutes of carving. It takes 30 seconds and keeps the edge aligned.
- Store it in a "tool roll" or a leather sheath. Leaving a hook knife loose in a toolbox is a recipe for a chipped edge (and a sliced finger).
- Clean the sap off. If you’re carving "green" (wet) wood, the tannins and resins can actually corrode the edge over time. Wipe the blade down with a little camellia oil or even just a bit of 3-in-1 oil after every session.
- Avoid the "tip dig." Beginners often use the very tip of the hook knife for everything. This wears out the most fragile part of the blade. Try to use the "belly" of the curve for the bulk of your material removal.
If you follow this process, you'll find that carving becomes a meditative experience rather than a physical struggle. There is a specific kind of joy in hearing a sharp blade slice through wood fibers—a sound you'll never hear with a dull tool. Get your dowels, get your sandpaper, and take your time. You can't rush a good edge.
Next time you sit down to carve, check the bevel. Is it reflecting light uniformly? Does it feel "sticky" when you lightly touch the edge with your thumb? If not, spend five minutes with the strop before you make your first cut. Your hands (and your wood project) will thank you.