>>189412I use double bladed knives all the time for carving. They are just as safe as single bladed knives. It is great being able to switch hands in the middle of a project and not tire out and have to take a break because one hand is wore out.
Only an idiot would get cut using a double bladed hook knife. You hand never touching the blade. There is a reason double bladed hook knives are made and sold after all.
>>189584A good carving knife edge will be sharpened on only one side of the knife edge. This allows you to carve with more control. Knives that are sharpened on both sides of the knife edge don't allow as much control.
>>189530>How are these things made? Do you just carve them out of a log or other piece of wood?Yes, of course.
>Does the wood need to be dried first?You need to research the wood you are going to use. This differs between types of wood.
> If so, how does one dry the wood without expensive equipment and many months of time? You don't. You either use time or special equipment. It doesn't spontaneously season itself. You can DIY up a kiln that controls humidity and heat. That's about as cheap as you'll be able to do it.
The best method is to find 2 kinds of wood. The kind that needs seasoned and the kind that you can carve green. Then you put the wood that needs seasoned somewhere dry so it can season for x amount of months/years. In the mean time, you carve on the green wood to pass the time until the other wood is seasoned.
>>189624http://www.benorford.com/Get a small hand drill with a few bits. A hand drill that can store a few bits in the handle will be nice for travel. A small ball peen hammer is also nice to have. With these tools you can easily make handles for tools you might make while out in the bush. You'll need metal pins and tubes to go through the handles of course to make rivets and cord holes. Being able to make new tools and repair your own tools while out is nice.