Pumpkin Carving Knives and Tools

[btbyrd]

I'm curious if any of you have recommendations for higher quality pumpkin carving tools. I've mostly been using the carving kits with plastic handles that are ubiquitous in grocery stores across the US. You know... something like this:

The tiny saws are especially useful, but the build quality is horrendous and we end up breaking them almost every year. Instead of continuing this cycle of buying-using-trashing-replacing, I'd like to find something that's more durable. Over the past couple of years I've started also using a pair of Thai fruit/veg carving knives from Kom Kom. They're the bottom two knives in the image below.

They work very well for detail work, but they're not the best for carving out larger pieces (though to be fair, my technique may just suck). That's why I'm hoping that someone has a lead on a higher quality saw (or other cutting implement) that will work well for that purpose. I'm also curious to see what other knives/tools y'all are using during spooky decorative gourd season.

 

[Namaxy]

My girls have grown past the carve a million pumpkin years, but I used an old beater Opinel like this for the top and big pieces, and a little bird's beak for the detail stuff.

 

[Jovidah]

What's so specific about it that it requires 'special' knives?

 

[blokey]

Wood carving kit works really well

 

[Dhoff]

my kiridashi was a wonder offering good control and clean edges

 

[ian]

What's so specific about it that it requires 'special' knives?

If you want to make curved cuts, it helps to have something with a really skinny blade, like in the box set above. Serrations help, too.

 

[Jaszer13]

I just use metal cookie cutters and a mallet.

 

[daddy yo yo]

What's so specific about it that it requires 'special' knives?

I guess we Europeans will never understand…

 

[DavidScubadiver]

 

[gregfisk]

Since my daughter was a little girl, she’s 32 now we’ve had a pumpkin carving party every year. Long before I even build a 2x72” grinder and even considered making knives I made pumpkin carving tools. Here are a few of the tools I’ve made and some of the tools I’ve acquired through the years.

The the hand made carving tools are made by grinding down sawzall blades and making handles for them. The plastic ice cream scoopers work really well and I’ve sharpened some of the metal ones.

 

[ian]

Now there’s a real American!

 

[chefwp]

 

[ptang]

Since my daughter was a little girl, she’s 32 now we’ve had a pumpkin carving party every year. Long before I even build a 2x72” grinder and even considered making knives I made pumpkin carving tools. Here are a few of the tools I’ve made and some of the tools I’ve acquired through the years.

The the hand made carving tools are made by grinding down sawzall blades and making handles for them. The plastic ice cream scoopers work really well and I’ve sharpened some of the metal ones.

look like a collection of prison shanks, love it.

 

[gregfisk]

look like a collection of prison shanks, love it.

Hahaha it’s been a fun ride...

 

[gregfisk]

I'm curious if any of you have recommendations for higher quality pumpkin carving tools. I've mostly been using the carving kits with plastic handles that are ubiquitous in grocery stores across the US. You know... something like this:

View attachment 204197

The tiny saws are especially useful, but the build quality is horrendous and we end up breaking them almost every year. Instead of continuing this cycle of buying-using-trashing-replacing, I'd like to find something that's more durable. Over the past couple of years I've started also using a pair of Thai fruit/veg carving knives from Kom Kom. They're the bottom two knives in the image below.

View attachment 204195

They work very well for detail work, but they're not the best for carving out larger pieces (though to be fair, my technique may just suck). That's why I'm hoping that someone has a lead on a higher quality saw (or other cutting implement) that will work well for that purpose. I'm also curious to see what other knives/tools y'all are using during spooky decorative gourd season.

To reply directly to your question, if you look at my pictures you’ll see the larger handles that are simply sheet rock saws that you can buy at the big home improvement stores. The sawzall blades fit into these and if you have the ability to grind them down so that they’re shorter and narrower, like in the picture, you can use them to great effect. Harbor Freight has the cheapest blades so that’s where I’ve purchased them. The nice thing about these handles is you can just buy one and then switch out the blades depending on whether you’re cutting off the top or carving your design. Since I’ve made a lot of the smaller blades with handles I mostly use the sheet rock handles for the larger blades to cut out the top but they work great with the smaller blades as well.

The other thing you can do is buy steak knives at the dollar store and grind them narrower and shorter and end up with a nice little carving blade. You get 4 to a package so you can make some different sizes for a nice little carving set.

 

[Keith Sinclair]

View attachment 204813

Those saws are great for numerous jobs.
Used for shaping styrofoam over welded metal frames tallow sculptures to put on Buffet lines. Also for parade floats just shape foam spray can paint. Very old pictures early 1980's. That saw is good for pumpkins too.