Basic Cuts: Push and Pull

When to use this

Any time you’re removing material from wood with a knife.

• Carving
• Whittling
• Shaping a tent peg

What you need

• Knife
• A piece of softwood (pine, basswood)

Step by step

1. 1.Push cut (forearm muscles): grip the knife in standard grip. Place the blade against the wood, edge angled into the cut. Push the blade away from you with your knife arm only — body braced.
2. 2.Pay attention to where the blade exits the cut. That spot must be clear of your body and any other person.
3. 3.Pull cut (controlled, fine work): grip the knife with the blade angled toward you, but use a thumb-assist from the wood-holding hand on the back of the blade.
4. 4.Pull the blade slowly toward you. The thumb-assist controls the depth — your knife arm pulls only an inch or two, never more.
5. 5.Practice both on a stick: push cuts to remove bark, pull cuts to shape a fine point.

Pro tips

• A push cut takes wood off fast; a pull cut refines the shape. Most projects use both.
• If chips are tearing instead of slicing, your blade is dull or your angle is wrong. Re-angle before re-sharpening.

Common mistakes

• Push-cutting toward yourself. The blade can slip past the wood.
• Pull-cutting without a thumb-assist — pulls become deep slips when the wood gives way.