Beveling ... slowly ... and badly

[AEBL]

My desire to carve far exceeds my skill at carving. I've watched a few videos on how to use a beveler (most helpful was Jim Linnell's series on the Colorado State 4H site).
He bevels like a sewing machine, precise and fast. Most other videos have people showing how to bevel of a similar skill level.

I bevel like one tap every two seconds, and it is *awkward* - I am aiming for even strikes and moving the beveler half a tool width. Jim recommends "hovering" the tool just barely over the leather surface and using a finger to spring the tool back for faster motion ... I realize that is a pro-tip, but I don't want to learn bad habits that are hard to un-learn. Am I doing the skill-level appropriate thing with just "tap ... ... tap ... ... tap" ? I'm not aiming for speed - I'm aiming for correct ...

[bruce johnson]

It isn't speed to start with but practice, muscle memory, and getting a rhythm. To avoid chatter marks I probably don't move more than 1/3 of the stamp width at any stroke. I am also not holding the maul like a hammer, I am rocking it like a see-saw and letting the weight do the work. I hold the stamp slightly above the leather and relax my last two fingers to allow the hit and rebound. I am holding my maul with the thumb and index finger/middle finger doing most of the gripping. The last two fingers are loose and that allows the rebound. I rotate my wrist and the maul dead falls in a rocking motion, the last fingers rock the heel of the handle and raises it up for the next stroke. Between the right and left hand being "loose" i am not striking, I am rocking the right and moving left. Speed comes with wider stamps for me. 

[JDFred]

I’ll preface this with my beveling is not perfect but it is much better than when I started.  Practice consistent hammer blows so some impressions are not deeper than others that will also help you with the rest of your carving, especially backgrounding.  Also like Bruce said moving the tool over a 1/3 or less at a time will help prevent the chatter.  I’ve also found if after I finish a line I go back over it a time or two a little quicker it helps clean up some of the chatter and deepens the burnish.  The tool stays in the beveled line better than on the first pass so you can go quicker.  At the end of the day practice is the only way to get truly good at it, a cliche I know but the truth non the less. Hope this helps.

[chuck123wapati]

you can smooth out some of the imperfections by running the beveling tool back and forth over your work with just hand pressure. 

[HandyDave]

  On 4/16/2025 at 12:28 PM, chuck123wapati said:

you can smooth out some of the imperfections by running the beveling tool back and forth over your work with just hand pressure. 

Expand  

This is a good tip. I also keep my modeling spoon handy for same purpose. Just to smooth out any little bumps. As for the op and his carving journey it's already been said but practice practice practice. You'll find that the beveler will want to naturally ride your cut lines. And with time you'll find that sweet spot between speed and consistency.