My Hand-Carved Brush

I believe I saw the post on the other site as well. Nicely done. I like that you can see the small carving facets on the handle. Am I remembering correctly that the entire thing was carved from one solid block? Or did you lathe to shape and carve a bit to give it the rustic look? Sure a nice handle design no matter which way you did it.

Entirely hand-carved from an Ash log.Incidentally it was a large bough that the local council removed to allow the 2012 Olympic Torch procession to pass by unimpeded so I gues I can call it 'Olympic' Ash. After all there is a farmer in nearby Roslin of Rosslyn Chapel fame that used to sell 'Da Vinci' manure!

First off, I split the green log with an axe lengthwise and remove all traces of the centre as this is where many splits and shakes stem from. I then use the saw to trim the billet to size and an axe to rough out a shape as close to the final article as I feel safe doing so after which I resort to the knife to get the shape properly refined. I let it slowly dry for a wee while to reduce the risk of splits (Ash is pretty good as it has a low moisture content even when green). The a Forstner bit in a drill sorts out the knot hole and it's time to get jiggy wioth the epoxy. Five or six coats of Liberon finishing oil makes the beastie ready for use when properly dry. Slow but satisfying work.

Thanks again, fellas!

You're a very talented man Graeme.


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That's an amazing process that you go through to make this brush! Outstanding!

Not in a position health-wise to make anymore at present but once I get my wee workbench up and running at my folks and get the upheaval in the garden sorted, I'll be looking to have another go. I make them using an axe, a folding outdoor saw and a knife and absolutely no sandpaper. The finish is tooled with a very sharp blade that is literally almost sharp enough to shave yer coupon. You can see and feel all the little facets which are neat and smooth and require no sanding sealer at all. This actually makes for a harder wearing piece in the end as well as a more rustic looking, hand-crafted one. Thanks for the kind words, chaps.

wait, ur not using lathe to spin the wood piece and then carve it as it spins? Oh men you should do a how to do it explanation with pics so we can all go at it when we have spare time

Excellent work and dedication to making your brush! Thank you for sharing how you made your brush! Truly a beautiful work of art you should be proud of and you deserve to toot your own horn!

How many whittling hours do you have in this project? That handle is absolutely amazingly gorgeous and to learn there is no lathe involved is stunning. Beautiful work. Best wishes for better health to you my man. (Nice photo to showcase it too.)

One time I typed that a brush like that was a neck brush used by barbers.

I don't know where my post is, but I wasn't in the know perfectly.

That brush handle is flat out beautiful and it is one of my favorite shapes for a shaving brush. Great job!

Whoa, I can't believe you did that without a lathe. That is really, really good work. Hope you get to feeling better.