Pumpkin carving tools

[Soon2AdjustYou]

Next week is our second annual carving contest. Last year I used little plastic carving tools that sucked!

What are your tips, for those who enjoy cutting up pumpkins with family and friends?

 

[daveroy]

Ok, not for carving, but for opening the top... Sawzall with coarse wood blade. Did a bunch for a HUGE church carve one year... 30 seconds from whole pumpkin to top-out and gutted. Had second person lined up with a small trowel to clean out the guts.

 

[Theloniousmonk]

but really, I use a couple diff. sized steak knifes and a linemans knife for cleaning up edges.

 

[jdcompman]

I think one of these would work great!

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...1&group_ID=835&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

 

[TAMPAGT07]

That reminds me, I think I'll carve one this year. I have not done one in ages.

 

[tube_guy]

I usually get some old hacksaw blades and break them so they are really skinny in one section, then wrap some tape around the bottom for a handle. Works really well for small details and they're practically free.

 

[noisufnoc]

I used a hole saw last year to make perfect circular jack-o-lantern eyes.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I used a hole saw last year to make perfect circular jack-o-lantern eyes.

Great idea. I hardle ever use mine for anything else. What size holes did you make and how big was the pumpkin?

I'm thinking of making this a big shop production. First I'll raise up the Snap On Midrise for a sturdy base for the carving, bust out the sawzall, cordless drill and hole saw. Of, course I'd have to crank up the compressor to blow the snot out of it. I think I'm on to something.

 

[djb2]

I though that this thread would be about which rotary tool best turns the pumpkin into an orange mist.

Go after a pumpkin with a Dremel. Great fun, but you'll need to hose everybody and everything off after. It's like a vegan horror movie.

 

[TAMPAGT07]

I though that this thread would be about which rotary tool best turns the pumpkin into an orange mist.

Go after a pumpkin with a Dremel. Great fun, but you'll need to hose everybody and everything off after. It's like a vegan horror movie.

Or you just hire "Gallagher" to smash the **** out of it for you. Or just go to his show.

 

[harryhood]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pumpkin-Masters...052?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf1ccd774

 

[Soon2AdjustYou]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Pumpkin-Masters...052?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4cf1ccd774

That looks like what I used last year...they little saws were horrible! They bent with little effort..

I like the sawzall blade idea.... I think I'll pick up a couple at HF

Was thinking about a keyhole saw for large holes and cutting small radius curves and straight lines. Maybe a coping saw for some intricate parts.

Maybe a gasket scraper for the inside...

 

[Givl Reggin]

Dremel - with the various bits you can carve on the surface or cut through it.

 

[klhitman]

i used my sawzall for the top and my cordless jigsaw for cutting holes. that little cheap saw in the kits are good for small cuts. but jigsaw works best and fast to.

 

[NAYLOR]

Cordless drill with regular ol' drill bits. The bits side cut pretty well into the pumpkin. Thin jigsaw blades with some sort of handle are another good tool.

 

[toolmiser]

I've had pretty good results (for me) using a sheet rock saw. They pretty much come to a point, and don't build up with pumpkin.

 

[harryhood]

That looks like what I used last year...they little saws were horrible! They bent with little effort..

I like the sawzall blade idea.... I think I'll pick up a couple at HF

Was thinking about a keyhole saw for large holes and cutting small radius curves and straight lines. Maybe a coping saw for some intricate parts.

Maybe a gasket scraper for the inside...

yea, but I do the pumpkin carving with my kids so power tools are out and the plastic tools do well enough for what it is.

 

[jhelrey]

Plunge Router! Haha! JK!

 

[Ditchdigger]

Your kitchen has all you will need. Power tools will just ruin the experience

A boning knife, a flexible bladed vegetable knife and perhaps a paring knife.

I am a bit of a pumpkin carving enthusiast. Did 10 last year and already have 8 ready to carve with more to innevitably come

 

[harryhood]

nice pumpkins. I'm gonna try and steal some of those ideas.

 

[jay50]

why do you all have to go all up scale with the power tools just to carve a dayum pumpkin?

Jezzee. just use a buck knife and keep it simple