Congress Knives for Whittling

Boggs

Boggs

Joined
Feb 27, 2007
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A new member had posted this question ......... "Just wanting to know if any of you fellows have used the "congress" knife for wood carving…cause thats all i would use the knife for…i'm interested in the folder knives with d2 steel blades"and he had titled the thread with Queen as the header. ......in the Review section..........what do they know they open a box say something like "nice" .....next..........so help him out with a few real world ideas And here's my two cents worth but I'm going to deviate from D2 not because of the manufacture but I think these two are suited better.....

Boker which was designed by Len Yule (professional decoy carver)

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and the Bulldog

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I think the congress handle shape is well adapted for draw cuts (toward you), which someone recently specified as the staple of whittling, but not carving. Blade selection seems well suited for whittling/carving. D2 strikes me as a horrible steel for whittling as I think the fine edge of a carbideless steel is preferable.
 
MarkPinTx said:
I think the congress handle shape is well adapted for draw cuts (toward you), which someone recently specified as the staple of whittling, but not carving. Blade selection seems well suited for whittling/carving. D2 strikes me as a horrible steel for whittling as I think the fine edge of a carbideless steel is preferable.
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I'd have to go against that opinon.

The D2 I have whittled with (both queen knives) holds an edge significantly longer than the carbon steel on my other traditionals.

I can get the D2 just as hair popping sharp.

It takes longer to reprofile, but does not seem to take me much extra time to maintain.


The one issue is that the edges are ground more robust than the grinds on any of my GEC knives, so they won't slice as well as thinner stock.

My favorite whittler so far are Opinels, though that is just for the excellent stock thinness they exhibit. Grinding one to a warncliff would be a great whittler shape too.

A little off topic there.
 
Boggs said:
and the Bulldog

BulldogTakeApartWhittler.jpg
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I've always wanted one of those, I've been looking for years, ever since I saw it in a old knife book and that was the original Brown & Pharr. When the Bulldog came out I thought I'd get one then, never happened.

What would you call that pattern a reverse congress?
 
I really like the Boker designed by Len Yule. Is that still available or discontinued?
 
T. Erdelyi said:
I've always wanted one of those, I've been looking for years, ever since I saw it in a old knife book and that was the original Brown & Pharr. When the Bulldog came out I thought I'd get one then, never happened.

What would you call that pattern a reverse congress?
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I've always called that pattern a reverse congress too.
 
Kenny.......yes it is available though I not sure if Boker still produces it............

Gary..that's what I've called it and so has AG Russell/Canal Street Cutlery like wise Schrade/Kious collaborations..............
 
I have one of those Bulldogs, it's pretty cool:

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My favorites right now are a few Opinels that I modified:

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I also just bought a Boker Carvers Congress, and although I haven't had a chance to do any whittling with it yet, I expect it will work well. Especially for a beginner. A nice selection of blade shapes, and carbon steel that's easy to sharpen.
 
A fine knife for whittling

Queen D2 is excellent
But they are not known for a sharp factory grind
So they will require sharpening on diamond stones
But if you are whittleing you will want to rebevel your blades anyhow
The D2 holds a very good edge, that stays sharp and reponds well to stropping
It will not get the fine fine sharp of other steels, but the pay off is the edge holding quality

This is a Half Congress 4"
The 4" is a comfortable size
The full congress is even better because you can change the grind angles on 'redundant' blades
The small thin pen is like a laser

The blades sit too high and are not that comfortable
A simple fix is to file down the kicks so the blades sit deeper into the handle

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r8shell said:
I have one of those Bulldogs, it's pretty cool:


My favorites right now are a few Opinels that I modified:

opiepen003_zps9d85b12d.jpg
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Nice mod

The Boker Plus Sub Com in both curved and warnie are very similar to your conversion, and also make a very good short blade for whittling
The have a very intuative grip, perhaps to thin for very long useage
They are very easy to sharpen
 
Mora are a classic whittling knife

To quote fron Ragar

#120; A traditional Scandinavian carving knife from Frosts. This is a detail knife with a blade of laminated carbon steel about 2 1/4" (58 mm) long and .107" thick. The core of the blade is hardened to 61 - 62 on the Rockwell C scale for the finest of edges. The handle is generously sized for a solid grip.

122; Another traditional carving knife, this time with a straight edge, and a very sharp point for cutting fine detail. The laminated carbon steel about 2 3/8" (60 mm) long and .112" thick. The core of the blade is hardened to 61 - 62 on the Rockwell C scale for the finest of edges. The 4 1/4" handle is generously sized for a solid grip.
 
Gregmking said:
Nothing beats a case seahorse whittler
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Funny you said that, I'm whittling my first chain and I'm using my Case jigged blue bone Seahorse Whittler to make it, I had to dig it out 'cause I cut myself with my Union Knifeworks repurposed moose pattern.

The Seahorse does a much better job, it just fits better in my hands and makes it easier to carve.:)
 
The congress can be used as a whittling knife, but I much prefer the wharncliffe to the sheepsfoot. This is my preferred whittling slipjoint.

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Winchester labelled it a congress pen. It's known as a Norfolk most everywhere else. Whatever you call it, this knife makes shavings with the best of 'em.

- Christian
 
A congress was the very first slipjoint I ever purchased for whittling and remains the only pattern I ever use for that specific purpose.

I have a few of 'em now but a carbon steel Case (yellow) remains the go-to in that regard.
 
Gregmking said:
Nothing beats a case seahorse whittler
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I'm trying to narrow down my selection for a first time whittler. Is the seahorse one of the best, and what are a few others to put up there with the seahorse?
I see a few on here with the Northwoods Norfolk that looks good, and GEC will be coming out with a whittler soon.
 
I see folks posting about the Case Swayback Jack.
As others have said, it's good to have both a straight edge like a wharncliffe, and something with some belly like a pen or spear.
 
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