Fixed Blade for Whittling?

E

Eyegor

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Feb 22, 2006
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My 17 y/o nephew told his cool knife knut uncle that he wanted a "sheath" knife for whittling. Not knowing how long this interest would last I didn't want to drop a lot of coin. But, I also wanted to give him the proper tool for the job. I found a new, imported cannitler pattern that looked good without breaking the bank, and added a decent leather sheath. When he opened it for Christmas, his disappointment was obvious, although he was very polite and thankful.

After speaking to him privately I got him to explain he really wanted a fixed blade knife for his whittling because he trusted them more. I tried to explain that a small whittler slippie would probably work better for him but I could not persuade him. He does understand that smaller means more control and that most "hunting knives" (his term) are not what he wants. Long story short, I am on the hunt again. Anyone have recommendations of a sub 4" fixed blade to be used primarily for whittling? I was thinking of a mariner style with a sheepsfoot blade. I think the more common drop point or clip point would not do as good a job. What does everyone else think? Thanks for the input.
 
If he really wants a whittling knife, many people use a Mora. Also, if he wants a shorter blade, he can look at Cape Forge knives, or Mike Wells knives that are specifically made for carving/whittling.
 
What kind of whittling? The occasional Toothpick or a classic ball in a box?
 
Landi makes some really nice small knives that are stout and good for bushcraft/ whittling chores.....
 
How about a More like this.
Mora
I have one and It's the best whittling knife that I have tried.
Not much good for other things you would like to do with a belt knife, but a very good whittling knife. :thumbup:
 
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Nothing beats a scandi grind and that blade type when it comes to whittling. Also the laminate carbon steel is very good in that specific knife. No guards or any other crap in the way when you want absolute and delicate control of the edge. Some people say that a convex edge is better but I think this is a misunderstanding as a convex edge splits off the wood. (There's a reason axe-edges are convex)

A scandi edge cuts the wood off, so for details and control it's superior. Anything with carbon steel, scandi grind and a design where the edge starts as close to the handle as possible will be ideal for whittling.
 
Depending on your goals, anything could work. And you can make a sheath for anything (kydex is easy to work with, or others can do this for you..so do not limit yourself to knives with sheaths).

There are some fantastic carving knives (I recently got a set from Flexcut) but they are ONLY for carving...they will do very little else.

OTOH, I often will set out with other activities in mind and end up whittling and carving. This can be REALLY fun and interesting. Your work may not be as good as if you had the specialized tools, but if it is the pursuit you are after and not the destination, this can be a lot of fun.

Many people have demonstrated that it is possible to carve spoons, forks, caged balls, and other trinkets with whatever EDC they had on them at the time;)
 
Check out the Mora knives at Ragnar’s. Starting at #1261 is a list of carving knives with wood and plastic handles. Many of the carvers come with belt sheaths. Depending on the boy, your nephew might think wood or plastic handles are cool. I'd look at the site with him and see which blades meet his needs.

Ragnar also offers curved knives for carving bowls and mugs and spoons. Note that curved knives are ill mated to belt sheaths.
 
The best chip carving knives I've used are the Rick Butz style carvers and detail carvers. Woodcraft stores carry them - check their catalog. Mora's are 'traditional' - and larger. A fine straight blade - a mini-Wharncliffe - the Butz carver has a decent handle, too. In the larger scale, a Bark River K&T 'T.U.S.K.' is great. My 'big' Christmas present is sort of a 'large' scale version of a T.U.S.K. - suitable for chunk carving a giant redwood. Sorry - I guess I included it because I really don't know what I'll do with it!

IMG_4571.jpg


In all seriousness, the BRK&T 'T.U.S.K.' is a great medium carver - the Butz knives filling in for finer details. A great pocketable whittler is the Case Seahorse Whittler - canned last summer, but still around. I only have three Case knives - all Seahorses. I don't free hand whittle with slippies much these days - fb's are my current favorites.

Stainz
 
Mora, Barkie's TUSK, heck even an electricians knife from Klein Tools works okay and it's affordable. I carry one to work all the time, it's a little sheepsfoot/warncliffe/utility blade.
 
Does he want a knife for whittling or does he just want a sweet fixed blade and whittling is a cover story? Maybe an Izula or a BK11 would tickle his fancy?
 
I've whittled with a lot of different knives, but my favorite is a Mora 122. Only $15. I hope Ragnar can forgive me for using the photo from his site:

122.jpg


As you can see it's a wharnie with a fairly fine tip. The blade is laminated carbon with a core at 61-61rc, which really holds an edge. The handle is very comfortable with no hot spots. Outstanding!
 
I just picked up a Boker gnome for $32 its a small fixed blade, I plan on trying it out on some whittling. It comes with a neck chain but its small enough to fit in my pocket, very nice blade for the money.
 
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I was actually trying to think of the Mora but was having brain freeze and kept getting stuck on Opinel instead. Thanks. I'm leaning towards either a wharncliffe or sheepsfoot type blade. But I still want something with a fair amount of utility, not a dedicated one use tool.

As for what grind, I am not that picky right now, and my nephew wouldn't know the difference. Thanks again and keep the suggestions coming.

P.S. My nephew is a mellow dude and not much of an outdoorsman. I don't think he wants to just hang something off his belt. I think he wants to try this out and see where it goes.
 
Eyegor said:
But I still want something with a fair amount of utility, not a dedicated one use tool.
Click to expand...

If he wants to whittle, why not get him a dedicated whittling knife? A very good one costs only $15! IMO, it's a whole lot better for whittling than a most generic general purpose fixed blades.

If you want to get him a general purpose EDC/utility fixed blade, maybe get him that in addition.

FWIW, I recently got a Blind Horse patch knife, and I'm very impressed with the quality, especially for the price. I've already ordered 2 more. It could be considered more of a non-dedicated utility knife, but yes, it would still work for whittling. Here's the BHK site which includes links to dealers who have knives in stock:

http://blindhorseknives.com/index.htm
 
I took everyone's suggestions to heart, gave it some serious thought and then went in a completely different direction.:o

I was at a local B&M ( I really hate to purchase online) and stumbled across a ....................................Cold Steel All Terrain Hunter. I was really taken with blade shape and geometry (ala the Canadian belt knife). I know my nephew will appreciate the grippy handle material as well. The blade even works well for choking up for fine control. Not at all what I was looking for but I think it will fit the bill nicely. Thanks again everyone.

P.S. If the shop had carried Moras I probably would have gone that route, mainly for price.
 
If he wants something trustworthy to whittle with I wouldn't think a "sheath knife" is the thing, nor is a folder. It is a wood carving set. I myself never whittled much, but used to know a few people who did and I have seen sets at wood working stores. And they don't have to be that expensive. Just my two cents though, and I am not by any means an expert.
 
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