Good knife for whittling and carving?

[RevDevil]

another possible option is a boker tree brand 280 ,,if you are wanting a pocket whittler

i was looking into buying a alox sak and came across this one it called the carver

Those 2 are very nice, I may pick those up.
Sure is easy to drop money in a hurry around here.

 

[CJZ]

I love the blades on the swayback jack, but the handle isn't as filing as is ideal for extended whittling. though it's not bad. no hot spots for me, more fatigue from awkward grips sometimes. my SAK Hiker fills the hand a little better and the small pen blade ain't bad at all. all my other knives with better handles just have too much blade for me to control. while it might be fun to set out to carve with my military, I usually abandon it quickly.

Very nice wood work and a beautiful patina on that swayback.

 

[neeman]

I like Cold Steel Tuff Lites and Moras best.

I have these and some other odds and ends:

The two Mora laminated carving knives sharpen very well
The handles are so comfortable

 

[mjolnir74]

I love the blades on the swayback jack, but the handle isn't as filing as is ideal for extended whittling. though it's not bad. no hot spots for me, more fatigue from awkward grips sometimes. my SAK Hiker fills the hand a little better and the small pen blade ain't bad at all. all my other knives with better handles just have too much blade for me to control. while it might be fun to set out to carve with my military, I usually abandon it quickly.

What kind of wood is that?

 

[bamacrazy]

What is gimping? Is that the flat part at the back of blade?

Thanks, you're too kind. I just started whittling this spring, and it's been a fun learning experience. I've carved a lot of little projects using mostly Tuff Lite knives, often while I'm on conference calls for my day job, or in the evening while sitting out back:

I cut using both thumbs all the time with the Tuff Lite--I find the round shape to the blade gives me a nice lever action for controlled short power cuts, with the left hand holding the wood and left thumb playing the pivot, and the right hand and thumb on blade spine providing the lever action.

As far as carving with the Tuff Lite goes, I know it looks and sounds wrong, but I swear by it at this point and would suggest "don't knock it until you've tried it" should apply. I started out with a traditional whittler pattern, a GEC Tidioute #54 IIRC, and while it cut wood it didn't make me that happy. I stumbled on to the Tuff and Mini Tuff and loved working with them, but felt silly whittling with Cold Steel knives. So then I proceeded to buy a couple of hundred dollars worth of dedicated wood working knives--only to find I still prefer the Cold Steel knives . . .

I've seen but not purchased the similar Spyderco designs for two reasons: the Tuff Lite when locked feels about as close to a fixed blade as a folder can, and I trust that Tri-Ad lock completely. Second, the Tuff Lite is cheaper, and carving every night means stropping multiple times daily and sometimes sharpening every day or two as well. It's easier to not mind removing metal daily from a $25 knife than a much more expensive knife.

If you try a Tuff Lite or Mini Tuff Lite, make sure to round the spine/soften the gimping a bit (if not a nice full half round, at least file or sand the sharp edges off). Doing this will greatly improve whittling comfort. As you can see, I also like to paracord wrap and then athletic grip tape wrap mine for extra long term carving comfort.

Don't forget to take a wander over to The Workshop, where you'll find plenty of whittling and carving gear conversation . . .

 

[wesessiah]

Thanks, you're too kind. I just started whittling this spring, and it's been a fun learning experience. I've carved a lot of little projects using mostly Tuff Lite knives, often while I'm on conference calls for my day job, or in the evening while sitting out back:

I cut using both thumbs all the time with the Tuff Lite--I find the round shape to the blade gives me a nice lever action for controlled short power cuts, with the left hand holding the wood and left thumb playing the pivot, and the right hand and thumb on blade spine providing the lever action.

As far as carving with the Tuff Lite goes, I know it looks and sounds wrong, but I swear by it at this point and would suggest "don't knock it until you've tried it" should apply. I started out with a traditional whittler pattern, a GEC Tidioute #54 IIRC, and while it cut wood it didn't make me that happy. I stumbled on to the Tuff and Mini Tuff and loved working with them, but felt silly whittling with Cold Steel knives. So then I proceeded to buy a couple of hundred dollars worth of dedicated wood working knives--only to find I still prefer the Cold Steel knives . . .

I've seen but not purchased the similar Spyderco designs for two reasons: the Tuff Lite when locked feels about as close to a fixed blade as a folder can, and I trust that Tri-Ad lock completely. Second, the Tuff Lite is cheaper, and carving every night means stropping multiple times daily and sometimes sharpening every day or two as well. It's easier to not mind removing metal daily from a $25 knife than a much more expensive knife.

If you try a Tuff Lite or Mini Tuff Lite, make sure to round the spine/soften the gimping a bit (if not a nice full half round, at least file or sand the sharp edges off). Doing this will greatly improve whittling comfort. As you can see, I also like to paracord wrap and then athletic grip tape wrap mine for extra long term carving comfort.

Don't forget to take a wander over to The Workshop, where you'll find plenty of whittling and carving gear conversation . . .

I love the blades on the swayback jack, but the handle isn't as filing as is ideal for extended whittling. though it's not bad. no hot spots for me, more fatigue from awkward grips sometimes. my SAK Hiker fills the hand a little better and the small pen blade ain't bad at all. all my other knives with better handles just have too much blade for me to control. while it might be fun to set out to carve with my military, I usually abandon it quickly.

you guys do amazing work... gives me something to aspire to.

What is gimping? Is that the flat part at the back of blade?

it's the rough parts on a handle/spine/sometimes other places on a knife to give you grip.