Knife for whittling?

I think woodcraft (www.woodcraft.com) still carries a starter set, that includes a book showing how to do a chain (with moving links, like a real chain), possibly a ball in cage, and some other stuff, along with a good knife, strop and a hunk of basswood.
I've carved just about every kind of wood there is and for general carving and whittling its tough to beat basswood. Its got a very clean and tight grain, and its very soft. If you can't find basswood, try to find something with a very fine grain to it (poplar, cherry etc.) Stringy stuff is very hard to get clean details with and can be very frustrating.
Also, take all those "micro serrations" and roughed up edges and toss em out the window. You want to polish that edge as smooth as possible. Its gotta be a slicer. With nice tight grain, you should be able to cut across the end grain and leave it looking "shiney"
 
Has anybody seen the new knife forums magazine?In the newest issue there is a whole article on carving and on the ball in the cage from start to finish.It is pretty good.............RB
 
Yep. Hoodoo did a great job with that article. I even like his taste in whittling knives. :D

And if you like Hoodoo's ball-in-cages, you should see his carved chickens!!! :eek:
 
Very nice work ...

Buzzbait, It is under construction the link that you put of the secret order of the SAK´s ?

Thank you
 
Hehehe.... VERY under construction. I just haven't much time to devote to the SOSAK web site. I'm hoping to have more time this winter.
 
Here's some whittling I did on a hiking stick last year. That Old Timer Middleman did a great job. :)

lumber1.jpg
 
Thank you, Buzzbait! :)

I will check out the Old Timer Middleman and the Buck Cadet at Wal-Mart as you suggested. I definitely want a pocket knife as opposed to a carving knife.

It seems like it's hard to find a whittling pocketknife with a wharncliffe blade as opposed to a sheepsfoot, except for the two you provided links too.

Looking forward to reading your Boker review.

Johnny
 
Wharncliffe whittlers are very hard to come by. I don't know why this is so, as wharncliffe blades are superb for whittling. I have seen some German Bulldog wharncliffe whittlers, but they look suspiciously like the Case Seahorse whittlers. I'm wondering if they are made for Bulldog by Case. If so, I'll steer clear of them. I don't want to fuss with the Case steel.
 
What is wrong with the case steel? Is the Chrome Vanadium better for whittling than the ss?

Regards,
steve
 
I have to say I am impressed Buzzbait,your carvings are great.And with a pocket knife damn.Woodcarving is a way of life in my house its my wifes favorite hobby.I dont have the patience most of the time but I do like to wood burn.My wife must have 50 carving knives and tools (V's & U's)she used to carve with Old Timer's now it's flexcut's.Her favorite is carving in the round. Mostly caracature's so sharpening is also a way of life in my house so I just got a new sharpening system for my buffer and man does it work well and fast.You can change the sharpening edges quick and they come out scarey sharp. www.sharpeningwheels.com I practiced with a couple of 5 dollar knives first and they came out shaving sharp in a few passes.By the way I would like to see his carved chickens!.............RB
 
Buzzbait hit all the major points but I'll throw in my two cents. Case knives in CV are great. A Case med stockman with a pen blade instead of a spey is my main whittling knife. The steel is easy to sharpen and holds an edge. They can be a little high money wise though. Buzz, that Boker should work well for you, I got a Boker whittler and congress I use a lot for whittling. The Old Timers are great, I just wish you could get one in bone scales. The same goes for Camillus.
Basswood is easy to carve and the standard wood for whitlling, but I prefer butternut. It has a more interesting grain and is still relatively soft. Mahogany is harder and the grain can do funny stuff but it is worth the effort. Walnut is my favorite though. Quite hard but worth it in my opinion. Tangerman's book is the best one I have found and I have checked out a bunch. He hits all the bases and gives you plenty of ideas. It is not a step by step book though. He tells you and shows you what you need, but it is not a cut-by-cut guide. Take it up, if you like knives you should love using them this way. Don't be surprised if what you look for in a knife changes as a result. I only go with carbon steel now, no stainless. You will get cut. It is just a question of how often and how badly.;)
 
Knock on basswood, I haven't gotten a serious knife cut in almost 30 years. :)

For step-by-step whittling projects, "Whittling Simplified: Everything You Need To Know" by Herb Reinecke is a very good book. It teaches you a number of whittling projects, as well as a bunch of background information.

I'll try another Case. I did get a stockman in the chrome vanadium steel last year, and had problems with it holding an edge. Maybe I got a bad one.

I haven't tried too many different kinds of wood. Basswood is very easy to work with, and not too hard to find. Black cherry was difinitely tougher, but had a much nicer grain than basswood. I would like to try out some walnut.
 
Hey Buzzbait, those last carvings look a lot like one of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers! :)

I'm impressed by the carvings I have seen here. I love to whittle, as I find it similar to meditation. Sort of like bass fishing with a plastic worm. It is almost like moving meditation; a little Tai Chi like. The problem with my whittling is all I end up with is a stick with no bark on it! I can't seem to come up with anything close to yours.

Oh, and by the way, you might want to try the Eye Brand carbon steel pocketknives. I have several; the prices are comparable to the others listed, and the blades seem to stay sharper longer.
 
Buzzbait, No cuts in 30 years! My hat is off to you for that one. I have several stitches trips in only 4. My Case holds an edge real well, I have heard they are hit of miss though. Mine has sort of weak springs. Cherry is really tough to work. If you like, send me your mailing address. I was thinking we could do a pass around whittling project. I will get a lenth of walnut or butternut and put a ball in cage and a couple links in it then send it your way. You add to it and send it to however else may want to try. I have seen a walking stick that was done that way and it was really cool to see a bunch of different styles and techniques by different people in one piece.
 
I just stopped by the local hardware store, which is a Case dealer. They don't even sell any of the chrome vanadium models. :mad:

I'm afraid that my whittling is done for the year. I'm currently living in an apartment, and do my whittling on the back porch. Since winter has come, I'm out of commission. The wife would whittle me if she caught me doing it indoors. The pass-around sounds like a great idea though. I’d be able to participate in the spring.
 
I think we should get a Blade Forums Whittlers club going. :D What we do is everyone interested gets everything they need for a project, then we post a project with details on how to make it on a thread and a few weeks later, we all post how ours turned out with pictures, I realize not everyone has a digital camera, but you can scan it, or you can take a picture with regular camera and scan that or go to Kinkos to scan it. I think it would be cool and you would definatly see where everyone is at as far as skill level. And we could have a few people to e-mail that are doing the same exact project if we ran into trouble or needed advice. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top