Let's see what you've "whittled"!

[cockroachfarm]

I've been meaning to ask this ages ago: what do you folks consider "whittling"? I don't do it any more, but when I was young I used to carve little animals, etc. from thick slabs of pine bark.

I've seen that website with the wood pencils that have been carved into intricate puzzles, etc. But is that "whittling", or "carving"? And what's the difference between those terms (if there is one)?

To me, "whittling" is using a knife to make pointy ends on sticks.

To whit, you whittlers: show off some of the things you've whittled!

 

[Bobwhite]

I would like to post some of my stuff, but I lack the necessary technology and skills. I define whittling as woodcarving using only knife blades. Using other tools like gouges and chisels is woodcarving proper to me. I guess you can whittle or woodcarve anything, I draw the distiction by what tools get used. I do chains, ball-in-cages, swivels and intersected rings. Usually in some sort of combination. I tried figures a couple times with poor results. The skills are the same, I guess it is just a mental thing.

 

[Matt Shade]

Here's a chain, have to admit that I used a gouge for some of it, but mostly just a knife

 

[Matt Shade]

I suppose you guys wuld consider this carving, but I thought I'd share it anyhow. You can do pretty close to the same with just a knife if you've got the patience but its a lot easier with gouges and chisels

 

[Matt Shade]

Here's a side view:

 

[Ansoknives]

How about this?..I whittled it from mammoth ivory...took me a few hours used one of my own knives ofcourse to do it....

 

[T. Erdelyi]

This took about 28 hrs, I never whittled anything recognizable before, so I took a piece of Bass Wood and removed everything that didn't belong, and this is what I wound up with.

Done with all knives,(and a little sand paper).

 

[Matt Shade]

Impressive guys

Whats Ivory like for carving Anso? Stringy? Hard? Looks really nice, and you got a nice finish on it.

T
Thats cool. Are all 4 sides open? Thats alot of work digging stuff out of a small opening like that with just a knife.

 

[Matches]

Hey,nice stuff! I enjoy whittling/carving and have done some butter molds,kitchen utensils,and tobacco pipes. Due to the beauty of the pieces posted thus far I will refrain from embarassing myself

 

[T. Erdelyi]

Originally posted by Matt Shade
Impressive guys...T Thats cool. Are all 4 sides open? Thats alot of work digging stuff out of a small opening like that with just a knife.

Bass Wood is really neat stuff to carve, the wood is pretty much consistent as far as the amount of force needed to remove material, and it cuts cross grain really nice.

Yes it is carved out on all four sides. The hardest part was making the ball,(which was a rounded square when it started) round.

 

[Matt Shade]

Yep, I really like Basswood.Does cut surprisingly well across the grain, actually better across the grain than with it on some peices.
I guess I should try a ball n cage sometime, damn mosquitos chased me out of the shop today so I guess I should go to my workbench in the basement and whittle Hopefully I'll finish it before too long, I worked on the cowboy thing off and on for over a year (its about a foot tall) The chain went pretty quick, about 2 evenings.

 

[T. Erdelyi]

I wanna try the chain with a ballcage attached.

I'm just not happy unless I'm makin' sumpthin', Idle hands are the work of the Devil, and all that baggage that goes with 10 years of Catholic School education.

Brazing rods make some neat wire sculptures, should try it sometime, a torch, some flux, and solder, little imagination and your set.

Click here to see more of Glenn Donovans wire sculptures

 

[cockroachfarm]

Outstanding work, Glenn! Maybe I should commission you to do a "cockroach" for me sometime in the future?

 

[Bobwhite]

I love that knife Anzo. Very cool.

 

[Ansoknives]

thank you!...Ivory is very hard....if cut in the right direction it shaves small chips clean of with a very sharp knife...cut against the grian and you get alot of mess.....