Looking for a good sub-$50 whittling folder

Noshtero

Noshtero

Joined
Oct 10, 2002
Messages
1,551
I'm looking for a multiblade folder for whittling. Currently I have a bunch of tools that I use, and I really think I could get by with a good 2-3 blade "old timey whittler knife".

I've looked at Case, Boker, Schrade (the new China ones).

Does anyone here whittle? What knife do you use?

Thanks.
 
I do whittle, for most projects I like to use a Frosts fixed blade (easier on the hands for extended wood working), but recently I have been using a Marbles Red Bone Whittler. Me and the knife have had a checkered past, but with a little customizing the knife is a great carry. It is chinese made, but the 440 stainless they use seems to preform very well, even when compared to the high carbon Swedish blades.

A gentlenman on a another forum who does some real nice work showed me his favorite rig and it was another Chinese folder. It was a "U.S. CLassic"
 
I don't know a lot about Schrades history, but a lot of people said the middleman from them was a great knife. It's my understanding that there is a big difference between the schrades of 20-30 years ago, and the newer china made ones. Is this true? The middleman is about half the price of a similar design from Boker or Case.
 
I'd go for the Boker or Case. The new Schrades share only the name with the old ones, not the quality (from what I've seen). With Boker or Case you can be assured of high quality. I'm considering a Case Peanut in CV myself.
 
I bought 2 folders for scraping reeds. I don't know how similar this is to whittling but I take off very tiny shavings. You can see the knives on this thread:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=4875253#post4875253

They are both SAK folders, 440C I think. If you need to know the angles or thicknesses of the blades I can tell you.

Just looked at the Case Seahorse Whittler Knife.http://www.knivesplus.com/caseknifewhittlerca-7408.html

It says it is made of surgical steel, what does that mean?
 
I really don't know much about what I truly need. Like, even the style of knife. I see that Case and Boker have modles specifically named "whittlers" but I know that doesn't mean it's the only knife that makes sense to whittle with.

Let me give you back ground. Currently, I "whittle" with a Mora fixed blade and a series of chisels. This is not only dangerous (I've already jammed a chisel into my hand a few times), it completely removes the zen aspect of whittling. For all it's worth, I might as well bust out a power saw and spend 10 minutes to cut out the shape.

I want to whittle for the calming aspect of taking hours to accomplish what I want. I understand the importance of multiple blades, but I don't know what configuration I really need. I don't want to buy a junk china ripoff for $10, but I also don't want to buy a $100 custom.

Would you be able to recommend a specific style of knife that would work for me, and perhaps even tell me why that style is the way to go? I yield to your wisdom on this, as all my knife knowledge is in the bushcraft/survival area, and I know next to nothing about traditional folders.

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me. As always, this forum is a Godsend.
 
If I were going to whittle I would look at FlexCut. When you see what they seel and what kinds of pieces people make with those knives you will get an idea of what is out there and what can be done.

http://www.flexcut.com/

They chisel grinds, single blades in a multitude of sizes and shape. The cataog came with my order and I was amazed by what appeared to be artwork made by whittling.

Maybe someone else can comment. The handles on the knives are really comfortable.
 
With the exception of their huge $120 multitool, all the flexcut are fixed blades arn't they? I would prefer to get one folder with multiple blades just to make things easier to carry. I did purchase a bench knife from flexcut to use at home though. They do indeed have some very nice stuff.
 
I own 40-50 knives for my reedmaking and I have yet to find one knife that does it all. I bought 4 Flexcut knvies and what I liked about them is that they did not break the bank so I could get the feel of several knifes. As far as keeping them all together; they sell little bags with pockets for each knife and it looks like you roll up the bag and secure it with a string that ties around it.

Another consideration is that if you are removing really tiny bits of material in odd locations ( I take off stuff in the micron range, looks like dust or smaller on a curved surface) as opposed to taking the bark off a twig, you may need the "precision grip" that comes with a single blade. They even have mini-handles and blades.
 
My favorite slipjoint to whittle with is my Case Congress in Chrome Vanadium steel with yellow delrin scales. Great assortment of blades and they are just the right size for most projects.
 
What does "congress" mean. I thought Congress, Stockman, etc described the assortment of blades, but I see "Congress" knives at knifecenter with 2 blades, some with 4 blades...
 
Supposedly, "Congress" refers to the (curved/crescent) shape of the handle being reminiscent of the U.S. government legislative buildings in Washington but Bernard Levine states that there is no solid evidence that this is so. Congress knives can have two to eight blades depending on manufacture.
 
What type of blades should I be looking for on a "do-it-all" whittler? I would think some sort of clip for regular cutting, a wharncliff or sheepsfoot or something for hard to reach places, and then some sort of small spey or pen or something for detail.
 
Or maybe even the 70116 with 6 blades, but I wonder if that might be too much knife to hold while whittling? Is there any advantage to having multiple of the same blade?
 
This is a slightly smaller version of the knife I own.

bestknives_1962_18566967


The smaller blades make it good for doing detail work whether carving or chip carving. The larger blades are better for stock removal and getting rid of waste wood.
 
My whittling slipjoints include a Schrade middleman jack, a Queen whittler, and a Boker whittler. I find the coping blade very useful so the Case CV congress looks like a winner.

To be honest though, my favortie whittler is a small 2" fixed blade:

balder.jpg


This is the Brusletto Balder, available for $17 from www.ragweedforge.com.

The runner up is a laminated blade wood carving Mora with a 2 and 1/4" blade, available from the same dealer.
 
I agree with Blues about the congress,great knife for whittling great selection of blades and case's cv works well for carving,takes a scarry edge and is easy to keep up with a strop.For larger stock removal I use a sheepfoot mora #1 and or a sak.
 
That yellow Congress that Blues posted is exactly what I'm looking for. I couldn't find anything where the two main blades weren't the exact same, and I couldn't see a need for having two identical blades.

What model is that Case? and where might I be able to find a good price on it. Vintage Knives seems to have awesome prices on the yellow CV line, but I don't see that particular model.
 
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