Looking for a whittling knife to pass down

Neko2

Neko2

Joined
Jul 18, 2003
Messages
1,889
Hey everyone,

First let me say thank you for all of the knowledge that gets passed along on this forum. I've learned more about knives from just visiting here than every other source combined. Traditionalis weren't my thing when I got into knives but more and more I'm "getting it".

Now my reason posting is that I'd like to get a knife made in 2011 (the year he was born) in the USA (or maybe Germany) that would be good for whittling. I'm just getting into it but I want to carve some toys and whatnot for my son (3) and then be able to eventually pass the knife on to him with the history and experience of watching dad whittle with it.

I'm not terribly wealthy at the moment so it will be an investment item for sure (I've bought myself some Rough Riders and a Colt that I think all together were less than a Case) but I want it to be something nice for him so I think it'll be worth it. Any suggestions?
 
I'd look into a Whittler from Queen Cutlery in Carved Stagbone or wood. These are very nicely made indeed, have D2 blades and while they won't cost you a mint they will outlast most people! A very fine knife in my experience.

Regards, Will
 
willgoy said:
I'd look into a Whittler from Queen Cutlery in Carved Stagbone or wood. These are very nicely made indeed, have D2 blades and while they won't cost you a mint they will outlast most people! A very fine knife in my experience.

Regards, Will
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Thanks for the suggestion.
I've seen a few reviews faulting the fit and finish on that particular model so I'll try to check some out in person.

Would a four blade (Congress or stockman) make a better whittler?

Keep the suggestions coming! It'll give me more options when I'm searching.
 
I'd get a great eastern 61 congress. Some were made in 2011, you can find which ones were on their website. Look under patterns tab.
 
Honestly the best whittlers I own are ones I made by grinding the screwdriver blade on a TL-29 (electrician's knife) into a Wharncliffe shape. You want to get it as thin as you can and want to have a flat grind with no more than 15 degrees each side for the bevel. The advantage of this knife is that the whittling blade locks, and the bigger handle keeps your hand from cramping when you whittle a long time.

79a46dfe-9b78-40b5-a5aa-435b17436a49_zps48b1297c.jpg


d0d1b19e-6fec-4264-aee1-207fbc435009_zps96c58157.jpg


You can find lots of old TL-29s on eBay, and I have found the ones made by Camillus to be the most plentiful and have the best steel. The standard handle is black delrin, which is indestructible, but you can also find wood, or rehandle with whatever you like if you want to do some modding. Best of all, you can find a bunch for under $15 shipped.
 
You may want to check out the Boker Congress Whittler. Great knife and not too terribly expensive.

115465.jpg
 
Another option you might want to look into is getting a dedicated whittling knife like a Mora 120. They're inexpensive at ~ $20 each, so you can get one for you and one for your boy. Your son can watch you make things like spoons and ball-in-cages with it, and when he comes of age you can present him with a knife just like Dad's. Very cool.

- Christian
 
dma1965 said:
Honestly the best whittlers I own are ones I made by grinding the screwdriver blade on a TL-29 (electrician's knife) into a Wharncliffe shape. You want to get it as thin as you can and want to have a flat grind with no more than 15 degrees each side for the bevel. The advantage of this knife is that the whittling blade locks, and the bigger handle keeps your hand from cramping when you whittle a long time.

You can find lots of old TL-29s on eBay, and I have found the ones made by Camillus to be the most plentiful and have the best steel. The standard handle is black delrin, which is indestructible, but you can also find wood, or rehandle with whatever you like if you want to do some modding. Best of all, you can find a bunch for under $15 shipped.
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That is such a great idea! And I have been wanting to do do a rebuild of a TL-29 after seeing Evan's tutorial. Yet another reason to find some TL-29s!

Gabe
 
NJBillK said:
+1 this
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That's a beautiful knife!
I think it'll have to be one of the "grail" knives for the future because $150 on a knife and I'd only see my kid Wednesday and every other weekend :p

It looks somewhat similar to a case Seahorse Whittler, is it that much better?
 
dma1965 said:
Honestly the best whittlers I own are ones I made by grinding the screwdriver blade on a TL-29 (electrician's knife) into a Wharncliffe shape. You want to get it as thin as you can and want to have a flat grind with no more than 15 degrees each side for the bevel. The advantage of this knife is that the whittling blade locks, and the bigger handle keeps your hand from cramping when you whittle a long time.

79a46dfe-9b78-40b5-a5aa-435b17436a49_zps48b1297c.jpg








d0d1b19e-6fec-4264-aee1-207fbc435009_zps96c58157.jpg


You can find lots of old TL-29s on eBay, and I have found the ones made by Camillus to be the most plentiful and have the best steel. The standard handle is black delrin, which is indestructible, but you can also find wood, or rehandle with whatever you like if you want to do some modding. Best of all, you can find a bunch for under $15 shipped.
Click to expand...

Ok, that's genius!
What'd you use to reshape the blade? I've tried filing but it's taking forever and I don't want to muck up my tiny diamond hones.
I never would have thought of that ever. :thumbup:

leghog said:
I'm curiou what boker was thinking for a short pey blade on a whittler.
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I've been seeing a lot of whittlers that really don't look to have more than one good whittling blade and it's tiny. Makes the search that much harder.
This is why I ask here, so many good ideas.
 
Neko2 said:
Ok, that's genius!
What'd you use to reshape the blade? I've tried filing but it's taking forever and I don't want to muck up my tiny diamond hones.
I never would have thought of that ever.
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Use a marker to draw the shape and then a Dremel with a cutoff wheel. Use a vise to hold the knife. Go slow and soak a paper towel in water and use that to keep the blade cool by stopping every few seconds and cooling the blade with the water soaked towel. I then use a belt sander in my vise to finish the shape and thin the edge. Again, keep the blade cool by dunking in water every few seconds. You do not want to draw out the temper. The pointed tip is made by sanding down the spine, not the edge.

The final edge was put on by using a diamond stone, then sandpaper, then lots of stropping. This takes a while, but you end up with a great whittler. The nice thing about this is that you will be passing down something you made...and that is way cool!
 
dma1965 said:
Use a marker to draw the shape and then a Dremel with a cutoff wheel. Use a vise to hold the knife. Go slow and soak a paper towel in water and use that to keep the blade cool by stopping every few seconds and cooling the blade with the water soaked towel. I then use a belt sander in my vise to finish the shape and thin the edge. Again, keep the blade cool by dunking in water every few seconds. You do not want to draw out the temper. The pointed tip is made by sanding down the spine, not the edge.

The final edge was put on by using a diamond stone, then sandpaper, then lots of stropping. This takes a while, but you end up with a great whittler. The nice thing about this is that you will be passing down something you made...and that is way cool!
Click to expand...

That's what I was going to try but everyone says to not use power tools on a knife lest you ruin the temper.
About how many stops to dunk would you estimate for each step (cutting & grinding)?

I will totally post some pictures once I'm done!
 
dma1965 said:
A spey blade is actually good for making spoons, or gouging.
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I've been whittling for years and have never once reached for a spey blade, nor have I ever seen one on little knives designed and built specifically for whittling. Hey, but if it works for you, go for it.
 
Neko2 said:
That's what I was going to try but everyone says to not use power tools on a knife lest you ruin the temper.
About how many stops to dunk would you estimate for each step (cutting & grinding)?

I will totally post some pictures once I'm done!
Click to expand...

For the cutoff part I cut a little, and then cool. Literally about 10 seconds of grinding then cooling for a few seconds. Most of the heat in this case is at the spine, which is not as critical as when you get to the belt sander, which heats up the edge.

For the belt sander part I just rest my finger on the tang and if it gets hot I stop,and dunk. I also use a medium speed on the belt. Take your time and you will do fine.
 
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