New to Whittling/Wood Carving - Knife Selection?

K

KyleSeiji

Joined
Dec 3, 2012
Messages
3
Just a note before I start; Yes I am young, Yes I am new, but I'll take an jabs at me with a pinch of humor. I'm here to get into the hobby of Whittling and Carving wood and I'm not going to let any insults about being a noob at knife selection or technique bog me down ;)

Anyway. I've recently become interested in the hobby of whittling and wood carving! The only issue is that I have generally no clear path on how to start. My budget isn't on the high end, and I hope any tools required I could purchase with Christmas money/receive as a gift.

For starters, a decent pocket knife. I've searched around and came up with a few models by Schrade but I'm open to any suggestions within reasonable price;
Schrade 9OT Old Timer Cigar Whittler
Schrade 9UH Uncle Henry Cigar Whittler
Schrade 44OT Old Timer Workmate
Schrade 804CWU Walden Whittler

I don't know much about quality blades, let alone the different types of blades inside a knife, let alone reliable manufacturers in general... I'm hoping to get a lot of feedback on what knife to buy and any other tools that I may need in the hobby. Secondly, resources or guides that can help me in learning technique and proper tool usage. One I've seen is "Ben Hunt's Big Book of Whittling." Though I hope I can rub off as much knowledge from the folks on this forum (:

Any Helpful Tips, Guidance, Criticism, and Links/pictures to good tools are greatly welcome by me! I hope to be able to show myself in what I make later on.
 
We have a subforum for discussing the "how to's" of whittling and carving called The Workshop. Some of us have been showing off our work there. You might like this thread: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/838442-Whatcha-whittlin-these-days.

I have a couple of Schrade 804s that I really like for whittling, but I also have rather large hands. The 44OT has a nice selection of blades, although I find it a tad small for long sessions. I'm not familiar with the 9 pattern. It would be a good idea to look for the older USA made knives since the Schrade of old is no more and the new Taylor-Schrade knives have not impressed me. Great Eastern Cutlery has also made quite a few knives that work well for whittling, but they are more expensive.

Unfortunately, no one can tell you what will work best for you. Experimentation is the only way to find out. I've seen others do fantastic work with blades I wouldn't even think of trying to use. The only constant is sharpness. I've yet to see anyone do good work with a dull blade. Learning to get a knife razor sharp and then keep it that way while you work will teach you a lot about the quality of steel.

Welcome aboard!
 
Thanks a lot! I checked out the threads and it really has inspired me. My father has a Buck knife (20yrs~ old) that I may try my hand at with a couple loose pieces of lumber lying around. I'm also glad I didn't pull any blanks in my search for a knife; I have fairly large hands for a teenager, but I do think I'll be starting off with a Schrade. GEC may be out of my budget starting out, but judging by the thread the GEC knives seem wonderful to eventually obtain. If it's up to me I guess I shall go out and experiment, making sure to post in that thread whenever I finish a little project. Thanks again!
 
Here's a link to another thread in that subforum: http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/839119-or-maybe-how-NOT-to-whittle-a-chain that you may find helpful. I'd suggest starting with a larger stick than I used for that example, though. It gets pretty tough to work on pieces that small, although I've done some even smaller back when my eyes were better.

Oh, and keeps Band-Aids handy. I've been whittling for 45 years and I still nick a fingertip now and then.
 
My father has taught me how to sharpen knives with whetstones and very-fine grit paper. Most of which he got from his father. Assuming that and more learning, I should be able to keep my knives sharpened and honed. I do not, however, know how to reshape a blade should the need arise.


And thanks yablanowitz. The tutorial thread will help immensely.
 
You're not the youngest member! I'm only 14. The knives you have seem nice. I've never done any whittling besides making pointed sticks for toasting marshmallows over a fire!
 
Since your dad has had his buck for several years, you might want to look at the 300 series of Buck knives. They are made in the USA and have a lifetime warranty. They are not expensive and are made with some good steel. I have a couple and would not trade anything for them. By the way, we were all young noobs at one point in our lives. ( however for some of us, it was a looong time ago:eek:) Congratulations on your choice of a new and rewarding hobby.

Omar
:rolleyes:
 
If you go with the Scrades, try to find an American made one.The new Chinese ones are of much lower quality.--Welcome to BF!--KV
 
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