Suggestions for a whittler

K

Kootenay carver

Joined
Sep 27, 2014
Messages
8
Hi, I've just recently been bitten by the whittling bug & am looking for a knife to purchase. I would like to get something decent as I'm hoping to just buy one knife (why do I think this might just be impossible, lol).
The more research I've been doing, the more difficult I'm finding it is to make a decision, lol. (basing my opinion just by looking at pictures mostly as there aren't any stores anywhere near where I live that even carry half-decent knives).

So far I think I've narrowed my choice to:
Boker Congress Whittler (looks a bit on the beefy side but what do I know... I'm only lookin' at pics. of it)

Case Seahorse whittler (looks good. wondering a bit about the thickness of the large blade & if I'd even be comfortable carving with that type of blade as I've never used one like it before)

Case SBJ (read some good reviews on this one)

Boker's Whittler penknife (looks decent, maybe a bit less beefy than Congress. Wondering if a 4th blade would be necessary &/or if I'd be better off going with a 3-blade knife (maybe a bit more refined in shape?)

Queen Cutlery Whittler 'or' GEC Conductor Whittler. THese two seem fairly similiar in appearance. Preferences for one over the other?


Any others that you think might be suitable for me? (what is your preference & why?)


Thanks for taking the time to read this & to hopefully respond! It is much appreciated!
 
I purchased a Boker whittler (made in Germany with carbon steel),the quality was excellent, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
Case, I don't buy any of their stuff unless I can inspect it in person first.

From Great Eastern, visually I love the #89 Executive Whittler. But using it for actual wood carving and whittling, I wonder how well the long slender blade and frame will hold up to the torque. For actual whittling, I'd lean more towards the #57 Geppetto.
 
I don't own any of those. I do, however, own and use this Queen City half congress. I love the jigging, and it is comfortable (if a bit large for my hands) to use for extended periods. You definitely need something with at least one really thin blade, preferably the one with the straight edge. But your knife requirements will really be dictated by the kind of projects you are doing: balls-in-cages? figures? wooden chains? hot dog sticks? Your project dictates the style blade you need, but in every case it needs to be thin and razor sharp.

RJxLFZQ.jpg



Michael
 
Bob W said:
I purchased a Boker whittler (made in Germany with carbon steel),the quality was excellent, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.
Case, I don't buy any of their stuff unless I can inspect it in person first.

From Great Eastern, visually I love the #89 Executive Whittler. But using it for actual wood carving and whittling, I wonder how well the long slender blade and frame will hold up to the torque. For actual whittling, I'd lean more towards the #57 Geppetto.
Click to expand...

The 89 is good for whittling marshmallow sticks, thats about it IMO (it was my first GEC) . The seahorse is a pretty decent whittler, nice thick and slightly stubby Master and two useful secondary blades. My preference for whittling is three or four single blades.

Best regards

Robin
 
You can whittle with anything sharp enough. Only you can possibly know what will work for you. Only you can decide what is comfortable in your hand. Only you can tell what blade shapes and sizes will suit your particular style. Pipeman has used the #89 and didn't like it. I've used it quite a bit and find it very useful. Others swear by the Case Swayback Jack, whereas I find its' handle too short for comfort. The Seahorse works well for some, but I had to regrind the main blade on mine to thin it out enough to make it useful for my style of whittling (I find thick blades annoying, where others find flexible blades annoying). I like the Queen Whittler for the D2 steel, but once again I had to regrind the main blade because it was so thick-edged.

You can either buy one knife and adapt your style to it, or you can try many knives to find one (or more) that suit your style.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. It's definitely helping and am narrowing it down now (& soooo much different from what I thought I wanted to purchase just a week or so ago).

tks again!

As far as what I'm going to be carving >> anything from magic wands for my grandaughter, to chains, animals, etc.
 
Thanks for all of the replies. It's definitely helping and am narrowing it down now (& soooo much different from what I thought I wanted to purchase just a week or so ago).

tks again!

As far as what I'm going to be carving >> anything from magic wands for my grandaughter, to chains, animals, etc.
 
I've had some luck with the Case SBJ, but as yablanowitz said, the handle can be just a little short. I have a GEC #62 Courthouse Whittler (this is a congress pattern), which feels great in the hand, but I've not been able to use it enough to really sing its praises yet. One knife that I've used a lot is a Camillus #72 "whittler" (though it's really more like a stockman). These are only available on the used market, often as Boy Scout knives. The main blade on the 72 is a little too thick, but can be make to work. The coping and mini clip blades are nice and thin. I like this one a lot.

whittler.jpg
 
A Boker congress knife makes a good whittler. What you will find is that for whittling, a smaller blade, no longer than your thumb, is perhaps the best for around 90% of your whittling tasks. Also, a longer handle is much more comfortable than a shorter one. Regardless of what you choose, if you are serious about whittling you will have to reprofile the blades you will whittle with to remove the secondary bevel. You want a flat grind at no more than 15 degrees each side.

Here is a 4 inch Winchester large congress showing one of the pen blades reprofiled as I described. I did this on a belt sander and then polished using diamond stones then ceramic and finally stropping with some coarse then fine compound. I never have to sharpen this unless I nick the blade. All I do is strop it by laying it flat and it stays razor sharp. It devours wood.

You will find that blade geometry is far more important than just about any other factor. Also, high carbon steel (this one is 1095) definitely holds up better when whittling. You can get stainless razor sharp, but it dulls very fast.

I like a congress or stockman or whittler pattern because I usually sharpen one or two blades for whittling, and the others I use for utility.

2014-08-09%2022.44.02_zps7uh5fzsb.jpg
 
Thanks again.

Now I'm trying to figure out where to purchase one from? (there's no stores anywhere near where I live... closest maybe 7hrs. drive). I was considering Amazon but am wondering if I should just try to purchase directly from manufacturer instead?
 
Kootenay Carver - Email me. I have some information for you. Just click on my name and I will send you info you need.

Thawk
 
dma1965 said:
A Boker congress knife makes a good whittler. What you will find is that for whittling, a smaller blade, no longer than your thumb, is perhaps the best for around 90% of your whittling tasks. Also, a longer handle is much more comfortable than a shorter one. Regardless of what you choose, if you are serious about whittling you will have to reprofile the blades you will whittle with to remove the secondary bevel. You want a flat grind at no more than 15 degrees each side.

Here is a 4 inch Winchester large congress showing one of the pen blades reprofiled as I described. I did this on a belt sander and then polished using diamond stones then ceramic and finally stropping with some coarse then fine compound. I never have to sharpen this unless I nick the blade. All I do is strop it by laying it flat and it stays razor sharp. It devours wood.

You will find that blade geometry is far more important than just about any other factor. Also, high carbon steel (this one is 1095) definitely holds up better when whittling. You can get stainless razor sharp, but it dulls very fast.

I like a congress or stockman or whittler pattern because I usually sharpen one or two blades for whittling, and the others I use for utility.
Click to expand...

As someone who's trying to learn about whittling, I find this to be very helpful advice. I guess I've learned on my own that I'm more successful with a short blade and a longer handle; I thought that maybe I was lacking in skills because I didn't like using the main blade, so it's good to get confirmation from dma1965 that short blades are preferable. Now I have to start some experiments in reprofiling to get the recommended flat grind and acute angle on the edge.

-GT
 
I am a very inexperienced whittler, but of course, I still have an opinion! The two blades I found most useful were a full sized (2½ - 3") sheepfoot and a smaller pen. The pattern that works well with these blades is the half-congress whittler. GEC makes a beauty in their #61 pattern. Here is mine in tortoise shell acrylic.

Tortoise61_zps02c3c935.jpg~original
 
I concur with the sheepsfoot style and pen combination. I have my sheepsfoot in a fixed blade dedicated whittling knife and the pen blade in a SAK so I can't carve on the go but if you were to purchase a knife I would recommend the above for utility though I personally do not own one. I am inexperienced so this may well be the ravings of a lunatic but the sheepsfoot pen combo is really good.
 
black mamba said:
I am a very inexperienced whittler, but of course, I still have an opinion! The two blades I found most useful were a full sized (2½ - 3") sheepfoot and a smaller pen. The pattern that works well with these blades is the half-congress whittler. GEC makes a beauty in their #61 pattern. Here is mine in tortoise shell acrylic.
Click to expand...

Good-looking knife, Jeff! I use a small pen (small blade on a Tinker) a lot when I whittle. Have you modified the blade geometry of your half-congress at all to facilitate whittling?

-GT
 
Handle comfort is the most important feature of a good whittler. Often a fairly long handle that is curved feels best to me, but this may not be true for you. If you want just one whittling knife, think about trying an ettrick style knife. There is a recent post about them. Try to get one with carbon steel and unvarnished wood handles, especially if you will work for longer periods or get sweaty hands. The one I use has been great for me, even with a bit of arthritis.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top