The Whittling Corner

[JohnDF]

Heres a Sanata Ive been working on. Glad to see activity on this thread. I going to have to hunt down a pocket knife dedicated to whittling. As of right now I dont have a great whittling pocket knife they all are only “ok”. Maybe Ill hunt down one of them camillus 72 that WhittlinAway loves so much.

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Santa! I like Santa. Very nice.

 

[JaxBaron]

Santa! I like Santa. Very nice.

Thank you sir.

 

[LastRodeo]

Heres a Sanata Ive been working on. Glad to see activity on this thread. I going to have to hunt down a pocket knife dedicated to whittling. As of right now I dont have a great whittling pocket knife they all are only “ok”. Maybe Ill hunt down one of them camillus 72 that WhittlinAway loves so much.

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What kind of wood?

 

[JaxBaron]

What kind of wood?

Bass wood. Definitely the easiest wood to carve IMO.

 

[5K Qs]

Here’s the finished product, after some Danish oil and paste wax. The wife took him along on the Twin Pinnacles trail in Grayson Highlands, VA this weekend, and he did a great job on some steep, rocky sections to reach the highest point in the park, above 5,000 ft. She says he’s a keeper.
...

Very cool, Trout Hound !! I may have to try my hand at something like that (after appropriate practice on some "waste wood") to decorate a stick I started working on earlier this month while on vacation. Mine is an oak branch that I saved from significant storm damage to a tree in our back yard last summer; it's been drying in the garage for a year. Here's how far I've gotten so far (basically just stripping the bark and most of the sub-bark "chalky" layer, and removing some of the easier knots in the wood):

Had a friend come to my neck of the woods so we became "tourists" for a couple days!
Came across this display in a small museum in Virginia City, carved by a local man.....
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Needless to say I was quite impressed ! Sorry bout the crappy cell phone pics....

Dave

That IS impressive carving work, Dave!! They remind me of over-sized wooden versions of "wire puzzles" that one of my grandfathers had when I was a kid, with the object being to separate the 2 (or more) bent heavy-gauge wires, without actually "unbending" them. I loved those puzzles, even though there were some I never figured out!

Heres a Sanata Ive been working on. Glad to see activity on this thread. I going to have to hunt down a pocket knife dedicated to whittling. As of right now I dont have a great whittling pocket knife they all are only “ok”. Maybe Ill hunt down one of them camillus 72 that WhittlinAway loves so much.

View attachment 975496

JaxBaron , your projects always look great to me, whatever knife you're using; sure looks like you've got your knives sharpened up effectively. Of course, whittling is a great excuse to be on the lookout for more knives!

- GT

 

[r8shell]

Very cool, Trout Hound !! I may have to try my hand at something like that (after appropriate practice on some "waste wood") to decorate a stick I started working on earlier this month while on vacation. Mine is an oak branch that I saved from significant storm damage to a tree in our back yard last summer; it's been drying in the garage for a year. Here's how far I've gotten so far (basically just stripping the bark and most of the sub-bark "chalky" layer, and removing some of the easier knots in the wood):
View attachment 975827


That IS impressive carving work, Dave!! They remind me of over-sized wooden versions of "wire puzzles" that one of my grandfathers had when I was a kid, with the object being to separate the 2 (or more) bent heavy-gauge wires, without actually "unbending" them. I loved those puzzles, even though there were some I never figured out!


JaxBaron , your projects always look great to me, whatever knife you're using; sure looks like you've got your knives sharpened up effectively. Of course, whittling is a great excuse to be on the lookout for more knives!

- GT

I look forward to seeing your walking stick, GT.
Here's a simple one I did, just to give it a no-slip hand hold.

 

[WhittlinAway]

Here’s the finished product, after some Danish oil and paste wax. The wife took him along on the Twin Pinnacles trail in Grayson Highlands, VA this weekend, and he did a great job on some steep, rocky sections to reach the highest point in the park, above 5,000 ft. She says he’s a keeper.

It turned out great! I bet it's quite a sight on the trail for those coming up the other way.

I'm afraid I don't know too much about walking sticks: is the peeled part below the wood spirit where it is held and the leather strap worn around the wrist to help support the weight and relieve the grip?

Heres a Sanata Ive been working on. Glad to see activity on this thread. I going to have to hunt down a pocket knife dedicated to whittling. As of right now I dont have a great whittling pocket knife they all are only “ok”. Maybe Ill hunt down one of them camillus 72 that WhittlinAway loves so much.

View attachment 975496

Nice! I guess now is about the time to start working on Santas, huh? I agree it's nice to see activity on this thread, especially going into a long weekend (at least here in the US).

I do love my Camillus 72, but I think whittling knives are kinda like the magic wands in Harry Potter. As much as you choose them, they choose you and it all boils down to what fits your hand and whittling style. Out of curiosity, which pocket knives are you using for whittling now?

Very cool, Trout Hound !! I may have to try my hand at something like that (after appropriate practice on some "waste wood") to decorate a stick I started working on earlier this month while on vacation. Mine is an oak branch that I saved from significant storm damage to a tree in our back yard last summer; it's been drying in the garage for a year. Here's how far I've gotten so far (basically just stripping the bark and most of the sub-bark "chalky" layer, and removing some of the easier knots in the wood):
View attachment 975827

It's looking good, GT! I think I remember you posting about that stick last summer and asking for advice on how to dry it. Looks like your method worked well.

Having fun?

I look forward to seeing your walking stick, GT.
Here's a simple one I did, just to give it a no-slip hand hold.
View attachment 976510

I'm really enjoying seeing all of these walking sticks. Another project to put on the someday list...

Speaking of projects, I've somehow managed to end up with three in-progress projects, none of which are ready to show at this point. I'm hoping to finish at least one of them over the holiday weekend.

I hope everyone has a good, safe weekend and that it includes some whittling opportunities for y'all.

 

[Trout Hound]

It turned out great! I bet it's quite a sight on the trail for those coming up the other way.

I'm afraid I don't know too much about walking sticks: is the peeled part below the wood spirit where it is held and the leather strap worn around the wrist to help support the weight and relieve the grip?

Thanks! Yes, the peeled section is just to provide a smoother grip area. I like the look of leaving the inner bark on most of the stick, but the wood, sanded down to about 600 grit, makes a really comfortable grip. The leather lanyard just helps you keep ahold of the stick. If you lose your grip for any reason, it will just hang right there, instead of skittering down the mountainside. It’s also nice for when you’ve stopped and you need that hand to open a canteen or something. Just let the stick hang on the lanyard.

 

[WhittlinAway]

Thanks! Yes, the peeled section is just to provide a smoother grip area. I like the look of leaving the inner bark on most of the stick, but the wood, sanded down to about 600 grit, makes a really comfortable grip. The leather lanyard just helps you keep ahold of the stick. If you lose your grip for any reason, it will just hang right there, instead of skittering down the mountainside. It’s also nice for when you’ve stopped and you need that hand to open a canteen or something. Just let the stick hang on the lanyard.

Thanks for the extra info!

Speaking of projects, I've somehow managed to end up with three in-progress projects

Make that four... found this in-progress black cherry spoon vacuum sealed and in the fridge to keep the green wood fresh.

I’ve been meaning to come back to it for a couple of months. No time like the present!

 

[JaxBaron]

It turned out great! I bet it's quite a sight on the trail for those coming up the other way.

I'm afraid I don't know too much about walking sticks: is the peeled part below the wood spirit where it is held and the leather strap worn around the wrist to help support the weight and relieve the grip?



Nice! I guess now is about the time to start working on Santas, huh? I agree it's nice to see activity on this thread, especially going into a long weekend (at least here in the US).

I do love my Camillus 72, but I think whittling knives are kinda like the magic wands in Harry Potter. As much as you choose them, they choose you and it all boils down to what fits your hand and whittling style. Out of curiosity, which pocket knives are you using for whittling now?



It's looking good, GT! I think I remember you posting about that stick last summer and asking for advice on how to dry it. Looks like your method worked well.

Having fun?



I'm really enjoying seeing all of these walking sticks. Another project to put on the someday list...

Speaking of projects, I've somehow managed to end up with three in-progress projects, none of which are ready to show at this point. I'm hoping to finish at least one of them over the holiday weekend.

I hope everyone has a good, safe weekend and that it includes some whittling opportunities for y'all.

Ive been using a Northwoods presidential because of the thin wharncliffe secondary blade. I also use the secondary blades on a seahorse whittler. Most of my work is done with helvie knives. I love a thin wharncliffe blade around 1-3/4” long.

 

[JaxBaron]

My newest whittling character posing next to my 56 single blade. Made from bass wood as always. This was a really fun and fast project.

 

[JohnDF]

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My newest whittling character posing next to my 56 single blade. Made from bass wood as always. This was a really fun and fast project.

Excellent work. You are putting me in the mood for Halloween

 

[JaxBaron]

Excellent work. You are putting me in the mood for Halloween

Thank you. I enjoy decorating my house with hand made items for the holidays. Hopefully they will become items I can pass down to my son.

 

[WhittlinAway]

View attachment 978914

My newest whittling character posing next to my 56 single blade. Made from bass wood as always. This was a really fun and fast project.

Fun! I like both the trick-or-treater and the pumpkin.

I enjoy decorating my house with hand made items for the holidays. Hopefully they will become items I can pass down to my son.

That sounds like fun. Not to get too far into the future, but do you have whittling plans for Thanksgiving, too?

 

[JaxBaron]

Fun! I like both the trick-or-treater and the pumpkin.



That sounds like fun. Not to get too far into the future, but do you have whittling plans for Thanksgiving, too?

I hope to be able to make either a piligram or maybe even a turkey. This time a year can get a little busy. Ill have to remember to squeeze in some whittlin time.

 

[WhittlinAway]

On Friday I completed most of the carving on that spoon I showed and set it aside to dry for a few days before making the final finishing cuts. Today I made sure my spoon and sloyd knives where super sharp and did the final shaping. Here's how it looked after a bit of flax seed oil had been applied:

I'm finding that learning to carve spoons with just a hatchet and knives is a challenging, but rewarding, pursuit. I can see why people get hooked on it. I still have a lot of learning and improving to do before I can hope to approximate what someone who really knows what they are doing can do, but I'm enjoying the journey.

 

[Jack Black]

On Friday I completed most of the carving on that spoon I showed and set it aside to dry for a few days before making the final finishing cuts. Today I made sure my spoon and sloyd knives where super sharp and did the final shaping. Here's how it looked after a bit of flax seed oil had been applied:

I'm finding that learning to carve spoons with just a hatchet and knives is a challenging, but rewarding, pursuit. I can see why people get hooked on it. I still have a lot of learning and improving to do before I can hope to approximate what someone who really knows what they are doing can do, but I'm enjoying the journey.

Fantastic work Greg

 

[WhittlinAway]

Thanks Jack Black . I appreciate the kind words.

And, my apologies JaxBaron . I meant to reply to your post yesterday and forgot. A pilgrim or a turkey both sound like fun projects. I know what you mean about getting busy. Whittling is great therapy for me when things get stressful, but I'm not always successful in making it happen.

 

[mpt]

This discussion is great! I've made some simple walking sticks before on my own, but thanks to you guys I've started a little more advanced project:

Unfortunately don't have much time for this. The above took a few hours spanned across a few weeks. I think there is still about an hour needed to finish.

Edit
just one step from finishing it:

 

[WhittlinAway]

Welcome, M mpt . Glad to have you here with us. Nice job on that chain.

I know what you mean about a few hours of work spanning a few weeks of real time. Many of my projects have been done that way, too. Fortunately wood is patient and will wait for you to come back. My problem, sometimes, is remembering what I’d intended to do next when I come back to it.