The Whittling Corner

[NoviceWoodsman]

Your Mora 106 or 120 shouldn't be holding you back. I use my 106 as often as my PF sloyd knife. I do highly recommend their spoon knife.

Is that what you used to make that clean crosshatch pattern? My attempt at a similar decorative pattern with the Mora looked awfully ragged with a lot of little splinters of wood in the cuts.

 

[t.willy]

Hellow I am just starting down the road to learning how to whittle. I've ordered myself the Shatt & Morgan Humpback Lockback Whittler. My question is can anybody tell me if this is a decent knife to start learning the Craft? If this isn't a good question for this thread please let me know and ill remove it. Ether way thank you for your time. Trevor

 

[WhittlinAway]

Hellow I am just starting down the road to learning how to whittle. I've ordered myself the Shatt & Morgan Humpback Lockback Whittler. My question is can anybody tell me if this is a decent knife to start learning the Craft?

Hi Trevor,

Great! I've never used or handled one, but the blade shapes look plenty well suited to whittling. Something I didn't realize at first is that it's at least as much about how you sharpen it as it is about the knife itself. Mr. Chips offered some great advice on sharpening for whittling in this post.

Have fun, be safe, and please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions as you get going.

 

[t.willy]

Thank you For the post on sharpening Whittlinaway. I will definitely be back to ask more questions im sure lol.

 

[WhittlinAway]

I realized this evening that I hadn't yet posted an update on the ball in cage I've been working on and how I'm liking the modified small clip on my Case 6383. Well, no time like the present.

Here are a couple of photos of where the project stands:

I'm enjoying the narrower profile of the clip. I've found it easier to reach into tight spaces while clearing away the space on either side of the ball. There isn't much opportunity to use the back part of the blade on this project, so I'll have to wait until later to see whether I miss having a straight edge on the back half.

As for the project itself, I've had less time than I'd hope to devote to it over the past month, but I've been having fun with it. I'm hoping February will offer more whittling time than a January did.

Following some advice given by NoviceWoodsman in this post, I've left pillars connecting to the sides of the ball. This should help hold the ball firmly in place as it takes shape and is freed from the bars. I'll post more pictures as I make progress towards that goal.

In the mean time, what have other folks been working on?

 

[Jeff_R]

Greg,

Thanks for posting the picture of your current project. The pillar idea sounds like a good one; I'll try it out with my next ball-in-cage.

Yeah sometimes the "hafta's" in life can take us away from the more important "wanta's" like relaxin' and whittlin'.

Jeff

 

[Trout Hound]

I came across these pics on my phone this AM and realized I should share them here. These were done by my Grandaddy, who died twenty years ago. There's a decent chance that I own the knife he used to carve them. I'm still working on the crane pattern myself. I keep snapping off the necks. Gotta slow down.

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[Will Power]

Beautiful carvings of birds, lot of character in them.

Thanks, Will

 

[WhittlinAway]

I came across these pics on my phone this AM and realized I should share them here. These were done by my Grandaddy, who died twenty years ago.

...

Trout Hound, these are fantastic. I particularly liked the first one. The head and neck stretching skyward is wonderfully captured.

What sorts of knives did your granddad carve with?

 

[WhittlinAway]

I've been playing around with my puukko, roughing out the shape for my first attempt at a spoon.

I usually whittle small projects using small blades, so carving with the puukko is a new experience. I really like this knife, though, and must admit that it's quite fun peeling off these large shavings.

 

[Trout Hound]

Trout Hound, these are fantastic. I particularly liked the first one. The head and neck stretching skyward is wonderfully captured.

What sorts of knives did your granddad carve with?

So far as I know, he did his carving with whatever was in his pocket. If he had any dedicated carving knives, I never saw them, and I looked through most of his tools after he died. I've got his old Vic Recruit that he very well might have used for some of these.


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[freekboi]

Not my work, but my father-in-laws. He whittles out canes, walking sticks, chairs, beds, you name it, using mostly a pocket knife and simple hand tools (with a few power tools on bigger pieces.)

 

[WhittlinAway]

Trout Hound, thanks for sharing more about how your granddad carved.

Freekboi, thanks for showing your father-in-law's work. I like that snake skin pattern. Is that in the bark, or is the color some sort of finish?

I'm nearly finished with my first spoon:

I roughed out the shape with my Marttiini Lynx Lumberjack and Ahti Tikka, switching back and forth to get a feel for each. I used the small clip blade of my Camillus 72 for the handle and outside of the bowl.

For the inside of the bowl, well, just about every small, sharp curved-edge blade I own took a turn as I tried my best to shape it without a crook knife. This morning I got in the queue for a Pinewood Forge hook knife.

A question for those who have carved spoons: how do you proceed from this stage? For a smooth shape do you do more knife (or other tool?) work? Or do you use sandpaper? Some other technique?

I think sandpaper is going to be my only option for the interior of the bowl, given its current state and my skill and tools. For the outside and handle I haven't decided yet whether to refine it a bit more and leave the facets or to go for something smoother.

I must say, though, I'm having a ton of fun with this. I can see how spoon carving could be habit forming.

 

[kamagong]

You can use definitely use sandpaper. Many people do, and it is certainly a valid finishing technique. But being a knife guy, you might want to strive for an as-cut finish. It takes a lot of skill, and that only comes with lots of practice, but I think it's a great way of showing that the spoon is a handmade item. For example -

 

[WhittlinAway]

Kamagong, that's fantastic work!

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

I came across these pics on my phone this AM and realized I should share them here. These were done by my Grandaddy, who died twenty years ago. There's a decent chance that I own the knife he used to carve them. I'm still working on the crane pattern myself. I keep snapping off the necks. Gotta slow down.

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These are stunning. Thanks so much for sharing and I dislike you immensely for adding another hobby to my "must try again" list.

I've done some whittling. Spoons and a mushroom or two, but never took it very seriously. Would be a good activity for those times spent on the porch watching the kids play.

That's right. Be impressed. My kids actually play outside.

 

[kamagong]

Kamagong, that's fantastic work!

Thanks for the advice.

I wish I could take credit. That spoon was a gift. It serves as inspiration, and a study guide of sorts. It's a good instructor on how a well made spoon needs to curve in the appropriate places.

 

[WhittlinAway]

I wish I could take credit. That spoon was a gift. It serves as inspiration, and a study guide of sorts. It's a good instructor on how a well made spoon needs to curve in the appropriate places.

It certainly is inspirational. And, what a wonderful gift to have received. I appreciate your sharing the picture.

 

[freekboi]

Trout Hound, thanks for sharing more about how your granddad carved.

Freekboi, thanks for showing your father-in-law's work. I like that snake skin pattern. Is that in the bark, or is the color some sort of finish?

I'm nearly finished with my first spoon:

I roughed out the shape with my Marttiini Lynx Lumberjack and Ahti Tikka, switching back and forth to get a feel for each. I used the small clip blade of my Camillus 72 for the handle and outside of the bowl.

For the inside of the bowl, well, just about every small, sharp curved-edge blade I own took a turn as I tried my best to shape it without a crook knife. This morning I got in the queue for a Pinewood Forge hook knife.

A question for those who have carved spoons: how do you proceed from this stage? For a smooth shape do you do more knife (or other tool?) work? Or do you use sandpaper? Some other technique?

I think sandpaper is going to be my only option for the interior of the bowl, given its current state and my skill and tools. For the outside and handle I haven't decided yet whether to refine it a bit more and leave the facets or to go for something smoother.

I must say, though, I'm having a ton of fun with this. I can see how spoon carving could be habit forming.

The reddish color on most of them is the bark, with some high gloss polyurethane finish in it to make it shine. The dark spots he adds on before sealing them to give them a snake like pattern.

 

[Knife freaky]

Hope this is the right place to ask this. Would I opinel pocket knife be a suitable whittling knife or would it be to big. I would like to get into whittling but don't have big bucks for a knife. Good to see some activity in The Whittling Corner![emoji3]

Daniel.


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