The Whittling Corner

[yablanowitz]

I've done quite a bit of whittling with Opinels, #6, 7 & 8 mostly. As I get older I need bigger handles, my fingers aren't as nimble as they once were. Smaller blades work better for me, which coupled to needing bigger handles pretty much guarantees I'll be reshaping/resizing blades as I go along. Heck, one of my favorite whittling knives came out of a lot of knives I picked up on the bay, probably cost me less than $2. Once I reground the broken blades, it works quite well.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

Work in progress:

It's a mushroom. I promise... really.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

A little less phallic this time:

A little.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

Before and after:

Was a fun way to spend President's Day outside with the kids.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

Used a Mora Companion, an Opinel No. 10, grandpa's Old Timer and a 1/4" chisel to hollow under the cap.

 

[Trout Hound]

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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Daniel, in my humble opinion, the Opinel would not be my first choice for whittling. I find that, the vast majority of the time, a straight edge, such as on a coping or sheepsfoot blade, is the most useful blade profile for whittling. There are a few noted exceptions, of course, where a blade with some belly, or one with a sharp point, comes in handy. An Opinel may be useful for roughing out a piece, but I would want something else for detail work. YMMV.


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[WhittlinAway]

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.

I think it's safe to say that a lot of whittling has been done over the years with Opinels. My first real project—a simple penguin—was mostly carved with an Opinel No. 6.

As you can see from yablanowitz and Trout Hound's replies, the choice of whittling knife ends up being a personal preference thing based on both what fits comfortably in your hands and what works well for the type(s) of whittling you like to do. I also like small blades, but my preference for most of my whittling is either a pen blade or a small clip. That being said, I do like having a coping or sheepsfoot handy for the occasions when I want a straight edge and a pointy tip.

Another inexpensive knife to consider is the Victorinox Recruit. If you go that route, I'd recommend removing the key ring and then either filing or grinding away its attachment point so it's not in the way of your thumb when you're working with the small blade. If you decide later that you'd like to have a straight edge, it's not too hard to modify the small pen blade into a coping blade shape. I believe that's the recommended set up of Chris Lubkeman who has written many whittling books, including the Swiss Army Knife Whittling Book.

I think an Opinel, a Recruit, or a used stockman would all be good options to get started. Get them nice and sharp, get to know them, and figure out what you like. From there, you can figure out your next move, if necessary.

Have fun and be safe.

Neat! That's some serious material removal to get from before to after. Glad you were able to spend a nice afternoon whittlin' on your porch. Thanks for sharing what you were up to. :thumbup:

 

[Knife freaky]

I think it's safe to say that a lot of whittling has been done over the years with Opinels. My first real project—a simple penguin—was mostly carved with an Opinel No. 6.

As you can see from yablanowitz and Trout Hound's replies, the choice of whittling knife ends up being a personal preference thing based on both what fits comfortably in your hands and what works well for the type(s) of whittling you like to do. I also like small blades, but my preference for most of my whittling is either a pen blade or a small clip. That being said, I do like having a coping or sheepsfoot handy for the occasions when I want a straight edge and a pointy tip.

Another inexpensive knife to consider is the Victorinox Recruit. If you go that route, I'd recommend removing the key ring and then either filing or grinding away its attachment point so it's not in the way of your thumb when you're working with the small blade. If you decide later that you'd like to have a straight edge, it's not too hard to modify the small pen blade into a coping blade shape. I believe that's the recommended set up of Chris Lubkeman who has written many whittling books, including the Swiss Army Knife Whittling Book.

I think an Opinel, a Recruit, or a used stockman would all be good options to get started. Get them nice and sharp, get to know them, and figure out what you like. From there, you can figure out your next move, if necessary.

Have fun and be safe.



Neat! That's some serious material removal to get from before to after. Glad you were able to spend a nice afternoon whittlin' on your porch. Thanks for sharing what you were up to. :thumbup:

Thank you all very much! Very helpful!

Very nice "shroom".

Daniel.


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[bill2000]

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.


Thanks for sharing those TroutHound. They are elegant in their simplicity. Could you give us some idea of the scale? Thanks again, a real treat.

 

[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.


Thanks for sharing those TroutHound. They are elegant in their simplicity. Could you give us some idea of the scale? Thanks again, a real treat.

Another family member has them, or I would measure, but I would say that the tall one is about 3.5"-4" tall, with the other similar piece of like size. The lighter piece is about 1.5"-2" tall.


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[r8shell]

I was reading an article in Knife Magazine about new knives for 2017, and I saw this!

Schrade Old Timer Splinter Carvin' Knife


I am ridiculously excited.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

I was reading an article in Knife Magazine about new knives for 2017, and I saw this!

Schrade Old Timer Splinter Carvin' Knife


I am ridiculously excited.

Very cool. Will definitely be giving one a try.

Anyone have any experience with Rough Rider's carving set?

 

[r8shell]

Very cool. Will definitely be giving one a try.

Anyone have any experience with Rough Rider's carving set?

Very cheaply made, they needed a good sharpening and a bit of sanding on the handles, but not a bad deal. I paid $8 for the set of 12 with carrying case, so it's not much risk. I haven't tried using them on hard wood, but they were handy getting into tight spaces. I might try modifying some of the shapes.

 

[WhittlinAway]

I was reading an article in Knife Magazine about new knives for 2017, and I saw this!

Schrade Old Timer Splinter Carvin' Knife
...

I am ridiculously excited.

When can we expect your review?

 

[r8shell]

When can we expect your review?

As soon as I can get my hands on one.

 

[Petunia D. Feeble]

Very cheaply made, they needed a good sharpening and a bit of sanding on the handles, but not a bad deal. I paid $8 for the set of 12 with carrying case, so it's not much risk. I haven't tried using them on hard wood, but they were handy getting into tight spaces. I might try modifying some of the shapes.

Yeah, those handles definitely look a bit more rough there than in the stock photo.

 

[zolthar]

I finally made some progress on my whittling project.

Still a few steps to go but it already looks much better than my first attempt at whittling a face [emoji16]:

Mark

 

[WhittlinAway]

I finally made some progress on my whittling project.

It's looking good Mark! I'm glad you were able to find time to come back to it.

May I ask about the knives pictured with it? I'm always curious to hear about what others enjoy whittling with.

 

[zolthar]

It's looking good Mark! I'm glad you were able to find time to come back to it.

May I ask about the knives pictured with it? I'm always curious to hear about what others enjoy whittling with.

Thanks! Most is done with the coping blade of an Imperial Congress. I wanted to try whittling with a pen blade too, I use a small Rough Rider Whittler for that.

The pen still needs some sharpening, it's noticably less sharp than the coping blade. I'm planning to try using files like you and Mr. Chips described in this thread hoping it will speed up the progress considerably.



Mark