Which Pattern of Knife is Best for a New Whittler?

A one-size-fits-all folder would be nice, but there are other options. For a total of under $50, you could create a variety of blade shapes in sizes to meet your needs.

Years ago, my son wanted to whittle (he was around 9, at the time). I decided he needed a locking folder, with a long handle and short blade. I modified an Opinel #10: shortened the blade, into a wharncliffe (with nail-nick), using to a cutting-wheel equipped Dremel and a pan of water (to cool the steel); added an easy-open handle slot with a rasp.
 
thatotherguy said:
Resurrected for the new whittlers reading, and for updates as the OP sees fit.
Plus, it's just a cool blast from the past IMO.
op- how's he coming along?
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He's not a hardcore whittler, but he does carry the knife around with him everywhere he goes when he's home, and uses it quite often. I swear sometimes he carries more knives than I do. As I mentioned, he's quite the outdoorsy type...always building something or creating something, and recently it hasn't been uncommon to find him with that whittler, and the Rough Rider scout knife I bought him for his birthday (he's a Boy Scout, and sadly didn't have any decent scout knives...no way I was going to let him get one of the crappy chinese made BSA Logo knives. I'd rather a quality Chinese made Rough Rider. ;) ) in his pockets, and either his newly acquired Mora or Buck Packlite Skinner on his belt. Even better-all of those knives actually get used (and safely/properly). So wonderful that I can trust this kid.

Last I heard from him this evening, he was going to use the whittler to craft spears for an atlatl he was making...I'll try to gather some of his work and post a picture.

Also, on the strop front, although I haven't procured a really decent one yet (we have a piece of an old belt that gets used sometimes, but haven't bothered getting any compound to load up on it...it's really too small to bother), I have taken to stropping with newspaper in the past few months, and have loved the results I've been getting from that, so he's been taught how to maintain his blades using that method.
 
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wow, he sounds like an inventive kid!
You can also strop on cardboard, that works well.
Is he carrying the Mora or Paklite at Scout functions?
 
thatotherguy said:
wow, he sounds like an inventive kid!
You can also strop on cardboard, that works well.
Is he carrying the Mora or Paklite at Scout functions?
Click to expand...

Quite inventive. Just today he was out in the garage building a trailer for his bike out of pieces of scrap packing metal. And he always seems to be building something out of PVC...the latest was a blow-dart gun, complete with stabilized darts.

His troop leaders aren't fans of fixed blades, so he doesn't carry them there, but he does always carry both his whittler and his scout knife now...before those it was a Sheffield folder that I got him last Christmas. The kid's beat that thing up pretty good (all honest use though, not abuse). He's not afraid to use a knife, and so far hasn't managed to cut himself in any meaningful fashion. His worst injury has in fact been with a pair of scissors...bisected the tip of his middle finger nearly down to the bone.

I'm not sure where he gets either his outdoorsy nature or his engineer-like qualities. My father, bless his heart, is mechanically retarded, as am I. While he got his interest in knives and all that from me, I don't enjoy camping, hunting, or hiking at all, and while my father does dabble into camping, he is hardly an outdoorsman. So it's nice to see that my brother is catching an interest in all of this.
 
berzerker said:
A one-size-fits-all folder would be nice, but there are other options. For a total of under $50, you could create a variety of blade shapes in sizes to meet your needs.

Years ago, my son wanted to whittle (he was around 9, at the time). I decided he needed a locking folder, with a long handle and short blade. I modified an Opinel #10: shortened the blade, into a wharncliffe (with nail-nick), using to a cutting-wheel equipped Dremel and a pan of water (to cool the steel); added an easy-open handle slot with a rasp.
Click to expand...

I would really like to see a pic of that knife. Sounds like something that could be outstanding for hardwoods!
 
This is my favorite...the Oar Carver made by queen. It's a bit expensive but worth the money, I haven't been able to replicate it's quality and usability via blade modification.

 
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