Whittler - A Dying Pattern?

wintermute

wintermute

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Oct 18, 2007
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Is the whittler a dying pattern? I love the traditional whittler (spineback or cigar), but it doesn't seem like there's too much of them around anymore. I especially drool over those nice smooth Schrades and Winchesters with those nice spear blades. Moore Maker has a nice spineback, but they're on the expensive side. So does Eye Brand, but I'm not sure if the secondary blades are large enough to be useful. Both the Case and Boker whittlers seem to be morphing into something more like a stockman - the Case blades are beefier, and the Boker's serpentine handle is reminiscent of their stockman.
 
There are still whittlers to be found. They seem to have become a bit less common because they are a more difficult knife to build properly.

That said, there are still some good ones being made by some of the factories as well as better custom makers.
 
I know what you mean. They seem to be few and far between. I've only one. I just got a look at Doc Hagen's lock back whittler design, available thru CKG/Colorado. I guess he got the pattern from TB (?). Very nice, and terrific bone!

Mike
 
wintermute said:
Is the whittler a dying pattern? I love the traditional whittler (spineback or cigar), but it doesn't seem like there's too much of them around anymore. I especially drool over those nice smooth Schrades and Winchesters with those nice spear blades. Moore Maker has a nice spineback, but they're on the expensive side. So does Eye Brand, but I'm not sure if the secondary blades are large enough to be useful. Both the Case and Boker whittlers seem to be morphing into something more like a stockman - the Case blades are beefier, and the Boker's serpentine handle is reminiscent of their stockman.
Click to expand...

Interesting post considering I was just looking at a Whittler last night and just posted here about considering it. Something about the Whittler having the secondary and tertiary blades opposite the main blade makes sense to me about the design. I'll probably have one by Christmas, or at least for Christmas. I have my eye on a nice Case Whittler, although I may consider something a bit higher end.
 
However, It is a early whittler by Don Hanson: I guarantee it looks better than this photo.
IMG_0471.JPG

James
 
The whittler is one of my favorite patterns and I tend to look for them when shopping for a slipjoint. I see a lot of the smaller types (3 1/2" closed) and only a few of the 4.0" closed models. It's the larger model I really like.
 
Dare I say...
I have a Rough Rider Whittler (3 1/2") in Sawcut Bone for $9.
It has a small clip instead of a coping blade.
The F & F is excellent.
A very well put together knife in the classic shape.

I also have a Henckel (3 1/2") in red jigged bone, which is shaped like a stockman.
But the blade configration is a main clip, with the two back blades, a coping and a spear.
The nail nicks are a little small on the smaller blades.
It is a well made knife, with a good finish.

(I think Henckel and Boker must come out of the same factory, the stockmans are exactly alike, except the shield and the carbon blades on the Boker)
 
I guess I have been mourning also since they are some of my very most favorite patterns.
I get disgusted seeing many of these so called whittler patterns with 2 parallel backsprings.
Those are not whittlers in my book. :D.
 
cutter17 - you've seen some 4" models that are still in production?

The whittler really is an elegant pattern. The interesting use of the backsprings is part of the charm, as well as the potential downfall of the pattern.

The Case is almost there, for me. Right shape, secondary blades are too beefy, though. I know Tru-sharp is pretty easy to sharpen, but I still feel a whittler, especially, should be made from carbon steel, since it is traditionally meant for sharpening-intensive work.

Any one have any experience with the Eye Brand whittler? Take a look at the following web page, do those secondaries look a little too small?

www.eknifeworks.com/webapp/eCommerce/product.jsp?PriceEnd=&order=Default&CatalogName=&range=51&list=50&Feature=&SearchText=&Mode=Brand&Brand=41&PriceStart=&SKU=EBSCB
 
Your question picked my interest even though I have no interest per se' in the whittler pattern knives.
So off I go on an internet search for whittler knives and they are every where it seems to me !!! Now mind you, it might well seem that way to me because I've never paid 'em much mind before this. THERE SURELY AIN'T NO SHORTAGE OF 'EM THOUGH !!
My interests are in BIG 4-blade congress knives and BIG 4-blade stockman knives [ oh be still my heart...] It does interest me though that I am carrying in my right pocket a 3 1/2" 4-blade S&M railsplitter and I have not a clue as to whatin'ell a RAILSPLITTER really is !!!
I can say though that a really large whittler, 4" to 4 1/2" , would pick my interest to the point of parting me from some of my moolaa. Given my druthers I would buy a BIG whittler with a large spear or clip blade, a smaller spear or clip blade, and a smaller coping or sheepfoot blade.
 
The whittler is a relatively new name for an old pattern. In the 1800s Sheffield, the pattern was simply known as a three blade pen knife. Whittler is an American term but I do not know when it first appeared. Based on my understanding, there are three spring variations. The original whittlers had one wide spring that was split part-way along its length during the forging process to produce a Y. Another version has two springs of roughly equal width that are separated part-way by a thin wedge at the two blade end. Some modern whittlers (e.g. Boker/Hencles mentioned earlier*) have two spring that are not separated but rather each spring is tapered. The two thin ends together support the master blade and the thicker ends support each of the smaller blades. Some other 3 blade knives are misnamed, e.g., Camillus produced a 'whittler' with a blade spring combination was really just a variation of the stockman IMO.

* Yes Neeman, up unitl earlier this year, Boker made Henckels knives. Both may be found in carbon and stainless. For Henckels, the black shield is stainless and the red shield is carbon. I believe the Bokers have carbon blades, unless specifically stamped stainless.
 
Wil,

I guess I meant that the "traditional" whittler is dying out. There's wharncliffe whittlers and serpentine whittlers and seahorse whittlers. There's whittlers w/ stainless steel blades (not really interested in them) and there's whittlers w/ D2 blades (not interested in buying and using fancy equipment to sharpen them.
 
Joseph Rodgers & Sons originally devised the serpentine-handled wharncliffe whittler in the early part of the 1800s. This pattern is reproduced by many makers today e.g. CASE Seahorse and Bulldog.
 
Smiling - are you trying to torture me? Let me see what I can say next that will force me to insert foot into mouth.

Pretty amazing that you could refute the wharncliffe and the serpentine in one sentence. Good (but painful) history lesson.
 
I did not intend to cause any pain or disparage you in anyway wintermute. Just contributing what I think I know on the topic.
 
Smiling -

I knew you were just helping flesh out the thread. I didn't take your posts to be hurtful at all. They actually made me laugh. I've noticed that comedy and sarcasm are dodgy subjects on the internet. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't.
 
Has anybody ever actually seen a whittler with the backspring split and not simply two tapered springs with a spacer in between?

I've heard about them, and heard that that is what a "true" whittler should be, but I've never actually seen one.
 
That is a good question msteele6. I would like to see a true split spring too if anyone has one please.
 
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