Whittlin'

N

nokia

Joined
Sep 3, 2007
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252
Question thats been botherin me for some time now.

How many people whittle out there? I can probably tell its a good number of the people that visit this subforum, but just wanted to know.

I picked up whittling not to long ago and I can say I am HOOOOKED!!
Its like a drug to me, I even managed to fix up a paddle (not the greatest) but it scared my nephew! (not suppose to, but it was fun)

Just for fun, what knife do you use to whittle with?

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thats the main knife I whittle with. just an old kutmaster barlow that sharpens up like a razor.
 
I really enjoy whittling, though haven't done much recently. I use whatever is in my pocket but prefer to use my boker barlow.
 
yablanowitz said:
It's a lot easier with basswood
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Yup - I finally learned that, after a lot of blisters and a broken blade tip. :o

I've made: spoons, spatulas, & other utensils; house address numbers; slingshots (my son's favorite); Christmas ornaments; half of a ball-in-a-cage; personalized file and chisel handles; several little wooden guns (I haven't got the rubberband mechanism to work yet); keyring fobs; lots of funny little person-like characters (that never look right when I'm done); and even a small totem pole. Plus tons of other random thingys that end up in the fireplace sooner or later.

I use several knives: a large Case CV Stockman, a Case Seahorse, and several old Schrade carbon-steel Old Timers. My favorite OT is this 77OT that had both blades damaged; I mod'ed them into Wharncliffes and it's one of my best whittlers. :thumbup:
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thx - cpr

PS - Oh yeah: over the years, I've 'whittled' (NOT on purpose!) seven of my fingers. You can't call yourself a whittler until you've stained a carbon steel blade with your own blood. :D
 
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I just did this a few weeks ago. First thing I ever whittled that actually looked like anything. I used only my Mora 760 ,The wood is as hard as a rock. When God handed out talent I was out for coffee.

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haha! looks better than anything i can do. im stuck sharpening sticks to really fine points. except for that paddle.
 
A while back, I did a lot of whittling. I got very interested (my wife might say obsessed) in "tramp art" such as ball in cage, wooden chains, etc. Even made a couple pairs of pliers with a single piece of wood (that one took a few tries to get it right!).

Anyway, I took the family to the Museum of Appalachia, which has a lot of stuff like that on display, and they were having a craft fair/demonstration that weekend. One of the exhibitors was a wood carver. I watched and talked to him quite a while. He was using a Camillus electricians knife, and said he always used an electricians knife for his carving. Of course, that eventually lead to my next obsession of collecting electrician's knives!

I guess the point is: You can probably use almost anything if you have the skill to coax the figure out of the piece of wood it's hiding in. It's not the arrow, it's the Indian.

But looking for the perfect whittler is also a great excuse to keep buying more knives!
 
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Steve_Holt said:
I guess the point is: You can probably use almost anything if you have the skill to coax the figure out of the piece of wood it's hiding in.
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That's true - I once used a Stanley utility knife to carve a heart for my wife, out of Purpleheart. Very simple shape - it certainly didn't take much skill.

Steve_Holt said:
But looking for the perfect whittler is also a great excuse to keep buying more knives!
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Finding an excuse to buy knives - that must be the first rule of knife knuts; it's probably written in stone somewhere. :)

thx - cpr
 
I've been whittling since I was a wee lad.. My Uncle Lou and his friend Jed taught me..

Since about the mid 1990's I have come to teach any of the youngn's around here who would like to learn.. I believe its something we(all of us here) owe the younger generation.

As far as the knives I use are concerned, I use several.. A few of my favorite sheath knives to get started with the rough stuff and then Stockman patterns and finally Whittler patterns to typically finish with. Although, I've used my Harness Jack's or Scout Knives punch blade's from time to time for detail work on special projects.

Hardly ever take photos of my stuff because whittle'n is just for fun. :D ..

But here's one I carved for a small child a month or so ago.. Then of coarse I had to carve another for his brother right afterward.. :)

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I also carve walking sticks with or without totem heads and traditional hardwood walking canes..

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Anthony
 
I'm not a big whittler, but I did try my hand at a ball and cage once. I did not have a good time with it. I used pine, which I'm sure most of you know is a grainy wood. Combined with my less than stellar sharpening skills at the time and I had an experience that was more PITA than it was relaxing.

My wife on the other hand seems to be a glutton for punishment. After seeing some pictures of ball and cages she has resolved to craft one herself. I could probably be a smart alek about it and give her pine or walnut to work with, but I think I'll be a good husband and find her some basswood as that wood seems to be highly recommended. I'll probably be doing myself a favor anyways, I have a feeling that it'll be my responsibility to keep her whittling knife sharp.
 
I picked up a couple of bags of "Basswood Mini Carving Blocks" the last time I was in a Hobby Lobby store. I had to search the whole building to find them, but they were there. Too bad the store is 80 miles away.

These were done before I laid hands on any basswood. It can be done with scrap lumber (pine), but it isn't as much fun.

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Those are great Anthony :thumbup: I had seen the walkin sticks before, but had forgotten about them.
The boat is a really cool idea, specially with the little guys in it. Perrty creative

Yab, thats some nice work too
 
yablanowitz said:
I picked up a couple of bags of "Basswood Mini Carving Blocks" the last time I was in a Hobby Lobby store. I had to search the whole building to find them, but they were there. Too bad the store is 80 miles away.
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Years ago I purchased several blocks of basswood online from a company in MN.

They were very reasonable at the time. I imagine a bit of searching on the net may still yield some sources at reasonable prices.

These days I tend to grab downed or cut limbs from my property which has a variety of hard and soft woods.
 
Almost any "art supply" store will have a good selection of basswood on hand. If you don't have an art supply store in your town, a craft store like Michael's or Hobby Lobby is your next best bet.

This reminds me- I need to do some more whittling! I usually use whatever sticks or scraps I can find lying around. I like the little pen blade on a Case Peanut- that works best for me. The Swayback Jack is another knife I like to whittle with. I like small blades, and I work very slowly. I'm not very good at it, either. Most of you guys in this thread have me beat.
 
338375 said:
Those are great Anthony :thumbup: I had seen the walkin sticks before, but had forgotten about them.
The boat is a really cool idea, specially with the little guys in it. Perrty creative..
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Thanks..

I realize my stuff is pretty privative but I enjoy it. :D

BTW, Check out my favorite Whittler!. :cool: Great pattern!. :thumbup: Thanks Again!!



Anthony
 
Anthony, love that L handle walking stick, what wood is that?


Very nice grain and charater brought out well by your finishing.
 
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