Whittling advice...Many questions

R

robert33usa

Joined
Mar 11, 2002
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29
Hello all!

I have been reading several older threads on this forum about Whittling and it has peaked my interest. I went out and bought a cheap old timer middleman and am planning on trying my luck with a few projects. However I do have a few questions:

1. Should I try a "ball in cage" or a chain for my first project? Which is easier?

2. Where do I get basswood and how much does it cost? Any place I could buy several blocks of it on the cheap?

3. After buying my old timer middleman, I find that I am having trouble getting it shaving sharp with my sharpmaker (which is very unusual) Any special technique I should be using for a whittling knife? Is the middleman the right knife for the job?

4. Do most folks only use a pocket knife to do thier whittling projects? Seems like it would be tough to get all the wood out of a ball in cage project with just a knife. Do people ever use a drill to cut away excess wood, or is this considered cheating in the whittling world?

Thanks in advance for your help.
 
1. try the 10-cut pliers if you're a true beginner. Fun project, easy to understand. If you've done a few projects already, then move to the chain. (IMO, easier than ball-in-cage)

2. Get Basswood at Michael's Crafts. You can also buy pieces on eBay. If you go to eBay, also look for butternut - easy to carve and better looking than basswood (which dulls knives faster). Plan to spend around $3-4.

3. Might be pushing too hard or even too softly. It's a carbon steel, so it will sharpen differently. Just keep at it until you find the right solution. Maybe you could give us a better description of what's going on? Also: for whittling, I would recommend having a strop nearby to keep it sharp as you go along.

4. "cheating" - If using a drill is cheating, maybe we should all go back to using obsidian knives to do our work...:rolleyes: Anyway, try to do as much as you can with just your knife and then when you run into a snag, instead of reaching for a power tool, come here and ask your question. There are many folks who whittle on this forum...and some who piddle...:eek:

Dan
 
Very basic carving project meant to get you thinking about moving parts, etc.

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I can send a zip file if you want the full instructions. You can also find other wood carving projects online.

The 10-cut, though (IMHO), is the best for the new-to-carving folks. Yes, it's very rudimentary, but still fun.
 
You might find that you'll want something more like these to do a ball-in-cage project.

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Sometimes a whittler's knife blade is too long and thick - they work real good, though, for making "wood spirit" carvings.
 
Now you have me interested. I took a look at some website about "Mooney" Wather and it said that he could carve a set of these pliers in under 20 seconds! That is very impressive. I would like more detailed instrucions on how to do it. If you could post them that would be great.
 
1. I did a ball-in-cage as my first project, but it was very tough and long for a first project. If you've got the power tools to saw the initial cuts, a short chain should not take long at all.

2. Small basswood blocks are pretty cheap. Almost any good craft store will have them. You can even get them by the bag full.

3. It sounds like you might not be sharpening the actual edge of the Middleman. Try the magic marker technique to make sure that you’re getting to the edge. Those Old timers have some pretty nasty initial grinds, but cut great when you get them right. I also sharpen my whittling knives at a pretty wicked angle. Basswood is soft enough that I’ll go down to an included angle of 20 degrees without a problem. I keep a strop with me while whittling, charged with Yellowstone. If you’ll be doing technical whittling, pay close attention to your sheepsfoot blade. Sheepsfoot and wharncliffe blades (even better) do 90% of my whittling work.

4. Obviously, by my answer to question #1, I’m not opposed to power tools for the prep work. Whittling is about having fun. Use the power tools if you like, and leave just enough handwork to make the project fun for yourself. As to how much is fun depends on the person and spare time. I’ve done ball-in-cages completely by hand and had fun. I’ve done others with initial cuts from my SAK saw. I’ve used a drill on others. It was all a matter of my mood, how much time I had, and how big a block of wood I was using. A large block of wood can take a LONG time to whittle.
 
The Flexcut knives that pendentive posted are what I use for whittling. I got two of them as gifts, tried them out, and have quit using most of my slipjoints, for now. They're only about $15 each, with nice thin blades that can be touched up quickly with a leather strop and rouge.

I also started with a ball-in-cage for my first project, but was frustrated a lot throughout the process and would attempt something easier if I had to do it again. It's all about having fun, after all.
 
I guess I am a purist. I don't use anything but knife blades to whittle. No saws, no chisels, no drills, don't sand it, only knife work. But that is just me. I ditto the butternut suggestion. Way more interesting wood than basswood. The flexcut knives are great but I use a middle man a lot too. Try stropping for a razor edge. E. J. Tangermans Whittling and Woodcarving book is highly recommended. You should be able to get it for between $10 and $12 bucks or it might be at a local library, that is where I first saw it. Good luck and have fun.
 
Originally posted by robert33usa
Hello all!

I have been reading several older threads on this forum about Whittling and it has peaked my interest. I went out and bought a cheap old timer middleman and am planning on trying my luck with a few projects. However I do have a few questions:

3. After buying my old timer middleman, I find that I am having trouble getting it shaving sharp with my sharpmaker (which is very unusual) Any special technique I should be using for a whittling knife? Is the middleman the right knife for the job?



Thanks in advance for your help.
Click to expand...

FWIW, I bought a Middleman during the last whittling oriented discussion and I too was very disappointed that the Sharpmaker would not produce a sharp edge (as it does with 99% of my other knives). I Ended up using an old EzeLap diamond rod, the one that screws into a brass handle, and now the Middleman works fine.
 
Shoot me an email and I'll send you the zip file.
 
A strop seems to make a big difference for whittling too. You really want a polished edge, and its nice to just hit the strop a few times every once in awhile when your whittling instead of letting it get dull.

Take a look around www.woodcraft.com . Their grab boxes of basswood are pretty much just the ticket for a whittler. They have 4.5 board feet of random cuts. Most of the blocks in the last one I got are about 4" X 6" and at least 6" long, some even bigger.
I would definitely recommend any of the swiss made carving tools, some of the knives listed under chip carving work for whittling very nicely too.

Don't just limit yourself to ball n cage and chains. You can do just about anything you want with it. Do a google search on tom wolfe. I'm going to have to get some pictures of some of the figures and stuff I've done and see if we can't get you guys to make up some of your own stuff before we have 300 threads on the ball n cage ;)
 
I got a set of whittling knives similar to what pendentive showed. At first I felt like I was cheating because the whittling was going faster and better than with a stockman. The bottom line though is whether or not you're having a good time at it. I started out much easier by creating wooden spoons,forks and other wooden tools.Have Fun!;)
 
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