Whittling Folder Suggestions

S

sc00ts

Joined
Apr 13, 2015
Messages
42
Hi everyone,

I've recently been bitten by the whittling bug and am looking for a new traditional folder. At the moment I'm torn between the case medium stockman (with pen blade instead of spey) and the boker congress whittler. I bought my dad the exact same case last year for his 70th and was very impressed with it. Although I'm a little worried the blades may be a bit too thick/long to make it a great whittler which leans me more toward the boker. I'm open to other suggestions, but I do intend to edc it so I'd like to stay with a similar size as the two I've mentioned. I'd also like to keep it in the $50 range.

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Boker makes what they call a "Carver's Congress". The blade shapes were designed by famous carver Len Yule. It has carbon steel blades and can be found for sale in the $55-65 range.

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Case Medium Stockman in Amber Jigged Bone CV, model 00079. That is what I use for whittling. Works quite well especially after resharpening the blades to 15°.
 
They should both do the job nicely. The Boker has that extra Spey blade, which is very useful for making scooping-out cuts and whittling a curved surface. The shape of the Congress will also make it more comfortable for pull cuts. I have my eye on this one, myself.

The Stockman should also do everything you want, with the usual caveat about perhaps trying to pick the knife out locally in case fit-and-finish isn't up to snuff.
 
I've seen forum member Mr Chips recommend the GEC #38 Grinling. From what he's said, he's been carving for a long time and it was the best he's used. that recommendation is what caused me to get mine. Sadly I broke my hand right before I got it, and just haven't gotten the time to use it since the cast came off.
 
Funny this thread should pop up today as I also have had whittling on my mind as of late. I always end up just feathering sticks or half way carving something simple. I almost always use a Buck 303. I would like to know what knives folks are using and would also like to know what wood to use when getting started with "serious" whittling. I have been thinking of buying some Balsam because it's so soft but not sure. What's your thoughts on wood for a newbie to the art?

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Randy, I'm also a whittler without a ton of experience, but I have done several projects of various kinds. I'd agree that soft wood is better for a beginner (at least for THIS beginner); I've had far more success with white pine than with oak, for example. The whittling "pros" often recommend basswood for both its softness and its straight grain. I picked up a box of assorted basswood blocks at Woodcraft one day, but haven't had time to work with it enough to give you an honest opinion. (I did notice they have the same kind of box on sale this month.)

- GT
 
Thanks for all of the input. Between the variety of blade offerings and the 1095 steel I think I've decided to go with the boker. My only reservation about it is that the tip of the Spey blade sticks up above the handle in the closed position. Has this presented a problem to any one while using the sheepsfoot blade? It seems like it would be really easy to slide your middle or index finger across that and get a nice cut.
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Basswood is indeed one of the best if not the best for beginners. I would recommend that you reprofile the edges on your Boker to atleast 15°, better yet 12°, and do a mirror polish edge. It will make your experience with whittling much, much better. Congrats on your new Boker and I'm very happy to see more folks getting into the hobby of whittling.
 
That's the best picture of the Boker I've seen. Makes it look like a much, much nicer knife than the stock picture on most websites. Most of the reviews I've read say that the less-than-fully-sunk spey isn't an issue in real-world use, because the other blades shield it so it's not likely to snag on anything, especially given that it's not got a sharp point due to the blade shape. I'd be interested to hear from anyone here who has the knife, to see if they can corroborate this.
 
Hi sc00ts,
What I use for whittling is a small clip blade, that profile allows you make slicing cuts while rolling the knife to create gouge like cuts only with the knife, If you try that with a pen blade the spine will be in the way. I don't know if I'm explaining myself well.
Anyway I really like case 6383 split back whittler, and I think It is available in stainless. I would really like to try Case's 6380 but 4 years ago I chickened out of several of them on the low 100$ and now the prices have rocketed through the sky.
For beginners a thin wharncliff or sheepsfoot is maybe easier to handle.
Basswood is great because it's soft but has tight grain, so it accepts detail well. I also like beech and cherry but you have to develop your hand muscle before(better to work them with mallet and gouge) or is easy to end up with tendinitis. oak is too coarse grained and pine is hard to carved because of the soft and hard aspects of the growth rings.
One final advice is to really thin out the primary grind to about 0.005-0.010" behind the edge and to convex the shoulders of the bevel slightly, that is the most important difference between a pleasant experience and a struggle.

Mateo
P.S. If when carving, your gut tells you that something is not right with that cut, LISTEN!! ( don't ask me how I know it)
 
r redden said:
Funny this thread should pop up today as I also have had whittling on my mind as of late. I always end up just feathering sticks or half way carving something simple. I almost always use a Buck 303. I would like to know what knives folks are using and would also like to know what wood to use when getting started with "serious" whittling. I have been thinking of buying some Balsam because it's so soft but not sure. What's your thoughts on wood for a newbie to the art?

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Do you mean "Balsa wood"?

If so, my advice would be to skip it. It is too soft and tends to crush.

I think you should be able to get some white pine (make sure it is actually WHITE PINE - there are dozens of pines and many are not very good for whittling. If the vendor uses the term "ordinary pine" go elsewhere for help.

Basswood is also good and should be available to you.

Check around for small sawmills. The one and two man operations usually know a lot about wood and will be willing to help. Some larger ones are helpful too.

Also, call some local tree services - the guys that remove problem trees. These guys know wood and are usually overjoyed at the thought that someone is going to use at least a little of the wood that they have cut for something besides firewood. If you were to ask them if they have any basswood (also called Linden wood), or white pine, they may help you.

I personally have seen white pine growing in the American south (Kentucky), and basswood too, so I know you can get it.
 
sc00ts said:
Thanks for all of the input. Between the variety of blade offerings and the 1095 steel I think I've decided to go with the boker. My only reservation about it is that the tip of the Spey blade sticks up above the handle in the closed position. Has this presented a problem to any one while using the sheepsfoot blade? It seems like it would be really easy to slide your middle or index finger across that and get a nice cut.
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I had something similar happen with a whittler of mine, except I did not notice until it caught me just a bit (blade was a coping sticking up in this case). I was able to use a normal file to file down the kick until that blade sat low enough in the frame to not be an issue. It took 5 minutes of working slow and careful.

On that particular knife, it may make it tough to get a hold of the blade to open it. you may end up filing the kick of the blade in front of it as well.
 
afishhunter said:
Rough Rider makes a nice 2 blade whittler.
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For the 50$ you can afford to try out quiet a few different patterns in the rough rider offerings, and whichever pattern you come to like you may decide to upgrade to something with a little higher quality and a carbon steel. I'm still an extreme beginner ( with only a few little Christmas tree's being my only real carvings so far ) but I use my old schrade old timer 33OT Stockman.
 
One of the best whittlers is the simple English Ettrick. They are swaybacks with a single wharncliffe blade. Trevor Ablett made tons of them before his passing, a standard English pattern that is very comfortable in the hand. It might take a bit of searching to find one.
 
RobertJ1 said:
Case Medium Stockman in Amber Jigged Bone CV, model 00079. That is what I use for whittling. Works quite well especially after resharpening the blades to 15°.
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I got my dad this exact knife. I really liked it so I got one for myself on Amazon for $32.91 used like new. There is another one available for the same price with some "cosmetic imperfections" if anyone is interested.

I just couldn't quite get passed that exposed Spey blade on the boker. It seems like a fantastic knife and I'm sure I'll end up getting one eventually. Thank you all for the help. Whittle on!
 
I like the pattern shape, and blade choices in the Case SeaHorse Whittler. The primary blade works very well for pull cuts, and the coping blade is small enough to get into some of the tighter detail work.

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