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New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 8:56 pm
by ziggy925
Hi all. I've always had a passion for knives, ever since my parents wouldn't let me have a Cub Scout knife. I finally bought one at age 60! I have some tactical knives, folders and some hunting knives, but I don't think they will do the trick for whittling, a hobby I'd like to get into without breaking the bank. My goal is to get started and try making some simple chains and balls in cages.

Anyway, back to the knife. I've explored Opinels, real wood carving knives (one short blade and a large handle) and a few folding knives. I have stones and strops and shave with a straight razor, so keeping a knife sharp is not a problem, and I'm kinda drawn to folding, pocket knives with maybe two or three blades.

What should I be looking for in a pocket knife to do some whittling? Any specific models recommended?

Thanks a lot.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:03 pm
by Iron Hoarder
Have you read through everything in this forum? http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... m.php?f=52

I think there are a couple conversations that should help you.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 11:41 pm
by rangerbluedog
I like the Boker 280 pattern ::tu::
The 3 1/2" length, the serpentine shape, and the blade options are right for me.
Tang Stamp.JPG

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2011 11:48 pm
by FRJ
I've never done any carving, but this Camillus 72 might not be a bad choice.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:20 am
by carvin don
Howdy and welcome, ziggy ... In regards to a folder for whittlin' with, that is a tough call...there are MANY out there to choose from. If possible, I'd recommend handling the knife before you buy it. Since you will be whittlin' for an extended period of time with the knife, you may want to consider one that is big enough to fit comfortably in your hand. It's mighty hard on the hand when you contort your fingers to hold a small knife for a long length of time. Really fatigues the hand.

I'd suggest at LEAST 3 1/2" closed, but I prefer 3 3/4" to 4 1/4" .

The Boker and Camillus that rangerblue and FRJ posted are both very FINE knives...I have a couple of those myself. I am partial to the "congress" pattern for whittlin' with and carry one with me every day, either a CASE (with Chrome Vanadium blades), GEC or BOKER. (I'd choose one with Carbon Steel blades)

I think you covered the most important part of a good whittlin' knife...keep it SHARP. Whatever knife you choose, keep a keen edge on her and you will enjoy the hobby.

Let us know what you choose and Happy Whittlin' ::tu::

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:32 am
by ziggy925
Well, I'm starting to glaze over looking at all the posts and different knives on the Net. I like the Boker and the Camilus posted here, and I'm also considering a Rough Rider, as the blades look just right and the price is right. Barlows also look good. The combination of having at least one small blade and a larger handle seem like a good idea, more like a real carving knife and probably more comfortable than a small pocket knife.

So far the knives I've been looking at are pretty inexpensive, and I can always order one or more and just add them to my collection. I should probably go into a large store like Cabelas and actually hold them in my hand to see what "fits." Kinda like buying a gun. :-)

Thanks, and open to any and all suggestions.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:42 am
by rangerbluedog
ziggy925 wrote:I should probably go into a large store like Cabelas and actually hold them in my hand to see what "fits." Kinda like buying a gun. :-)
That's a good plan, zig.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 3:46 pm
by Gunstock Jack
Flexcut makes a couple of folding carving jacks; one with four and one with six blades. They include very useful carving blades like a large and small carving blade, chisel, scorp, and gouge. They also make some very good carving tools at a reasonable price. The six blade carver is probably the best choice for one do-it-all tool.

Great Eastern Cutlery has recently come out with a 3 1/2 inch Whittler pattern that would be pretty good, although may be a little small for extended work. It features a large wharncliffe blade and two small blades, a clip and a cope. Mine came extremely sharp right out of the box.

Probably the most useful blade shapes would be the small bladed knives and gouges, with scorp and veiner blades secondary. But you can never have too many blade shapes for various cuts in wood grain.

Personally, I prefer the single use tools. You can find some great deals on ebay, but choose carefully. Flexcut tools run about $12-$20 a copy new, but they are very comfortable and come razor sharp.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Oct 27, 2011 5:16 pm
by TripleF
I'm not a whittler but I recently (Tues) handled the Cannitler by Canal Street Cutlery. I thought it was pretty knifty!

Log on to www.droppointhunter.com and searh for Cannitler.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Sat Oct 29, 2011 1:42 am
by Big Barn
For the function of 'whittlin' I would agree with Gunstock about the Flex Cut line of Carving Jack's. Although, I would lean towards the four function version rather than the 6 function simply do to cost & the 4 function Jack can perform just about any task. Flex Cut also recently came out with a two blade 'Whittlin Jack' where they basically copied there ergo-handle. I have one of those & like it alot with two exceptions. 1 - if you don't have finger nails, you're going to have problems opening the blades. the detent around the nail nick is VERY SMALL. And 2 - the so-called detail blade really isn't a 'detail blade' - it is too big. You can find this one for around $50 with shipping. Feel free to google 'Carving Jack' and/or 'Whittlin Jack'

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Sun Oct 30, 2011 2:40 am
by ziggy925
Thanks for all the suggestions. As I said, I have some bass wood on the way and a beginner book but no knife so far. I have taken everything said and shown here into account, and I have a much better idea of what a whittling knife not only looks like but why it has the blades it does. There are a lot of three/four blade knives on the net, but I think I need to hold it in my hand. I really like that un-X-ld in the photo. Sweet.

I'll let you know what I wind up with and keep you posted on any projects. I saw a video of a guy with a really long chain he made from a 2x4. It would be kinda cool to have one lying around and have friends say, "You made that?"

It would be even cooler to give friends hand-made ornaments this Christmas.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 12:29 am
by Big Barn
ziggy925 wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions. As I said, I have some bass wood on the way and a beginner book but no knife so far. I have taken everything said and shown here into account, and I have a much better idea of what a whittling knife not only looks like but why it has the blades it does. There are a lot of three/four blade knives on the net, but I think I need to hold it in my hand. I really like that un-X-ld in the photo. Sweet.

I'll let you know what I wind up with and keep you posted on any projects. I saw a video of a guy with a really long chain he made from a 2x4. It would be kinda cool to have one lying around and have friends say, "You made that?"

It would be even cooler to give friends hand-made ornaments this Christmas.
Something like this?

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 2:32 am
by ziggy925
Very cool chain. What did you start with and how long did it take? As long as we're at it, what kind of knife did you use?

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 12:33 am
by ziggy925
I finally made it to the Big City today (45 miles away) and one of my favorite stores had all their knives on sale so I went for it. I picked up a Schrade Uncle Henry that looked like it had a good assortment of 3 blades. The main 2.5" blade is what looks like a very narrow Texas Tickler. The other two blades are a 1.75" Sheep Foot and a 1.5" Pen Blade. The the overall length closed is 3.5". I could keep looking and looking, but for the money it looked like a good versatile whittler. Some of the other stores had nice knives but they were all sealed in plastic so there was no way to hold the knife in my hand before buying it. And have you noticed that most places only carry "tactical" folders these days?

I also got a Swiss Army Tinker, a knife that was recommended in a book I've got. Interestingly, when you open the small blade, a 1.5" Pen Blade, the knife resembles a "real" carving knife with a small blade and large handle. Being a Swiss Army it also has a bottle opener which should come in handy. :D

So, I think I'm off to a good start, and over time I may just love these two or move on to other knives. I may want to move on to carbon steel blades but regardless you can't have too many knives. Right? And whittle or not, both are nice pocket knives.

I'll keep you posted and thanks again for the help.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Tue Nov 08, 2011 2:56 am
by Big Barn
the chain is about 4 ft long. Each link is about 1" - 1 1/2" long. It was made from a split pine 2x4 (wood I DON'T recommend). About 45 mins for each link. The ball in a cage, the elephant & the dual knight pieces took a bit longer. Probably in all about 32hrs. I used a Flex Cut rough-out knife. But those are made for whittling.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Wed Nov 23, 2011 3:01 am
by Big Barn
I realize it's been three weeks & you porbably made your choice in a whittling knife. Here is a picture of the Flex Cut folding 2 blade 'Whittlin Jack' (in the middle) comparing it to standard size fixed blade carving knives. The topknife is a Flex Cut forged blade (my go-to knife) & the bottom is a detail pelican blade

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Thu Nov 24, 2011 1:49 am
by ziggy925
Thanks for the advice and photos. I did pick up a couple of folding knives, which is more of what I was looking for, but those carving knives are beautiful and one can't have too many knives. :lol:

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Sat Jun 02, 2012 11:21 pm
by redferd
This Rough Rider Barlow style seems fine to whittle with. The ss blades stay sharp. Not too expensive online. The Case Barlow is good too with the chrome vanadium steel. Of course it costs a lot more than the RR. Both were birthday gifts and much appreciated.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Tue Feb 05, 2013 9:54 pm
by knifetime
Big Barn wrote:
ziggy925 wrote:Thanks for all the suggestions. As I said, I have some bass wood on the way and a beginner book but no knife so far. I have taken everything said and shown here into account, and I have a much better idea of what a whittling knife not only looks like but why it has the blades it does. There are a lot of three/four blade knives on the net, but I think I need to hold it in my hand. I really like that un-X-ld in the photo. Sweet.

I'll let you know what I wind up with and keep you posted on any projects. I saw a video of a guy with a really long chain he made from a 2x4. It would be kinda cool to have one lying around and have friends say, "You made that?"

It would be even cooler to give friends hand-made ornaments this Christmas.
Something like this?
Now that is a nice chain.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 6:41 pm
by baliblaster
Does anyone here use a swiss army grafter knife for whittling? I bought one a couple of years ago and have since lost it.I picked up another one and got it today.An hour or so later i purchased another one in case i lose this one.Amazon has them for 21.95 shipped. They are awesome if you whittle towards you like i do,they are chisel ground but don't work very good for whittling away from you.

Re: New here. Looking for a "do-it-all" whittler knife.

Posted: Tue Aug 13, 2013 2:11 pm
by knifetime
The greatest whittler I have ever owned is a Canitler. Lot's of COM make them but CSC make some really nice ones that can be got for around $150.00 bucks. Their is no better whittler out. My second pic and one of my all-time favorite knives is a Camillus 72 which is a bit smaller and fits your pocket without you even knowing it is there.