Hello, my name is Gene, and this is my very first post. For Christmas I received a Boker Large Congress pocketknife, and my brother told me it is a whittling knife. I visited the Boker site, and it seems they have another knife explicitly for this purpose. I would like to know what my knife's blades are used for; what makes a knife a whittling knife? Thanks for your input.
wannabemandolinhero ; Welcome to AAPK you will learn lots here.
Long name but real good questtion I too will like to read what the men here come back with.
So thanks for asken.
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Hello Gene,and welcome aboard.I think all your questions about the different blade styles and there uses can be answered right here at this forum..Go to the drop down box above labeled other and then knife definitions.There you should be able to find the answers to your questions.I hope this helps..
Well don't take this answer for authoritative, but I have some thoughts. I do enough whittling to have experimented with a variety of patterns, and have read up on the subject a little. That is the extent of my qualifications however.
Bottom line, a whittling knife is any knife you like to whittle with. There is a pattern called a whittler, which generally has a pen and coping blade on separate springs at one end, and a clip main blade on both springs at the other. In my experience however, the whittler pattern is not necessarily the most commonly used for whittling. I find most whittlers to be a little small and thin for my taste.
The classic whittling or carving knife tends to have a fairly large handle, at least 3 3/4 inches (a long full handle is less fatiguing to the hand) and a short blade, for control. The congress is therefore in many ways an ideal whittling knife as it has a handle with proper dimensions, as well as four short blades. What I like about the congress pattern is firstly the four blades, which means you always have a sharp blade, and secondly the variety of blade shapes (most commonly two sheepfoot, one pen and one coping blade) from which to choose.
In books that I've looked at, the authors tend to favor jack patterns with a main clip and pen blade, and they use the pen for whittling. I've used a Case 6292 pattern quite freqently for whittling, and it's a great option. In one book I've perused called "Whittling Twigs and Branches" the author has created some amazing carvings, and his whittling knife of choice is a Swiss Army Tinker. He uses the short spear blade and explains that he likes it so much due to the fact that it is so thinly ground, which is true.
So you see, many knives will fit the bill for whittling and it is mainly a matter of preference. My current favorite is a Bulldog Ground Hog. The handle is actually a little smaller than ideal but it has two blades which really compliment each other. However, my hand does get fatigued faster thany with a Case 6292 or large congress.
To answer your question though, your congress is very well suited for whittling, as well as any in my opinion.
And just as a side note in case you continue your quest for the perfect whittling knife, be careful of hype. There are lots of knives out there that are billed as carving knives that are overpriced. One that comes to mind is the "Oar Carver". This knife is made by Queen Cutlery, has delrin (plastic) handles and D2 steel blades, and runs about $65. You can get a Queen delrin whittler or dogleg jack in D2 for $30 - $40 and they're as good or better for whittling. The other thing is, for whittling you want a thin polished edge on your blade. D2 is fine blade steel, but is exactly wrong for this type of edge. D2 is best with a fairly obtuse edge, and toothy at that.
The best steels for whittling/carving are high carbon steels like CV or 1095. Your Boker congress most likely has 1095 so you're all set there.
Lest this post come off as dogmatic or opinionated, I'll state again, these are just my opinions. For all I know someone uses the Oar Carver and loves it.
ross oar's carver is a well made knife. too bad it's delrin. but it is meant as a worker. i like the canoe sryle with two wharncliff blades. parker's has come up with one almost identical.
as to whittlers, like long beach says, whatever a whittler uses is a ......
the congress lends itself to whittlin and carpentry very well.
johnnie f 1949
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jonet143 wrote:ross oar's carver is a well made knife. too bad it's delrin. but it is meant as a worker. i like the canoe sryle with two wharncliff blades. parker's has come up with one almost identical.
as to whittlers, like long beach says, whatever a whittler uses is a ......
the congress lends itself to whittlin and carpentry very well.
You see, to each his own. I believe the Parker's knife you are referring to is in fact the Bulldog Ground Hog, which is my current favorite. I agree the blade configuration is very good for whittling as well as general utility. I'll only point out that while the Oar Carver goes for $65, the Ground Hog with wood handles and 440C steel is $19.99. With MOP handles it's $39.99.
Welcome, Gene! I too am new to this site and collecting. Your question and the great answers posted here taught me something about one of my new knives - a Kissing Crane Whittler. I mislabeled it as a stockman in an earlier post http://www.allaboutpocketknives.com/kni ... php?t=2645. After reading the description of the 'split back' design, I examined this little gem and found, indeed, the main blade riding on both springs and the other two riding on one spring each. This looks to be a fascinating hobby.
sunburst wrote:Welcome to the site Gene,
I'm glad you made your first post, don't make it your last we all benefit from all contributions to this site, small and large..
I have included a link to click on for a brief description of the whittler model for a better idea of what it looks like.
For Christmas I received a Boker Large Congress pocketknife, and my brother told me it is a whittling knife. I visited the Boker site, and it seems they have another knife explicitly for this purpose. I would like to know what my knife's blades are used for; what makes a knife a whittling knife? Thanks for your input. 
