Whittling Wood

Your first few creations will be a little rough around the edges. You might cut against the grain of the wood splitting and ruining one section of your piece. You might be overzealous making the nose perfectly even and realize too late that there is no nose left!

Wholesome Gear, LLC may also participate in affiliate programs with other sites. Wholesome Gear, LLC is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. On the other hand, dry wood is more stable , but it is also harder. This makes it more difficult to slice, and will make getting long straight cuts more challenging.

Beavercraft Beginner Whittling Knife

His wife does music, he makes awesome projects out of wood. There are many different ways to sharpen a whittling knife, but the most common method employs a sharpening stone. The FLEXCUT Whittlin’ Jack 1-1/2-inch Detail Whittling Knife is ideal for woodworkers who are experienced enough to use a multi-blade knife. The blades are made of hard carbon steel and come pre-sharpened so that you can get to work as soon as the knife arrives.

Not so long ago we did a comprehensive review of the top 5 best pocket knives for whittling in 2016 . But Chris needed to move to another country and https://60b0f6fbb9fd2.site123.me/blog/carving-a-flying-witch couldn’t work on the blog anymore. So for now, I write articles, do the promotions, try out new tools, discover new carving projects and so on.

Using Green Wood

Ideally, the best whittling knife will sit comfortably in your hand and have a curve to the blade to enhance your whittling ability. The pull stroke, or paring cut, is the same cutting technique you’d use on an apple. If you’ve ever noticed an old-timer whittling, they’re probably using this cut. To use this cut, brace the thumb of your dominant hand against the wood, using your opposite hand for support. Then, carefully pull the knife blade towards you in a short and controlled stroke. Try to keep your thumb out of the blade’s path; it’s highly recommended to wear protective gear when whittling wood using this technique.

• The moisture content is higher in green wood and makes it much easier to work with than dried wood.
• On the other hand, wood is a porous material that can absorb excess moisture, causing swelling and splitting if the whittler does not care for and store the knife properly.
• This is a good practice even if you are only whittling dry wood as the oils on your fingers can cause the steel to rust over time.
• The skill in whittling doesn’t come from following strict rules, instead, it comes from practicing over and over again.

Keith Randich, author of Old Time Whittling, suggests beginners whittle an egg as their first project. But a simple project like an egg is a good way to introduce beginning whittlers to the law of wood grains. Sometimes it’s easy to tell the direction of the grain on a piece of wood simply by looking at it. If you’re having a hard time deciphering which way the grain is going, start making some small shallow cuts in your wood. Cuts made with the grain will peel away smoothly; cuts made against the grain will give resistance and eventually split. In the past I would pick up whatever wood was lying around the forest to get my campsite whittling projects going.

What Is Whittling?

I love the use of a two-sided whetstone like the one I mentioned above because of its simplicity and ease of use. Using specialty tools works well, but they lack the fine-tuning a simple whetstone offers. You will give many of your creations away as gifts, leaving part of yourself with each person who enjoys your art.

Examine your material carefully to figure out which direction the grain is going. With practice, you will be able to identify it much more easily. Pine is a very popular whittling wood that can be found almost anywhere. It’s easy to recognize when you’re out on a camping trip, making it ideal for impromptu projects. Fresh pine contains a lot of sap, but dead and dry wood is soft and easy to whittle. If you’re just starting out whittling, there’s no need to buy any special tools.

Quick Wood Recommendation