The Whittling Corner

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Whittled this chess set. Also made the board.
IMG_20170516_093444_zpseta3mija.jpg



Used the black and yellow rough riders for the chess set, been using the bottom case recently though.
IMG_20170516_092240_zpsxfigcojv.jpg
 
Dirty_Dan said:
Whittled this chess set. Also made the board.
IMG_20170516_093444_zpseta3mija.jpg



Used the black and yellow rough riders for the chess set, been using the bottom case recently though.
IMG_20170516_092240_zpsxfigcojv.jpg
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Nice job Dan. A most ambitious project compared to my whistle (above), must have taken a fair amount of time. I admire your patience. Interesting that you, like me, used a Rough Rider stockman. Out of interest, how do the Rough Riders compare to the Case?
 
Out of interest, how do the Rough Riders compare to the Case?
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I think Rough Riders are great! To be honest, I don't feel too much of a difference, but that might just be me. The RR's are stainless steel while the case is cv, but with my level of sharpening skills, that probably doesn't matter too much.
 
Here's a little project I just finished:

qQpXpcmh.jpg


It was inspired by, and started during, a recent trip to Santorini, Greece.

That Camillus 72 did the vast majority of the work. It's been my main whittling knife since I started using it about 8 months ago.

I particularly enjoy using the small clip blade. I think they got the proportions and sweep of the curve just right. It's proven to be so versatile that I rarely find myself using the coping blade.
 
I can't sharpen my traditional blades to the right geometry to easily remove material from blocks, dowels, and sticks.

These are Helvie blades with Floyd Rhadigan oval handles came in the mail today and removing material is like night and day compared to a pen blade. They're really nice.

4jIP2La.jpg
 
image.jpeg Hi, I have no experience in whittling, but I would really like to try to whittle a face on an Opinel knife like I have seen Gary W. Graley has done in the past.

My question, is that I see loads of knifes described as whittlers, but what would you recommend as a good knife for a complete beginner like me.

Thanks

Nik
 
So, I found myself stuck at home with a back back for a few days and thought let's have a go a whittling a knife like the one Gary W. Graley made.
Fortunately I already had an Opinel No.8, but only in beech, so I set about giving it a try using my GEG #66, since I do not have a specific whittling knife.

This was the end result so far. What I'm not sure of is, are you supposed to leave the knife cut marks there, or try to sand everything down to take them out. Personally I like seeing the cut marks so it clearly shows its been carved and not machined on a dremmel !

It have sanded off the varnish that Opinel apply to the wood and plan to finish it with some French polish I have.

Any advice or constructive criticism would be welcomed !! image.jpeg

Regards Nik
 
Nice job Ogri Ogri , and welcome to the world of whittling. :)

I like that you saw a project you wanted to emulate and jumped right in a tried it. I've never tried carving a wood spirit face like this and the one you were using as a model. The only suggestion I'd make, depending on the look you're going for, is to consider using your knife to round the square edges of the nose and mustache a bit. As for the knife marks, I'd leave them. Like you said, they're evidence that it was done by hand with a knife.

If you're interested in trying a full person, I highly recommend the character carving tutorial posted by Mateo (@lutejones). I worked my way through it about a year ago and learned a lot from it while having a great time. In fact, I had so much fun that I'm thinking about doing it again soon to see how my skills have progressed.

For carving faces, I also found the Guide to Wood Carving Faces YouTube video to be helpful.

Have fun and be safe. I hope you're back is getting better.
 
Ogri said:
My question, is that I see loads of knifes described as whittlers, but what would you recommend as a good knife for a complete beginner like me.
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The good news is that many traditional pocket knives make good whittling knives. What's most important, in my opinion, is that the blades you're going to be whittling with be very sharp and have a more acute bevel angle than typically comes from the factory. Something in the 10-12 degrees per side range works well. @Mr. Chips gave some good advice on sharpening for whittling in this post.

For a first whittling knife I'd recommend something like a stockman, whittler, or carpenter's pattern with two secondary blades: one with a curved edge (e.g., a pen blade or small clip blade; some folks like a spey blade, but I prefer something pointier) and one with a straight edge (e.g., a coping blade or sheepsfoot blade). As you gain experience and figure out what sorts of things you like to whittle, you'll probably find that you use one of those more than the other. It's still nice to have both handy, though.

Look for something that fits comfortably in your hand. I'd also recommend starting with something that's relatively inexpensive since it could well be that you don't find your ideal whittling knife on your first try. After you've got some experience you'll have a better idea of what your personal preferences are and what you'd like to try next.
 
I enjoy looking through this thread at all the great looking work you guys post. Its really inspiring.
 
zolthar said:
I finally finished my project, it took a while but it was fun :)



I used an Opinel when larger pieces had to be removed and small coping and pen blades for the more detailed work.
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nice work. it looks like a fun project.
 
WhittlinAway said:
Nice job zolthar zolthar . Do you have a next project picked out?

After several busy weeks and full weekends, I finally have a good chunk of time for whittlin' today. I'm looking forward to putting one or more of these knives to work on one or more of these unfinished projects.

61hhYOZh.jpg
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Nice. :thumbsup:
I look forward to seeing the results. :)
 
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