the coping blade on the whittler is for making "fine" straight cuts. The clip is a more general blade. originally copied from the bowie knife. The california clip blade, similar to a clip on a trapper is for skinning small to medium game. The spey is for...ughhhhhh "castrating". The razor is for one handed use. you take the notch on the end and use it to open the blade (if you only have one arm). That's why it is also "popularly known" as the "one handed razor". The sheepfoot is more of a "utilitarian" blade for general use, cutting leather, other things that require slicing, etc. The reamer, or awl blade on most old folders were used for poking holes in harness leather, used in leather repair, making holes in wood, etc. The spear points are a general use blade, the more "traditonal" blade for "all around use". The pruning blade is of course used for "pruning". The wharncliffe is used for "scoring" and other fine "directed" cuts. The drop point is a general use blade that is usually used for skinning of medium to large game. the pen blade is usually a smaller spear point that was once used to sharpen the quills on your "pen quill". Now its used for small cutting, whittling, etc.
Most patterns of knives are used for whatever you like. The congress was named after some kind of congressional meeting, or soemthing, can anyone shed light on this one?
The stockman usually has three blades, a clip (or spear, more traditonally), spey and sheepfoot. the old "traditonal" stockman use to have a reamer blade instead of the sheepfoot blade.
The whittler usually has one large spear, or clip balde, a coping blade and a small pen, or small clip.
The barlow usually has one large clip, or spear, and one small pen blade. some have only one large blade (the bolster on a barlow are usually longer than most knife patterns, this is believed to make the knife "stronger", more rigid).
The trappr usually has one long clip, also known as a "california" clip and a long spey, usually used as a trapping knife for small to medium size game.
The muskrat usually has two california clip blades on eother end of the handle. usually used for sma;; to medium game, hince the name "muskrat"
The congress usually has two to four blades. usually has one, or two large sheepfoot, or one, or two large spear, one, or two small spear blades. it can be pretty much any configuration.
The gunstock is usually a large spear, or clip and one small spear. It is shaped like a "gunstock" hince the name.
The jack is usually one clip and one small spear.
The toothpick, also known as the "tickler', texas toothpick, arkansas toothpick, etc. etc. etc. is a single california type clip. Many old fishing knives were in this pattern. camillus still makes one that has a hook sharpener set into the handle.
a copperhead is a single clip blade.
a pen knife is a kinfe traditionally used to sharpen a pen quill.
a doctors pattern is a long slender spear and sometimes a spatula, or small spear balde. The end of the handle usually has a flat bolster called a "pill crusher", which of course is used for that.
A "dog leg" jack is usually a small jack knife with a clip and a small spear blade.
a canoe is usually a large "fat" spear blade and a small spear, set on eith end of the handle, the handole is shaped like a "canoe".
a "teardrop" is usually a single, sometimes a second blade is added, spear blade set in a "teardropped" shaped handle. A very tradtional pattern.
a seahorse whittler is a whittlker where the main blade is a wharncliffe, and the handle a "swell" towards the master blade end.
a "swell center" jack is a jack that has a "swell" in the handle.
a "congress" whittler is a whittler in which the master blade is a sheepfoot.
the stockman is usally a three blade knife. the main blade being a clip, the other balde would be a spey and a sheepfoot (or reamer).
the cattleman's knife is a pattern similar to the stockman except the handle is more of a "slender" teardrop type shape and the main blade is usually a spear and the other baldes are usually a spey and a reamer (sometimes the reamer is repalced by a sheepfoot, tradtionally though the cattleman has a reamer).
The bartender patetrn is usually a gunstock patter with a large spear blade a corkscrew and sometimes has a "pruning type" blade used for cutting labels off bottles 9the ones around the stopper). Sometimes a bartender can be a basic slender teardrop shape also (many German style bartenders are this shape).
a senator is a "slender" teardrop with a slender spear on one end and a small spear on the other.
a sunfish is usually a teardrop, or equal "ended" teardrop that has a large 'fat spear and a "fat small spear".
A "toe nail", or "elephants toe nail" is very similar to the sunfish, in most cases the name is "interchangeable".
Okay this is a few types, I hope it helps some. there are some more out there!!!
