OT: Whittling and Woodworking

[uconnphil2016]

anyone on the boneyard into whittling? Just got a great knife (benchmade) for backpacking and decided to try whittling with fallen branches around the yard. Trying to make a spoon from birch. Any beginner tips?

 

[Vancat]

get a big box of bandaids?

 

[UC313]

Woodworker here. Havent done much 3D carving or whittling but have done a bunch of letter and relief carving recently. I mostly enjoy making furniture but carving is quick, quiet and i can do it in spurts while the kid and wife are asleep.

My only tip is know what sharp is and know how to get back to it once your knife gets dull. It should be sharp enough to pop individual hairs off your arm. Personally, im a wet stone (220, 400, 1000, 8000g) and leather strop (with yellow flexcut compound) guy.

Look up Mary May or Lora Irish. Both amazing wood carvers. Ive learned most of what i know from the web. A good place, and a forum im part of, is lumberjocks.com

 

[uconnphil2016]

Woodworker here. Havent done much 3D carving or whittling but have done a bunch of letter and relief carving recently. I mostly enjoy making furniture but carving is quick, quiet and i can do it in spurts while the kid and wife are asleep.

My only tip is know what sharp is and know how to get back to it once your knife gets dull. It should be sharp enough to pop individual hairs off your arm. Personally, im a wet stone (220, 400, 1000, 8000g) and leather strop (with yellow flexcut compound) guy.

Look up Mary May or Lora Irish. Both amazing wood carvers. Ive learned most of what i know from the web. A good place, and a forum im part of, is lumberjocks.com

Awesome, this is super helpful. Is there a general time frame for a knife getting dull? Obviously varies based on what you’re cutting and such, but a general rule of thumb maybe?

 

[jibsey]

"Rule of Thumb?" Don't cut off your thumb. You put that one on a T.

 

[UC313]

You'll stop getting clean cuts and get the fuzzies where 2 cut lines meet. The moment you start pushing too hard is when its dull, its also when youll cut yourself.

Wood selection and reading the grain is super important too. Birch and cherry are good woods for a spoon. If im relief carving i like basswood, cherry, and walnut for natives. All fairly straight grained. You dont want any knots, the grain tends to swirl around a knot.

Feel free to PM with any dumb questions you dont feel like getting openly hammered on lol.

 

[8893]

anyone on the boneyard into whittling? Just got a great knife (benchmade) for backpacking and decided to try whittling with fallen branches around the yard. Trying to make a spoon from birch. Any beginner tips?

Jumping on @Mokum 's tip?

 

[Robertelamin]

Is this the Official Whittling thread or should I start a new one?

 

[UC313]

If you find you enjoy carving, Morakniv knives will make you smile, Phil.

 

[8893]

Is this the Official Whittling thread or should I start a new one?

If you do, please include scrimshaw. I'm thinking of taking that up.

 

[UC313]

If you do, please include scrimshaw. I'm thinking of taking that up.

I said Lord take me downtown
Im just lookin for some tusk.

 

[Waquoit]

I said Lord take me downtown
Im just lookin for some tusk.

Not that there's a anything wrong with that.

 

[HuskyHawk]

What you need to do, is make a coffee cup out of white birch wood. Birch wood coffee cups in Finland

Edit: Fail. @8893 beat me to it

 

[Vancat]

Not that there's a anything wrong with that.

You ain't just whittlin' Dixie.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Phil is just such a renaissance Phil

 

[Jaker]

You will cut your eye out son!

 

[uconnphil2016]

Just following up for all the haters and the losers

Finished my first thing...birch cooking spoon

 

[UC313]

Not too shabby on that spoon.

Heres a good link for ya ...

Wood Carving, Relief Carving, Chip Carving, and Whittling Free Online Projects by L S Irish | LSIrish.com

Ive got her book on carving a green man that im slowly digesting.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Not too shabby on that spoon.

Heres a good link for ya ...

Wood Carving, Relief Carving, Chip Carving, and Whittling Free Online Projects by L S Irish | LSIrish.com

Ive got her book on carving a green man that im slowly digesting.

Thanks. Probably trying the birch coffee cup next as a gift for @whaler11 so he can put his single origin full city roast in there.

Do you go to the woodworking shop on spencer st in Manchester by any chance? Just got a hook knife there and a glove the other day. Pretty nice place

 

[UC313]

Thanks. Probably trying the birch coffee cup next as a gift for @whaler11 so he can put his single origin full city roast in there.

Do you go to the woodworking shop on spencer st in Manchester by any chance? Just got a hook knife there and a glove the other day. Pretty nice place

Yup, ive spent a small fortune there. If you need material try Parkerville wood products across town in Manchester. Bring a spare pair of shorts though. First timers are guaranteed to soil at least one pair.

 

[uconnphil2016]

Yup, ive spent a small fortune there. If you need material try Parkerville wood products across town in Manchester. Bring a spare pair of shorts though. First timers are guaranteed to soil at least one pair.

Been there before. I was trying to price out some cedar for a raised garden bed. I did indeed soil my shorts. I'd be happy to take their scraps, though.

 

[Bonehead]

Gag me with a spoon...

 

[gtcam]

Just following up for all the haters and the losers

Finished my first thing...birch cooking spoon

Nice Job for first attempt

 

[UC313]

Mora knives came in today. They popped hairs clean off the back of my hand right outta the package.