Whittling

[soundaz]

Hi folks,

Wasn't sure what section to put this one in, but here goes.

I've just started to have a little look at the world of whittling. The missus suggested it to me and it sounded even more appealing when she pointed out the raw material was free! :lol: :idea: I've had a bit of a scout about on the net, but can't seem to find too much about the subject apart from the very basics.

Does anyone on here know much about the subject, or perhaps there are some practicing whittlers on here who could give me some advice.

 

[Bean]

Hi soundaz

I do a little bit, spoons mainly from scrap material cos I'm tight fisted and hate to throw anything away.

Have a look under carving, chip carving, woodcraft where you will find some info and stickmaking, spoonmaking.

I cannot remember if there is anything on the forum about it. There certainly is on some of the scouting websites in the usa.

Hope that helps

 

[mr]

Another 'net resource to use for whittling info are bushcraft sites. Like bean I turn out spoons from scrap and so on, get yourself a wee selection of knives ( a hook and a straight should do for spoons at least) and just have a go.

Cheers Mike

 

[soundaz]

Cheers lads, found a few interesting pieces on the net using some of your search tips. Some nice ideas out there, could take me a while to get the competence of techniques needed to produce the work to a good standard though.

Never the less, I figure the best way to learn is to actually have a go. I took a walk with my missus this morning and gathered a small selection of sticks. I find that without the leaves the trees can be a bit tricky to identify so not 100% sure what i've got. Anyway the missus has asked me to whittle her a duck, as she encouraged me to try this in the first place I figured I could accommodate her request.

I've cheated slightly by using the band saw to block out the main shape. Now armed with a craft knife (the type with a metal handle and interchangeable blades) I'll begin to whittle the wood into something that will hopefully resemble a duck when I'm done. I'll post some pic's soon.

I'd be interested to see any pic's members have of items they've whittled, or indeed any words of wisdom you may have to offer.

 

[StevieB]

Not trying to teach you to suck eggs, but make sure you keep your fingers well behind the blade - those craft knives are razor sharp and the blades snap very very easily - I have a permanent sensory loss in the tip of my thumb from a nasty cut to prove it Would recommend getting a proper chip carving knife to be honest.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

[Bean]

soundaz
I find those craft knives really annoying to use, I use a venerable old pocket knife with a locking blade, my swiss army knife which also has a locking blade and a recently purchased hook knife from Frosts.
I think the locking blade is important.

Are you using green sticks or dryed timber, also be careful if you intend to use the spoons for eating with, not all woods are people friendly :shock:

But most of all have fun its really relaxing. My daughter and I often carve a spoon ready for when we go camping then use it to eat and cook with, we carry some small needle files which she makes geometric patterns on the handle with.

 

[tulsk]

Hi,
I was interested in carving wooden kitchenware after reading some posts on boards such as this. I decided to enrol myself on a 3 day course run by Robin Wood in Edale Derbyshire, though there are a few similar tutors up and down the country. That was in November and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone interested in Greenwood crafts. I learnt loads over that weekend, especially on safe knife cuts to produce wooden spoons, spatulas, coat hooks, tent pegs etc. The only tools you really need if you don't rough out your blanks with an axe , are a carving (sloyd) knife and a spoon knife. I would recommend a Frosts 106 knife for the bulk of the carving : these can be obtained from Axy or Workshopheaven as well as loads of craft websites. The blade is fantastic quality laminated steel that is easy to sharpen and they only cost about a tenner. The frosts spoon knives are not as good design and I can give you some advice on better spoon knives if you are interested.
As regards the raw materials the main points to remember are to make sure your blanks do not include any central pith and that they are fairly recently felled (for ease of carving). When you start carving say a spoon, to reduce the likelihood of splitting, wrap the piece in a plastic bag between carving sessions. Roughly carve the piece to final shape and then leave it a few days to dry , before doing the finishing cuts. This will leave you with a much nicer "cleaner" finished piece.
If you want to know any more about the subject ask away . Here are some of the items I have made since attending the course
John