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- #21
Opinel #8 seems to be the classic.
Whittling Knife
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- #22
Great! Now I gotta buy fruit and veggies just to force a patina. Haha.
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- #23
I was about to order the Opinel N6 this morning and I suddenly remembered that I have a bag full of my dad’s knives. I found a few that are good candidates.
Green: says Colonial USA on the blade. Engraved howling wolf on the handle.
White: Khyber. 1605 stainless Japan.
Wood: Stainless Pakistan.
Case: Case XX USA on blade
Baseball Bat: Village Inn on knife. Maybe came from a hotel? Colonial DROV USA on blade. Can’t be sure it says DROV. Letters are hard to make out.
I’m going to sharpen them all. Which one do y’all think would be good for whittling?
Green: says Colonial USA on the blade. Engraved howling wolf on the handle.
White: Khyber. 1605 stainless Japan.
Wood: Stainless Pakistan.
Case: Case XX USA on blade
Baseball Bat: Village Inn on knife. Maybe came from a hotel? Colonial DROV USA on blade. Can’t be sure it says DROV. Letters are hard to make out.
I’m going to sharpen them all. Which one do y’all think would be good for whittling?
The last 2
The Case stood out to me for whittling, with the Colonial for heavier whittling. Of course, there's only one good way to really find out. No matter what, I'd say you're more than set for whittling!
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- #26
I liked the Case as well
um, the Case I guess, if it has a lock. Bad when a folder snaps shut on your whittlin' fingers.
Was going to say, for under $20 you can actually get an Opinel in walnut or bubinga wood, not to mention beautiful olive. A No.6 or No.8 would play nice.
AA
Was going to say, for under $20 you can actually get an Opinel in walnut or bubinga wood, not to mention beautiful olive. A No.6 or No.8 would play nice.
AA
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- #28
Case doesn’t have a lock.
Jason, I used to do a lot of wood carving. If you are just sharpening sticks for marshmallows any blade will work. I too like the Opinels, comfortable handle, locking, and classic look. I like the carbon over the stainless.
The Case knife is the best choice of your dads knives. I own several Case knives, they are all great. My favorite is a medium stockman, but the cigar whittler is a cool whittling knife. What is the number?
The Case knife is the best choice of your dads knives. I own several Case knives, they are all great. My favorite is a medium stockman, but the cigar whittler is a cool whittling knife. What is the number?
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- #30
Jason, I used to do a lot of wood carving. If you are just sharpening sticks for marshmallows any blade will work. I too like the Opinels, comfortable handle, locking, and classic look. I like the carbon over the stainless.
The Case knife is the best choice of your dads knives. I own several Case knives, they are all great. My favorite is a medium stockman, but the cigar whittler is a cool whittling knife. What is the number?
The number on the Case knife? I don’t see a number anywhere. It just says Case XX
Should be a number on the small blade. 2222, 3233, something like that.
Edit. The logo and dots on the main blade will tell you when it was manufactured.
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- #32
There’s nothing on the small blade that I can see. I barely see numbers on the big blade and it looks like 0214. Could be 7217. Or not even close to those. It’s so worn.
They whittle well. Mine would do better for someone else, probably, lol.
Umm ... I just used whatever I had in my pocket. The cheapest lately are the largish liner lock pocket knives sold in a blister pack at Wallyworld. Currently have one with a stag handle that I like. These run less than $5.00. For a long time my favorite pocket knife was a blister packed stockman folding knife with cheap plastic bales, and when the bales broke, I made new ones from JB Weld.
There IS an acceptable knife there. When I'm traveling knife-less, I usually hit a wallyworld, get one of those $1 folders, and toss it when I fly out.
On a related note, a No.12 Opinel appeared at my house yesterday! What a beast; the Ka-Bar of Opinels! Thick as a shovel handle and a foot long, it seems. Will do a thread soon.
AA
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- #36
I tried the Case last night and I wasn’t much impressed with it. I think I need a bigger knife to get a grip. It felt too thin. Didn’t seem like it held an edge very long either. I sharpened it with the Lansky system at a 25 degree angle. It sliced through paper just fine and shaved my arm hair. After a few minutes on the stick I could tell it was getting dull. BUT, I’m pretty sure I was whittling a hardwood. I’ll try the white one next.
A bit to hot to whittle next to!
A bit to hot to whittle next to!
A bit off topic, but I was at a knife show where one of the makers had a folding carving knife with largish handle and a very short blade maybe 2 inches. He said that it was a copy of one that he had done for a woodcarver. It made a lot of sense to me as typical fixed blade wood carving knives have large comfortable handles and short blades for control.
I was probably the only person at the show who found it at all interesting as the shows are dominated by so called tactical knives.
I was probably the only person at the show who found it at all interesting as the shows are dominated by so called tactical knives.
Hi,
Choosing a knife for whittlin' is a highly personal choice. Everybody is a bit different in what they like. I personally prefer my Queen Split spring Whittler with D2 blades. Holds a great edge, but you pay hob to put it an edge on it. Most Whittler knives are softer than that. Harder steels tend to chip easier and are slower to resharpen. A softer edge will tend to roll a bit. Which is much easier to touch up. Harder is not always better.
Serious carvers tend to prefer short bladed and thick handled fixed blades. They are mostly plain high carbon steel. Us casuals tend to like multi-bladed folders. This means slip-joints. Locks are not required to whittle. Different types of blades are needed for the different shapes you are looking to whittle out. When I whittle with my Queen, I use the big clip point to remove large amounts of stock, the Pen for fine detail, and the Coping blade for sharp corners.
What inexpensive brand to choose? I think Rough Riders are a great knife for the slim amount of money needed. While carbon steel is to be preferred, the 440A steel they use is pretty darned good. And at 57Rc to 59Rc, plenty hard enough. I've made more than a few chips with a Half-Whittler I had. While they will dull quicker than the D2 in my Queen, they are very fast to put an edge back on. Oldest Grandson is now learning to whittle and resharpen with it. Believe it or not, a SAK can make for a great whittlin' knife. I like my trusty Alox Farmer to whittle with.
Case makes a good knife, but they tend to run their Tru-Sharp stainless and CV carbon a bit softer than most makers. Knives like the Opinel, while a fine pocket knife, are simply not strong enough to stand up to much whittling before breaking. And bigger knives like a Buck 110, are simply too big as a rule.
Choosing a knife for whittlin' is a highly personal choice. Everybody is a bit different in what they like. I personally prefer my Queen Split spring Whittler with D2 blades. Holds a great edge, but you pay hob to put it an edge on it. Most Whittler knives are softer than that. Harder steels tend to chip easier and are slower to resharpen. A softer edge will tend to roll a bit. Which is much easier to touch up. Harder is not always better.
Serious carvers tend to prefer short bladed and thick handled fixed blades. They are mostly plain high carbon steel. Us casuals tend to like multi-bladed folders. This means slip-joints. Locks are not required to whittle. Different types of blades are needed for the different shapes you are looking to whittle out. When I whittle with my Queen, I use the big clip point to remove large amounts of stock, the Pen for fine detail, and the Coping blade for sharp corners.
What inexpensive brand to choose? I think Rough Riders are a great knife for the slim amount of money needed. While carbon steel is to be preferred, the 440A steel they use is pretty darned good. And at 57Rc to 59Rc, plenty hard enough. I've made more than a few chips with a Half-Whittler I had. While they will dull quicker than the D2 in my Queen, they are very fast to put an edge back on. Oldest Grandson is now learning to whittle and resharpen with it. Believe it or not, a SAK can make for a great whittlin' knife. I like my trusty Alox Farmer to whittle with.
Case makes a good knife, but they tend to run their Tru-Sharp stainless and CV carbon a bit softer than most makers. Knives like the Opinel, while a fine pocket knife, are simply not strong enough to stand up to much whittling before breaking. And bigger knives like a Buck 110, are simply too big as a rule.
These are all good thoughts.
Actual carving sets, not that I use, seem to have long handled, stout tools - gouges, etc.
I admit the thread's making me want to pick up a stick!
U.S. Grant, as I recall from Bruce Catton, seemed to whittle constantly but without skill - he'd carve a stick down to nothing, then toss it and get another.
Better than smoking cigars, I guess.
AA
Actual carving sets, not that I use, seem to have long handled, stout tools - gouges, etc.
I admit the thread's making me want to pick up a stick!
U.S. Grant, as I recall from Bruce Catton, seemed to whittle constantly but without skill - he'd carve a stick down to nothing, then toss it and get another.
Better than smoking cigars, I guess.
AA
You might like a Barlow knife. Nearly all manufacturers make them. A Schrade Old Timer Barlow can be had for for 16 bucks.
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