The SAK Whittling Club

[stoneshank]

I still feel relaxed and feel how I've heard people who meditate say they feel. If I end up with something worth giving away in the ends, then it's a bonus!

I definitely can appreciate the patience it takes, and the extra benefit is that is is very therapeutic and gets your mind off of everything else so that you can relax. And it is therapeutic for others that can appreciate what you do.

I have played music professionally for over 40 years and playing music does for me what whittling does for you.

It is great to be doing something you really love to do. It helps keep you healthy.

First off- thank you guys. I got a sharpening stone and more bandaids today ! so less bloody wood pieces

Vicman, I read somewhere that apparently after about 10 thousand hours of doing a particular task (ie paint, play the saxophone, craft) the brain activity measures the same way people in deep mediation do. I figure that out you play ie the piano for 40 years you easily qualify. So it'd be interesting to hear your take on it!

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[stoneshank]

Made a little Vikingship to the personnel in the hamburger joint I usually frequent. The allow me to whittle in their place ( I keep it clean; I don't litter and I don't wanna knifethingies around)

Testing out a, only a little modded, electrician

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Photo from my Instagram, too lazy to take new ones

[Wspeed]

Liking the whittling
Might give it a try when I get 5 min 

[stoneshank]

Just a few small animals

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[Wspeed]

Those look great stoneshank Did they take long to do 

[Greg Jones]

Very nice work stoneshank
 

[magentus]

Very cute! 

[stoneshank]

Thanks! They take about 2-3 hours for me. Mostly because keeping a sak sharp enough at awl times, it's not a very good whittling steel imho. The thin blades helps a ton with out though. I don't have a good touch up alternative. I got diamond sharpening surface but nothing "after" that.

I also tend to since out a lot too. Also trying to figure out what it is becoming ( I don't set up to carve anything specific, I just go along with the wood and hopefully it "becomes" something).

Basically anyone could do what I do better, in less time. I'm having fun though and the end result isn't what matters. What matters is that I do it and I choose to do it with a Victorinox.

There are better alternatives out there but Victorinox offers the alternative to make useful chisels out of pretty much all the tools! If i could get a few Victorinox in carbon steel though

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[stoneshank]

""I also tend to since out a lot too. Also trying to figure out what it is becoming ( I don't set up to .."

Zone out, not since out

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[Thunderpants]

Great stuff Stoneshank! You could make a chessboard!

[VICMAN]

z

Vicman, I read somewhere that apparently after about 10 thousand hours of doing a particular task (ie paint, play the saxophone, craft) the brain activity measures the same way people in deep mediation do. I figure that out you play ie the piano for 40 years you easily qualify. So it'd be interesting to hear your take on it!

It definitely puts you in a relaxed state if you have done something you love that long.

Sorry I did not see this sooner to reply.

[VICMAN]

Just a few small animals

Nice pics stoneshank!

[stoneshank]

Thanks


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[Doc1911]

These are NOT my work (I wish I could whittle like that), but I thought they were cool pics to add to the thread.

[stoneshank]

Looks like a fun project! I really think you can do that and even better! Just start with carving the end of a stick to make it round ish etc. Break it down into smaller tasks. The boat is even "easier".

Remember safety and that not ending up with anything to show for in the end is totally ok, don't stress with the end result. Whittling is about the "journey" 

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[stoneshank]

Googled how to whittle an owl. A friend wanted it. And even though I persisted in my view it is a famously stupid bird, even for a bird, she still wanted it.



So here is my take on it. I included the guide picture I used.


Thanks to the tools on an electrician I can do a bit more detailed take on it, as a knifeblade itself is a bit trickier to use for things where you really want a wood chisel .

Tools : The awl I have grinded shorter and so get a scoped chisel to make the feathers and eyes with. The shorter electricians (sheepfoot) blade is pretty excellent at doing the brunt out the work, removing wood and doing the steps in the guide. The longer (wharncliffe) blade is great for details with its fine blade that can reach everywhere. The only tool I didn't use was the leather scoped chisel on the can opener.

I really would love more people to see past the less ideal steel of the Victorinox for whittling and instead see the upsides too.

Hell.. most steel on "my grandfather whittled this wood pony and send it by flask post back home to England, Canada etc, when resting on the beaches of Normandy after the battle at D-day" traditional knives are less good than Victorinox.

I'd take a Mora blade take on a whittler folder any day but they have yet to figure that thing out themselves. But here is to hoping!

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[magentus]

Stoneshank....  

Your Owl is way better than the one in the guide pic. Yours has real personality. Your friend should be really pleased with it. 

[Wspeed]

That's gorgeous Stoneshank love the detail

[RF52]

Nice work! Love it

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[TazzieRob]

Definitely an improvement on the original, well done!

[stoneshank]

Thanks guys! Really appreciate it! I started whittling during the fall, so I'd like some more people to try it too!

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[TazzieRob]

Hey, Stoneshank, can you talk us through the mods you've done to your Cadet and Electrician, please? With the Cadet it looks like you have combined 2 into one but with Recruit small blades instead of nail files?
Can't see the detail of the Awl changes on the Electrician.

Cheers 

[Thunderpants]

As the others say, your owl is the better owl by a million miles!

[stoneshank]

Hey, Stoneshank, can you talk us through the mods you've done to your Cadet and Electrician, please? With the Cadet it looks like you have combined 2 into one but with Recruit small blades instead of nail files?
Can't see the detail of the Awl changes on the Electrician.

Cheers 

I'll make a attempt. First off, I try to get the tools to where I might have an idea that might work. So I'm it fishing while doing irreparable damage to the tools. This "Jesus take the wheel" approach has destroyed fewer tools that you might guess and I really can't tell if there is a better way to go about it. Once I find the "perfect way " then I might put some effort into polishing to make out look good and not like some train wreck



The opener layer; as I go with the electrician, there is only the bottle opener. With a dremmel I turn it into a scoped/concave wood chisel by first removing enough metal to make it  same width  (otherwise the chisel will not be so dexterous ). After that I do the actual concave and lastly the chisel grind (only one side of the sharpened side tilts)




The awl I use the same method as with the can opener essentially. The chisel can be smaller or wider depending how much of the awl is removed. It will not be a even concave bout that is of no concern as the function will stay true anyway.


The knife blade is where a better modder would do a far better work at implanting the changes I try to.

Why is it so short? The answer is that I aim to get a wharncliffe style of blade shape which has the great attributes of having a straight cutting length which gives better control over what happens when you cut. it won't matter if you slide the blade along when you push or pull cut. The wharncliffe is also better for detail work compared to a sheepfoot shape (electrician blade has a sheepfoot shape in essence) as you got a much more pointy end that can reach in corners, shallows in the wood without hitting it's "head in the roof"

The owl I made was first roughly carved adding the picture guide that I found on the interwebs, made by someone else. I used the sheepfoot electrician blade for this. A lot of power that you have full control over, make a "stop cut" (a cut directly into the wood, almost or purely perpendicular to the wood surface then a cut that reaches the stop cut in a diagonal). This is pretty much the idea of the owl someone made the guide for, a lesson in stop cut.

After the rough shape was done (step 1,2,3 or so) I used the wharncliffe blade to even out the cuts that didn't need to be so sharp (like the ones on top of the head of the owl).

This blade is too long atm. You lose control and power the longer a blade is when whittling. Which means you need to touch up the edge more often which is a lot to begin with due to the steels of a SAK/any traditional uses.

Hope it was somewhat helping. I'll make a smaller photo+ text reply about the cadet too.

[Wspeed]

 

[stoneshank]

Blade layer, if you read the previous reply annoy the electrician then the wharncliffe is making sense now. The smaller blade (i switched it out from the nailfile) shape could really have stayed default but I'm testing around. Now it is a car wreck clippoint. I only need it too be good at removing wood but I wanted to see if I could combine both needs by making it less fleshed it near the tip.

Opener layer- again, the previous post should have explained my thoughts about how it is modified. I might have done s better job with this bottle opener though and screwed up the heat treatment on the electrician. This chisel cuts way better.

The can opener. I removed the "shark fin" and did a somewhat ok first attempt at doing to the narrow back of the opener, what I did to the awl on the electrician.

[stoneshank]

Ok, both reply posts should be done editing in text and photos! Hope it helps clarifying how I think. Autocorrect might have screwed the text over at times. I might edit it if I catch it in time thanks!

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[pfrsantos]

Stoneshank....  

Your Owl is way better than the one in the guide pic. Yours has real personality. Your friend should be really pleased with it. 

+1

Looks like a little owl, just out of the egg, still wide eyed at the world.

 

[hard.times.lures]

I have seen several people complain about the Victorinox steel......you should try the Victorinox Pruner or Victorinox Day Packer.  They both have steel that holds a better edge than standard Vic models.  They are manufactured at higher RW.

I sharpen BOTH sides of blades for better cutting.  I whittle with them and they compare with many other brands with better RW hardness.  You can also alter blade shapes if you wish.--Regards, Bryan

[stoneshank]

I have seen several people complain about the Victorinox steel......you should try the Victorinox Pruner or Victorinox Day Packer.  They both have steel that holds a better edge than standard Vic models.  They are manufactured at higher RW.

I sharpen BOTH sides of blades for better cutting.  I whittle with them and they compare with many other brands with better RW hardness.  You can also alter blade shapes if you wish.--Regards, Bryan

Thanks! I will definitely look into it! As long as it's Victorinox and folder I'm happy. Btw, do you know if this applies to all 100 mm? Like the gardener etc?

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