any tips on using a folding pocket knife?

[bmwrider]

I want a starter pocket knife for whittling any lower price knife suggestions


I would like to start carring a pocket knife with me to carve on the fly, I plan to get a swiss army knife the handle is bigger than some pocket knives and I figure that would make it more comfortable (not ready to pay for a carving jack yet) and would like some tips, what should I look for, should I be concerned with non locking blades and how should I avoid closing the blade on my fingers, are any other tools on a SAK useful besides the two knife blades?

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

I wouldn't be to concerned about non-locking blades. Just don't try stabbing or drilling with it and you'll be fine. Swiss Army Knife is a good choice, you may never want to buy anything different. Any model that has a corkscrew should be avoided. It is a natural born blister maker. The philips does not bother at all. My personal favorites are the Tinker or Super Tinker, but there are a good number of other models that people like. All can be had on ebay for less than 20 bucks. I grind the keychain dealy off and reshape the small blade a bit (easy to do with just a coarse stone if you don't have anything else). I have quite a few other pocket knives also, in various shapes and sizes (patterns for the serious knife guys) Case, Boker, Henckle, Kershaw, but the SAK is my favorite. I've even got some custom folders in the 2 to 3 hundered dollar range that, to be honest, once I tried them, I went back to the SAK and other low dollar knives. They just work. Stainless or Carbon, for practical purposes, doesn't seem to make much difference, at least not so's I can tell.

For those of you interested in a pocket knife to carry around for chip carving, the SAK Electrician and Electrician Plus are nice, they're alox too.

There are a lot of other good choices in knives also, but the SAK works great and doesn't set you back much, plus they tend to have larger handles which is nice.

[mikeg]

It's funny you should ask if any of the other tools would be useful. I was looking at my SAK, a hunter I think, the other day pondering the same thing. I could see turning the philips screwdriver into a small v-tool or gouge since there's a lot of material there. The base of the scissors might also make a very small v-tool or gouge. Not sure how you'd open them without hurting yourself though.

I did grind off the keychain, it's a pain in the butt in my opinion.

I still like the Kershaw's though. I've got a Double Duty and a Double Cross that I've modified to my taste.

mikeg

[Eddy-Smiles]

I was never happy with my SAK. I could never get and keep a decent edge with it's stainless steel blade. Before I bought my "Carvin' Jack" I modified a small Case pocket knife and if it wasn't for the extra tools on the "Jack" I'd have stayed with the Case!

[Clifford_Parker]

I started with an Imperial (Schrade) medium stockman design and modified the blades. I then bought a Bear and Sons carver that was also a good knife but a bit pricey. I now use a locking, folding utility knife by Sheffield with Irwin "Blue Blades" and am delighted with the results.

I also modified a SAK Pocket Pal and it does well for small carvings and sticks but I prefer a locking blade.

[RUssL.]

Swiss Army knife "Tinker" model & modify the smaller blade to a finer point. Be careful not to grind off the nail nick for opening the blade.

I've been carrying one for the past few years & find it great.

The small, modified blade is only for whittling (NEVER for anything else, to keep it super sharp) and the larger blade for other cutting tasks. I find the the assortment of other tools always come in handy.

I could carry a more sophisticated (and more expensive) folding carver but then I'd have to carry a second knife for all the other things I use the SAK for.

Not sure what I ever did without it.

RussL.

[bigEd_H]

I have a SAK Recruit and have the blades sharpened (slightly modified) and reshaped the can opener into a hooked skew. I think it was Nomad who came up with the idea. There's the thread about it in the tools forum... I think the title was "Frugal carver's hooked skew" or something similar. The flat blabe screw bit can be made into a bull nose chisel. The hooked skew is extremely useful.

I have about 20 pocket knives that I have or will modify to carve with. Rough Rider makes a nice "dog leg" whittler that turns out nice once you modify the large blade to a straight blade. It is comparable with the Case Seahorse whittler once you modify the large blade.

Ed

[Ron T]

Take a look at this site. Great prices on used SAK.

FelineVet Shop - SOSAK

[samueldongard]

Fixed blade knives are generally the more rugged and reliable. Fixed blade knives like the Bowie Knife or the Puma Rolled Stag White Hunter are both good examples of high quality fixed blade hunting knives because of their superior stainless steel blades and sturdy handles. Fixed blades are also very easy to clean.Fixed blade knives, however, are generally bulkier, heavier, and potentially dangerous if not packed and handled properly. Hunters planning to do a lot of hiking or climbing might want to steer clear of a fixed blade or purchase a high-quality protective sheath.