get my hands on...

[klackamas]

I'm a newbie, and my carving is usually done away from home. I carry a standard folding pocket knife which is pretty worthless and was thinking of upgrading to a real knife. From reading some of the posts, I'm thinking of the Carvin jack or the Oar carver. I like the idea of all the extra tools on the carvin jack, but how fat is it? I'm used to a small knife.

So my question is... where can I get my hands on these two knives before buying them? I live in the Long Beach Ca area. Any suggestions?

[klackamas]

No response? Does anyone know of a knife shop near Long beach where I can see and feel these knives in person?

[aulddiy]

I've both of these knives and use them alot. Now if you want one in Scotland I can tell you, Long Beach I have n't a clue.

[Claude]

Look for a Woodcraft Store or a Rocklers - both have carving knives, gouges, etc. Don't know abut LB, but I do know where the Rockler's is in Pasadena.

Claude

[Donsexton]

The handle is not that fat the main blade is placed just right on carvin jack. I am new to knife carving as well.

[Just Carving]

I carry a standard folding pocket knife which is pretty worthless and was thinking of upgrading to a real knife.

HUH?!?! If a knife is sharp--which it should be regardless of what you use it for, then it isn't useless. Now, if it is scary sharp, you need not look any further for a knife. Just pick up a piece of basswood, pine, aspen, or butternut, and slice the end of the board. If you can slice off a shaving from the end grain, you're ready to go!

I carve Whittle Bears from the wood listed above, and they look like the photo in my avatar. So, for me, a knife is never useless. It may not be able to do every aspect of fine architectural carving, but a pocket knife works for me.

Ask Ernest Warther--he'd probably say the same!

Bob L

[dwlind]

I have the Carvin Jack and the Kershaw Double Cross from Little Shavers. While it is nice to have an assortment of dedicated carving tools, having a good pocket knife is essential for being able to carve anywhere, well almost anywhere.

At first I wasn't sure that I liked the Carvin Jack, but after using it for a while I am really starting to like it, I find that it is really nice to grab 1 tool and have so many options, it is a little large but still comfortable in the hand, you do have to make sure that all the unused blades are tucked into the handle so they don't bite you. The Kershaw with carving modifications from Little Shavers is a great pocket knife for wood carving, it is small, extremely sharp and very comfortable to use.

I purchased my Carvin Jack from the local Woodcraft store and I know that they will let you try one out to get a feel for it before you buy it.

Doug

[Ken]

There is a Woodcraft store East of the 605 & North of the 405. The had the Carving Jack on sale a while back.

Good Luck
Ken

[fingercuttinbad]

Find a Woodcraft Store Near You - Woodcraft.com

The above link is a WoodCraft store locator. Looks like you may have one close by.

When I bought my chip and skew knives (Flexcut), they took them out of the package and had me see if I liked the handle size. They may even let you carve on a piece of wood a couple of times to see how you like the knife.

[klackamas]

Thank you all for your replies!

Just carving- i only say it seems worthless because I can't keep it sharp. I feel the need to try sharpening it about every 30 min. (that also may be becuase I have never learned to properly sharpen a knife)
Any recomendations on classes?

I like the small size of the pocket knife because I grip it with my fingers and not in the palm of my hand. Is that possible with the carvin jack?

I've read lots on the board about Little Shavers. Would you recomend buying from them over the woodcraft store?