Little Help

[bear5418]

Hello all,

I am a brand new whittler. I got my first "knife" about a week ago and hate it. I feel like carving is something that I could really get into and dont want to be discouraged by poor tools. This being said I have been doing some research and found out about some brands that a generally great knives. I am thinking Murphy or Flexcut. I hear they are great beginner knives, but at the same time I want something that I can have for a long time, so I dug deeper.
I found the names Ralph Long, Allen Goodman, and Denny. I was wondering how to order one of the first two. Also I would like to spend somewhere between 25-30 dollars on the knife, so other options are welcome.
Secondly, I am having the hardest time finding wood. I live in NC near the beach and so far all I can find are places like Lowes and Home depot, which has not turned out to be helpful. Any advice in this category would be great as well.

Thank you for your help

[gene-messer]

I dont have one .. but I understand you cant go wrong with a Allen Goodman knife .. I hear they are great knives ..

why dont you write or email Allen .. he has you tube videos .. so you can ask him what size you would need

Gene

[bigEd_H]

Hi Bear, welcome to the forum. Ralph Long and Allen Goodman make excellent knives. Another good knife is a Drake knife made by Gil Drake. The Murphy knife is a good beginner knife and all around bench knife. With Goodman and Long, the price is going to be closer to $45, but they are well worth the price.

If you don't mind, what knife did you buy that you hate? Any knife with a little massaging can turn into a worth while tool. Rick Ferry at Little Shavers Wood Carving Supply can take just about any knife and make it super sharp and he doesn't charge that much.

[Don R]

I really like my Bud Murray knives. About $25.00 each
Bud Murray’s Custom Carving Knives, 1490 Thunder Mountain Road, CAMDENTON, MO 65020 or by phone: 573-346-7321.

[Dan S]

For my two bits I'd like to suggest attending a club meeting somewhere. Try some knives from the other carvers before you spend any money. A knife is very much a personal choice. All of the knives you have selected are good. But each will fit your hand differently and each blade style will cut differently. You can save a lot of money by experimenting a bit before you buy. By the way, if you bought one cheap tool and learned not to do it again, it was worth the price. That being said, you don't have to pay top dollar to get a good knife. The quality of the steel is far more important than how pretty the handle looks.
Take care,
Dan

[midnightcarver]

If you'r new to whittlin' and wonder what kind of knife to use. Check out Lynns Blog! before blowing a ton of money on fancy knives. He shows you what you can do with " old reliable!" a simple box cutter! OutWestWoodCarving

BTW the FIRST experience I ever had with woodcarving was watchign my dad carve with an old utility knife. I imagine from all the blogs I have read that there rarely is a "one size fits all" miracle knife. Everyone has several that they use for certain parts. But it seems that everyone also has a favorite that they pick up most of the time for most of the process. Check out OutWestWoodCarving and watch what he does on his videos. he ususally mentiones what he likes and dislikes about each knife while he carves as well.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Allens knife is awesome as well as Ralph Long. The knives I use the most are www.drakeknives.com, great tool like the others, but the most important thing is they fit my hand real nice.

Dave

[mobjack68]

Seems to be some pretty good advice in the knife dept..I'm more of a mallet and gouge kind of guy...let me address the wood.

okay, you live near the beach, you don't say which beach...outer banks?? think driftwood and/or cypress from the sound!! there are a ton of driftwood shops along 168...I still have the first check from my first carving sale in Nags Head...vacationing a couple of years ago, stopped to buy some wood, guy asked about my intentions....I was carving on the beach...he asked to see my stuff, I carved a stylized whale and calf that he just had to have, took part out in trade for more wood and a check...that I promised not to cash because I wanted to frame my first sale...

If you live further south?? Wilmington perhaps...City trees!! every municipality is involved in tree trimming and removal, there are a ton of tree species that lend themselves to carving. ANY fruit tree, Holly, Magnolia (beautiful cream-white..easy to carve..oft overlooked) if you ever get a chance to get a chunk of PALM TREE..really stringy, really weird, really neat, and etc, etc, etc...my guess is you are in a fairly large settlement, find out where your area takes their tree trash (storm debris, trimming, resident drop off, etc) most times they will let folks peruse the piles, if they will not allow "picking"...stake the area out for awhile to see who comes by for dropoff...get to know the local tree trimmers....my local trim guy calls when he is about to cut anything he thinks I might be interested in...sometimes he leaves it for me to get, sometimes he drops some chunks off, he has surprised me a couple of times with fruit wood that he just knew I would want...

Since you have access to Lowes, HD....next time there, go to the wood dept and find the 1/8", 4'X8' sheets of lauan plywood....most times called underlayment, used under sheet flooring...No you are not going to carve 1/8" plywood...LOOK AT THE PALLETT UNDER THE PLYWOOD....the lauan is shipped on MAHOGANY palletts and the pallett is a throwaway for the box stores, stock boy sees me walking in and tells me exactly how many they have stacked up out back for me.....I pass along some liquid refreshment....

If you have a Flooring Liquidation store anywhere near you, ask for some of their pallets...they use some weird stuff under their shipments as well. I haven't been there myself, several folks have reported some real finds in the dumpsters behind the flooring stores...ask permission?? ( my public service responsibility)

[Claude]

If you want good basswood for carving, call Heinecke Wood Products

Most knives sold for carving have good steel and will keep an edge. As several have commented, it's most important to find one that is comfortable in your hand. I like Flexcuts for that reason.

Claude

[mtngoat]

Just as it has been said before, a knife is a personal choice, they all will feel different to who ever holds them. I use a Denny knife and just acquired a Goodman knife, and let me say it is top quality. I have a problem buying a knife that I have not had a chance to hold to see if it feels right in my hand.

About wood sometimes you can find basswood at craft stores like Micheals, its usually more expensive than normal but its a start. You could also just order it off the internet from Heinecke Wood Products , Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers, or most reputable carving suppliers.