Newbie questions

[flyboy61]

Hokay, here goes:
I think the knife I got in my beginner's set is adequate, but what do I know? It is said to be a Murphy knife, and has the skinny, fish shaped handle, which is really somewhat uncomfortable for me. When I choke up on it to get better control, I get a sore spot on my index finger from the back of the blade. When I had to round off a 2 in. square block, it seemed like a bigger blade might help.
Because the price is right, I am looking at the Flexcut Whittler's set (2 knives) or the Beginner's set. (3 knives) The third knife is a larger one.

A larger diameter handle will be more comfortable, but the instructor at the club says Flexcut is "good for the money". Sounds like he is "damning the brand with faint praise." He sells Shipley knives, and their handles do seem more comfortable.
I really like Helvie knives, but finance$ being what they are, will probably spend less.
This went a long way to get to the questions:
Is Flexcut a good brand?

Will a "standard" knife, plus a detail knife suffice, or would a bigger blade be handy? The Scandinavians use large knives for their carving. (Maybefor carving with mittens on?)

How long should the standard knife blade be? I am thinking between 1 1/2-1 3/4 in.

In my beginner's set, I got a small V tool, which I find a bit difficult to use, and is a bear to sharpen right. Would a larger one, like the 1/4" Flexcut, 5/16" Denny or the 5/8" Ortel V tools be easier to use and sharpen?

I think what I would like to do, is get outfitted with standard and detail knives, a V gouge, and perhaps a 3/4" #3 sweep of good quality, and see how it goes from there.
Flexcut makes all of those, and is the only brand readily available locally. Or should I just bite the bullet, and order on line?
Am I on the right track, here?
Thanks

[morganwoodcarver]

Flexcut knives vs. Shipley or Helvie, save the money and buy a Shipley, Helvie, Drake or Denny knife. Use the Murphy knife you currently own for detail work. Buy a roughout blade lenght of 1-3/4 to 2-1/4 for when you are moving more wood. Flexcut knives have a different bevel than the others and do not seem to hold their edge as long. There is no standard to what your supposed to have, buy what you like and is nice to hold. I would recommend the Flexcut palm set to start with and a Shipley or Helvie knife,, and a good diamond stone and leather strop to keep your tools sharp. Just my two cents worth....

[Howie]

I use Flexcut knives and am happy with them – but they happen to fit my hand. As for the blades, they do the job and hone up nice and easy.

Everyone will have their own opinion, but theres several brands, as listed by morganwoodcarver, that are 'safe' bets.

As for what you'll need... I started out with a roughing knife. Two weeks later I bought a detail knife... Two weeks after that I got a mini-detail knife... if you're new, buy a knife and some wood. If you enjoy it and want to keep carving, buy another knife.

It also depends on what kind of carving you're trying to do and whether or not you have access to bandsaws, routers, etc. I don't have any power tools, so I have a good roughing knife and #7 gouge + coping saw system for getting my blanks in shape.

Good luck!

[Claude]

Like Howie, I have a couple of Flexcut knives. I like them because they fit my hand and they stay sharp with a bit of stropping on my leather strop. For what it's worth, I haven't had to touch them to a stone for several years - just regular stropping to keep them sharp. In over 10 years, I've used less than a quarter inch of the length of my green stropping compound, and around 1/8 inch off the end of my Flexcut Gold compound.

You don't say where you are located, but if you look over on the left side of the screen under WCI Community, click on Carving Clubs, then use the pulldown menu to select your state/province/country. If there are any clubs within driving distance, contact the club, find out when/where they meet and go to a meeting. At the meeting, tell them you are unsure of the knives to buy. They will normally offer you a chance to try several different knives so you'll be able to see which fit your hand, etc.

Claude

[Donna_T]

Just a band-aid approach: get a roll of wimp wrap or vet wrap (3M Colban wrap that's a symthetic Ace bandage) and wrap around the handle of your Murphy knife. This provides some cushion AND can add bulk to the narrow handle.
Donna_T

[SlowMover]

The Shipley knives are good, and unless the instructor jacks up the prices they shouldn't be any more expensive than the flexcut. I love my flex cut gouges, so I think the instructor is just trying to steer you to his line....you can by shipleys direct for under $30, so use that as a benchmark in decidig to buy from him. Donna T had my first idea, wrapping something aroud the one you have to make it comfortable.

[Nomad]

Hand fit is pretty personal. As a general rule, you will want a large handle if you are doing a lot of heavy stock removal. But as far as shape and size, it gets pretty personal in preference. And unfortunately, unless you go to a carving show, it is not easy to handle a variety of knives to find what fits you best.

Flexcut makes a great knife. I use mine for carving hardwoods like cherry, maple, and walnut because they have a steeper bevel compared to say a Shipley, and they hold up well. They also work great for basswood though. I like the Shipley knives a lot but you may not. Again, it's really hard to say what you will like. All you can do is experiment. Maybe do like some here and buy a blade and make your own handle. My suggestion, though, given price constraints, would be to get a 1 3/4" Shipley for roughing out and it will also do a lot of detail work. It's a great knife.

[mpounders]

I like my Shipley knife and really like the handle design on it, so much that I have made several similar handles for some of my knives. It really slices through the wood. I use Flexcut gouges also. If they feel good to you at the local outlet, then get them and support your area businesses. But I have never had any problems in ordering tools online, which is where I have to buy most of mine. You can wrap your fingers with tape until your hands grow accustomed to carving. I have a chip carving knife that was uncomfortable and I cut out a small piece of leather that I folded and glued over the back of the blade, which worked since I only used the tip for that style of carving.

[Ed Redwine]

I have a lot of knives... as much of us do that's been doing this or awhile. When I open my toolbox the first knife I reach for is a Shipley. I have choice of three... My Helvies are nice but the blades are too thin and they are overpriced.

I'm editing this to add this: There are a number of good makers out there. When you ask the question here you're going to get what people prefer and what they use.

[Robert Cahill]

At christmas my son bought me the two Denny Blades from Little Shavers and I made my own handles. I really like those.