How to Whittle with Pocket Knives

Whittling is the removal of pare shavings or the cutting of small parts from a bigger piece of wood with the help of a knife. To become skillful at whittling, you should know how to choose the right kind of wood and match it to the proper type of knife. A good whittler should have some fundamental whittling skills. Whittling has existed for hundreds of years starting with the early cavemen. The shaping of wood is what ignited human interest and imagination to develop tools such as carts, cooking utensils, clothes, weapons for hunting, and even various ways to gather food.

Pocket knife
Wood
Saw
Vice
Chisel
Pencil

Instructions

How to Whittle with Pocket Knives
- 1
  
  Choose a pocket knife with a small handle.
  
  Select a pocket knife that has a very small handle so you will be able to easily maneuver it. It is important to select a knife with two or three blades of different shapes in order to perform a variety of cuts.
- 2
  
  Keep your knife in a safe and dry place.
  
  Perform routine maintenance on your knife. Keep all your tools in a safe, dry area so the sharp edges will be protected. Coat all metal parts not used for cutting with oil to avoid corrosion.
- 3
  
  Cut wood at the specific angle indicated from the blade's cutting end to the feathered end.
  
  When whittling, grip the knife with your thumb against both the spine and the cutting edge turned toward your fingers. Hold the knife in your right hand and the wood in your left.
- 4
  
  Use birch hardwood for detailed work.
  
  Shave the wood at an angle of 30 degrees starting from the cutting end to the feathered end on the blade. This would enable you to make the best cut. After you have made the cutting edge, be sure to polish the knife before continuing the process. By polishing the edge, you would be able to get rid of any burrs on the steel and enable yourself to cut through the wood much more easily.
- 5
  
  Use pine wood for work that does not require a lot of detail.
  
  The kind of material you use when whittling depends on the kind of project you select. Birch hardwood is very appropriate for detailed work. You can cut pine without much trouble, but it is useless when performing work that involves a lot of detail.

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