Which Spyderco best for whittling wood?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

When it comes to whittling and carving objects from various woods, hard and soft, both practical items like spoons and bowls, to art and curio items, such as animal shapes and such, which of the presently available Spyderco folders and/or fixed blades would you consider to be the best overall for this?

I have used both the Endura and Pacific Salt (serrated Pac Salt and my plain edge Endura 4) to do some rough basic carving of soft wood (pine) and next I want to try my Byrd Cara Cara on it.

From the looks of things as I see it, one of the blades with a wider profile, perhaps leaf shaped or something like the Caly or Manix or the new Native would be a good whittler?

How about the smaller ones like Lady and ManBug?

[dplafoll]

If you want small and leaf-shaped, I'd say Dragonfly in ZDP-189.

[MacLaren]

If you want small and leaf-shaped, I'd say Dragonfly in ZDP-189.

Nice.
Prolly HAP40 as well.

[yablanowitz]

Nilakka, hands down. The Puuko and BushcraftUK work well, too.

[remnar]

Funny you should ask SEF. I've been doing a little whittling lately and here's what I've found. I tried a Delica and it was alright but I was not super impressed. I tried a Kershaw Cryo and it was brutal on my hand with all of the sharp gimping, and the blade was a little thick. So far the winner is my Opinel #7. The thin blade and round handle work very well for whittling. I would love to try a Nilakka or Puuko but I don't have either one of those. I am anticipating the release of the Lil Nilakka. :D I hope others chime in with their experiences because I am very interested to hear some first hand experiences and maybe get a few tips.

[SG89]

Roadie?

[dplafoll]

Roadie?

Oh yeah good one. And while it's as non-traditional as it gets in some ways, it's also a 2-hand-open slipjoint, so it still has some lineage in the old-school whittlin' knives.

If you want small and leaf-shaped, I'd say Dragonfly in ZDP-189.

Nice.
Prolly HAP40 as well.

Yeah good call. I tend to avoid recommending sprints for this sort of thread, but it would definitely be a good one as well.

I think the Manbug and Ladybug might be a touch too small. The Roadie has the same cutting edge as the MB and a bit more than the LB, but importantly it has a choil unlike the other two, which means you get more control in the same size.

[senorsquare]

For folders, I think the Native 5 is one of the best cutting/carving tools around. Great ergos and a compact blade for tight work. I did some side by side cutting comparisons with a few spydies (Military, PM2, GB1 and a couple others) doing various cuts on wood. I wasn't testing edge retention per se, but focused more on comfort in hand and general cutting effectiveness due to geometry and ergos. For me the Native 5 was the best cutter of the bunch hands down.

I also love the Nilakka. The blade shape is phenomenal, but there are some sharp edges on the handle where the blade fits in when closed that can make some hot spots during prolonged use.

[tvenuto]

[Bloke]

SFE,

I like to whittle! If you're not going to whittle anything in particular and you just want a pile of shavings, grab your favourite sharp Spyder.

If you want to whittle something in particular you'll have a lot more fun if you use small dedicated fix blade knives. I have used a few different types of Puukko's, but I haven't found anything to rival the "Sloyds" Mora make. The blades are carbon laminated with stainless. They take and hold a fine edge that's easily maintained for days with a loaded strop. I've used one for hours on end on an inclement day or two without any hand fatigue or hot spots.

Hope this helps! :)

[awa54]

SFE,

I like to whittle! If you're not going to whittle anything in particular and you just want a pile of shavings, grab your favourite sharp Spyder.

If you want to whittle something in particular you'll have a lot more fun if you use small dedicated fix blade knives. I have used a few different types of Puukko's, but I haven't found anything to rival the "Sloyds" Mora make. The blades are carbon laminated with stainless. They take and hold a fine edge that's easily maintained for days with a loaded strop. I've used one for hours on end on an inclement day or two without any hand fatigue or hot spots.

Hope this helps! :)

^^ this!

a fat handle and small blade give you both the precision and leverage for wood carving.

A Swedish sloyd, or even just a small basic Scandi utility might just be the best carver for the dollar in the whole world of knives.

As far as Spydercos go, the Dragonfly is probably the best for detail work, the blade is small, but has a good point, and the handle is both large and smooth enough to get some good control and leverage. My only worry would be how quickly it might develop side-to-side blade play if used in anything but softwood... it is unlined FRN after all. Nilakka seems like a good choice, but I would proceed with caution, since the blade grind is so thin, it's also a bit long for fine control, lil' Nilakka might be better, but the lighter the blade the less it will be suited for use with difficult hardwoods.

Sage and Manix have good blade and handle shapes, so are probably good for roughing out, but too big for real detail work.

[Sharp Guy]

Good thread!

I've used various Spydies to whittle on sticks in the backyard but always thought their blades were too wide for any kind of detail work. After reading some of the posts here I might try to use my Dragonfly G10 to see how that works. I also have a nice Buck Stockman (my Dad's from the early 70's), a couple other small Buck folders, and a SAK Alox Cadet that might be more suitable for tight detail work. Anyway, a few months ago I bought a book on whittling and some basswood blocks from the hobby store and figured I might try my hand at actually making something. Unfortunately, it's been too hot here to sit outside for any length of time and the mosquitoes have been horrible in the evenings. It's finally starting to cool down here so maybe it's time to get to get carving. It'll be interesting to see if I can make something other than just a pile of shavings.

[Evil D]

I don't really do any serious carving but there is no knife in my arsenal that bites into wood like my Nilakka. Thinner edges mean you can carve at a lower angle and with less pressure so you have better control. I once tried to sharpen some sticks to roast marshmallows with my ZT0303 and it was shocking how poor it was at carving despite being extremely sharp, because the angle of the blade had to be raised so much to get the edge down onto the wood due to the thickness of the blade. With a Nilakka you can practically lay the blade flat on the grind and it will carve.


Oh, and I don't know if it was mentioned but I'm sure the Wolfspyder is probably great also.

[MacLaren]

Awesome..

[yablanowitz]

Done almost entirely with a Nilakka. The Des Horn works well also.



Personally, I find the Dragonfly blade too broad for anything more than making pointy sticks. The same goes for most other Spyderco knives. Being so thick behind the edge doesn't help either. The Roadie might be all right for some, but I prefer a bit more handle for serious carving.

[Brock O Lee]

If I had an opinion before (I didn't ) I would keep it to myself after seeing your work Yablanowitz !

[Johnnie1801]

What about the WolfSpyder? Ray Mears is a serial whittler so I'm guessing it might have been designed with that in mind.

[bearfacedkiller]

I enjoy whittling and have carved a few wooden chains although none of them look as good as Yab's. I like short blades with with a hand filling handle. When I carved my last chain I grabbed a few Spydies to try carving with. First I will say that I don't own a Dragonfly so I cannot comment there. For me the Native5 worked the best. It fills my hand well for comfort and has a choil that let's me choke up for detail work. I can also hold it in the rear grip for rough shaping and removing lots of wood. The Native5 could have a more acute tip at times for getting into tighter spaces but isn't too bad as is. Other knives actually fell way short. The Chaparral and Delica didn't fill my hand enough and the knives with 3.5 inch and longer blades like the Para2 and Military didn't offer enough control even with choils. The Sages are similar to the Native5 but have a less acute tip which makes them less ideal and the half hump didn't work for me carving as well. The Sage handles are more filling than the Native5 though, especially the Sage4. I didn't try my Des Horn.

I think that for me a Native5 with a thinned out edge and a straightened spine would be the best. Make it in 52100 and it would be even better. Either that or a Sage with a straightened spine and no hump. My Sages have all had thinner edges than my Natives so that is a plus.l for them.

I do most of my carving with old medium stockmen patterns. I have a basic Old Timer carbon steel medium stockman that has served me well in this role for years.

[Bloke]

Done almost entirely with a Nilakka. The Des Horn works well also.



Personally, I find the Dragonfly blade too broad for anything more than making pointy sticks. The same goes for most other Spyderco knives. Being so thick behind the edge doesn't help either. The Roadie might be all right for some, but I prefer a bit more handle for serious carving.

Wow, that's awesome! :)
I wouldn't whittle that much in a life time!
Well done! :cool:

[Cor]

Done almost entirely with a Nilakka. The Des Horn works well also.



Personally, I find the Dragonfly blade too broad for anything more than making pointy sticks. The same goes for most other Spyderco knives. Being so thick behind the edge doesn't help either. The Roadie might be all right for some, but I prefer a bit more handle for serious carving.

Wow... just wow... Hats off sir, that is incredible work!