Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Howard P Reynolds on July 10, 2013 at 9:41

John,

I don't know squat about whittling, but I did get a Flexcut Carvin Jack recently.  The sharpening side of your note is why I am commenting.  This Flexcut Carvin Jack came with sharpening compound, and the blades look to be high carbon, not stainless steel.  I always thought that sharpening compound was for sharpening a convex edge on fixed blades and gouging tools like curved lathe tools.  Maybe sharpening compound will give you the extra keenness you are looking for.  The Flexcut came through with surgical sharp blades, not the kind of sharp that production knives like Case come through with - belt sanded sharp, but not "dressed" sharp.  The Flexcut feels like it is hand honed.

I'm savin the Carving Jack for when I'm older (68 now) and after the collapse of the economy when I'll be guarding the perimeter with whittling as the only viable pastime; hahahahha.

Permalink Reply by J.J. Smith III on July 10, 2013 at 13:12

John, my favorite knife is a Seahorse whilttler, by CASE. I do use others and like to reshape the blades into wharncliffes.

My sharpening is bu the credit card sized diamond cards, followed by a quick stroping on a leather belt blank.

Permalink Reply by Howard P Reynolds on July 10, 2013 at 14:19

Ivars,

Don't know about the wabbling issues with the Carvin Jack, yet as I haven't used the knife, but I agree with your comments about the "pulls" and spaces.  To be honest, I would prefer separate tools, but it is a matter of practicality versus utility, and it is easier to carry a do-it-all tool in the woods for puttering around, and leave the professional carving set at home.  Yes, I would go for a Queen Carvin Jack.  D-2 steel sounds like a good option as well.

IvarsDay said:

The carvin jack and pocket jack have a lot of issues the blades are wobbling  blades have rough black oxide don't do soft opening, by opening one tool you open all tools on one end, on pocket jack have that badly made spacer what makes all thing as worst as possible. Both knives would be good tools if they would made by knifemaker like Queen, so I want to throw some ideas to the Queen cutlery, Hope they will take them! 

Howard P Reynolds said:

John,

I don't know squat about whittling, but I did get a Flexcut Carvin Jack recently.  The sharpening side of your note is why I am commenting.  This Flexcut Carvin Jack came with sharpening compound, and the blades look to be high carbon, not stainless steel.  I always thought that sharpening compound was for sharpening a convex edge on fixed blades and gouging tools like curved lathe tools.  Maybe sharpening compound will give you the extra keenness you are looking for.  The Flexcut came through with surgical sharp blades, not the kind of sharp that production knives like Case come through with - belt sanded sharp, but not "dressed" sharp.  The Flexcut feels like it is hand honed.

I'm savin the Carving Jack for when I'm older (68 now) and after the collapse of the economy when I'll be guarding the perimeter with whittling as the only viable pastime; hahahahha.

Permalink Reply by Jack Haskins, Jr. on July 23, 2013 at 21:11

I have become what I call a good knife sharpener in the past 5 years or so.  All my life I could get my knives sharp enough to shave arm hair and I thought that was sharp.  Now I feel that is the beginning of sharp and I can get an edge of good steel sharper when I want to.  Most of the time arm shaving sharp is plenty sharp enough for EDC knives.   Seems to  me carving knives would need to be sharper.  Wouldn't they need a razor sharp VERY smooth edge?  NOT toothy like the coarser stones will leave.  Similar to a plane blade which shaves thin layers of wood when nice and sharp.   I'm saying this because sharpening takes practice just like whittling does.  Also, to get a very smooth edge you want very fine grit stones or strops.  When I cut a small limb in my yard the knive with a very smooth edge will cut the wood leaving a super smooth surface on the wood.  A  toothier edge will be much harder to "push cut" into wood.  Toothy edges are better for EDC knives in my opinion.  Cutting rope is perfect example of where toothy edges are better I think.   I think maybe the compound Howard mentioned may have been a stropping compound to apply to leather or a flat harddwood.  I've always respected the carving art and wanted to try it but never have.  Not being a whittler I may be way off base on the sharpening as well.

Jack