iKnife Collector
Whittling / Carving knives
For those who like to carv/whittle something. We will talk about all knife types for whittling, about types of wood and types of whittling.
If you just collect a Whittler knives, you are also invited!
Oar Carving Knife / Single Locker (modified Queen Cutlery 41-L, Copperhead)
Kaylin and I went to the Charlotte Woodcarvers Club, annual show, this past weekend, and I was fortunate to see Robert Stadtlander, from Stadtlander Woodcarvings. I was hoping to find an OarCarver at the show, and Stadtlander is THE source, for this and other Oar Carvers as well as a couple of other Queen patterns.
http://www.goestores.com/storename/stadtlandercarvings/ViewDept-265...
I opted for the "Single Locker" version.
As seen in the enclosed paperwork, They offer the knife either with the factory edge, or sharpened to a carving edge (basically flat ground).
I chose the factory edge because I prefer a more robust edge, for carving my peach pits. The pre sharpened edges would be perfect for other carvings and general detail work.
Basically, this Oar Carver is a modified Queen Cutlery #41-L, Locking Copperhead with a modified blade. 3 3/4", closed, with a 1 1/2' blade.
They are offered in American Walnut, Zebra Wood, Smooth Black Cherry, Aged Honey Amber Stag Bone and Abalone. While the smooth wood/bone/Abalone knives feel great in hand, I bought the Honey Amber Stag. (Guess that's the collector in me coming out).
http://www.goestores.com/storename/stadtlandercarvings/ViewDept-272...
Fit and finish it typically Queen, and provides great pleasure to hold.
Functionally, care needs to be taken with opening the blade. The nail pull is very shallow, (which is my primary complaint with all the Queen knives that I own).
There is a substantial half stop, and the liner lock is not so prominent as to cause irritation when in use.
The modified D-2, Queen Steel blade looks to be well suited to its task of detail carving.
All in all, this version of the Oar Carver, should be a welcome addition to my carving kit.
Tom Peterson
J.J.
I appreciated your posts and link to the carver's blog and supplies. I'm still looking for more knives that are a good fit for what I do. Have looked at some el cheapo knives for modding and some ready made customs. I'm on a budget but already have about 40+ knives in one state of production or another so I'm not sure I want to add another to the list. May just opt to add a couple more Flexcut knives to my collection or something else that fits the immediate need. Been looking at the mini pelican and maybe a hook knife and a detail skew. I do mainly spoons and wooden chains. Started doing chains out of exotics. The wood was so pretty that it led me to polish a few of them, which kind of defeated the whole hand whittled effect but chains made of cocobolo, ziricote, kingwood, tulipwood, ebony, etc cleaned up so nicely the wood seemed to beg to get it's shine on, lol.
Dec 20, 2018
J.J. Smith III
You know, Tom, I'm just a poor old white guy. (Emphasis on poor and old). I've seen folks carry around specially designed boxes and bucket's holding literally dozens of knives, each.
Being able to keep a kit that holds what you need can be difficult and expensive. Guess I'm lucky, I'm not in to much more than simple whittling.
I like the ability to have all the tools I need as well as a project on hand and be able to carry it in a pocket.
Speaking of which, I've got a monkey to carve, for my grandson. Christmas is upon us.
Dec 20, 2018
Tom Peterson
J.J.,
Right there with you on the poor and old. Wasn't trying to sound fancy by any means, but rather just a bit lazy. Started thinking momentarily that since I like the shorter varieties of whittling knives (for safety) that I could probably make one out of scrap 1095 or 440c stainless that I had sitting around - then I remembered all of my unfinished fixed blade projects and gave it some more thought. I don't have 1 knife that does it all yet but between 2 Flexcut knives, my old Boker congress that was modded I do most of what I need to do. I grab a few other knives if they're handy and sharp but do most of my carving at home so it's not as critical to be mobile. I kind of stumbled upon the other varieties of wood. The guy at the store tried to steer me away from hardwoods - however, I like a challenge and the wood is a bit more forgiving sometimes, smaller curls too. Sure do learn a few life lessons while whittling...lol. Back to my chain....
Dec 20, 2018