Reddit Reddit reviews Flexcut Beginner Palm & Knife Set, All-Purpose Cutting Knife and Detail Knife Included, with 2 Palm Tools (KN600)

We found 17 Reddit comments about Flexcut Beginner Palm & Knife Set, All-Purpose Cutting Knife and Detail Knife Included, with 2 Palm Tools (KN600). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Wood Craft Supplies
Craft Supplies & Materials
Arts, Crafts & Sewing
Wood Carving Tools
Flexcut Beginner Palm & Knife Set, All-Purpose Cutting Knife and Detail Knife Included, with 2 Palm Tools (KN600)
Set includes 4 of the most popular Flexcut carving tools1 Cutting Knife and 1 Detail Knife along with 1 Sweep gouge and 1 V toolFree Tool Roll offer included with purchase of setRazor-sharp hard carbon steel blade is ready to use right out of the packageMade in the USA
Check price on Amazon

17 Reddit comments about Flexcut Beginner Palm & Knife Set, All-Purpose Cutting Knife and Detail Knife Included, with 2 Palm Tools (KN600):

u/woodcarvingthrow · 6 pointsr/Woodcarving

A strop is only for honing (the final step to achieving a razor-sharp edge), while a whetstone could be used for anything from shaping the initial bevel to honing, depending on the grit.

If you do buy some Flexcut knives, which I highly recommend, you will probably only need a strop if you properly maintain them. In fact, they recommend you never use a whetstone and only opt for a Powerstrop if you neglect them for too long.

Many sites will recommend you buy tools one by one so you can get what you need, but as another beginner, I was extremely happy I purchased the Flexcut Deluxe Set. It was probably one more knife and one more palm tool than I needed, but it helped me understand what was out there and how to use them. A good, cheaper alternative might be this set.

No matter what you buy, one of the most important things to do from both a safety and usability (and enjoyment!) factor is to keep your tools as sharp as possible. That way it requires less force to move the tool through the wood, which is a common injury mechanism, and it makes it easier to create fun things. For the weird angles with V and gouge tools, I use another Flexcut invention. It works okay, but you can get the same results with folded sandpaper or other methods. I also bought a fullsize knife strop because it really does make a difference and you can get some with a lot more surface area. I haven't needed to buy a whetstone yet.

Also, I've since supplemented my starter set with Dockyard tools, which also come very sharp and keep their edge well. So far I've only used their micro tools, but I understand they have decent sets as well.

Speaking from unfortunate experience, you should definitely pick up a pair of kevlar gloves. I had a pretty serious hand injury (partially severed tendon) because I was just doing some touchups and wasn't using my gloves and got a bit sloppy. It only takes one single wrong stroke, and I had gotten complacent since I'd been so careful in the past. The gloves let me be more reckless and have definitely saved me from cuts, although they wouldn't protect against a stabbing cut. Thumb guards are also popular, but I don't actually like them very much. The gloves are nice because you can get a great grip on the tools.

When you have a knife or a set, you'll need some wood to practice on. I found ebay to be a great resource...just search for "basswood" and pick a few different sizes. 2x2x6 seems to be a good starting point to me. Make sure it is kiln-dried as well. Here is a good assortment that is pretty cheap. Butternut is another good choice, but for a beginner, I'd stick with basswood from personal experience.

Finally, if you are wanting a good book to introduce you to the subject, I'd recommend the Complete Book of Woodcarving. I've bought a number of books on the subject, but it is definitely the best if you are only buying one and need an overview to the entire craft. Old Time Whittling is only 30 pages, but gave some great examples and was very useful to me as well.

u/endtables · 5 pointsr/Woodcarving

Yeah, it is. Flexcut makes great equipment, I've got a fair number of their tools myself. Personally, I'd spend a bit more and get this set, which will really open your options up and make it easier to create:

http://www.amazon.com/Beginner-Palm-and-Knife-Set/dp/B005EG033Y

The flexcut tools are so well made you only need a strop to keep them honed if you take care of them...no need for a sharpening stone(s).

u/scottishpride · 4 pointsr/Woodcarving

I really like Flex cut knives and gouges. They are a little bit of money but they will last you a life time.

Depending on what you want to do I have found 2 sets This one that is only knives and then This which has a combination of knives and gouges.

Personally if I were you I would go for the second one because it will give you a wider range of things that you can carve.

u/troglodave · 4 pointsr/Woodcarving

Unfortunately, most cheap sets aren't worth buying. A nice combo set, which has the two most common types of blades and the two most common types of "gouges" can be had for around $55. This, IMHO, is a great starter kit.

Do you think he'd be more interested in carving figures, like whittling, or relief carving, which is like creating scenes on flat panels?

u/pondcypress · 4 pointsr/Woodcarving

I always suggest flexcut for beginners for two reasons, they are fairly inexpensive, and they are sharp and hold an edge well. (I would not suggest using them on anything harder than mahogany or perhaps oak)

If you find you like woodcarving, then I suggest move on to more traditional (And fairly expensive tools like Pfeil, Ashely iles, Two cherries, Auriou, Henry Taylor, Robert Sorby etc)

They do have a small set similar to what you're looking for,

https://www.amazon.com/Beginner-Palm-and-Knife-Set/dp/B005EG033Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1483717685&sr=8-4&keywords=flexcut+set

As for wood, basswood is good for beginners, also butternut. I personally hate basswood and prefer to carve woods with a janka hardness of 1000 and up. That's just me though and many folks love basswood, I just find it too soft for my style of carving.

Cleaning, I just pick up the larger shavings and vacuum the rest.

Some resources,

http://www.wood-database.com/

Database on wood with detailed info on each species.

https://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/store/index.php

Very good supplier of woodworking/carving tools, I use them often and they are usually very prompt in shipping.

http://www.constantines.com/

I order from these guys every so often, usually 12x12x2 mahogany blocks.

http://www.japanwoodworker.com/

Another supplier of tools, they also have wood.

http://www.bellforestproducts.com/

Wood supplier, excellent stock of more exotic lumber, I tend to browse the "Hand pick your board" section often.

Also, ebay is a nice place to find carving wood.

u/c0nduit · 3 pointsr/Woodcarving

Here is an entry-level knife set with two useful palm gouges

He would also need honing compound to keep them sharp. He'd need to find a strip of leather to glue onto a nice flat board to apply the compound to. You can buy just plain leather all over the place, like here.

I don't know too many people that carve with balsa, never tried it myself either. Most carvers in North America though use basswood or tupelo.

u/Entaris · 2 pointsr/Woodcarving

Well, if you are looking for a wide variety of tools: i started with these

Though to start you would probably do fine with just a knife

or if you want to spend a little more you can't go wrong with drake

It's tough to recommend a knife as a starting point though. Obviously I don't want to say "You need to go out and spend a bunch of money, or you'll regret it" Because the truth is you would probably be fine with the knife sets you were looking at before.

I would say 1 good quality knife is better than 5 poor quality knives though. I have no personal experience with the sets you were looking at, but I have seen a few random posts where people have expressed that the sets they found at hobby lobby didn't hold their edges very well, which can be a frustrating experience.

At the same time, spending 10 dollars on a set of knives, might be all you need to decide if you are into the hobby or not and want to spend more money on it. It's tough. I would however go into that situation knowing that if you spend 10 dollars on a set of 5 knives, odds are good in a short amount of time if you decide you are into the hobby, you will feel their lack and want better knives.

u/thatfntoothpaste · 2 pointsr/malelifestyle

This was the set I bought. If you have a Woodcraft near you, that's also a great place to start for buying individual tools and accessories.

Outside of the blades, I'd suggest a thumb guard, slipstrop (or back of an old leather belt), and sharpening compound.

u/Nerkson · 2 pointsr/whittling

Heya! Thanks for stopping by.

It can be a bit tricky, depending on what materials and tools he has already.

  • Amazon Shows a wide variety of books.

    If he wants more whittling-style knives, Amazon is also a place for this.

  • This knife set isn't too bad. See, what you're wanting to look for here are knives that are comfortable to use. The curves and ovaloid shaped handles make them more comfortable for longer periods of whittling.

  • Quite a few people swear by Mora knives.

    If he's the outdoorsy type, then any nice range pocket knife will work (as long as it looks / feels comfortable to hold!). The spirit of Whittling is in the doing, not so much in the materials used.

    Other accessories that could go well could be safety gloves (no one wants to cut themselves !), A place for him to store wood, or even a bench perhaps.

    Really, it's up to what he already has and his wants. Hope this helps!
u/jphill9990 · 2 pointsr/Woodcarving

Which would be easier to start with? I see the benefit of both. Do you have a rotary tool that you would recommend? I've browsed around and was thinking about the Dremel 4000 here but part of me wants to go the hand route....I can do that inside my house without pissing anyone off as much with a rotary. Any recommendations on knives and micros? What about there and here. I'd like to stay under or around $100.00 on my first go of tools. Thanks again

u/Sarioth · 2 pointsr/pics

$60 on Amazon . 2 knives and 2 gouges. they come sharp and are pretty easy to keep sharp (I bought that brand's slipstrop for sharpening).

u/Old_Deadhead · 2 pointsr/Woodcarving

Flexcut makes good carving tools at reasonable prices. This is a great starter set, IMHO.

Flexcut Beginner Palm & Knife Set, All-Purpose Cutting Knife and Detail Knife Included, with 2 Palm Tools (KN600) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005EG033Y/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_XORFDb8F3QMA6

u/carvaccount · 2 pointsr/Woodcarving

I'm a beginner who probably has more money than skill, but I would absolutely recommend a Flexcut set. This would be a great choice on a budget.

Most important thing is to make sure you keep the tools as sharp as possible. Flexcut makes a "variable" strop that works on a bunch of different tools and comes with polishing compound.

If you only want to buy a knife, Mora is a great alternative to Flexcut. A knife similar to the KN12 should be roughly the same cost-wise. You can make your own strop out of an old leather belt glued to some wood, so just do some research online for more info and then all you need to buy is some polishing compound.

u/clanboru15 · 1 pointr/Woodcarving

Yeah, it is. I bought it based on a recommendation. Luckily I had cut resistant gloves so I could get a grip on part of the blade and get more accurate cuts. But if you look at my first project, they didn't really require and details. It was just getting the feel of working with the wood.

Here is what I purchased. I prefer the fixed blades as opposed to the ones where you can switch them out. I haven't had a single issue with the knife quality. Both of the gouges work well for me. One is a 70 degree cut and the other is curved.

u/Starship_Fighter · 1 pointr/Woodcarving

Okay, thanks. Would this be a good starter set you think? Then if I enjoy it enough and get some more cash pick up some of the north forge ones eventually.

u/science-man-29 · 1 pointr/woodworking