Reddit reviews FLEXCUT Right-Handed Carvin' Jack, Folding Multi-Tool for Woodcarving, 4 1/4 inch Closed Length, 6 Blades Included (JKN91)
We found 7 Reddit comments about FLEXCUT Right-Handed Carvin' Jack, Folding Multi-Tool for Woodcarving, 4 1/4 inch Closed Length, 6 Blades Included (JKN91). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Jackknife with 6 carving specific edge tools built in for right handed carversChisel - Carving Knife - Hook knife - V scorp - gouge Scorp - Straight GougeIncludes sharpening strop and Flexcut Gold polishing compoundRazor-sharp and ready to use right out of the included leather pouchMade in the USA
I agree with BoonSmith, get an Old-timer for a decent cheap starter. It is a pull carver though (whittler), not really a relief carver (push), yet has decent blades on it. Nice for the price! Bought one for my grand-nephew to get him going.
https://www.amazon.com/24OT-Splinter-Carvin-Traditional-Pocket/dp/B06XRDZ61M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550579581&sr=8-2&keywords=oldtimer+carving+knife
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I'm a Flexcut fan myself and bought their's for traveling (use it quite bit).
https://www.amazon.com/Flexcut-Right-Handed-Multi-Tool-Woodcarving-JKN91/dp/B000ZUBDV0/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1550579696&sr=8-2&keywords=flexcut+carving+knife
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Flexcut Right-Handed Carvin' Jack, Folding Multi-Tool for Woodcarving, 4 1/4 inch Closed Length, 6 Blades Included (JKN91) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZUBDV0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ApLRDbCRCAX6V
I've been whittling for a few years now and used a few different knives but I always come back to the first I used: Flexcut Cutting Knife
The shape of the handle makes it extremely comfortable to use and the blade is very good quality. Another essential purchase for a beginner is a strop or some means of sharpening the blade. A dull blade makes the whole process painful.
Some people would recommend safety gloves and a thumb guard too. But in my opinion they're not necessary if you keep in mind where the blade is and where it's going, just keep the wood between you and the blade. Although I do sometimes tape a bit of rubber or paper to my thumb to make pushing the blade a bit less painful when working on harder wood like cherry.
A blade that I've really been considering buying is the Flexcut Carving Jack because I've read a lot of good reviews and it has all the essential blades, although it's expensive and probably more than a beginner needs.
Good luck with the carving. It's a great hooby to take up. Nothing better than sitting outside on a sunny day with a drink and whittling the afternoon away.
The delica is a pretty great option for whittling. It's a high carbon blade, so it holds up to wood fibers and hard use pretty well. It's got a solid lockup and zero blade play, so control and safety are taken care of. But honestly, it's a better EDC tool than a carving knife.
Another good option I'd throw out for you are high carbon mora blades.
You might also dig this. It's specially made for wood work.
I've got one of these and I like it a lot, but I recall paying only about $70 for it. Not sure why the price increased so dramatically over the last five years.
I don't do whittling, but I have this on my Christmas list to start and for traveling to the backwoods.
I found my pocket bellows to be a perfect tool for directing air flow for burning. I took to this pretty quickly, though I did find it may be easy to burn completely through the piece if you're not careful. I thinned out the bowl of the spoon much quicker than I anticipated.
The rough shaping of the spoon was done entirely with my GB SFA. I then burned the bowl and finished the spoon with my new carving knife.
It turned out crude but pretty, and maybe slightly too big to eat with. A good coffee scoop!