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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!
  

To start you need 4 things imo. Knife, sharpening stone, wood, and a glove.
I like Morakniv Wood Carving 120 Knife with Laminated Steel Blade, 2.4-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GATX62/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JF87CbW24FV4W
It’s cheap and after many years of carving I still use it.

I use a home made honing strop 80% of the time and a diamond stone the remaining 20% when needed.

I use a lansky extra fine but there are probably better options.

Basswood is the standard carving wood. It’s available from hobby shops and on amazon.

Wear a (clean) leather or knife guard glove on your non dominant hand. It’ll save you a lot of cuts.

What’s a good beginners CHEAP knife? I’d be willing to pay a little extra for one of the folding pocket knife type.

What kind of knife do I need?

I have one of these: https://i.imgur.com/s5atxwt.jpg

This one looks affordable and is a folding one which would be nice to keep in my backpack to use whenever I want: [folding knife](Fury Nobility Raindrop Razor Edge Blade Folding Knife with Rose Pakka Handle, 2-Inch https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001UBN96A/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CjYTCbB9KAC4F)

Or do I need different types if knives so this one might be better: [multi folding knife](Old Timer 24OT Splinter Carvin’ Traditional Pocket Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XRDZ61M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_mlYTCb036P77Y)

Thanks for your help. This is something I’d wanted to do as long as I can remember.

If none of those work what would you buy for $15 and under?

Noob here too. I'm quite a fan of the Flexcut Pocket jack.

Its a little more of an investment, but having the gouge, scorp and v scorp with a 1 5/8" detail blade is great. Plus I am a big fan of the locking folding blade.

I'm a big fan of http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Laminated-2-4-Inch/dp/B004URTI4I/ref=sr_1_7?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1453580923&sr=1-7&keywords=morakniv for most carving. The shorter blade means the control is closer to your hand, which is good for "not cutting the shit out of yourself". A longer blade would be better for stripping bark and trimming branches, but less for fine work.

I just started too, and I'm using this knife :

Imperial Schrade IMP16S Stockman Folding Pocket Knife https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0037SNATU/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_y1IdAbBD32DQ5

I love this knife, it's great, and inexpensive.

For easy cheap sharpening, you can start with something like this :

Lansky PS-MED01 BladeMedic https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0085PPSIQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_o5IdAb61TS3Z3

You'll want to invest in better tools if you decide to stick with it, but this is what I'm starting with even though I have other knives and sharpening stones and etc.

Fellow beginner here. I'm pretty happy with this knife so far: https://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Carving-Knife-Laminated-2-4-Inch/dp/B004GATX62

I would go with a flexcut detail knife like this one https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000ZRXO88/ref=pd_aw_sbs_201_of_25?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9JT9AN5VJBMK3CA5NQ41&th=1
They come pretty sharp, and actually the fact they come sharp and at the correct angle helped me learn to sharpen my pocket knife for whittling.

I started with this set, a strop and some green honing compound.

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_-2.CDb61BNPXF

I feel like it has carried me pretty far

I got this:
Flexcut Pocket Jack for Carvin', Carving Specific Jackknife Style Tool, 3 Ounce, 4-1/4 Inch Closed Length, 4 Blades Included (JKN89) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049C736E

And I love it.

Thanks for the advice. I bought this whetstone to keep my knives sharp. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0055B2RGO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Was that a smart move or did i mess up?

I’ve also got this one if you are looking for something that does more detail cutting. Its an awesome tool.

Flexcut Left-Handed Carvin' Jack, Folding Multi-Tool for Woodcarving, 4 1/4 inch Closed Length, 6 Blades Included (JKNL91) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001BPB6UQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_qkqODbPJJGNCX

You can order basswood in the UK. 4.50 with free shipping. I suppose it takes a while to get here though, according to the reviews.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Walnut-Hollow-Basswood-Whittlers-Piece/dp/B0018N9Z72/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1462359802&sr=8-1&keywords=whittling+wood

Perhaps a knife sharping guide would help? Also are you using a strop with compound? It will not be sharp with just stones. You can also search for carving groups in your area, there is one near me in fairly rural Wisconsin that offers courses.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D32C3RB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_IyMCDbJS1TZX4

The whetstone was 25$, the chip knife was 20$, and the set of carving tools was only 15$.

EDIT: Amazon Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Flexcut-KN15-Chip-Carving-Knife/dp/B001NI6LJ

https://www.amazon.com/Fallkniven-Diamond-Ceramic-Whetstone-Sharpening/dp/B003BUV226/ref=pd_bxgy_79_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B003BUV226&pd_rd_r=589A5K5TZA7F93T9TCM9&pd_rd_w=dTInI&pd_rd_wg=Av0xb&psc=1&refRID=589A5K5TZA7F93T9TCM9

https://www.amazon.com/Carving-Chisels-XUANLAN-Beginners-Pottery/dp/B06XCCGWZ7/ref=sr_1_6?s=arts-crafts&ie=UTF8&qid=1497213735&sr=1-6&keywords=Wood+carving+tool+kits+12

The rest of the things I bought at my local hardware store

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

Here's some resources:

• https://www.amazon.com/Making-Wooden-Chess-Sets-Kind/dp/156523457X/
  
• https://www.lsirish.com/tutorials/woodcarving-tutorials/woodcarving-projects/beginner-projects/tiki-chess-set-beginners-carving-project/
  
• https://www.reddit.com/r/Woodcarving/comments/32clg1/chess_set_carving/cqccr7f/
  
• https://www.instructables.com/id/Carved-Viking-Chess-piece/

I had a mini utility knife attached to my key ring.

https://www.amazon.com/Sheffield-12116-Lock-Back-Utility-Knife/dp/B001DZPY8Y/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1526329768&sr=8-7&keywords=mini+utility+blades&dpID=31iTSV-LNYL&preST=_SX300_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

put that a thumb guard and a few spare blades in a small box(like a mint tin) that fits in my pocket.

Constructive advice: spend the money to get a legit carving knife, not a general purpose Swiss army knife. Anyways, telling you to be realistic about your expectations about quality and utility is constructive. That's critical life information.

Here's a decent carving knife. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071WCH6T4/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_7xMMDbA2PAP27

Recurves are a pain to sharpen. For simple touch-ups, I just use the bottom of a coffee mug. If the knife is significantly dulled, then I use a sharpening rod like the one on this.

Hey man, is [this] (https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Starter-Guide-Whittling-Projects/dp/1565238427/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499031296&sr=8-1&keywords=little+book+of+whittling) the same book but a different edition. It's getting late here and my brain is rather tired so I thought I'd ask to double check.