A good knife for whittling?

December 10, 2006 12:48 AM

Trying to remember the name of good French knife and also looking for suggestions for a good whittling knife.

I'm almost positive I saw a post on here or Metafilter about some kind of knife made by a French company that is supposed to be good for a multitude of things, maybe about a year ago, but now I can't find it. Does anyone remember it? The reason why I ask is because I'm really thinking about getting into whittling and I guess I'm in the market for a good pocket-knife. Any suggestions? Sorry for the brevity/terseness of this post, but it's been a long day and I'm exhausted. Thanks in advance.

posted by Cochise to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (5 answers total)

The Laguiole is the generic name for a particular style of French knife, but I suspect you're thinking of the Opinel range, which are cheap folding/ring-locking with very decent carbon-steel blades. Though I'm not of the whittling persuasion, people who are tend to like them. (I've got two.)
posted by holgate at 1:12 AM on December 10, 2006

Are you thinking of Opinel Knives? I use mine to whittle. They have a carbon steel blade which sharpens really easily.
posted by sann1657 at 1:14 AM on December 10, 2006

Nothing that I've used can be a Case XX knife; i think they also have a lifetime warrenty so chip a piece off, etc and they'll replace it too. Great knives
posted by uncballzer at 7:07 AM on December 10, 2006

My old woodcarving teacher always carried a nothin' fancy Old Timer, but it was just his out-and-about knife. I'd recommend getting a regular carving knife if you're serious about your new hobby. Something with a small fixed blade and long handle.

But truthfully, the type of knife isn't as important as being able to get it sharp and to keep it that way. So, get a strop and some gradually finer whet stones. Using a dull knife is frustrating and therefore dangerous. But using a sharp blade on a block of basswood can be a meditative, zen-like experience.

Take a class. The crusty old guys are funny and they'll help you care for your knife.
posted by spork at 10:35 AM on December 10, 2006

No specific recommendations, but this is a great catalog for wood carving tools.
posted by extrabox at 12:04 PM on December 10, 2006