Hey there! We all know that there are only two tremendously valuable things in wood whittling and those are quality wood and quality tools. What’s more, they are related to each other. If you have nice tools but awful wood you won’t be able to produce something impressive. And if you have awesome wood but terrible dull tools – it’s even less likely that you’ll succeed in anything in the end.
So what describes a high quality wood carving knife, what are the criteria? Image Name Current Price BeaverCraft Detail Knife C15 Morakniv 106 Carving Knife BeaverCraft Draw Knife DK1 Morakniv 122 Carving Knife Flexcut Roughing Knife KN14
Choosing high quality wood carving knife: do’s and don’ts
First of all, you’ve gotta remember: the reviews won’t be completely true for you personally. Someone can say that a knife is useless cause it’s too small and therefore uncomfortable to work with but that doesn’t mean that your hands are the same size and you’ll feel that discomfort as well.
Of course, that will be a sign that you need to check with the supplier how big that handle is, exactly, to make sure you’ll be able to work with it after all. But my point is this: don’t rely on reviews 100%, both negative and positive. Even when I share my thoughts on different tools here, I try to clarify what I mean and how that affects different people. So be attentive when you choose and think about you and your sensations only.
Now that that’s out in the open, I’ll share my view on what’s really important in a carving knife.
Size and shape
Those things are what makes for a nice feeling when you carve. Think of the purpose of the knife, how it should work and feel in your hand and choose accordingly.
The detail knives should have sharp thin tips of razor to not make it difficult producing details with them.
General carving knives are more comfortable when they are slightly bigger, but only if you are experienced: then you can use them to peel off the unneeded wood from the block sort of as if you are peeling a potato. But if you are only starting, it might be a better idea to find something exactly for your palm, not risking any injuries.
Chip carving knives have smaller and thinner blades, usual whittling knives are wider and bigger. Think about the process of carving, the purpose of that exact knife, how it should feel and then continue with the selection process.
Holding it
The shaft, or handle, is there to make it easier on your dominant hand (both hands, even) while you carve. It should be light, not huge, not slippery, that’s why using a knife with a plastic handle won’t do. When you work for a long time, it’s natural to get tired and sweat, especially if you are working outside in the sun. So don’t risk it by choosing a wrong handle – that may cost you dearly.
Look for a wooden handle preferably: they usually are smoothened with some sort of natural finishing that preserves the wood but doesn’t make it slippery. They are also lighter and nicer for a long time of carving since they cause less discomfort.
The razor
Of course, you can’t have a knife without its blade. The better that razor is, the easier you’ll be able to carve. The sharper it is, the faster you’ll be able to finish. So on, so forth, I don’t think I need to continue in order to emphasize that more.
What I need to do is to tell you which material is the best for carving blades. Most people that are used to kitchens would choose stainless steel – not a bad thing at all. But amongst the carvers high-carbon steel is more common, simply because it’s tougher and stronger than the stainless one. It allows you to work with hardwood without any troubles.
It also holds the edge better so you won’t get bored or tired of stropping your knife too often. And you won’t feel the need to exhaust yourself in order to reach perfection when stropping: high-carbon steel stays sharp longer than others.
These things are what makes a carving knife valuable and irreplaceable. They make a simple knife become the best rated wood carving knife.
My personal selection of best quality wood carving knives
As usual, I’ll share with you a few things that I find worth mentioning in the hopes of being useful to you once again.
BeaverCraft Detail Knife C15
This is practically a picture perfect demonstration of what I said about proper detail knives. BeaverCraft’s C15 has a small thin blade that is even thinner at the top, making it the best candidate for the first place in detail knives overall. It has a light wooden handle that sits comfortably in your palm, cuts details effortlessly and has never let me down in anything I’ve planned to do with it. The blade is of proper high-carbon steel so it’s easy to use and pleasant to have.
To sum up: great for details and enjoyable to use, smooth, sharp and capable to do its job very well. But it has a more narrow area of using so is not a general wood carving knife.
All the measurements and characteristics here: BeaverCraft Wood Carving Detail Knife C15 1.5″ Whittling Knife for Detail Wood Carving Craft Knife – Chip Carving Knife Wood Carving Tools for Beginners and Kids
Morakniv 106 Carving Knife
This is a small knife that can be used for detail carving or general according to your needs. It comes with a black sheath for preservation of the blade and has quite a pointy end of the razor. That will help you carve deeper but may also be a little unstable since it’s thinner so it might be better to stick with it for details. It also has a light wooden shaft that’s oiled for preservation and laminated steel for the razor.
To sum up: this short detail knife has heard quite a lot of negative reviews but is still the second one in my list because of its ergonomic pleasant use, pointed tip for details and laminated steel (although I still highly recommend the high-carbon one for carving knives).
All the description and characteristics that make you want to buy it immediately are here: Morakniv Wood Carving 106 Knife with Laminated Steel Blade, 3.2-Inch, M-106-1630
BeaverCraft Draw Knife DK1
The draw knife from BeaverCraft is surely the one you need to use when removing bigger parts of wood. You might be working with a bigger chunk of wood than a simple wooden block or need to get rid of more than a carving knife can bite off – then this is your guy, 100%.
This draw knife doesn’t exhaust your hand nearly as much as any carving knife would do because you apply force with two hands and you don’t need to have a specific grip to hold it properly: it’s easier.
To sum up: awesome tool for big parts removal, sharp, comfortable and functional. However, that’s the only thing it is good for, so if you don’t carve from big chunks of wood – there is no sense to take it.
Check out this big guy for big purposes here: BeaverCraft Draw Knife DK1-4,3″ Straight Shave Wood Carving Tools Woodworking Hand Tool Wood Carving Draw Knife
Morakniv 122 Carving Knife
This is the second Sweden knife I’m sharing with you today simply because Sweden quality is worth mentioning for sure. The 122 knife is designed for easy and comfortable chip carving so it has a wide cutting edge for an overall small knife. Handle made of birch and oiled for preservation makes it feel good in your hand while laminated steel helps you carve what you need.
To sum up: this Mora 122 Knife is a quite handy tool when it comes to chip carving so whittle away if that’s your thing and enjoy the pleasure. However, it is not the best idea getting it for general carving.
Ordering and finding out more available here: Morakniv Wood Carving 122 Knife with Laminated Steel Blade (2.4-Inch) (M-106-1654)
Flexcut Roughing Knife KN14
Flexcut is quite popular amongst the carvers and exactly because of that I haven’t put it higher in my list: wanted to share something not as widely recommended first. This is a great small knife for roughing out the general outline of your project. It has a wooden oak handle, high-carbon steel blade and a rounded point. The knife is pre-sharpened and can be used immediately after receiving.
To sum up: a nice knife to have and make your carving life simpler, small and effective, but serves a very exact purpose so won’t be needed by everyone
Enjoy the possibilities of easy roughing out with this knife after buying it here: Flexcut Roughing Knife, High Carbon Steel Blade, Ash Handle, 1-3/4 inch Blade Bevel Length, (KN14)
The summary to my list of top rated wood carving knives
As seen already, I’ve presented to you my personal top rated wood carving knives which have significant differences separating them from each other. My goal is to introduce you to the plentiful world of opinions and goods here on the market of wood carving knives. Knowing what’s special and why will be of a great use to you once you have to face this choice yourself.
It is also a smart idea to buy a toolkit instead of purchasing things separately, especially if you are not that certain in what exactly you require or simply don’t want to bother too much and find it easier to buy everything already mixed up and ready for use as soon as you receive the order. Toolkits can quite certainly bring all the best quality wood carving knives packed up together.
