Best Wood Carving Knife for Beginners in 2024

Wood Whittling Styles of Carving Require You to Have Different Whittling Knives 

When I just started wood carving, I discovered there is a whole world of different knives for different wood shaping and that I needed a special tool for detailed projects – if I wanted to do tiny details on my project, a special knife would do a much better job than the general-purpose wood carving knife.

For example, if I’m working on something small, like caricatures or spoons, that I can hold in my hand, palm tools are better to work with. These tools are short in length which enables me more control over the razor since the cutting edge is controlled by my fingers directly. There are many small size knives, for men with large hands, but also ones that are good for women and children. On the other side, when carving a large project, such as furniture pieces, I would use mallet tools. These tools can go through thick hardwood and are much stronger than the small knives.

Wood Carving Knife for General Wood Roughing Out

BeaverCraft Sloyd Knife

I love this BeaverCraft model for its comfortable handle and a sharp razor. The edge is very nice, and only required minimal cleaning and stropping to obtain an extremely sharp blade, that is easily maintained with stropping. When it comes to hardwood, it does not hold an edge as good as the Japanese steel, which just means more sharpening. The handle is comfortable, the weight is good, and best of all is the price – much cheaper than the competition.

To sum up

Excellent knife for beginners, and it isn’t an expensive investment either.

Morakniv Wood Carving 106 Knife                      

I got done carving a project for several hours with this knife and it performed rather well. The edge stayed very sharp throughout, with no need to strop. The tip of this knife is very fine and intended for detail work. I was able to make very precise cuts with very little unintended drift. Morakniv knives are more expensive than BeaverCraft, but this one is around $20.

To sum up

A great tip of the knife, good for precision work, and detailed carving. Stays sharp throughout the project.

Morakniv Wood Carving 122 Knife with Laminated Steel Blade, 2.4-Inch                                     

Morakniv knives are good quality knives, and they are great for carving and whittling. Although, most of the knives will come in a poorly designed and very cheap sheath. This is not too much of a problem, since they are not overly expensive, but it is a downside. The 120 model has a carbon core that is laminated, and the blade stays sharp for a long time. It is for general use, but rather good for caricatures.

To sum up

It is a good beginner’s knife, and works for all kinds of projects. It is a general-use knife, but the tip is really good with detail carving and engraving.

Flexcut Roughing Knife (KN14)                                     

This is a very specific blade shape, and the type you would want in your collection. Personally, I’m really happy this Flexcut is in my toolbox. The blade shape enables me to make fine, round wooden surfaces, for objects such as rings and bowls, which are not easy to make with a general pointing knife. Great whittler.

To sum up

A very comfortable tool, very specific, and a good addition to any toolkit.

BeaverCraft, Whittling Knife C1M – Small Sloyd Knife 

Possibly the best whittling knife for beginners that I could recommend. It is comfortable, easy to use, the blade is sharp and multifunctional, and the best part is that it’s not a big investment at all. It works well for rough cuts and holds an edge for quite some time. Not the best blade shape for details though.

To sum up

The perfect knife for beginners – good to get used to roughing and whittling. Comfortable, sharp, and very cheap.

Whittling Knife for Caricature Detail Carving

BeaverCraft Cutting Knife C2 6.5″ 

Similar shape to BeaverCraft whittling knife, but more fit for detailed carving. Does a good job for chip and caricature carving, but although it comes sharp right out of the box, it seems to be difficult to finish the project with only this knife. The angle in which it is sharpened is not right for tiny detail work at the end.

To sum up

It is a good knife for beginners, but even though it does a better job with detail carving than the BeaverCraft whittling knife, it’s not the best choice if you choose to do caricatures.

Wood Carving Detail Knife | Chip Carving Knife 

This is a small knife that fits nicely in my hand. It’s overall not too bad for the price (it is cheaper than any other knife) but it doesn’t hold an edge and gets dull pretty quickly. The main quality of this knife is the price.

To sum up

Not the greatest quality. Even if you are a beginner, you still want a more decent knife. It could be a fine choice for children since it’s not staying sharp for long.

BeaverCraft Wood Carving Detail Knife C15 1.5″ 

This whittling knife is a great addition to my set, I have no regrets buying this knife. I use it as a part of the spoon carving kit (it comes with two other knives), and they add up for the needs of my project rather nicely. All the knives I ordered from BeaverCraft are delivered sharp, and they hold an edge for a really long time. This knife itself is very cheap and works well for chipping, carving details, and also engraving.

To sum up

I never get disappointed with BeaverCraft tools. They are produced to work well with one another, and with the right set, I can finish any project with ultimate pleasure.

UJ Ramelson Beginner’s Bench Roughing Knife                             

This is the knife with really nice shape of the blade. The shape of the tip and mostly the triangular cross-section of the blade keeps the blade from wandering and following the grain when it shouldn’t. Although it is a pretty and old school looking knife, when sharpening it the tip started bending on me. This really got me disappointed, but perhaps it’s just the one that I got.

To sum up

I’m not sure if I’d give it a go with this knife once again. Carving with it feels really good, the problem only occurred once I was sharpening it. All things considered, it was the $20 I’ll never see again.

Right Hand/Japanese Kiridashi Craft Pocket Knife

Japanese blades are already known for their quality, and this is what made me try this knife. This steel enabled me to carve with hardwood, it can chop and slice with great precision and efficiency compared to the other blades. Holds an edge for a really long time, it just stays sharp and can be used non-stop on a caricature project. The handle is not the most comfortable one, my hand got tired after a while, but this isn’t too much of a downside. It doesn’t cost much more than BeaverCraft tools.

To sum up

I’d say go for it. It’s a totally different kind of blade and it might really work for you and your projects. I still enjoy using this one.

How to Choose a Whittling Knife?

What Criteria for Choosing Knife to Consider?

When choosing the knife I’m buying, I’m considering three main aspects of the knife: the comfort of the handle in my hand, the cutting length of the blade, and the quality of the steel itself.

The comfort of the handle

I like to work on complex projects and enjoy the process. Sometimes I like to carve for hours, which is why it is very important to me that the handle fits nicely in my hand and that my palms don’t get tired after an hour. I adopted the “thumb rule” to check if the size of the handle will be good for me. I discovered that the size and the length that is convenient for me is the one I get when I extend a thumb of one hand, then wrap the other hand around that thumb that stays at the mid-joint of the first finger. That extended thumb length is the most comfortable for me.

The length of the cutting blade

I suppose the length convenient fits the project I have in mind. Longer bladed bench knives are better for general shaping and long whittling cuts, but the smaller ones are best for spoon carving and detail carving.

Steel quality

The quality of the blade is essential for any knife. I need a knife that can be sharpened to a very fine point with a super sharp edge. Also, it is important how long it will take for the blade to go dull – can I work on a long project with it without sharping it too much in the process? If the blade is not reliable, then the shape and size of the knife are completely irrelevant.

Conclusion

There are many knives on the market, from different manufacturers, that are only different in a few aspects. It is sometimes hard to choose the right one, but my practice is to look for a toolkit that will provide the right set of different knives and offer a good price for them.

If you are new to woodcarving, you made a great choice choosing to express your creativity and create something with your bare hands. I hope my experience was of help to you, and good luck in finding the best whittling knife.