among carvers as a portable folding carving knife.
Case stopped manufacturing the design several years
ago, but has recently reintroduced it.
I like the Seahorse Whittler because the small
point on the large main blade allows you to use the
one blade for roughing out and some detail work. The
smaller sheepsfoot blade gives you more control when
carving details because you can easily tell where the
point is, and the small drop-point blade allows you to
carve the most delicate details. I prefer locking blades,
and these don’t, but the versatility of this knife more
than makes up for that small lapse.
Most Case knives are sharpened for general use, so
expect to spend some time sharpening it for carving;
I use wet/dry sandpaper to extend the bevel almost
to the edge of the blade. The knife stays sharp and
requires only a little stropping to keep it cutting well.
The Seahorse
Whittler is
available starting
at $85 from Case
Cutlery, 800-
523-6350, www.
Gerber
Knives
Gerber has been designing
knives and other tools
for outdoorsmen and the
military for more than 70
years. Two of their knives are
useful for carvers.
The Three-Blade
Stockman features a long,
locking roughing-out blade;
a smaller sheepsfoot blade,
and an even smaller drop-
point blade, all of which
are made from high-carbon
stainless steel and hold an edge well. The blades came
with general-purpose bevels, which I extended on the
sheepsfoot and drop-point blades. I use the large blade
for general knife work (cutting rope, packages, etc.)
and reserve the two smaller blades for carving.
If you don’t like to sharpen, the Gerber E.A.B
Lite is a good choice for you. This folding blade uses
standard utility-knife blades that lock in place. A
screwdriver (or coin) is required to change the blade.
This makes the E.A.B. much safer to use than similar
designs because the blade will not accidentally slip.
The Three-Blade Stockman is available for $40,
and the E.A.B. Lite is available for $14. To purchase,
contact Gerber at 800-950-6161, www.gerbergear.com.
The Seahorse
Whittler is back
by popular
demand.
The Zippo Woodsman
converts into four
forest-ready tools for
the outdoorsman.
Two useful knives from
Gerber: the E.A.B. Lite (left)
and Three-Blade Stockman.
www.woodcarvingillustrated.com
13
Woodcarving Illustrated
|
SPRING 2014
14
TOP TIP
in our Summer Issue wins an
autographed copy of
Big Book of Whittle Fun
, Chris
Lubkemann’s newest book.
Send your tip to
Woodcarving Illustrated
, 1970
Broad Street, East Petersburg, Pa., 17520, or e-mail
TOP
TIP
✔
Reversing Patterns
tips and
techniques
In
Woodcarving Illustrated
Fall 2013
(Issue 64), we accidentally reversed one of
the patterns for the Double-Sided
