# What is a good wood carving knife for beginners?



## josephmaynor (Apr 22, 2019)

Hey Lumberjocks,

So I have been wood carving for some months now, using a not that good pocket knife - and I've really felt in love with wood carving, so I want to take it to the next level, and get myself a new and better knife made for wood carving.. So I was just wondering if any of you knew a good brand or a good model to go for?
I have checked this list of the best wood carving knives 2019 here.. https://thisalpha.com/best-wood-carving-knives-2019/

But I thought I would just hear what your thoughts were, before buying one, what should I go for?

I hope you all have a great day


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

How To Make A Carving Knife From An Old Drill Bit






How about making one?

And welcome to Lumberjocks josephmaynor!


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

I am fairly "green" when it comes to carving/whittling but I bought the Flexcut Whittlin' Jack last year and it is probably my most used knife. It's an excellent design and the steel takes and holds an edge really well. If I were to buy again, I'd probably go with the Tri Jack if it were going to be my only knife. The added detail blade would be handy.

That's for a pocket solution. I went on vacation a couple of weeks ago and bought a Mora 106 for the trip. I ended up liking it so much that I went out and bought the Mora 120 while I was there. Both excellent knives with excellent handles.

I would recommend all 3 of those knives. If you want a single knife, I'd go with the Flexcut Jack. If you prefer individual fixed blades, go with the Mora 106 to begin with and if you like that, add the 120 or a smaller detail blade.

This is one of those questions you can get 100 different answers to but there's my $.02


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## TravisH (Feb 6, 2013)

I have used a variety of knives and outside of a few any of them would be fine. First you need to know what a sharp knife is. Once you know that a carving knife is going to boil down to what you find comfortable to use.

I have mainly went with the flex cut knives over the years. Cheap price, hold edge well, blade thickness and geometry seam good, and most importantly…. I find the handle very comfortable in use. The Flexcut KN12 is hard to beat in regards to overall beginner knife. Will handle many tasks good to well.

I have meant to buy a few of the Hock carving knife blades and make my own handles. If the blades are anything like the plane blades would be hard to beat.


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## DavePolaschek (Oct 21, 2016)

I recommend the Mora 120 for beginners. The smaller blade, compared to the 106 means it's a little easier to handle. Or the Woodcarving Basic, which has a plastic handle, but costs about half what the wooden-handled knives do. It still handles well, but it's more indestructible.


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## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

I'll have to respectfully disagree with TravisH. I have the Flexcut KN12 and don't like it at all. In my opinion, the blade is too thick and the bevel is too large. I mainly carve basswood, so that's what I'm basing my opinion on. If you are carving cherry, maple, etc., then the KN12 may be the better knife for you, as it has the strength to stand up to the harder woods. I have a KN13 detail knife that I think is much better for beginners - most beginners don't make large chips, so the strength of the KN12 is wasted on them. I modified my KN13 by changing it so that the bevel goes all the way from the cutting edge to the blade back - much better for carving, for me. I also have 6 Helvie knives. http://helvieknives.com

The chart below shows digital caliper measurements of various blades. You can see that the Flexcut blades are quite a bit thicker than the others, and thicker blades are more difficult to push through the wood.

Claude


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## MSquared (Aug 20, 2018)

Where's Phil ?!


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

Take a stroll through this thread https://www.lumberjocks.com/topics/283777


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