A good pocket knife is all you need to start whittling. Whether you’re in front of a campfire or waiting for a bus, whittling is the creative way to unwind and have fun! In this pocket-sized book, world-famous whittler Chris Lubkemann shows you how to whittle 43 useful and whimsical objects with nothing more than an Original Swiss Army® Knife, a twig, and a few minutes of time. Learn to choose your wood, sharpen your blade, and control your pocket knife with dozens of easy, step-by-step whittling projects – from bow and arrows and spoons to magical little trees, animals, and so much more. Published in collaboration with Victorinox® AG, makers of the Original Swiss Army Knife.
This book is pretty darn amazing. It walks you through the basic cuts you need, explains wood choices, then introduces some projects to strengthen your skills. Later on it introduces fancier cuts (ie. curls), decorating, and gives ideas about how to use uniquely shaped branches, and off-cuts.
Dropping it 1 star because they recommended several different Swiss Army knives at the start, and didn't allude to the fact that they use one of them (the Hiker) quite heavily throughout. If I'd have known that the little saw was going to be used in so many projects, I'd have sprung for that one instead!
What a very interesting and useful book! I have a Swiss Army penknife, but all I do is sharpen pencils with it! Must try harder. This is a great idea for Christmas gifts, I can see all my family whittling away in no time! Recommended I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Fox, Chapel Publishing via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
I wish I'd had this book when I was a teenager, and I wanted to do more than make marshmallow sticks. I'm ordering a pen knife and plant to try some of these creations...
Nice book for beginners. I bought a Victorinox along the way. Examples are simple and not very motivating. Quickly replaced this book by another which presents more challenging work.