Monday, July 13, 2009

Whittlin or (Maybe Carving) Cheap

People always ask the question, "Whats it cost to get into "carving". Well my answer is anywhere from $2.00 to $200, and up. First, you can do what I do. Hang around the bandsaw at a carving roundup and pocket the leftover trimmings. This is a piece of Butternut that was one of many I picked up at the bandsaw. The ol' Barlow pocket knife was purchased at a flea market for $2.00. Course I kinda reshaped the smaller blade and put a good edge on it. It don't take a large investment to get started.

2 comments:

Thomp said...

hey im all for cheap whittling,

i remember a time when it only cost in shiny behinds when i was cough with one of momma's paring knives and a chunk of construction lumber...
first thing i remembered carving besides pointy sticks was a tiki god face like the easter island statues,
still dont know if mom cried when i gave it to her because she was totally overtaken with my new skill, or she was feared of touching the blood soaked whittling...

i still hang on to nearly every scrap i have because there is support items in them scraps, most all my carvings are 6" or less in size

Robert Cahill said...

I still carve cheap because thats all I can afford. Most basswood and knifes and books are gifs at birthdays and christmas. I started using a utility knife and still do but not as often. I carve mostly under 6" also because it is affordable but it is also what I like best. I'm sure if I wanted bigger I could find a way. If I had a lot of money I would purchase more knifes and gouges but would not enjoy it anymore