Whittling

[Old Monkey]

A couple of weekends ago my nephew was here for a visit. He was celebrating his 8th birthday and we needed to get him a present. We haven't spent a lot of time with him since we left California and I couldn't think what to get him that his, richer than I am, folks had not already. I came up with the idea of a pocket knife. I took him to REI and he picked out a little Swiss Army knife. He was stoked. We sat out in the morning and at night whittling together. Sitting on the back stoop he told me, "I think I could do this all day." Now my personal whittling experience is consigned to making sharp pointy sticks. That's all I've ever done for some reason. While my nephew was here I cut off a piece of ordinary 2x2 and started playing around. After he returned to California, I've continued to whittle and it is now my version of a giraffe. I am really enjoying doing this and find it very relaxing. I have started whittling while I am reading posts on the net. My wife hasn't even complained about the woodchips on the floor that jump over the waste basket.

Here's my first foray into wood carving.

Oh and I am not done yet.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Don't cut your finger!

Cool first attempt.

 

[SkwerI]

Super cool, Darin. The best gift you can give is a key to unlock unexplored skills.

 

[Mr. Sir]

Very nice. I've always wanted to try that, but never got around to it. I know it's really easy; to carve a giraffe, for instance, just take a piece of wood and carve away everything that doesn't look like a giraffe.

 

[Old Monkey]

Max, my nephew, cut his finger in the first hour of whittling. He acted as if his band aid was a merit badge.

 

[Old Monkey]

Very nice. I've always wanted to try that, but never got around to it. I know it's really easy; to carve a giraffe, for instance, just take a piece of wood and carve away everything that doesn't look like a giraffe.

Ha! I keep doing google image searches of giraffes.

 

[Stumper]

Very impressive Darin.
I hope you are aware( I really mean blissfully ignorant and the consequences will sneak up on you) that you are on a collision course with your own liberal politics. Now that you have begun arming children and discovered the wholesome usefullness of dreaded military weapons you might as well raise the flag, join the NRA and put Reed and BbS on ignore.

 

[Old Monkey]

I had no idea there were such dire consequences to my actions. I should have thought longer and harder about that purchase.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Ha! I keep doing google image searches of giraffes.

What, you don't know what one of those of those looks like?

 

[Old Monkey]

I need to know what the feet look like right now so I found this picture.

 

[stig]

Really neat!
Try a picturegoogling on: Dodarhultarn.
He was a fantastic whittler/woodcarver living in Sweden in the beginning of last century.
You might find inspiration to do something else, once you've exhausted the giraffe possibilities.

 

[Old Monkey]

Sounds good. I have no idea what I'll do next. Selecting what to do with chainsaw carving is much easier because they only let you do bears, salmon, eagles and for some reason, dolphins. If I had skill I'd make a bear swatting at an eagle holding a salmon while a dolphin gayly plays in the background.

 

[stig]

Backfronted by a lovely Homerian sunset.

 

[Stumper]

Gayly? Gaily is a fine english word but your choice of spelling and your San Francisco roots leave me straining to imagine a Dolphin with an obviously limp flipper and a suggestion of a lisp even though is is silent and inanaimate.

 

[SkwerI]

Darin, your last picture doesn't look like giraffe feet to me. It looks more like camel toes.

 

[OTGBOSTON]

You'll probably win uncle of the year for that one! I remember when I was given a pocket knife by my uncle. I was told never to open it without a grownup supervising. Of course, I didn't listen, and ended up cutting myself

I still have that knife...

 

[Cobleskill]

I have a crescent wrench, a square, and a pair of pliers my grandparents gave me when I was 6.

I got a scout knife when I was 6 and broke the scredriver trying to take out a tough screw. I was heartbroken.

I have never tried whittling but it does sound like fun. Good choice for a present and teaching a young un a thing or two.

 

[MasterBlaster]

When I worked offshore, any type of personal knife was forbidden. Imagine that - a bunch of tough roughnecks and they couldn't even have a 'lil pocketknife. Of course, most did - but they kept it hidden fron the Tool Pusher and the safety guy.

 

[MasterBlaster]

When I worked offshore, any type of personal knife was forbidden. Imagine that - a bunch of tough roughnecks and they couldn't even have a 'lil pocketknife. Of course, most did - but they kept it hidden from the Tool Pusher and the safety guy.

 

[Altissimus]

J.D. Clampet millionaire spent many hours whittlin' out front of his place ...Granny was makin' possum stew...

 

[Frans]

Darin, are you going to also carve the giraffe's 14" long tongue?

 

[lumberjack]

I remember whittling with a knife I got from an aunts estate. We had gotten back to her house and I was sitting on the front steps making a pointy stick when I cut my thumb pretty good. In 06 or 07 I wacked the thumb with the Zubat, it's scar runs on the side of the thumb, nearly connected to the old white scar.

I too was 8, 14 years ago. I remember her taking us out to eat one night. I rode in the back of her big ole 2 door caddy that had doors like a B-52's wings. Her kisses always felt like there was static electricity arcing between us.

Thanks for the memories.

 

[Old Monkey]

Well hopefully Max won't lose any fingers on account of Uncle Darin's gift.

 

[brendonv]

Pretty cool, maybe I should sit by a fire and start whittling, I need a cheap relaxing hobby.

 

[Old Monkey]

I find it very soothing. Cutting wood is enjoyable on the big scale and on the small.

Frans, I'll say the same thing I did when I met you out in California, "No thanks, I don't do tongue." I have decided not to use any of my exacto knives or wood chisels. I may how ever burn the giraffe fur pattern on if I feel overly ambitious.