Complete Starter Guide to Whittling: 24 Easy Projects You Can Make in a Weekend

by Woodcarving Illustrated

You can whittle just about anything—the only limit is your imagination. It’s so easy to get started in this relaxing and rewarding hobby. All you need is a knife, a twig, and this book! We’ve assembled a team of 12 leading woodcarvers to bring you a complete starter guide to whittling. They present 24 easy whittling projects for beginners that you can make in just a weekend, complete with step-by-step instructions, how-to photographs, ready-to-carve patterns, and helpful tips. Start off with fast and fun projects that build confidence and teach fundamental carving techniques, like a simple flying propeller or a 5-minute owl. Then move on to create whittled wonders like a musical frog or a slingshot. We show you how to whittle complex designs in easy steps, so that you’ll soon be carving attention-getting favorites like chain links or the classic ball-in-a-cage.

Genres: Nonfiction, Reference, Woodwork, Crafts, How To

100 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2014

About the author

As the leading how-to magazine for woodcarvers, Woodcarving Illustrated promotes woodcarving as a fun pastime and recognized art form. Whether you're just getting started in the world of woodcarving or have been making chips for decades, Woodcarving Illustrated is designed to help you make the most of your carving time. Each quarterly issue is jammed with projects, instructions, photos, tool reviews, tips, and techniques. Expert guidance from the world's most talented carvers helps you to complete more projects and hone your skills.

Reviews

[Michael Philliber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fox Chapel Publishing has compiled several short articles and instructions from various authors and presented them in a glossy 96-page softback, "Complete Starter Guide to Whittling: 24 Easy Projects You Can Make in a Weekend". This manual is ideal for starters and newbies, experimenters, and those who have launched out on their own and spent some time attempting whittling and carving.

This manual begins with the basics. It covers safety, four types of carving/whittling cuts, sharpening knives, and the different cutting-edge pitches that distinguish normal knives and carving knives. I enjoyed this part since I didn't realize that there are different pitches of cutting edges. It helped to explain why I was having difficulty when using my normal pocket knife. Though most of the book is for using simple pocketknives for whittling/carving, yet some of the projects clearly used other carving tools.

The 24 projects in the book range from extremely simple to a bit more advanced. But the step-by-step pictured instructions make it all very easy to follow along. I'm looking forward to trying out several of these projects in the near future. Other examples described in the book have already aided me in figuring out where I was making things harder for myself on projects I've done in the past. It's a delightful little book, and ideal for whittlers and carvers, young and old, new and not so new. I highly recommend the book.

[Oz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I made a horrible little gnome

[Sophiebeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The "Complete Starter Guide to Whittling" is a fantastic introduction to the art of whittling, perfect for beginners looking to develop their carving skills. With 24 approachable projects, this book provides a good range of options—from simple figures to more detailed carvings—that can be completed in a weekend.

One of the book’s standout features is its detailed, step-by-step instructions, accompanied by clear photographs that guide readers through each stage of the process. The descriptions are easy to follow, making it accessible even for those with no prior experience. Additionally, the book covers essential techniques, safety tips, and tool recommendations, ensuring that beginners start off on the right foot.

While the book does a great job of introducing the basics, some more experienced carvers might find it a bit too simple. A little more depth in technique and design variation could have made it even more valuable for those looking to advance beyond beginner-level projects.

Overall, this is a well-structured and visually engaging guide that offers an excellent starting point for anyone interested in whittling. If you're looking for a hands-on, practical approach to learning this craft, this book is a great choice!

[Serge Pierro · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeing as how this is a collection put out by Woodcarving Illustrated it is safe to say that the content is fairly solid. It starts out with an overview of different knives and such and then moves onto several different types of knife cuts. The rest of the book is devoted to the 24 projects.

While the instruction is top notch and there are ample photographs, the choice of the projects were somewhat lackluster. I'm sure that there will be several that people will certainly enjoy, however, personally I found most of them to be somewhat boring. But, even the ones that I had no interest in provided interesting anecdotes and tips, so it was well worth reading even if I wasn't totally engaged.

Being new to Woodcarving, I checked out several books to get an idea of the concepts and range of techniques. I wasn't a huge fan of the book, but I love the Woodcarving Illustrated magazine! :)

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

The bulk of this book is simple projects and patterns. Some are interesting but you can find them all on YouTube. The front dozen pages is useful. It begins with some information about knife steel and blade geometry, followed by a summary of a bunch of pocket and other knives on the market suitable for carving. It then covers the basic types of knife cuts you'll use. Finally, there is a clear guide to changing edge geometry and sharpening a knife. I found this section of the book helpful, but again - YouTube. If you just like having this stuff in physical form - and why wouldn't you? Then this is a decent book and you can pick it up for around $10 (9/24/24). I really wish it had dumped a few projects in favor of a discussion of types of wood suited to carving and how to responsibly source it.

[Constantin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating book!

It is the first book I read on Whittling and I am really pleased on the details and usual information it provides you with.
It explains about the tools, protection, technique, sharpening etc. without throwing a ton of useless information at you just to fill the pages.

The projects are explained nicely, although I give it 4 stars because I don't think they are that easy for a beginner, could include some more basic ones for practice as some of them seem too hard for someone who just started using carving blades.

[Sean Morrish · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first book for learning to carve and whittle. Fairly comprehensive. Safety tips. Overview of knives, and how to make them appropriate for whittling. And 24 little projects of varying skill levels, and interests.
Overall, seems a good book. Wish it was pocket sized, but we can’t have everything.

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear steps and good pictures of the different projects. I liked it.

[Steve Sweetin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Primer for Rookies

I thought it was a bit brief but after revisiting it, I would recommend it to other new whittlers like me.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of photographs. Some helpful projects. Some, not so much. Were those just starting out, it might be worth a look.

[Don Gubler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and illustrated. The basics are well covered and the projects described are well chosen.

[michael mccabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read.

Thumbs-up, well written easy to follow, pictures are good , price is good , dying to try out all of the projects.

[Lucy Bozzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bought this book for my son as a Christmas gift. He got interested in whittling, and his first project was a wooden spoon. It turned out beautiful! This is such a great pastime and hobby, very interesting and rewarding. Photos and tips are great, and explanations are very clear and easy to follow. All you need is good tools and your imagination, and, of coarse, a desire to learn and improve as it takes time to become good at whittling. Grateful to the author who took the time to write a book like that! Takes kids away from technology and teaches them useful and interesting skills!