The Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars (Woodcarving Illustrated Books) (Fox Chapel Publishing) Instructions for 18 Down-Home Style Projects Paperback – January 1, 2013

I was so impressed by this little book that I bought a copy for each of my adult children, along with a Victorinox Swiss Army Tinker, and a few other sharpening tools and materials, as well as a block of Basswood. They will be admonished to learn this skill and when the time is right, pass the skill and tools along to my grandchildren... or let me enjoy doing so.This is the first of two great books I have found for learning to whittle; the other is Whittlin' Whistles by Rick Wiebe. Both of these books are filled with illustrations and detail of technique for maintaining your pocketknife to whittle as well as be successful in the projects. On-line one can find instructions for whittling a whistle, a ball in cage, and other items, but a well-illustrated book is more effective. Another booklet I have found is Whittling for Beginners by Salty; this is available only from select Woodcarving stores.Lubkemann's book is a great resource for not only teaching the skill of whittling, but also it offers snippets of outdoorsman and woodlore knowledge covering a very broad range of topics - reminiscent of the Boy Scout Handbook or Field Book of years ago.Ten of his 90 pages cover topics of pocket knife selection (he prefers the versatility of the Swiss Army Tinker), sharpening, and whittling cutting techniques. Lubkemann's projects are drawn from art and utility from the out-of-doors, covering spoon, fork, spreader, carved figures, walking stick, sling-shot, whistle, and more. His raw material is the fallen branches found almost everywhere except for the densest urban setting.Highly recommended.

Excellent book , I used to whittle a bunch as a kid and life got in the way until now. I wanted to take it back up so I looked for the knife I used to use (now made in china) so picked a case stockman (medium) knife (awesome knife better then I used to have). Now onto the book.... First off I picked up two books and this is the best one by far for the beginner. It is very detailed on the projects with lots of east to understand pictures as well. Lots of good information from sharpening your knife to how to use it. Now the big bonus is for the true outdoorsman he provides tips on the bottom of the pages that I have only heard growing up in the scouts some were even new to me and I have multiple "survival" type books. Another great thing is he provides bubbles throughout the book with things like animal tracks and lots of other things to use in the outdoors I won't spoil it. For $10 it’s a bargain it will provide hours of things to do. If you need a book to relax and pass time in the outdoors this is one of my favorite ones yet.

My son developed an interest in whittling after seeing someone at a craft show, and he wanted to try it himself. I bought him this book over a year ago, and he still pulls it out and works on the techniques. The instructions are easy to follow, and they give some good ideas for projects. It is written in such a way that he can either follow step by step, or he can just read through and then apply the techniques to his own projects. He has enjoyed doing both. The book itself is small, so it is easy for him to carry around. He has really enjoyed using the skills he has learned from this book.

Boy Scouts and Cub Scouts can go through a simple training program to earn the privilege to carry and use a pocket knife on campouts. Once the privilege is earned, the boys typically find sticks and carve the ends to a point making pokers. Pokers can be used for roasting marshmallows and hot dogs, as well as, jabbing fellow scouts (Ah oh!).I have been searching for a resource to help the boys focus their new found skill on things that might be more constructive and creative. The Little Book of Whittling provides that resource! This is a great idea book filled with basic and intermediate whittling projects that transform twigs and branches into wooden knives, spoons, stick figures, animal shapes, miniature canoes, and more. This handy book also provides tips and instructions for the budding outdoorsman. These topics include proper knife care, safety tips, fire building, recipes, identifying poisonous plants & snakes, and other camping hints.I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning how to whittle or to anyone wanting to share the fun of whittling with responsible kids ages 10 and up.

good book easy to understand

There are a great many books on woodcarving out there, but precious few on the simple pleasures of whittling figures out of fallen branches and cuttings. This is the perfect introduction to for the novice whittler who is looking for some basic information on choosing a knife, sharpening it, and using it. The good news is that you don't need an assortment of expensive, specialized blades; a properly prepared, inexpensive, single bladed knife will do just fine.

This book is good for someone who is new to carving or whittlin. It would make a good book for a young person learning what to do with a pocket knife. It has a number of fairly easy projects pretty much anyone can do.I will point out that several if not most of the projects have a list of tools needed and include power tools in some cases (e.g., power drill, etc.). While it is possible to complete the projects without the power tools, the projects will take a bit longer and require some diligence and ingenuity in the carving process which is not a bad thing for people to develop. If you are on your own and wanting a place to start this book can ease you into the world of making wood chips.

While the book covers a lot of safety and good knives to use, don't expect any instructions on making a chain or a ball in a cage. That said, once you get some basic instruction there are tons of projects for free on the Net.I like the book because there are plenty of projects you can make from twigs that are probably scattered all over your lawn, and it's good to start learning on "free" wood instead of blocks of basswood you have to buy. Heck, my neighbor just cut down a tree and I now have enough wood to keep me busy for months.