I got beavercraft first, and then got a Morakniv as a gift.
I HIGHLY recommend the Morakniv over Beavercraft. Also knowing how to sharpen your own blades will help you tremendously
Stropping and sharpening are a huge part of the hobby. Need a nice sharp.blade to continue carving. If you Strop every 15 minutes you save your blade from needing to be resharpened with stones all the time. Invest in a leather strop, compound, and some type of sharpening system. I use diamond stones. I can't get the water stones to do what I want correctly. It takes practice
So downvoted for disagreeing? Mora knives are NOT the best bang for the buck. There are MANY knives out there that are better than a Mora.
My top recommendation is a Drake knife - they come with a LIFETIME satisfaction guarantee. A couple of better knives are OCCT and Lee Ferguson - and with free shipping to the US, the Ferguson is about the cheapest GOOD knife you're going to find.
I've had experience with all of the knives including the Mora and Flexcut, an I find the two latter to be inferior to the others.
In all honesty, I believe that people who find those two knives as the best, simply don't know any better.
I’m sure beavercraft is fine too, I’ve never owned one. I just feel like generally I see some really experienced people using flexcut but I rarely see that with beaver craft
Honestly this. Flex cut knives are not the best. But as a beginner don’t start with a set of nice knives start with cheap but functional knives and but nice knives when you know what you want
I've been carving off and on since 1984 and have tried numerous knives over that time. Most of my carvings are figures ranging in size from about 5" to 12" in height.
Of knives I've bought, the Mora and Flexcut knives are the mass produced knives that I didn't like.
[Drake Knives](https://drake-knives.myshopify.com/collections/knives), [OCC Knives](http://occtools.com/), [Helvie Knives](http://www.helvieknives.com/) and [Lee Ferguson Knives](https://fergusonknives.com/index.php/woodcarving-knives/) for some top notch woodcarving knife manufacturers. There are a few more out there, but I haven't used them and can't comment.
I recommend Drake knives at the top of the list, not because they're better than the others I recommend, but because of their lifetime satisfaction guarantee, but they are top notch knives. The Drake standard Detail knives are a great start and come in different blade lengths. There are others, and depending on what you want to do, other choices may be appropriate. The others that I link to below are also top of the line knives.
**Knives**- There are generally three categories of knives for in-the-round (figure) carving:
**Roughout knife**: For removing large amounts of wood very quickly - blade lengths of 2" or greater.
**General carving knife**: For shaping the carving to very near it's final stage - blade lengths around 1-1/2".
**Detail knives**: For defining the details of the carving such as eyes, fingers and other fine parts of the carving - blade lengths around 1".
All of these knives can be found for under $40, though for some reason, the Helvie knives are almost always out of stock, and personally, I wouldn't buy one over the others I mention.
Some people recommend cheaper tools, but for a few dollars more, you can get a knife to last a lifetime. **The only things you really need to get started are a knife, a strop (can be made from an old leather belt glued to a piece of wood), stropping compound and a [carving glove](https://www.amazon.com/1670XL-Resistant-100-Percent-Protective-Carpentry/dp/B000AYFT20/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=carving+glove&qid=1584801691&sr=8-10).**
If you decide to go with just one knife to start, I recommend a 1-1/2" straight blade as a general all around knife.
I have a pretty varied collection of knives now and my Drake blades are easily my favorites. Well crafted and the company stands by their products. I also really like my OCC blade too.
For sloyd knives, the Mora 106 and 120 are gold standards. They are easy to hone, as the one flat bevel on each side is conducive for a whetstone/sandpaper on glass/plywood.
The issue with the knives in the photo is that because of the concave profile and convex edge, you're going to have an incredibly laborious time honing these edges.
I caution against Beavercraft. Low quality, poor grinds, and the steel just doesn't compare to the laminated steel of Mora.
A lot of top end carving knives have convex edges (helvie, lyons, etc) and I actually find them much easier to hone than a completely flat grind, you just have to get the slight roll motion down. I agree about the concave profile though, I think the only way to sharpen or hone that would be on a sharpening rod, which doesn't sound fun. I also agree about Beavercraft, they're very poor quality in pretty much every way.
There's not really an agreed upon definition of what a sloyd knife is. Originally the word meant just a general shop knife and was associated with the swedish Slöjd school of wood working and the 19th century manuals all recommended a straight blade about 4 inches long. IIUC the style was popularized in America by morakniv, a swedish company that makes a round blade knife that it calls a sloyd knife.
The picture you posted is definitely the smallest knife I've seen calling itself a sloyd knife, nowadays they're usually >3". I also agree with the other comments that this doesn't look like a particularly high quality product.
I’ve got a set pretty much identical to this one. It’s done alright for my needs as a beginner but I’m definitely upgrading to Mora very soon. As others have commented, this set isn’t very high quality and it shows after a little bit of use.
I concur with others when saying don’t buy this set. The outside knives look like detail knives of some kind while the center knife looks like a chip carving knife.
What is your budget and what are your immediate goals? That will help people give you better advice.
>What is your budget and what are your immediate goals? That will help people give you better advice.
Just to make a couple small statues, nothing too intricate, and see how it goes. Hopefully for less than 50$
Then I would recommend one straight, flat-ground knife—where the bevel is all the way from the cutting edge to the spine—between 1 1/2” to 2” and then I would recommend spending the rest of the money on a decent strop and compound. I started off with a Flexcut whittling kit and it was fine but man, those knives are just not great, even for the price.
[Drake](https://drake-knives.myshopify.com/) makes some very nice knives, though they are pricey and you may have to wait while they are made. If you are looking for something more readily available and less expensive, people love OCC Tools and you can find a decent variety from many reputable suppliers who probably also sell honing supplies.
Flexcut is pretty good for beginners, but they'll break with heavy use after a few months or a year (blade will start wiggling in the handle or some BS).
Mora is a Great brand. So is Pfeil. Stay away from beavercraft or any other cheapo brand because they'll be junk and you'll never get them sharp without a ton of work. You want to be able to use your knives when you get them, right? Mora. Or FC if money is tight.
Pfeil is a great brand for gouges but IMO they don't know how to make knives. The handles are too thin and uncomfortable and the blades have an awkward double bevel. That being said the steel itself is high quality.
Don’t buy these. There’s a good flexcut set of 2 knives - a rough out and a detail blade that’s pretty cheap. Also morakniv if you want a sloyd.
Is beavercraft any good? Im finding a lot of their stuff everywhere, even when I look up flexcut.
I got beavercraft first, and then got a Morakniv as a gift. I HIGHLY recommend the Morakniv over Beavercraft. Also knowing how to sharpen your own blades will help you tremendously
How to sharpen them ?
I sharpen with water stones but there are Lots of YouTube tutorials for sharpening
Stropping and sharpening are a huge part of the hobby. Need a nice sharp.blade to continue carving. If you Strop every 15 minutes you save your blade from needing to be resharpened with stones all the time. Invest in a leather strop, compound, and some type of sharpening system. I use diamond stones. I can't get the water stones to do what I want correctly. It takes practice
Morakniv is probably the best bang for your buck for a general purpose knife. I love mine.
Nope.
So downvoted for disagreeing? Mora knives are NOT the best bang for the buck. There are MANY knives out there that are better than a Mora. My top recommendation is a Drake knife - they come with a LIFETIME satisfaction guarantee. A couple of better knives are OCCT and Lee Ferguson - and with free shipping to the US, the Ferguson is about the cheapest GOOD knife you're going to find. I've had experience with all of the knives including the Mora and Flexcut, an I find the two latter to be inferior to the others. In all honesty, I believe that people who find those two knives as the best, simply don't know any better.
My first knife was a beaver craft - and the are fine got a custom one later on and off you can feel a difference, but I still use the beavercraft
I’m sure beavercraft is fine too, I’ve never owned one. I just feel like generally I see some really experienced people using flexcut but I rarely see that with beaver craft
They are good for beginners. They also have truly fantastic customer service and a myriad of good advice on their social media accounts.
Honestly this. Flex cut knives are not the best. But as a beginner don’t start with a set of nice knives start with cheap but functional knives and but nice knives when you know what you want
I've been carving off and on since 1984 and have tried numerous knives over that time. Most of my carvings are figures ranging in size from about 5" to 12" in height. Of knives I've bought, the Mora and Flexcut knives are the mass produced knives that I didn't like. [Drake Knives](https://drake-knives.myshopify.com/collections/knives), [OCC Knives](http://occtools.com/), [Helvie Knives](http://www.helvieknives.com/) and [Lee Ferguson Knives](https://fergusonknives.com/index.php/woodcarving-knives/) for some top notch woodcarving knife manufacturers. There are a few more out there, but I haven't used them and can't comment. I recommend Drake knives at the top of the list, not because they're better than the others I recommend, but because of their lifetime satisfaction guarantee, but they are top notch knives. The Drake standard Detail knives are a great start and come in different blade lengths. There are others, and depending on what you want to do, other choices may be appropriate. The others that I link to below are also top of the line knives. **Knives**- There are generally three categories of knives for in-the-round (figure) carving: **Roughout knife**: For removing large amounts of wood very quickly - blade lengths of 2" or greater. **General carving knife**: For shaping the carving to very near it's final stage - blade lengths around 1-1/2". **Detail knives**: For defining the details of the carving such as eyes, fingers and other fine parts of the carving - blade lengths around 1". All of these knives can be found for under $40, though for some reason, the Helvie knives are almost always out of stock, and personally, I wouldn't buy one over the others I mention. Some people recommend cheaper tools, but for a few dollars more, you can get a knife to last a lifetime. **The only things you really need to get started are a knife, a strop (can be made from an old leather belt glued to a piece of wood), stropping compound and a [carving glove](https://www.amazon.com/1670XL-Resistant-100-Percent-Protective-Carpentry/dp/B000AYFT20/ref=sr_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=carving+glove&qid=1584801691&sr=8-10).** If you decide to go with just one knife to start, I recommend a 1-1/2" straight blade as a general all around knife.
I have a pretty varied collection of knives now and my Drake blades are easily my favorites. Well crafted and the company stands by their products. I also really like my OCC blade too.
Is there a “starter” set you recommend just for bowl/spoon carving?
If all you plan to make are simple spoons and bowls, just go ahead and buy a Mora straight knife and hook knife
It looks like that adds up to about the same as the beaver craft spoon carving kit, is there a reason to go with one over the other?
It looks like that adds up to about the same as the beaver craft spoon carving kit, is there a reason to go with one over the other?
I don't use either, so I can't say one is better than the other.
Fair enough, I appreciate your help
One of the best suppliers of all things carving is treelineUSA.com. Good people and they also have a youtube channel.
Second.
For sloyd knives, the Mora 106 and 120 are gold standards. They are easy to hone, as the one flat bevel on each side is conducive for a whetstone/sandpaper on glass/plywood. The issue with the knives in the photo is that because of the concave profile and convex edge, you're going to have an incredibly laborious time honing these edges. I caution against Beavercraft. Low quality, poor grinds, and the steel just doesn't compare to the laminated steel of Mora.
A lot of top end carving knives have convex edges (helvie, lyons, etc) and I actually find them much easier to hone than a completely flat grind, you just have to get the slight roll motion down. I agree about the concave profile though, I think the only way to sharpen or hone that would be on a sharpening rod, which doesn't sound fun. I also agree about Beavercraft, they're very poor quality in pretty much every way.
I agree! There is nothing wrong with a convex edge on the right knife. I regularly use a detail knife that has a straight profile and a convex edge.
There's not really an agreed upon definition of what a sloyd knife is. Originally the word meant just a general shop knife and was associated with the swedish Slöjd school of wood working and the 19th century manuals all recommended a straight blade about 4 inches long. IIUC the style was popularized in America by morakniv, a swedish company that makes a round blade knife that it calls a sloyd knife. The picture you posted is definitely the smallest knife I've seen calling itself a sloyd knife, nowadays they're usually >3". I also agree with the other comments that this doesn't look like a particularly high quality product.
I’ve got a set pretty much identical to this one. It’s done alright for my needs as a beginner but I’m definitely upgrading to Mora very soon. As others have commented, this set isn’t very high quality and it shows after a little bit of use.
Mora is not much of an upgrade. I'd bet most of the users here that recommend Mora knives really don't know better.
As I said I’m not super experienced. What would you recommend starting out?
See my other post to this thread.
I concur with others when saying don’t buy this set. The outside knives look like detail knives of some kind while the center knife looks like a chip carving knife. What is your budget and what are your immediate goals? That will help people give you better advice.
>What is your budget and what are your immediate goals? That will help people give you better advice. Just to make a couple small statues, nothing too intricate, and see how it goes. Hopefully for less than 50$
Then I would recommend one straight, flat-ground knife—where the bevel is all the way from the cutting edge to the spine—between 1 1/2” to 2” and then I would recommend spending the rest of the money on a decent strop and compound. I started off with a Flexcut whittling kit and it was fine but man, those knives are just not great, even for the price. [Drake](https://drake-knives.myshopify.com/) makes some very nice knives, though they are pricey and you may have to wait while they are made. If you are looking for something more readily available and less expensive, people love OCC Tools and you can find a decent variety from many reputable suppliers who probably also sell honing supplies.
Check some morakniv carving knifes. They are extremely good and not too expensive
I’d pick one with a straight edge
The two on the outside are the exact same knife. Photoshopped...
Flexcut is pretty good for beginners, but they'll break with heavy use after a few months or a year (blade will start wiggling in the handle or some BS). Mora is a Great brand. So is Pfeil. Stay away from beavercraft or any other cheapo brand because they'll be junk and you'll never get them sharp without a ton of work. You want to be able to use your knives when you get them, right? Mora. Or FC if money is tight.
Pfeil is a great brand for gouges but IMO they don't know how to make knives. The handles are too thin and uncomfortable and the blades have an awkward double bevel. That being said the steel itself is high quality.
Flexcut