Step 2 of the process
Basic cuts and safety
Most early trouble comes from cuts that are too deep or against the grain. Take thin slices downhill with the grain, keep the holding hand out of the blade's path, and protect that hand and the knife-hand thumb.
- Holding hand
- cut-resistant glove
- Knife-hand thumb
- thumb guard or safety tape
Whittling rests on a few controlled cuts. The push cut moves the blade away from you, often with the thumb of the holding hand pressing on the spine. The pull cut, also called the paring cut, draws the blade toward the knife-hand thumb in short strokes, like peeling an apple. The stop cut is a straight cut down into the wood that a second cut runs into, so the chip ends where you want it.
Wood cuts cleanly in one direction only. Cut downhill: from the high point of a curve toward the low point, so the edge slices across the fibers instead of lifting them. When the surface tears or the knife dives in, turn the piece around and come from the other side. If every cut feels like a fight, why is whittling so hard lists the usual causes in order.
Standard blade safety is short. Wear a cut-resistant glove on the hand that holds the wood and a thumb guard or tape on the knife-hand thumb. Keep the path of the blade clear of your legs and of other people. A cut-resistant glove reduces slicing cuts. It is not cut-proof and does not stop the point of a knife. See whittling gloves and thumb guards.
Ready to move on when: You can take a thin, continuous shaving with both the push cut and the pull cut, and end a cut where you planned.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Forcing one deep cut instead of taking two thin ones.
- Carving toward the hand that holds the wood.
- Carving on the lap with the blade travelling toward the legs.