SMF

My son is in Cub Scouts and will be a Bear next year, which is exciting for the lads because that's when they can earn their whittling chip. We've been looking at knives already, and I'm pretty keen on the Case Stockman (small or medium), which comes in a pretty blue bone handle.

I'm curious about the different blade types -- sheepsfoot, pen, etc. Is there any source out there that describes the purpose and use of different blades? (The obvious answer, "Wait for the Scout training," is hereby disallowed.)

Thanks!

http://www.agrussell.com/Knife-Encylopedia/a/134/

And while we're at it,
http://www.agrussell.com/product.asp?pn=BO-182R

Hi Doug and Scott -

The stockman is my favorite knife format, and I think it would be good for whittling.

Of course, there are knives formatted specifically for whittling, and A G Russell, cited by Scott, has such knives.

Sounds like good fun ahead for you and your son, Doug.

- Murray

Thanks very much, Scott & Murray. That Boker Congress Carver looks like a great little whittler. A few bucks more than I first thought about dropping on my kid's first knife, but a lot of knife for the money, no doubt. It needs stag scales, though.

For Dad, I'm still gunning for the RAT Cutlery RC-4 or Fallkniven F-1 someday.

Thanks!

Swiss Army makes various Boy Scout-branded knives. Don't know if that fits with what you're looking for. See:
http://www.swissknifeshop.com/Boy_Scout_s/63.htm

Doug, don't overlook Benchmade's knives. For you, I mean: a Scout will trash his first knife and still treasure it always, so a good SAK is a fine choice. :7) Just not one of those hobo things with the silverware attached. Gaaaah!

- Will
P.S. We went to our first Blue & Gold dinner last night: four hours!!!

Just so everyone understands, the whittling chip does not mean the scout is instructed in whittling, rather the instruction is about safe knife handling. The chip is a scout license to carry a knife, other than a sheath knife.

Doug - Here's another thought.

You might start your son with a simpler knife, such as a small stockman (my personal favorite and generally more useful all around than the larger model). This would be a very nice knife.

Giving it a little more thought, the whittling knife at A G Russell might be on the large side for a young fellow to handle, expecially as a first knife.

Then, if he really gets into whittling, you could get him the whittling knife as a step up. He may well find the smaller stockman more pocketable for general use.

- Murray

When I was a kid, I had a Kamp King (made by Imperial, I think?)
It was the ubiquitous Boy Scout style knife at one time, though I believe Swiss Army types have since replaced it.
Later in my youth I started carrying a Case 'trapper', which is a two blade style with one clip point and one spey.

I wish I knew what happened to that Kamp King.

Thanks for the tips. Not too far from my work, there's an electrical supply store that also stocks Case knives; I'll go down there tomorrow to see what they have. A small, one- or two-blade knife should be plenty for starters. The Victorinox knives look good, but for some reason, the traditional U.S. Case brand is calling to me here.

Will -- Yeah, the B&G can be quite an ordeal. Four hours is a bit much; I guess you guys had a ton of advancements, too? I wrote up our B&G for the local suburban weekly, here.

Regards,

EDIT: I've already told Ben he has to make some custom tap handles for my kegerator.

I've still got my Cub Scout knife from around circa... 1967 or so.
Mine says 'Camillus" on the main blade and is a locker. In it's day, it saw lots of whittling.

I'm sure this point is dumb.. Please get a locking blade knife. I know sometimes that's not a "purist" sort of thing, but for safety's sake it's a good idea.

Oh, yeah, a locking blade is a very good call!

And Doug, I meant to add that Benchmade's site has a glossary area that should explain the blade shapes as well as materials, lock types, et al.

What mass-market knives are still American-made, anyway?

- Will

The sheeps foot blade is to minimize stabbing the guy next to you when using a knife on the deck of a ship.

If you are going for a locking knife, look into Kershaw, Japanese owned but made in Portland, OR. It is true that they arent' Benchmade, but they are much less expensive, and most of their locking knives are liner locks which are a lot easier to use than the old lock-backs.

dave

SAK Farmer. Everyone should have one as it has just a perfect combination of usable options and the wood saw WORKS like a real saw. Great knife for you Doug and your son.

When you stop to look at the Case knives (great choice for a first knife by the way) look at the "Canoe" model. It is a simple two blade knife, with one blade being a 2 5/16" spear blade and the other a 2" pen knife. Simple and handy. The reason they call it the Canoe is the fact that the handle looks kind of like a canoe when the blades are open.

Well, I just visited Mac's Electric Supply, which happens to be a Platinum level Case supplier. They had several smaller options that I think would work great for Ben, including several in blue bone that I know he will love.

The salespeople were so helpful that, of course I couldn't get out of there without buying their last brown bone-handled No. 6383 Whittler for my own use. Maybe I'll whittle my own tap handles, after all.

Well I can't say much about pocket knives.
I've carried one since I was 9 when my father bought me my first after I got my Cub Scout Silver Arrow. Those were the days. Anyway I don't admire knives - they're tools to do stuff with.

American brands I'm fond of are Buck and Case.

I've had small every day pocket knives all my life mostly from Sheffield - brands which have mostly disappeared

The small Buck stockman I was given as a gift has been in regular use and is a quality item.

Very nice choice for a gentlemen’s pocket knife Doug.

Hey Doug, did they have any of the Tony Bose Case knives on display?

RGC, I didn't notice Bose knives, but I may have missed them. They had six or seven different display cases. I'll look again next time I'm back, which will be soon.