whittling or carving?

[cerndog]

I suppose the basic difference is whittling is done with just a knife while carving involves chisels, gouges, etc. Is there any other major difference between the two terms?
And also: does anyone here get bothered when the term "whittling" is used to describe a carving project?

mc

[Bob Eck]

Re: whittling or carving?

Hi,
Interesting...
Here are some competition rules explaining how 'they see it'.

1. The word "carving" embraces all wooden artwork whose shape has been created by hand-held knives gouges or by hand-held power tools.
2. The term "whittle" means a carving done "in-the-round" using ONLY hand-held unpowered cutting tools. No sanding, filing or scraping is permitted.
3. The term "realistic" means a carving that is an accurate representation of the subject.
4. The term "stylized" means a carving that is completed in an established art style rather than strictly according to reality.
5. The term "abstract" means a carving that is non-representational of its subject.
6. The term "caricature" means a carving that is an exaggeration or distortion of the subject for a humorous or satirical effect.

maybe this helps a little.....
Happy New Year.
Bob

[Kenny_S]

Re: whittling or carving?

Oh No, here we go again!

[Lynn O. Doughty]

Re: whittling or carving?

Whittling=Setting on a bench making chips with no objective in mind.

Carving=Setting on a bench making chips with an objective in mind. And I don't mean a pointed stick!

[Bob_in_TN]

Re: whittling or carving?

And Again !!!!!

[cerndog]

Re: whittling or carving?

so I guess this has been discussed before...hmmm?

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Re: whittling or carving?

LOL Ice CreamCheers

[cerndog]

Re: whittling or carving?

okay, i found a similar discussion back in November...Is this a touchy subject?

[Mitchell]

Re: whittling or carving?

It's not really touchy.....just something that has no "real" answer.....

By-the-way, here's a link to the old discussion:

http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/showthread.php?t=7001

[Bob_in_TN]

Re: whittling or carving?

cerndog, didn't mean anything by my short answer, like Mitchell said, There's no "real" answer. We have a couple of subjects that come up a couple of times a year, go on for days, and are never answered, because there is no answer. It's not because people don't want to help, this is the most helpful group you'll ever find, it's just because a lot of questions can only be answer by opinion, or personal perference.

Do you want to know what knives I use? I can answer that.
Do you want to know the best knife out there? At least a 1000 different answers.

BLO or No BLO? Look Out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Get the idea, ask any question you have, and someone will answer.

This is a GREAT group!

Bob

[cerndog]

Re: whittling or carving?

I know this is a helpful group- I have learned a great deal here. I just thought I read how someone was bothered when a passer by referred to a project as "whittling" when it was apparently more than that.

Perhaps I was trying to stir the pot a bit...?Wink

[BasketballJones]

Re: whittling or carving?

Believe me there is a big difference to some (not me) and some people get mad about it. Lynn is absolutely correct as it applies to carving.

However, some grumpy carpenters who aren't carvers use it as means of measurement. Especially for doors, windows and making shims for the jams. Plane (most wood removed), whittle, and shave (least amount). Of course the rest of the world does not recognize this unique language and the precise accuracy of this scientific mathematics. Kind of like the difference between a dash, pinch and touch of something in the kitchen.

Now that you've guessed how I've spent my free time. Happy Holidays.

[Kenny_S]

Re: whittling or carving?

Actually I am a carving whittler or is that a whittling carver. Not a spit and whittler though. Ok Hi Ho, I can hear those wheels of yourns a churning.

Touchy subject? Naw, just to those who are stuck on themselves.
I have to agree with Lynn?

[Claude]

Re: whittling or carving?

Just to add one more stick to that fire, I consider anything that removes some wood from a larger piece of wood, for a purpose, to be carving. The removal tool can be knife, chisel, gouge, chainsaw, or just plain old sandpaper. Whittling is sitting on the porch and making a pile of shavings out of a stick, with no purpose in mind other than making a pile of shavings (If they're intended to be used as kindling, it's still whittling)

In other words, I agree with Lynn.