carving knife recommendation

Consider getting together with a carver (decoy maker?) that is in line with what you want to accomplish. He (she) can then give you pointers and advice in regards to equipment and techniques. This will save you from buying unnecessary and often useless tools.

Barring that, contact Dave Lyons, he has some of the best knives at pretty reasonable prices.

Good luck!
 
Also have a chat with willy at duckblind store on line. He or his wife will get you started with all you need.
 
Jeff:
You haven't said a thing about what you want to carve and you ask us to recommend a blade style?

Buy one of each:
http://www.littleshavers.com/Lyons.html
 
i wanted to start with teal i did one already using dremmel and tile knife (not good on hand)
didn't turn out to bad for a test to see if i had any kind of talent for it although i didn't get to paint yet
hardest thing for me was the bill ended up redoing head the first one might be a coot in the future
 
I also like Warren knives for starting out for this reason: You need to keep fixed handle knives honed and sharp and newbies oft time ruin a good knife because they do not know how to keep it sharp. The Warren system of disposible blades at least allows the new carver to have a sharp knife for around a buck a blade. Plus they can have a variety of blade shapes including handle for around $20 to see what shapes they like and fits their carving needs. A good fixed handle knife can get pricey so it's important to know how to take care of it.

I certainly am not against a good fixed handle knife and Knotts, Lyons, Flex cut, etc. all make quality knives and if you purchase from one of these company's you will be very happy. I personally love Cape Forge knives and have used several shapes for years. I also have one from Diobsud Forge that is my favorite but they are out of business at last check. BTW, I still use Warren blades and gouges for some tasks.

In a nutshell I like Warren for entry level and then move up as you gain knowlege and skills.

Willy
 
I agree with Willy on the benefits of starting with a removable blade knife. As for a fixed blade I'll give a second vote for cape forge. Great people to work with and they will sharpen your knife for free if it gets too bad, (like dropping it on the concrete or trying to carve a nail). Yep, been there. Good luck.

Darin
 
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