Whittling at the fireside of your campsite or sitting on the porch, methodically removing tiny bits of wood from a stick with a pocket knife.
Nothing apparently useful going on here. No work getting done. No networking, e-mailing, web browsing, TV watching, or animated conversation.
Just whittling on a stick with the slightest of movement, piling up a tiny pile of curled translucent whisps of what was once a tree.
Perhaps making a notch or a point or a spiral groove, and then erasing it with the next pass of the blade.
Watching the wood give way to sharpened steel, revealing the grain, the layered rings, the beauty that a tree unknowingly laid down during years in the sun.
Maybe seeing a little figure emerge from inside the wood and carving around it to set it free. Or making a wooden tool or a walking stick.
Or just whittling, letting the fine wood shavings pile up.
Whittling looks very much like just sitting and thinking. Not much difference really.
People used to spend more time engaged in whittling and undistracted thinking. Cave people carved ivory figurines, sailors whittled scrimshaw tusks, country folk have always whittled.
If you’ve never whittled or just haven’t done it in awhile, here are a few books on whittling that might kindle your interest.
Whittling techniques can be enjoyable to learn and practice, even if you don’t plan to carve anything. There is satisfaction in mastering the use of different blades and pocket knife tools. Have you ever tried whittling?
That sounds great! I can’t wait to try whittling out, it seems like a fun way to just drift away from everyday’s problems. And then I get to keep the end result on my desk and remind of the great experience.
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Whittling is like a sculpture.. Great job! Thanks for sharing.. Keep up the good work!
Hey Astro I got relaxed reading this article, it sure sounds relaxing. I thought we were too busy today for us to whittle.
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I want to try this whittling.. I that an art of just plain thinking and whittling?
This is a Great Diversion and it’s interesting. Your artistic skills will be honed and the finish product is your masterpiece.
Using this kind of tools is a great experience..I want to buy to experience this kind of whittling..
I want to try whittling and I think it is really exciting…I have never tried it before so for sure, it will be very interesting…Thanks for the idea!
Chezzianne, appreciate your comment. Whittling can result in useful camp tools, such as wooden spoons, forks and cooking sticks.
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I have never tried whittling. I have seen the results, and it’s simply amazing. It’s almost like a form of meditation, with the end result being a piece of art.
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Thanks for commenting, Jennifer. Some whittlers challenge themselves with seemingly impossible projects. The classic is the ball in a cage at the end of a chain, with moving parts carved all in wood.
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