I used to think whittling was just for old men on porches until I heard a guy at the hardware store in Flagstaff say, 'It's not about the figure, it's about the feel of the wood grain under the knife.'

That one comment made me buy a cheap pocket knife and a block of basswood, and after a week of carving simple shapes (and bandaging a few nicks), I finally get the quiet focus of it, so has anyone else picked up a forgotten handcraft like this and been surprised by how much it calms your brain?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma_dixon702mo ago

Tried fixing a wobbly chair leg with some old hand tools last year. Kind of felt the same way, like the wood was telling me how to move the plane.

brian_smith62mo ago

Yeah, reminds me of the time @wells.olivia tried to sand down an old door.

wells.olivia2mo ago

Wood has its own stubborn ideas, doesn't it?