Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Whittling in the Wild E-Book

Felix Immler

• Herausgeber: Fox Chapel Publishing
• Kategorie: Lebensstil
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2020

Seitenzahl: 183

Beschreibung

Whittle in a way you never have before! Whittling in the Wild features more than 30 fun and exciting objects to make using a simple pocket knife, wood, and a handful of household items. Learn all the basic techniques and safety precautions, then follow step-by-step instructions to whittle and carve a boat, parachute, and so much more. Also included are expert tips and high-quality photography throughout! Author and leading pocket knife expert, Felix Immler is a full-time Victorinox instructor and ambassador.

Leseprobe

This book was created in collaboration with Victorinox AG, Ibach-Schwyz, Switzerland.

NOTE: Be aware of all the laws concerning outdoor activities where you live, including laws about slingshots, bows, arrows, catapults, and boomerangs as well as plant and animal conservation laws. Children should always be supervised by adults if allowed to use or make slingshots and other shooting or throwing objects. When throwing or slinging an object, always know your target and what’s behind it. Do not shoot at hard surfaces or at the surface of water. Objects may bounce off or ricochet and hit someone or something you had not intended to hit.

Visit Felix Immler’s website and YouTube channel:

    www.feliximmler.ch

    www.youtube/feliximmler

Schnitz it Yourself

by Felix Immler

ISBN 978-3-03800-980-1

Copyright © 2019 by AT Verlag, Aarau and Munich, Switzerland

English language edition © 2020 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc., 903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552.

Photography by Matthew Worden

All rights reserved. Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Whittling in the Wild is the English language edition of the 2019 German language edition originally published by AT Verlag under the title Schnitz It Yourself. This version published in 2020 by Fox Chapel Publishing Company, Inc..

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holders.

Print ISBN 978-1-4971-0071-8

eISBN 978-1-6076-5770-5

To learn more about the other great books from Fox Chapel Publishing, or to find a retailer near you, call toll-free 800-457-9112 or visit us at www.FoxChapelPublishing.com.

We are always looking for talented authors. To submit an idea, please send a brief inquiry to [email protected].

Contents

Foreword

Introduction

Why Another Whittling Book?

Child’s Play?

Sizes and Dimensions

Videos and Instructions

The Right Knife

The Go-To Tools in My Backpack

Swiss Army Knife Projects

Things That Float, Splash, Write, and Spin

Pop-Pop Boat

Reed Boat

Raft

Water Gun

Eight-Blade Waterwheel

Windmill

Elder Wood Pencil

Yo-Yo

Paddle Steamer

Things That Sling, Shoot, and Fly

General Safety Rules for Shooting, Throwing, and Slinging Objects

Crossbow

Two-Stick Bow

Swiss Arrow

Apple Slingshot

Indian Bow and Arrow

Slingshot Tube

Dart Arrow

Parachute

Boomerang

Shingle Arrow

String Catapult

Slingshot

Three-Shot Rubber Band Gun

Things That Whistle, Ring, and Rattle

Reed Flute

Balloon Saxophone

Willow Flute

Bird Whistle

Kazoo

Elder Wood Flute

Dandelion Trumpet

Signal and Trill Whistles

Rattle

Acorn Whistle

Knotweed Whistle

Basics and Techniques

Safely Handling a Swiss Army Knife

Safety Rules for Whittling

The Correct Posture for Whittling

Opening and Closing the Tools

The Hand Grip

The Most Important Swiss Army Knife Tools When Working with Wood

Whittling Techniques with the Large Blade

The Rough Cut

The Power Cut

Splitting (Batoning)

Splitting with Homemade Wooden Wedges

Scraping

Whittling Techniques with the Small Blade

The Fine Cut

Fine Cut against the Thumb

Whittling against the Body

Techniques with the Saw Blade

Stabilizing Your Tools

Stabbing, Drilling, and Sewing with the Awl

The Safety Technique

Sewing with the Awl

Caring for Your Swiss Army Knife

Cleaning Your Swiss Army Knife

Sharpening the Tools

The Mini Sharpy

The Right Wood

Which Types of Wood Are Best?

Where to Find the Right Wood

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Foreword

Many people are happy with using their Victorinox Swiss Army Knife to simply shave the bark off a branch or whittle a sharp point on a stick. Those who are a bit more ambitious want some great project ideas. Most people are only aware of about four whittling projects: the walking stick, the roasting spit, the slingshot, and the archery bow. They may not consider any other possibilities. In this book, I would like to show you thirty-three unique project ideas to open the door to infinite possibilities and give you the inspiration to match your ambition. Compared to my first book, Crafting with the Pocket Knife, this book focuses less on classic projects like forks, spoons, and a spinning top. It also isn’t about whittling tools for camping like my second book, Outdoors with a Swiss Army Knife. This book contains unique projects that are slightly more demanding. They are a collection of my personal favorite projects, toys, instruments, and everyday items. Who ever thought of making a balloon saxophone or a crossbow with a Swiss Army Knife? How do you build an apple slingshot, a parachute, or a catapult?

It has brought me much joy to develop these projects. Collecting ideas, tinkering, and developing projects are my absolute favorite parts of my profession as a Swiss Army Knife expert. I created each project at least ten times myself before I could be sure it was ready for this book. I spent months working on the best approaches and techniques. I whittled an equivalent of two trees’ worth of wood and sticks before I got the projects to be the way I wanted them for this book. I created what seemed like a ton of practice projects, and some of the “guinea pigs” were ultimately rejected.

My three children and I appreciate the objects and toys we’ve made ourselves much more than those manufactured for store shelves. Each unique piece contains a unique part of nature, passionately designed and built by hand. It is a true representation of my craft, in the very literal sense.

So, let’s get started! Everything you need to create your one-of-akind projects can be found in nature, in your home, or even in the trash. The only tool you need is the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with a saw attachment.

I wish you luck and lots of success!

—Felix Immler

“Happiness is not something ready made. It comes from your own actions.”

—Dalai Lama

Introduction

Why Another Whittling Book?

All my projects are unique, and they can all be made using the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with a saw attachment. Every other whittling book I know calls for other tools like handsaws, drills, files, gouges, hammers, or axes—but not this book. I love whittling with the Swiss Army Knife because it allows me to be spontaneous and work almost anywhere at any time.

This book contains new whittling project ideas you won’t find in any other book. For months I developed many new projects as well as updated existing projects to require only a Swiss Army Knife. The ideas came from friends, workshop participants, YouTubers, or myself. A few classics such as the slingshot, the willow flute, and the raft can be found here as well. Because I often see my own ideas being copied, I think it is very important to give credit to the people whose ideas influenced these projects.

With over 700 photos and illustrations (and the videos on my YouTube channel), I explain the projects and techniques in this book with detailed step-bystep instructions. To make sure the pictures in this book make the instructions as easy to understand as possible, I joined forces with professional photographer Matthew Worden. He accompanied me through forests and fields for weeks while I developed my favorite projects. Thank you so much, Matthew! You are great!

Child’s Play?

Around 20 (!) new whittling books have been published in German since my first carving book, Working with a Swiss Army Knife, went on the market in 2012. Whittling appears to be experiencing a big increase in popularity. Most of these books are made for children or beginners. They often contain the same projects and attempt to show how easy it is to get started. This book has a completely different message: whittling is not that easy! This is especially the case if you want to take on a project any more difficult than the roasting spit.

Whittling is a wonderful hobby for young and old. Even today, whittling with a Swiss Army Knife still captivates many children. Completely analog and battery-free, it is a companion for adventures big and small and creates valuable experiences outside of the digital world. It is creative and practical, and invites you to engage with nature. I personally have found so much joy in it that I have made it my profession. Whittling requires endurance, strength, fine-motor skills, knowledge of natural materials, imagination, and much more. Children who want to get involved need focus, concentration, the right knife, and suitable projects. They have to practice often and be able to rely on a good, patient teacher. My experience from well over three hundred workshops has shown me that it is important to work closely with children when whittling. In order for them to really develop creative ideas, they need more than just being given a stick and a Swiss Army Knife. Many children want to start working on “cool” projects right away, like the apple slingshot or the paddle steamer. This only works, however, with the active help of a skilled adult whittler who can show the child how it’s done if he or she is struggling. With a good role model and a satisfying goal in reach, children become more inclined to keep at it and practice the necessary techniques. Whittling as a team is fun and helps strengthen your relationship.

For Kids and Adults Working Together

Novice whittlers who have never held a Swiss Army Knife before will become quickly overwhelmed by the projects in this book. Even children who already have some experience will quickly reach their limits. This does not mean, however, that this book is unsuitable for children. On the contrary, the idea behind this book is that children should always work with an adult, which has a great positive side effect. Nothing helps create a stronger bond than working together to achieve a common goal—a wonderful opportunity to build relationships between two generations.

In this regard, the book is meant for whittling enthusiasts of all ages. The selected projects appeal to children just as much as adults, but the techniques require fine-motor skills and often also technical understanding.

Sizes and Dimensions

In general, all of the projects in this book can be made larger or smaller than specified. In nature you have to work with the material that you can find. For this reason, my instructions focus on the procedure, the functional principle, and relative dimensions of each project. My instructions are not meant to be read as recipe-like steps with strict size requirements.

This book should also be a source of inspiration to help you practice techniques. It describes tricks and tips and should hopefully inspire you to practice, to develop your own unique style, and to create your own designs. All projects have multiple ways of reaching the same goal. Be brave! Be creative! The instructions in this book describe just some of many possibilities.

Videos and Instructions

So that you don’t have to take the entire book with you into the forest, you can download videos and instructions from my YouTube channel and website to your mobile phone. You can start your carving adventure in the forest with just a Swiss Army Knife and smartphone in your pocket! The videos that show, for example, how the whistle sounds or how far the flinging arrow flies can also be found in the playlist “Schnitz it yourself” on my YouTube channel.

    www.youtube.com/feliximmler

    www.feliximmler.ch

The Right Knife

I used the Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife for all projects in this book. In general, any Victorinox model with a saw, awl, small blade, and large blade would be suitable. A Swiss Army Knife with scissors is very practical for many projects but isn’t absolutely necessary. Because I have to draw or make markings for most of my projects, I replaced one side of my Swiss Army Knife with a handle that contains a pen and penholder. If you want to add one to your Swiss Army Knife as well, you can find it in the accessories section of any Victorinox retail store or on the Victorinox website (www.victorinox.com).

Almost all handles have a slot for a pin next to the corkscrew (see picture 20 on here). Because a pin can be helpful for some projects, I added a Victorinox pin as well. The knife can also be fitted with an ordinary needle from your household sewing kit.

Of course, larger Victorinox Swiss Army Knives from the 111mm series or the 130mm series can be also used for the projects in this book. I personally do not prefer the larger Swiss Army Knives because they don’t have a small knife for very fine work, which is really important to me.

The Go-To Tools in My Backpack

Along with the Swiss Army Knife, I always carry string and a lighter. Many projects require the use of string. I prefer to use natural string like hemp, jute, or flax. This way I don’t have to feel guilty if I, for example, leave a waterwheel in a stream because I know the string will decompose naturally if the wheel is washed away. Ever since my wife showed me her trick using a hot glue stick and a lighter, I’ve always carried them with me as well. If you use a lighter to heat the end of a hot glue stick until it is transparent and softened, it becomes a great way to seal cracks or glue things together. And hot glue hardens again very quickly, which is really practical.

PROJECT

POP-POP BOAT   

As a child, I was always fascinated by steam engines. My father had a metal workshop. When I was about ten years old, we built a steam engine together. That’s when I learned how a steam engine really works. Years later, I bought a pop-pop boat during a trip to India. I was absolutely fascinated by its simplicity and how it worked. The motor does not need any moving parts such as pistons, valves, or wheels. Its energy source is merely a candle. The idea is simple: water in a tube closed on one side is heated by the candle. The water evaporates, requiring more space, and forces the evaporated water to be expelled through the opening. A vacuum is therefore created in the tube. This draws more water into the tube to be heated. Because the water is expelled in once direction, but is drawn in from all directions by the negative pressure, forward momentum is created.

As I was considering projects for this book, I remembered the pop-pop boat. I thought, “There must be a way to simplify this candle motor so that it can be created with a Swiss Army Knife,” so I got to work. After a few attempts, I made it work.

What You Need

To implement this project, you need an aluminum can to make the pipe, a piece of bark or soft wood for the boat hull, a tea light or a candle stub, a lighter, and a Swiss Army Knife.

1. Cut open an empty aluminum can with the knife blade or scissors, and bend it back by pulling the metal against the direction of the can’s curve, so that you now have a more or less flat aluminum rectangle in front of you.

2. Fold the aluminum sheet in half, and flatten the fold with two pieces of wood.

3. Draw an isosceles trapezoid so that the longer bottom 2" (5cm) side is aligned with the folded edge and the shorter 1¼" (3cm) side is at the open edge. I carefully carved the contour into the sheet. Drawing with a waterproof pen would be even better. Then, use scissors to cut out the trapezoid and bend out a strip about 3/16" (5mm) wide on both sides. To ensure that the bended edge is as straight as possible, bend the metal around the edge of a block of wood.

4. The corners on the longer base side are particularly at risk: they tend to open up and get loose. To prevent this, heat up the aluminum with a lighter before you fold it completely.

5. On the other side, bend a 3/16" (5mm) wide strip 180°. Now bend both sides 90°.

6. Again, it is recommended to heat the corner of the folded base side. Now open the gap on the short base side with a stick. Place the stick into the opening to form a tube.

7. Now you need an approximately 6" (15.2cm) long boat hull. To make whittling easier and make the boat more buoyant, I recommend using poplar bark or softwood. To ensure that the boat drives straight, the hull needs to be as symmetrical as possible.

8. Trace the diameter of the tea light or the candle at the back of the boat and saw two 5/16" (8mm) deep grooves on either side.

9. You can remove the wood pretty easily by placing a screwdriver in the center of the groove and prying it out with a bit of force. After you’ve done that, you may need to whittle a bit of the area out so that the candle fits.

10. If you prefer not to pry, you can simply whittle the whole area out entirely and simply lift it from the hull. Saw two grooves into the rear to create a dovetail where you can insert the tube you created.

11. The boat is now complete!

12. The tube must be filled with water before you can place a burning candle underneath it. A syringe filled with water makes this a bit easier. With the remaining aluminum sheet, you could build a windbreak since your boat will be very susceptible to wind. Once it gets windy, the candle motor doesn’t work quite as planned. The pop-pop boat always drives well indoors (for example, in a bathtub) or in a sheltered pond. Ship ahoy!

Tip

These cuts are a bit tricky because you have to hold the saw blade diagonally in two directions. First, saw both cuts a bit too close together so that the tube doesn’t yet fit. Then, carefully expand the width of the cuts a very small amount each time until the tube can be inserted into the opening.

PROJECT   

REED BOAT   

As a child, I loved playing with toy boats in the bathtub. This fascination seems to be hereditary because my boys love it as well. They play with a little ship or a motorized police boat. But what I enjoy most is when they play with a boat they built themselves and get lost in the fun of it.

In my opinion, the hardest part of building a boat is making the hull. First, finding the right material is often difficult, and second, making the hull the right shape when all you have is a Swiss Army Knife is a lot of work. It is easier, however, to make a hull out of reed. The following instructions will explain exactly how it’s done.

What You Need

To make a reed boat, you’ll first need a bundle of reeds for the hull, a straight branch for a mast and boom (a pole that stabilizes the bottom of the sail), some string, a stone for the keel, a sail, and a Swiss Army Knife. The size of the boat and the length of the hull are up to you. In this example, I will build a boat that is about 20" (.5m) long.

1. The hull is made up of three bundles of reeds knotted together. For a bundle, I collect enough reeds so that they’re the size of my thumb and forefinger wrapped around them. Now tie each individual bundle together by wrapping the string tightly around it three times. One wrap around is in the middle and the other two are 4" (10cm) to the left and to the right of the middle.

2. Now saw off any protruding reeds so that the hull is about 20" (50cm) long.

3. Because the front and back of a boat are thinner than the middle, cut each bundle a little bit thinner toward the ends to create a taper.

4. The middle 8" (20cm) of the hull should not be tapered.

5. After you have tied the first two bundles together with three wraps of the string, attach the third bundle. Wrap the string similarly around the same spots as with the first bundle. I recommend wrapping the string around the bundles several times. Take a pointed piece of wood to make enough space to pull the string through the first two bundles.

6. Now attach another piece of string, as tight as possible, around the front and back of the boat.

7. This piece of string should cover all three bundles. Now you’ve formed the final shape of the boat’s hull. Because the last two pieces of string are wrapped around the tapered part of the boat, they tend to slip outward. To prevent this, you can tie both outer pieces together with a third piece of string lengthwise.

8. For the mast, use a sturdy branch that’s slightly longer than the boat’s hull. Place the mast through the middle bundle where you prefer.

9. It should extend about 6" (15cm) underneath the boat.

10. Carefully split the branch (facing the front of the boat).

11. Clamp a flat stone between it. Secure the stone at the top and bottom with a piece of string.

12. Now it’s the sail’s turn. I use a doggy waste bag as a sail. You can, of course, use other materials, like cloth. In any case, the sail’s material needs to be as light as possible. To make a sail out of a bag, gather the upper open corners of the bag and tie them together with a knot.

13. Now the bag already has the shape of a sail. Next, attach the sail to the mast at your desired height. Push the pointed ends of the boom through the bottom corners of the bag.

14. The sail should be slightly arched. Then tie the lower corners of the sail firmly to the boom.

15. Connect the knots with a piece of string to the back of the boat. This line should be loose enough that the boom can turn a little around the mast and catch the wind.

16. Secure the boom loosely to the mast so that the boom can rotate.

17