Chris Lubkemann - Little Book of Whittling: Passing Time on the Trail, on the Porch, and Under the Stars

If you ever want to have fun and a great experience working on a book, do one with the folks at Fox Chapel. Many were involved in the production of this book and to all who contributed I say a huge Thank You!

Id especially like to single out Alan, Peg, Gretchen, Troy, Mark, and Greg. Theyre the ones I had the most contact with.

While I consider myself at least fairly proficient in my knowledge and experience with what is explained in this book as related to wood and the use of a pocketknife, I cant claim expertise in all aspects of hiking, camping, smoremaking, and camp recipes. For these super-interesting little additions, hints, and notes that are scattered throughout the book and which add so much to it, all credit goes to Gretchen and her Fox Chapel Hikers Gang (to coin a new name) for their great contribution.

Its been a fun team to work with!

CHRIS LUBKEMANN

A child of missionaries, Chris Lubkemann grew up in the forests of Brazil and Peru, where sawing, planing, hammering, and building were a part of daily life. He quickly developed an appreciation for wood and entertained himselfand othersby handcrafting rafts, tree houses, traps, and slingshots from scrap wood. Since that time, he has continued to integrate his woodworking skills with good old-fashioned fun.

Chriss first writing on whittling appeared in 1972 in the form of published notes, which have since been produced in both English and Portuguese. His most recent book, Whittling Twigs and Branches, was published by Fox Chapel Publishing in 2002. Chris is also a regular contributor to Chip Chats magazine. His work has been featured in Wood Carving Illustrated magazine and on the DIY network. He has carved some of the worlds smallest branch carvings, and his smallest branch rooster was given a Guinness World Record Certificate in 1981.

Currently, Chris demonstrates whittling as the resident woodcarver at the Amish Farm and House in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

F or many people, whittling conjures up quite a colorful image. It goes something like this: a fairly old codger with longish hair, wearing bib overalls and missing about a third of his teeth, sits in an old bentwood rocker on the front porch of a very weathered cabin located somewhere up in them thar hillsor several old codgers sit on stools around an old potbellied iron stove in the corner of a 125-year-old country store. In either case, there are piles of random wood shavings and chips in front of each stool or chair. Most importantly, there are the old, well-worn pocketknives and the even older and more worn hands that wield them. Go onfill in the picture with even more details.

Im sure a lot of whittling has indeed been done in the molds just described. And who is to say that some real benefits havent come from those front porch or round-the-stove sessions? While its probably true that in many cases all that was produced was a pile of chips and shavings with nothing but the knife left in the hands, Im sure that on many other occasions what remained in the hand opposite the one holding the knife was an incredible work of art.

Throughout this book, youll notice tip boxes just like this one. Inside youll find information meant to add to your whittling experienceanything from methods for starting a fire to baits for fishing to recipes for the perfect smores. Also keep your eye out for little tips and facts at the bottom of many pages. Whether youre on the trail, in camp, or at home, I hope that these tidbits evoke the fun and relaxing atmosphere that the ideal whittling experience will create. Oh, and be sure to check out some of my favorite tips throughout the book.

With these connotations of whittling and whittlers, it is easy to see why many whittlers/woodcarvers try too hard to define and to run away from certain terms. Ive come across a number of folks in the woodcarving community who struggle with the word whittle and opt for the word carve because they want their work to be taken as serious art and not as the production of wood chips. Just for fun, I went to the dictionary that was closest at hand to see how it defined the word whittle. Heres what I found: to pare or cut off chips from the surface of (wood) with a knife or to shape or form by so paring or cutting. I also looked up carve: to make or shape by or as by cutting, chipping, hewing and to decorate the surface of with cut figures or designs. Sounds like whittle and carve could almost be synonyms! True, the first definition of whittle could lend itself to the final product being just a pile of random chips on the floor, but the second definition certainly allows for all kinds of creativity and objects of genuine art.