Whittling Twigs & Branches, 2nd Edition: Unique Birds, Flowers, Trees & More from Easy-to-Find Wood Paperback – September 1, 2004

I am glad I decided to get the hard copy of this whittling book. If you are an accomplished whittler, you probably don't need this level of help and if a novice, like me, you need all the help you can get. There are recommendations on whittling knives and whittling sets. I ended up buying some of both and it paid off. The author is honest and provides sound advice. I believe you need the hard copy of this one and others that have the "stencil" to draw on your wood block. This helps give you guidance and confidence early in the process. Without that, you are likely to just give up this great past-time and stress-reliever.

A nice intro into whittling and I will certainly try some of the examples in the book. The only criticism I have of all the books I ordered on this subject is that there is no reference for any place or anyone to call should you have questions. I did and do have questions and to be able to actually talk to someone knowledgeable would be a great help . I did call Flexcut and spoke with a very nice man there who was able to give me a couple of references to try and get my questions answered. By all means do not hesitate to buy this book for basic how to illustrations, very well done, but you, too, may have questions the book does not answer?

I brought this for a friends kid who is 8 and loves to whittle, it is a much nicer book than I expected, nice and glossy, large with easy to understand instructions, but I was suprised after reading the other reviews that no-one mentioned that apart from a tree , flower and letter opener everything was a bird of some description.The birds are fantastic and very cleverly done, this kid has chickens so I'm sure she will be attempting to make a chicken or two, but I was hoping for a bit more variation in items to whittle.I am still happy that I brought this book, the kid was thrilled , but I just wanted to let others know that it really is mainly chickens etc...maybe the title should be Birds and other items to whittle ;-)I would recommend this item for it's quality, just be sure they like birds though

I have all of his books on whittling, and have been a whittler since 1994, using pocketknuves only, no regular carving tools (don't own even one), by personal choice. If you want to get into TRUE pocketknife whittling, where you can just grab a tree branch or twig and, without having to use patterns and saw a block of wood out first, and make tons of wonderful whittled wimsies, get this guy's books! His whittled roosters are his trademark of sorts, so he shows how to do them in more than one of his books, but there are bunches of other things to whittle in the books as well. His book "Tree craft" is more "artsy", & is centered more on making items for the home like salt and pepper shakers, clothes hooks, etc out of branches. Still a great book if that's to your liking. But his other books are the "bibles", if you will, of the whittler's art in my mind, as the projects are things you can do with truly just a pocket knife and twigs and branches. No need for a work shop, work bench, etc. I will close this long winded review by saying simply that his books are TOPS!! And, kudos to the publishers as well. Happy whittling. 😊

This book builds upon simple techniques that open up a world of opportunities in the creative world of whittling. I have been a knife collector for a short while, but this hobby enhances the purpose behind knives and skills to use them that I never thought about.

Not a lot of information here, even for a beginning whittler.The photos and instructions are very clear indeed, but the author seems to stretch a couple of base designs into an entire book without adding a whole lot more about technique or methods.

Great book. The roosters were just difficult enough that I had to practice but I feel like I learned a lot doing them. The instructions are clear and the illustrations really help in understanding what is going on. I haven't made everything in the book yet but will definitely be doing so before long. I love the cost effective idea of using branches to carve instead of buying wood blocks too

Chris Lubkemann believes in redemption and transformation. He illustrates his faith that God can transform the most apparently useless life into a work of art by whittling fallen branches destined for the wood chipper into valuable sculptures. And Chris is generous in sharing his skills with others, praising their efforts at every stage of development. Through Chris's earlier book, he taught me to carve tiny roosters, hens, and pheasants from humble twigs. Woodcarving has been the most relaxing avocation I have ever pursued, and I have Chris Lubkemann to thank for much of it.