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Excellent!😀

A Mora 120 wood carving knife.

avada kadabra

This was all done with a Mora 120 60mm whittling knife.

I think it was about an inch diameter. I just picked it up at a local craft shop because it looked about right - it's a small polystyrene ball. However, I often just bundle up a bit of an old plastic bag or bin liner to do the same thing. The reason this works so well is that as you tighten the kot, you can use tweezers or pliers to pull bits of the bag out of the knot if you've used too much, then use a pokey thing to push it back in. Bespoke sizing in action :)

Thank you!

Sorry! It's really just a demo of the whole thing rather than a tutorial on individual knots. My suggestion is that you check out the Ashley numbers for each knot in the description of the video or google for tutorials for each individual knot, or even get a copy of Ashley's Book of Knots (which is awesome).

Apologies. It's really only meant to be a demo of the whole rather than a tutorial for each knot. Mostly I think people who are learning these knots will get an idea of how the whole thing comes together and how I personally go about tying each one. My suggestion is that you check out the Ashley numbers for each knot in the description of the video and and google for tutorials for each individual knot, or even get a copy of Ashley's Book of Knots (which is awesome). You can slow TH-cam videos down with the standard video controls, but I'm not if this will help - I tend to learn the topgraphy of knots from diagrams rather than videos.

Hi. When people have trouble 'easily' cutting into the wood, I normally check three things. 1) Is the knife sharp? 2) How's the angle of cut? 3) What wood are you using? Mostly it's 1 or 2 that are the culprits. A sharp knife is essential and it's worthwhile learning not only how to sharpen you knife on water or oil stones, but most importantly how to keep it sharp by 'honing' your knife on a strop. An old leather belt will do, but regular stropping is the key to keeping your knife sharp and means you almost never need to use the stones or a sharpener. My strop is made from an old bit of leather I picked up in an offcuts bin at a craft show, glued to a piece of pine baton I found in the shed. I use a honing compund in the leather. This definitely beats the £30, £40, or even £50 that buscraft suppliers charge for these things! For (2), just pay attention to the angle at which you're cutting into the wood. If the angle is too steep, it'll be tought to cut, and you'll end up gouging the wood rather than 'shaving it'. The shallower the angle, the easier the cut will be. For 3, there are a lot of variables - how dry, how old, what type etc... My usual solution if I think I've picked the wrong stick is to try another one.

Thank you :)

Thank you Peter :)

Thanks AdshceRix! Much appreciated I'm glad the timestamp helps. This was the first time I'd whittled start to finish and timed it, so I was just as interested :) This was whittled in a mature piece of oak, so it was fairly hard going. If you pick a softer wood like basswood it'll a bit quicker.

That's great to hear Kennan. Yep - 3D carving is a tricky thing and starting with something like a fox head is pretty ambitious! I started out with stuff like the acorn, then moved onto basic faces and human heads, then just started picking projects I thought I would enjoy. The acorn, in particular, is excellent for practising the dome or curve, which is something that can take a bit of practise. For complex shapes and objects, I always think the planning and thinking about how you're going to go about it is 50 percent of the proejct.

Every stick is a new adventure :)

Gary, please accept my unreserved and heartfelt apologies for wasting 1/48th of your day. This video has clearly upset you, though I can offer nothing but regret, love, and positivity in response. I filmed the video on my kitchen table, hoping that a few people might gain some insight into a craft that I enjoy and am passionate about. I also titled it ‘Traditional bell rope tying’ in the hope that this would adequately describe the content. If this video is not the 'how' that you are searching for, I humbly suggest you explore some supplementary and hopefully complementary materials - there are plenty available elsewhere on the internet. You'll notice that in the information text I have provided the names and Ashley references for all the knots and sinnets I've used. I do find that the Ashley diagrams and descriptions, plus a more visual example of tying them - such as a video of someone tying them - make a potent and informative pairing. In addition, I’m passionate about teaching others these kinds of crafts - something I do in my role as Scout Leader in the UK. I think you’ll see that I have made an effort to respond with full and constructive responses to polite questions about other subjects in this channel. If there was an aspect of this that you didn’t understand or that frustrated your own efforts to emulate it, one option might have been to ask one or two follow-up questions. Anyway, once more, many apologies for wasting your time. I have arranged a refund for you.

just been to your channel gary, with a comment like this i thought you might have the definitive bell rope tutorial BUT NO not a tutorial any where

@@scoutcrafts963 great video really enjoyed it never seen a Matthew walker knot tied like that ,going to get my ashley book of knots out now and have a go ,have you got any more videos coming out , thanks very much

Thank you!

Thanks onslow keeping. Sorry about the speed. The beginning of each section should be in real / slow time, then as I repeat I speed it up to reduce to length of the video. Lengthwise, I think for this one, each 'strand' of the bell rope was about 1.5 meters, so the whole length of rope would have been approx 12 meters (it gets divided into four for the square sinnet, then halved again to form the loop and end up with eight strands). If I was doing it again, I'd probably use a bit more as it got a bit close to running out towards the end! If you're using thicker rope, you need to adjust upwards (In this I think I'm using 4mm diameter)

In settings on the screen, you can slow the playback speed down to 25%

@@scoutcrafts963 a very nice job indeed, bravo! are you sure that the diameter of each "strand" is 4mm only? it seems bigger... (it looks like at least 5, in not 6...) 👍

Thanks Felip. I'm sure your old bones can manage! Sharp knife and a shallow cut angle is the key!

You should see my grandma, she built her house!

HI Send Noodles. I'm lucky enough to live next to a large wooded area of my home town. I often pick up good-looking sticks on while walking my dog. You soon get the hang of spotting a stick that hits the sweet spot between young (I avoid green sticks as the tend to split as they dry) and old (rotten or weak) sticks. It's also a good idea to learn to recognise trees so you can start to work out what woods you like. Any of the fruit woods are normally great. Cherry is fantastic. Birch and Ash are probably next on my list, though ash can be a bit too hard. So, getting out and about and finding good sticks is a win on several levels! A couple of the sticks in the video are actually from an old rose that we cut down a while ago. I threw some of the larger stems in my shed and came back to them a few months later, once they'd dried out a bit.

Great, thank you :) Yep - sticks are free!

Menards carries a bag of assorted sizes of basswood for whittling. Its like 6 bucks. I just happen to stumble on to it.

Lots of things can make it difficult to whittle a stick. The two most common 'pilot' issues are sharpness of blade and angle of cut. The more shallow your cut angle, the easier the cut will be. On sharpness, the most important thing is regular 'stropping' or 'honing', which can be as simple as running your knife over an old leather belt. I use honing compound rubbed on old bit of leather, glued to a piece of pinewood. Also, choosing the right stick can be important. It's a good idea to experiment with different woods.

Thanks @Avagantamos. I agree totally! Nothing beats sitting by a campfire with just a penknife and a stick :) I do think there's a place for carving with more tools, or even 'power-carving' (some people make some amazing stuff with that kit) - but for me the pleasure in whittling is simplicity. In the interests of full disclosure, my usual kit has two knives (a Mora 120 and a smaller Japanese knife - no idea on brand), a Flexcut 3mm skew, a smaller (approx 1.5mm) flat chisel that I made from an old allen key, and a Mora 164 hook knife for spoons etc. These all fit, along with a pencil, in a small leather pouch that is handy for every occasion (probably about £90 total, including pouch). Of course, the projects in this video were all done with just a knife - the 120.

Thanks flamingbeast :) I've been a bit surprised at the number of views. I originally made the video (quickly) just to demo some starter projects to some local Scout Leaders. Now I wish I'd taken the time to make it a bit more dynamic and better lit! I'll try and do another one soon.

Age does not matter. Do what you like.

@@OliverFlinn thanks

Hi Ed. There should be a loop (becket) on the bottom of the bell clapper. In most pictures you see shackles used to connect the bellrope loop to the clanger - or you could use an S-clip. Alternatively, Ashley's Book of Knots has an early diagram showing a smaller piece of cord attached to the bellrope loop with a loop splice (3757) and the other end free to attach to the clanger loop - presumably with any appropriate ring hitch (a becket hitch, for example). If you're after a a tidy 'ropey' look, you could create a decorative grommet connecting the two, though this could be quite fiddly depending on the size of the loop. I think a nice shiny shackle looks the best though! (ignore the the pic at the end of the video - it shows a fraying bit of old paracord I used because I was in a hurry to try the rope out!)

yeah I really liked the video and I absolutely Love mushrooms so those were great. all I need now is a knife 😅

Sorry for the delay in replying. I think for this one, each 'strand' of the bell rope was about 1.5 meters, so the whole length of rope would have been approx 12 meters (it gets divided into four for the square sinnet, then halved again to form the loop and end up with eight strands). If I was doing it again, I'd probably use a bit more as it got a bit close to running out towards the end!