Reddit reviews Morakniv Classic No 1 Wood Handle Utility Knife with Carbon Steel Blade, 3.9-Inch, M-1-0001

Thanks!

You can start pretty simple. All you HAVE to have is a decent knife. A simple Mora knife is what I use a lot. You can always go for nicer knives if you prefer but a Mora will do wonders because of the Scandi grind edge. Any sharp knife will carve but I personally recommend knives with a Scandi grind because they can cut deeper and they offer more controlled cuts.

Here are my typical spoon carving tools

Gransfors Brooks wildlife hatchet but you can use cheaper options like a Fiskars hatchet. You don't HAVE to have a hatchet, it just helps take out large waste pieces quicker.

Mora knife for general shaping and carving.

• Alternatively, the Mora Eldris is another good carving option with a grippier rubber handle, contemporary colors and a shorter blade. Also the whole thing is basically waterproof so you don't have to worry about the handle or metal getting wet or anything. It's also small enough to pretty comfortably fit in a pocket.
  
  Pfeil palm gouge for scooping out the bowls of spoons. This CAN be done with the knife but it is a huge pain. You could also Dremel the bowl out if you have one and don't want to buy a gouge.
  
  Opinel folding saw for making stop cuts and cutting wood to length. Any wood saw will do though.
  
  Other than that just some sandpaper and some food safe oil like mineral oil or Howard's butcher block conditioner to finish it off and make it water resistant.
  
  Resources
  
  Here is a great video of Jill Swan showing how to carve a spoon with a hatchet, saw, knife, and gouge.
  
  Here is a video with Ben Orford showing his process for carving a spoon as well. He uses a hook knife instead of a gouge for scooping the bowl out. Both methods work but I find a palm gouge to be easier to work with and a bit easier to sharpen.
  
  Here is a video with Barn The Spoon using an axe a knife and a hook-knife.
  
  If you don't want to spend the money on a gouge or a hook knife then you can always carve a Spatula because they don't require a bowl!
  
  TIPS
  
  You can avoid using an axe by using a saw to make a series of stop cuts and then sawing down or using your knife to "baton" off the side pieces. You can also just knife carve the whole thing with a knife but it will take way more time.
  
  Wood: make sure your wood is food safe. Most fruit woods and oak and maple or birch are perfectly safe. Here is a list of common spoon carving woods
  
  
• I personally prefer using Birch because it looks nice, is pretty tough, food safe, and is quite enjoyable to carve both green or seasoned.
  
  
• I personally suggest carving seasoned wood because you don't have to worry about it potentially splitting or cracking while it dries. Greenwood is WAY WAY easier to carve but putting in all the work just to have a spoon crack can be heart breaking. If you are going to carve seasoned wood then you also want to make sure you aren't choosing a super hard wood that will be a huge pain to carve. This is another reason I love Birch. Maple is also pretty easy to carve seasoned but a little harder and can tear out if your tools aren't super sharp.
  
  Make sure your tools are sharp! A super sharp knife, hatchet, and gouge not only makes the work a lot easier and enjoyable but also a lot safer because you have way less chance of slipping. There are tons of videos on youtube on how to sharpen knives, specifically scandi grind knives, hatchets, and gouges.
  
  Just have fun! Your first couple of project may not come out beautiful but you will get the hang of it.

Mora Classic

Like said /u/bdstrelkov, Mora makes wooden handled knives.

It's more expensive here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00449YYM8/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_XIsVub0PPZ8W5

Mora Classic No 1

Not high speed by any means, but time tested and versatile.

Esee and Tops have some nice outdoorsy knives.

So I keep a knife on my belt that gets used like that a lot. I work in a kitchen and my belt knife is my "everything-but-food" knife. Bags, boxes, cans, whatever needs cutting that isn't food. It is a Mora Classic #1. I actually have about a half dozen of the knife floating around, as I've used them as tacklebox knives, glovebox knives, basically anywhere I might need one, I put one. You want the carbon steel version, and you want to take care of it. Forcing a patina with vinegar is a great way to do that.

The second part would be picking up an aftermarket sheath. I was able to get a custom leather one from France for ~$30 on Etsy, and it makes carrying the knife a dream. The stock sheather is a plastic piece of crap; totally unbecoming of the amazingly sharp blade the knife has. Something like this is what I got, but from a different seller so I can't speak directly to this maker.

You really should get something at least with a full ish tang. The combination of a dull knife and a fake tang will end with lacerations. I would suggest a [mora #1] (http://www.amazon.com/Morakniv-Classic-Handle-Utility-3-9-Inch/dp/B00449YYM8/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1397841118&sr=8-10&keywords=mora). They are generally for camping but I have used mine in the kitchen and the work great. And if you cannot sharpen one of these then you must literally not have any hands.

Personally, I'd rather get a Mora and then bring a pair of pliers/screwdriver/etc if you really need them. The actual tools will be more useful than their downsized multi-tool counterparts, and cheaper.

Of course, if weight/size is a concern or you just think multitools are cool, go for it.