Description

The fox is one of the more interesting but also more challenging Critters to whittle. Separating the legs, and carving between the tail are two of the more challenging areas. The rewards is a more dynamic carving though. While a patient and careful first-time carver can no doubt be successful, we wouldn’t recommend the fox as your first whittling project.

The Fox’s Inspiration

There are 12 true species of fox, though many more that are often called a fox. They live on all continents except Antarctica, and are probably the most widely seen type of canine. The most common in North America is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes). Foxes are clever animals and a favorite of folklore due to their cunning and wily nature. They are often associated with trickery and are the villain in many stories. Foxes are generally solitary creatures preferring to hunt alone. They typically live in dens they dig where they will raise their young (from 1-11 pups). The pups will live with their mom while their father brings them food. They’ll continue to live with their parents until about 7 months old. Red Foxes typically only live 2-5 years in the wild and can weigh up to 30 lbs. The smallest fox, the fennec fox however only weighs 3 lbs fully grown. They are omnivores and will eat almost anything they can catch or find but primarily eat small rodents such as squirrels and mice. In some areas fruit makes up the majority of their diets during autumn. Foxes have a lot in common with cats such as hunting at night, pouncing on their prey, and some species even have retractable claws. To learn more about the red fox or to adopt one, please visit https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/Red-Fox

General Description (applies to all our Critters)

All our Critters are made from basswood and roughly 1″ thick, 1.75″ tall and 10″ long. They can all be made into nifty letter openers (just carve their nose/tail into a flatter shape with sharp edges) or carved more true to their namesake critters. While they vary in difficulty (which we try to describe in the description for each) their long, slender shape lends themselves to easier whittling and safe, easy holding (never cut towards yourself or have any part of your body in the path of the knife).

The time it takes to carve will of course vary by Critter but even moreso by experience. Most will take many hours to get right, but if you’re skilled at whittling and “hurry” they can be carved to 90%+ within a few hours. These make excellent projects for learning to carve. They’re excellent gifts both carved and uncarved.

These whittling “kits” are perfect to learn to whittle with. These make excellent carving projects whether you’re looking for a project to do with your kids, grandkids, cousins, friends, or just to do yourself. There’s no easier way to learn carving in wood. We offer ones of varying difficulty to satisfy everyone from the novice to expert. As you get better at carving you’ll be able to add more details to help make each one uniquely yours.

These make excellent group activities whether it’s for your scouting group looking to learn to carve, or your book-club looking for a new activity. All you need is a sharp knife (a locking knife and safety gloves are highly recommended) and a Critter! All of our Critters are designed to make excellent letter openers for those wanting a fun and practical project. They can just as easily be carved into a more natural shape if you don’t need a letter opener. These make excellent gifts, either as blanks to introduce whittling to someone, or fully carved to give them a piece of art. These make an excellent craft project as a stand alone activity, or provides something fun to do while sitting around the campfire talking.

Whittling is an excellent way to relax and slow down. A chance to make something truly yours and explore your artistic side. Our Critters are designed around being easy to carve but there’s no limit to the details you can add. You can easily stop once you’ve roughed the shape with a knife, or you can take it further, sanding off the whittling marks. You can leave it as the natural wood, stain it, or paint it to truly bring out the character of the critter. Carve a single critter, or carve them all, it’s all up to you!