How to Select Wood Carving Tools

For as long as humans have been using tools, there have been wood carvers. Used for making basic utilitarian items like bowls and cups as well as exquisitely detailed works of pure visual art, wood carving continues to fascinate, and it attracts practitioners in nearly every culture on earth. If you are interested in wood carving yourself, one of the first things you must do is learn how to select wood carving tools.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Gouger
• Scalpel
• Carving knife
• Cutting knife
• Knife sharpener

Select the Right Wood Carving Tools for the Job

1. Find a good gouger. A gouger does just what its name implies--it puts a gouge into wood. Gougers come with a variety of tips, and each tip makes a somewhat different gouge. Some of these tips are highly specialized. To start with, select a basic gouge that makes a straight line. This will serve you well on most projects.

2. Select a scalpel. Scalpel-bladed knives are a must for carving detailed accents into wood. As the size of scalpel blades can vary widely, choose one with a size and weight that feels comfortable to you.

3. Invest in a good carving knife. Your carving knife will become like a third arm as you practice your wood carving. This essential knife does most of the work of forming a recognizable shape out of a block of wood. Choose a knife that you can handle easily and that feels good in your hand, as it will likely be with you for a long time to come.

4. Pick out a cutting knife. Sometimes, you simply need to make a cut in the wood. A cutting knife made especially for wood carving is the best tool for this job. Choose a cutting knife that feels solid (you don't want the blade to break or come off!) but not too heavy.

5. Make sure you buy a good knife sharpener, so you can keep your blades sharp. There are specialty sharpeners available for particular tools, but a basic sharpening stone will be sufficient for most of your knife sharpening needs.

Tips & Warnings

• Remember, it is impossible to have a complete set of wood carving tools because such a thing does not exist. Wood carving tools are chosen based on the type of project one is working on at the time. A tool that served you well while carving a duck may be useless when you want to carve a leprechaun. You will constantly be adding to your collection of tools as your new needs arise. There are, however, a few basic tools that most wood carvers find useful.
• You can find a wide selection of wood carving tools online at Sugar Pine Wood Carving Supplies.com (see Resources below).

Resources

• Sugar Pine Woodcarving Supplies to find supplies online