How to Choose a Wood Carving Knife

Carving knives create art such as this.

Wood carving is one of those hobbies that many people want to try, but are intimidated because of the sheer complexity of the number of carving knives on the market. General-use knives are best for doing basic cutting, gouge knives are used to cut away large pieces of wood, while "roughout" knives are used to hone edges.

Instructions

Choosing a wood carving knife

1. Get a knife for a basic job. A general carving knife, which is the most common knife, is used for jobs that require a person to cut off a lot of wood at a time. The blade will resemble a surgeon's scalpel, but is only about an inch long, and will have a handle measuring about three inches long. This is popular with decoy carvers.

2. 

   A V-gouge carving knife helped create this carving.

   Find a good gouge knife, which is used to make large cuts into blocks of wood. The best kind to start with is a "V" gouge, a versatile blade capable of all kinds of woodcuts. V-gouge knives vary by their angles and depths. They are often used to break up pieces of wood that will be carved into intricate shapes. While the blade parts differ, the handle is usually about three inches long.

3. Get a knife that can do "roughouts," a technique used to give an "unfinished" look to a piece of wood. A good rough-out knife features a slightly curved handle and a drop- point tip on the blade, which has a straight edge on one side and a sloped curve on the other, similar to a hunting knife. The drop-point tip allows the user to carve more of the rounded parts of the wood to created the "rough" edge.

4. Find a knife that can do incisions to create features in the wood, such as eyes and noses on the faces of animals and humans, a key technique in the wood-carving craft. The best knife for this features an upswept blade that looks somewhat like a right triangle with a very sharp point. One of the great things about this knife is that the blades are often replaceable.

Tips & Warnings

• It is imperative you learn how to sharpen the knives because a dull knife will not work well.

• Wood-carving knives can be found in most hobby stores, as well as a woodcraft store.

• Many carvers start with a regular cutting blade to learn the basics of the art.

References

• Deepwoods Ventures: Wood Carving Knives
• Woodcarvers: Wood Carving FAQ Page
• USAF Arts Crafts: Get In the Groove: Wood Carving Basics

Resources

• Northwest Wood Carvers Association