Woodcarving Tools – Where Should One Start In my many years of carving, I have spent more money on tools than I would like to admit (please don’t tell my wife). Some early ones were terrible mistakes. Since my blog site became active, I have had several inquiries about what kind of tools one should buy. I find answering that question difficult because everyone has different desires. About the only thing I can do is tell folks what I use personally with the caveat that they should try them before buying. So, I thought this might make a good subject for a posting… what are the tools that I actually use. I am going to focus on gouges (chisels) in this case.

Your Essential Wood Carving Tools

Wood carving is both a craft and a form of art, one that has persisted since the dawn of mankind, and one that still sees a lot of use today. Indeed, it is still very widely practiced today by hobbyists and professionals.

The Beginner's Tool Kit

Wood carving is one of the few hobbies that does not require a large investment of money into tools and supplies to get started. With a few basics you are ready to begin your first project. Below is a peek into a simple beginner's tool kit.

Basic Tools Used for Wood Carving

With the current technology and machinery being used to create and duplicate wood carvings, the art of wood carving is more and more becoming a hobby. While there still are professional carvers it is getting to be tougher to make a living strictly from carving or sculpting wood.

Beginner Carving Notes

Of all the art forms available to craftsmen, woodcarving may well be one of the oldest developed skill in man's history. Carved designs and accents have appeared in furniture design, the building components of our homes and places of worship, the household items that we use everyday, and of course as simply beautiful decorative sculptures.

In all art forms Mistakes Sometimes Happen. No matter how careful you are, no matter how much time you take on each carving stroke, sometime, somewhere, you will make a mistake. The knife will slip or the grain will pull your stroke off the pattern line or a high area will get broken. Just because a mistake has been made does not mean that the project needs to be scrapped, there are several options for correcting miscuts in your carving. You will learn this with experience. Don’t worry about mistakes. Just relax and have fun.

Wood Carving and Sculpting Use a Variety of Tools to Form, Shape, and Design Wooden Materials

Whether utilized as artistic creations or as industrial products, wood carving and sculpting projects require a variety of tools depending on the type of cut, shape, and design each woodwork needs. Each tool is meant for a more specific task. The use of each one depends on the kind of figure needed for a project, the intricacy of the designs, and the shaping and styling requirements of a particular wooden piece.

What are some woodcarving tools and techniques for beginners?

A chip carving knife is a basic tool for wood carving that every beginner must have. This tool has a blade that is about an inch and a half long and a handle for comfort. A decent chip carving knife costs about $20, as of 2015, but the better ones are around $50. Gouges, which scoop out wood, are also necessary tools of the trade, and they come in different sizes and shapes. Chisels are also good to have, as they help to chip off pieces of wood for carving.

Wood Carving Tools

Over the years, the art of wood carving has greatly evolved. Today, more efficient carving techniques are now being practiced, since more reliable wood carving tools have already been introduced.