Beginner Carving Supplies

The following items are recommended as the basic requirements for a person that is beginning to carve. They are listed in order by the importance or necessity of use in carving.  If you would like to call our customer service desk, (217-529-4123), we will help you with your selection. We are carvers ourselves and we make recommendations based on our years of experience and our experience of what works and what does not.   

Click on red words for links to web pages with more information & pictures.

1.  Safety Supplies -- We recommend that all carvers should consider the use of a safety glove and a thumb guard. 

2. All woodcarvers need a knife.   We recommend the German made general carving knife with the 1-7/8" blade. The knife has a slim handle that many people prefer.
Catalog number: HCK103 $25.95     Another very good choice for a quality tool would be the Fur and Feathers handmade knives.  These knives are very sharp, and they hold that edge for a long time without regular sharpening on a stone.  They are available in four blade lengths from 1" to 1-3/4".  Handles are solid hardwood - Zebra Wood, walnut, or cherry.  Good value for the money.

Even though they are more expensive, some  hand made knives are excellent choices. A quality carving tool is always worth the investment. The Helvie knives  are good knives and are very sharp.  These knives have Pakawood handles and are available in four different shaped handles and three blade lengths and five different shapes. The large handles are available in either finger grip or plain oval shapes with either 1-7/8" or 1-1/2" long blades. The small handles are either a slim pencil style or a tapered style that tapers down toward the blade.

3. Woodcarving gouges are a must for almost all projects. We recommend starting with Ramelson gouges with palm handles that fit nicely in the hand and have a flat side that prevents them from rolling off a table or bench. These gouges are available in either a "standard" or "miniature" size. The miniature tools are frequently used for fine detail work, but the main tools you will use are in the standard size set. If you are going to buy only one set, go with the standard size set. Straight handles are available for those carvers that prefer them over the palm style. 
SP117       Standard size with palm handles             $39.95
SP117M    Miniature size with palm handles               39.95
SP116       Standard size with straight handles           39.95
SP116M    Miniature size with straight handles           39.95

4. A larger palm handled gouge  made by Ramelson will be an asset in removing large amounts of wood in a short time to rough-out your carving. We recommend either the 1/2" - #9, 5/8" - #7, or 3/4" - #7 with palm handles.
LP5009   1/2" - #9 gouge                                            $19.00
LP6257   5/8" - #7 gouge                                              19.00
LP7507   3/4" - #7 gouge                                              22.00

5. Tool rolls are a safe and easy way to store and protect your carving tools.  Either the Wood is Good brand or Mel's Tools Rolls will do the Job.  The above listed Ramelson gouges will fit in the 6 inch tool roll.

6. Sharpening supplies are just as important as the tools   Not only are sharp tools required for quality results, but more people are cut from dull tools than with sharp ones. We recommend the Arkansas Tri-Hone - coarse, medium and fine stones mounted on a frame for use.   A strop with an extra fine abrasive is required to "polish off" the burrs left from working on stones. 
TRI-8     Tri-Hone 8 inch                                                 $43.95
SOIL-4   Honing oil                                                            4.95
ST034   Knife strop                                                            9.95   
TL0150 Jewelers rouge strop compound                           4.50

7. Books, patterns and other reference materials. There are three basic types of books available - the general reference book, the step-by-step book that details how to carve one or two projects, and books of patterns only.  We recommend a book like Woodcarving With Rick Butz - good basic information on tools, woods, painting and finishing. For the step-by-step books and pattern books, there are a wide selection available and it will be your choice based on your own interests in subject material for carving. Good authors are Tom Wolfe, Helen Gibson, Kelly Stadelman, and Cleve Taylor - Click here for a list of their books as well as some other step-by-step titles.  Click here for a list of very good books for those starting out in carving.

8. Wood!!! We recommend either basswood or butternut as a good wood for carving. The basswood is quite soft and has a consistent grain structure that is very consistent to work with and it will hold detail without crumbling off.  Butternut is reasonably soft and since it is a member of the walnut family it has very beautiful grain which lends itself to a natural finish rather that painting.  It carves much like basswood.  We carry a good selection of prime top quality of both woods in many sizes.  
 

9. For chip carving, we recommend the Wayne Barton Knives - the cutting knife and the stab knife.  Wayne's deluxe knives have slightly larger handles and the cutting knife has an increased angle on the blade - a definite improvement over older style knives..

The above items are almost a must to begin carving and will provide the tools necessary for many carving projects.  As your abilities progress you will find the need to add other items to your "tool box."
 

10.  Woodburners are used for a variety of purposes: hair and beards on humans, hair on animals, and detailing feathers on birds and ducks. When you are ready for a woodburner, consider the features of the burners on the market. The simplistic pen type burners that are available at arts and craft shops usually have only one temperature setting - too hot - and the burning tip selection is very limited. The better units have variable temperature controls and a very wide selection of tips. We recommend the Nibsburner brand of burners. These are quality units and are a very good value for the investment. Four units are now available with power ranges from 50 to 145 watts. When you buy, make sure your unit has the following features:

A- Ample power;
B- Variable temperature control;
C- Interchangeable tips. Some manufactures permanently mount all tips in the handpieces. This adds to the cost of additional tips;
D- Cords that are separate from the handpieces. This is another way for manufactures to raise the price of additional handpieces.

11.  Power carving equipment. Many carvers enjoy carving with power. Roughing out a carving can be accomplished much quicker with power, and some detail work is so much easily performed with power.  The Foredom units have 1/6 horsepower reversible direction motors that hang over your head or can sit on your carving bench. There are handpieces that attach to the 39" flexible shaft from the motor. The motor has a foot control with on-off and variable speed control. The smaller hand-held units may cause more vibration than the Foredom units.  Hand-held battery powered unit do not have the power for extended or heavy usage.   We recommend the Foredom units since they have reversible motors, ample power, run and cut smooth and have handpieces that will accept 1/4" diameter shank cutters that can rough-out work much faster.

Beginning Carver Supplies
Bird Feet
Gift Certificates
Books and Patterns
Checkering Tools
Glass Eyes
Hand Tools
Miscellaneous Hand Tools
Foredom Motor Products
Power Carving Accessories
Paint Products
Safety Supplies
Sanding Supplies
Sharpening Supplies
Wood Products
Woodburners
Gunstock Checkering