Recommended Tool for Carving Feet

[Roger Domina]

Am looking for input regarding the best tool to purchase for carving feet on bowls. Any input based on your experience will be appreciated.

[John K Jordan]

Am looking for input regarding the best tool to purchase for carving feet on bowls. Any input based on your experience will be appreciated.

Roger,

I don't know that carving feet on bowls is different than other types of carving. I use a variety of tools: a Fordom rotary carver, a reciprocal carver, hand-held carving gouges, various knives, and sometimes a scalpel with a #11 blade. Besides cutting tools I use small rifflers and files. Further smoothing is with sandpaper, with small sheets of sandpaper and hand-held sanding sticks like this: https://www.amazon.com/Lumberton-12302-Sanding-Sticks-Finishing/dp/B0039ZCQAK

I choose specific tools based on the type of wood, the shape I'm carving, the direction of the grain, and what I feel like at the moment. If I had no carving tools and a limited budget I'd probably buy a few carving gouges and a Dremel with a few carbide bits.

This is a bowl with "handles" and feet I made from Bradford Pear a while back:

414157

JKJ

[Roger Domina]

Very, very, nice work John. Thanks for the input and advice. I'm sure you're correct I'll want different tools based on the application.

[Fred Belknap]

I use whatever works but a Dremel with a small roller type sander works very well.

[Allen Arin]

I use whatever works but a Dremel with a small roller type sander works very well.

Yes I would prefer the same

[tom lucas]

If you have to go out and buy a dremel, I suggest getting a micromotor instead. Must nicer bit changes and high speed carving, plus it fits the hand better too.