Basics for carving?

[Andy Howard]

I am looking for some recomendations on a basic set of carving tools. I am building a spice box, and would like to carve my initial in the door of the box. I have never done any carving before and have no tools for carving.

In addition to carving my last initial in the door of the spice chest, I would also like to carve ball and claw feet at some point in the future. So, keeping this in mind, are there a few go to carving tools that are the basics for carving?

Thanks
Andy

[Tom Jones III]

I'd like to piggy back on this thread, just last night LOML told me that she wants to turn a bowl having a band around it that she can do a little low-relief carving. I assume this would require similar tools to Andy's question? The added problem is that her hands are probably a lot weaker than Andy's.

[Mike Wenzloff]

Andy and Tom,

Two places to start...
If ya want videos, Nora Hall has a couple good ones. Books as well...and a lot of info on her web site:
http://www.norahall.com

Chris Pye has tutorials, as well as tons of informatoin. Both have recommended tools. Chris' site has downloadable PDF books for a very good price...free.
http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/

Take care, Mike

[Mike Gratton]

Here are a couple of sites that can get you started:
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum/index.php
www.littleshavers.com (http://www.littleshavers.com)

The first is to a forum at Wood Carving Illustrated magazine. The second is to a carver who sells tools and is always happy to get a user started.

mikeg

[Daniel Heine]

Andy,

Rick at Little Shavers has a set of beginners tools for about $35.00. It includes a knife, six palm tools, a strop, glove, and a box to hold it all in. Best of all, Rick never sells anything that is not razor sharp, and ready to use right out of the box. I just triued going to their web site, but seem to be having a problem right now. http://www.littleshavers.com

Thanks,
Dan

[Zahid Naqvi]

I saw a little 20 minute program on how to relief carve a leaf on the woodworking channel. Pretty nice. I am a very visual learner and just watching someone do something is worth more than a thousand words to me.

[John Timberlake]

If you plan to do more than just the one initial, I recommend that you spend some money on the tools. Get good tools to begin with and you won't be replacing them, just adding to them. Pfeil Swiss tools, Two Cherries, Ashley Isles, and Henry Taylor are names that come to mind. I'm sure there are more good tools. I prefer the full size tools, especially for doing ball and claw feet. If you want, I have a procedure written up for doing the ball and claw feet that I could send to you. PM me if you want it.

[Daniel Heine]

If you opt for a set of full size carving tools, I would suggest Stubai. Stubai produces the finest carving tools on the market. Pfeil tools are great for soft woods like Basswood and Butternut, but they are not ground properly for harder woods like Walnut, Oak, etc.

The Whillock family owns http://www.stubaidirect.com, and you will find no finer people to do business with.

Happy Carving,
Dan Heine

[tod evans]

andy, like john i`d suggest full sized tools and a name brand that has a track record. i`ve had very good luck with german steel and prefer the two cherries . sharpening is something i haven`t seen mentioned yet? there`s a pretty steep learning curve when it comes to carving tools and i consider power grinders the enemy, even the fancy water cooled ones. .02 tod

[Bart Sharp]

These guys are probably all correct, if you're getting into carving you might want to buy a set of full-size carving tools from one of the respected names. But just to give you another option, I have taken up letter carving using nothing more than a chip-carving knife. Budget may not be an issue, but if it is then you can get into something for less than $20 that will be perfect for carving your initial, among many other things.

It might be tough work whittling out ball-and-claw feet with one, but it would get you past the immediate project for very little outlay.

[Frank Fusco]

The sites referenced are probably very good. Most of the woodworkers catalogs carry carving tools. I will part with others who reccomend full-sized tools to start. Like any endeavor, the right tool for the job is essential. Small, palm tools can be used for many types of carving. Large gouges are necessary for basic shaping and waste wood removal. A medium to large V tool for making your curves and stop lines. Really, I believe most carvers end up with three sets, small, medium and several speciality large. As to brand, there are many good ones out there. But, with carving tools, the cheap imports are to be avoided. They might have decent steel but the ones I have seen have very short tangs. Meaning they can break in your hand while applying pressure. This is a very-very dangerous proposition.

[John Timberlake]

If you opt for a set of full size carving tools, I would suggest Stubai. Stubai produces the finest carving tools on the market. Pfeil tools are great for soft woods like Basswood and Butternut, but they are not ground properly for harder woods like Walnut, Oak, etc.

I have never used the Stubai, but have heard good things about them from people who know carving tools. I have used the Pfeil tools to carve walnut, cherry, and mahogany with no problems. Also, they come sharp and with care, you will only have to strop them with leather if you do it often. And who would want to carve oak - too much work. But you are right that the angle needs to be different for the harder woods.