Beginner Carving Tools: Suggestions for a Cheap / Decent set?

[Tom Overthere]

Tom,there is no melting of steel That might have been a joke,I guess. the blacksmithing skills are very minimal. All you have to do is hammer the end of a square bar flat,and whack a round rod into it to form the arc. Really,anyone could do it,especially if money is an issue. Even if you buy tools,try it sometime.

Thanks, George. I was just kidding. My point was only that I feel pretty overwhelmed simply by all the choices/possibilities/pitfalls involved in merely choosing a particular tool/technique platform.

Per your instructions, I'm sure some here can (and WILL) attempt making some of their own tools. And who knows. Maybe I will too, when I have enough experience to know what type of tool to make for a particular operation.

I'm sure you know I meant no offense, and appreciate your comments. And I really DO think you should copy your instructions into a separately-titled original thread - so SMC members can find it easily.

[David Keller NC]

"If I really can combine the use of a power tool for roughing out, with relatively few hand tools for finish carving/scraping (like you, I'm no fan of sanding, either as a process or a finished surface) - then I will indeed forego the CopyCarver build and focus on hand-eye processes - with the sincere hope that "hand" and "eye" never meet while learning the rudiments of carving..."

Tom - If you do decide to try power carving, I'm going to highly suggest that you ignore the advice you were given at the show about a reciprocating carver and buy a rotary tool like the Foredom. My comments here are based on the Raleigh Woodcarver's club with some 60 members - almost no one uses the reciprocating carvers. While in theory they would replicate the hand tool/mallet type of surface, I've been told they are extremely difficult to control, and are murder on your wrist/forearm. The high speed rotary burrs, while not leaving an acceptable surface behind without further work, are pretty easy to use (I've tried them - not my cup of tea, but I can certainly see the usefullness). They're also pretty inexpensive, and a huge variety of rotary burrs are available.

[Tom Overthere]

Tom - If you do decide to try power carving, I'm going to highly suggest that you ignore the advice you were given at the show about a reciprocating carver and buy a rotary tool like the Foredom

...Raleigh woodcarver's club with some 60 members - almost no one uses the reciprocating carvers...they are extremely difficult to control, and are murder on your wrist/forearm.

...high speed rotary burrs, while not leaving an acceptable surface behind without further work, are pretty easy to use...also pretty inexpensive, and a huge variety of rotary burrs are available.

Again, thank you, David, for the exceptional advice and its timeliness. I'm going to a local woodworker's supply retailer this afternoon to see and hopefully discuss some of these options. I very much appreciate your detailing the distinction between 'reciprocating' and 'rotary' power carving. I sure don't need a dose of carpal tunnel syndrome.

The advice I received at that show DID seem kind of "limited in scope" and the type of work that is apparently the focus of that club does not interest me much. I will take your advice with me to the store tonight, and will likely refrain from joining that carvers club altogether. Looks like I'll learn from DVDs and puncture wounds.

Thanks.

[Tom Overthere]

David, Mike, Mike, Carlos, Robert, George and Terry ==

I went to a local stocking dealer of Flexcut tools. I looked at the SK 108 tool set I was tempted to buy online. They are TINY(!) and I'm very glad you guys talked me out of that. No offense, Terry. I'm sure you've found a way to make Flexcut work for you (and some Flexcut tools appear big and heavy, almost like traditional carving tools).

They're closing out all their carving tools except the Flexcut line, and had only two (large) sizes of Ashley Isles V gouges. The AI tools were GIGANTIC by comparison.

We also discussed Foredom rotary systems, and how I could mount Flexcut tools in a $50 accessory recip stylus/handle. That'd give me rotary burrs + reciprocating gouges = considerable flexibility. BUT much as I'd like to speed things up via expensive machinery, I now know the best approach is to buy the three or four most useful gouges, a detail knife, some "necessaries" and a good training DVD. Thanks guys, for helping me stay out of trouble on this.

What's the best DVD I can get for Relief Carving in Hardwoods? I watched an online video sample of Nora Hull. It took her ten minutes to convey the idea: For effective work holding, glue your workpiece to a larger wood base, with a sheet of newspaper in between for easy seperation of the two pieces later.

No disrespect, but she's getting up there in years. Are all her training materials so drawn out and confusing? Maybe the recent online video I saw reflects a recent reduction in the quality of her instruction...

Is there any concensus on a really good DVD for relief carving in hardwoods?

Thanks

[Carlos Alden]

Tom:

I think you'll be going in the right direction with getting a basic set of tools and learning how to use them.

I haven't actually seen Nora's DVD instructional materials. My experience was taking a class from her, which was terrific. I would suggest Chris Pye. His website is great, and if his DVDs are anything like his site they should be good.

So, what store is this again that is closing out their Ashely Iles tools? I may need to give them a call.

Carlos

[Tom Overthere]

Not worth your time, Carlos. They had just two sizes left, a #39 V gouge and something else that I can't recall. Mind you, they're not discounting the Ashley Isle tools. FULL PRICE for everything, they're just not going to restock the line... Just stocking Flexcut and Foredom, apparently.

I note your earlier post regarding Chris Pye. Thanks for the reminder. I'll look carefully at his website for DVD instruction.

[David Keller NC]

Tom, I'd second the Chris Pye recommendation, though I don't have his DVDs, just his books (those are excellent, by the way, as are Dick Onian's). I'm not sure where you're located, but finding someone that does traditional (at least European traditional) carving to give you some instruction would really be best. There are certain aspects of carving that are quite difficult to convey unless you're "in person" with the carver.

By the way - by "European traditional", I mean with gouges, v-tools, skew chisels, etc... "American traditional" pretty much means carving with knives (and there's a tremendous variety of these knives).

[Carlos Alden]

By the way - by "European traditional", I mean with gouges, v-tools, skew chisels, etc... "American traditional" pretty much means carving with knives (and there's a tremendous variety of these knives).

David:

Thanks for the distinction - it's important. When I started woodcarving I knew I wanted to do bas relief carving. During the first class Nora Hall was very specific about European woodcarving and the tradition of technique. She basically said (paraphrased): I learned this from my father, and brought it over when I came to live here. It's very old, and what I'm going to show you goes back hundreds of years. This is not carving wildlife, or Santa Clauses, or chip carving. I don't teach that. If you do what I show you, the way I tell you to do it, you can do this and you will NEVER cut yourself.

It was very interesting to hear the strength of her statements. She wasn't dissing the other forms of carving, she just didn't consider them to be "wood carving", as though they were water colors, or oil painting, or working in clay. Fascinating to see the different approaches to working in wood with sharp objects. I got bit by this bug: Even now I can't imagine doing an in-the-round carving and have it feel like I'm carving.

Every so often I'll pick up a carving magazine in the bookstore and see a huge variety of craftwork that has absolutely no call to me to pick up a tool and try it. But I get very inspired when I see almost anything in bas relief, even stonework in museums, and immediately start thinking about "hmmm... how would I get that in wood?"

Carlos

[Matt McCormick]

I too recommend the Chris Pye DVD's. I think I have almost everybody's DVD's
but Chris Pyes' are exceptional as he has Rob Cosman as his foil and that really makes a big difference to me. Cosman listens and asks good questions and then grabs the chisel and tries his hand just like you or me would, then Chris is able the show Rob where he missed the nuance. This really helps me. Anyway I think all the DVDs' out there have good info on them, I just think the Cosman/ Pye seris is the best. -matt

[Chuck Nickerson]

Tom,there is no melting of steel That might have been a joke,I guess. the blacksmithing skills are very minimal. All you have to do is hammer the end of a square bar flat,and whack a round rod into it to form the arc. Really,anyone could do it,especially if money is an issue. Even if you buy tools,try it sometime.

Some day, I'm going to live near someone like George and have a chance to give this a try under some direction. I bear absolutely no physical resemblence to a Norse God, but perhaps I'll get to mimic one.

[george wilson]

Chuck,you could scream ODEN!!! while maniacially hammering on the little square steel bar!!