Thread: Woodcarving tool advice needed

Hi folks! I'm new to working with wood and I need some simple advice. I'm trying to get into carving mainly, in particular detail work (figures etc). I need a tool which will help me cut larger blocks of wood into smaller blanks, as well as to do some rough shaping to save wear and tear on my knife and gouges. The most I'll need to cut through would be 3-4 inches. I don't have much money and I live in an apartment, so I'd definitely like to avoid anything bulky like a bandsaw, even a tabletop model. I've tried using a coping saw but it takes too long, and there's no way I'll be able to do shaping with it since it takes so much work to just get it through the wood.

Any suggestions? I was considering a carpenter saw, or one of those bigger pullsaws. I also saw some electric handsaws, but not I'm not sure the blades are long enough on those. What I'd love would be something like an electric handheld coping saw, if such a thing existed.

Sorry for the silly questions, any advice is appreciated.