Thread: Wood Carving set for a beginner?

1. Sets of carving tools try to be all things to all people. Never works well. Hold off on that.
2. There are half a dozen different carving styles and the tools you need are somewhat different
to work in that style. As an example, for flat plane carving, a Harvey Refsal knife is all you'll ever need.
3. Size matters, once again the size of the tools has a little bit of a realtionship to the size of the work.
4. Quality: Pfeil is probably the best, Henry Taylor, Ashley Iles are up there, too. The brands that you mention are going to fight back all the way, IF you get lucky and get them carving sharp.
5. Sharpening ( or better, = "edge management") is a learned process. Some manufacturers supply their tools finished to 'carving sharp'. Others expect you to do your own. In any case, most top quality tools need a touch-up every 20 to 30 minutes of carving. The best of the best last no longer than that, even in soft woods. You can feel it get tougher, sometimes even see scratches in the wood from crumpled edges.
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Look way back in the wood carving forum for "Star's Sharpening Journey." I was taught freehand edge management 15+ years ago and I lay it out in that thread.
Can you find a carving club in your area? That has to be the biggest jump start, short of lessons, that you will find.

Hi Mr. Lara,
Firstly, it wood be nice to know where you are. Texas, USA or Texas Aust.

As RV said, Pfiel are Tops by most Carvers. There are Stubai, Dastra etc.
So you need to do some homework, before you spend your money.

Google around for Wood Carving or Woodwork Clubs in your Area. They maybe closer than you think.
Please, don't just go out & buy right away.

The Hardest thing in Carving is Sharpening the Chisels, & they have to be as Sharp as a Scalpel. So that is more Money.
To save some $$$, go to Swap Meets, Tool Sales, ask on the Forums for Chisels.
New is not always the best.
You may find a small 1/3rd.hp. Grinder, has 4½in. Wheels.
So what you do is to turn it around, & over, so the spinning wheel is going away from you. What Wheels is another story. RV will know more than me on what to use.
Well that's my 2sents worth.
Please tell us where you are, makes it so much easier, to be able to help you.

If you just want to give carving a bit of a go/trial you can get a hold of one of those small chisel sets that they sell for lino print cutting. From memory they have perhaps 8-10 small chisels in them. They are quite cheap and suited really only for smaller work but they are reasonably sharp straight out of the packet and fine for working on smaller things. You will get to know which type of good quality chisel you want once you have had a bit of a try.
There is also a fantastic old book out there " Whittling and Woodcarving" by E.J.Tangerman. It covers the simplest of projects to the most, well...Michaelangelo type ventures.

@Robson Valley, interesting about the touch up every 30 minutes. I didn't think you had to do it that often. Just looked up the prices for the brands you mentioned, wow!

You are right, i may not need a whole lot of carving tools. I will be attempting to make my own chess set. Carving out every piece by hand. I will be using cherry wood for one set and probably pine for the other. But if there are easier woods to work with, please recommend them to me.

once i get the tools that i need, i will look through that thread you mentioned.

@ issatree, I am in Texas USA.

I will mention that there is a Rockler woodworking shop near me, but all their stuff is super expensive. They have chisel sets for as low as $47, to over $200.

Hi Mr. Lara,
One of the reasons I asked, was that I live in a Suburb of Geelong Vic. Aust.
Just a few K's. North from where I live, is a small Town Called " Lara ". Google & see.

I was thinking Rockler wood most likely know of some Carvers in your Area.

It is good fun having a go at making your own Knives, mainly Industrial Hacksaw Blades.
They are mainly HSS, & if you are gentle with the A/Grinder, you can make a great knife.
Get a Cat. from Rockler & just copy the shape you need.
Need a nice piece of wood, split it down the centre. Draw around the Tang of your K/Blade, & Carve out the 2 pieces, but not to deep. A bit of glue all round, Clamp, wait awhile for glue to set & cut away for a handle,& sand & sign it & a bit of a wax finish as well.

Done & Dusted.

I'll stop by the rockler shop this weekend and ask about carving classes.

Oh, i don't think i'm ready to make my own knives yet.

The Message Board in the sister site, Woodcarvingillustrated.com, is dedicated to wood carving. All kinds.

Knives: I'd rather let a competent bladesmith make that part then I'll build my own handles to suit me and haft the blades. 4 straight knives from Moor, Flexcut, Pfeil (Brienz) and BrandantR.
I have 12 crooked knives. 8 were(!) Hook knives from the Farriers' trade and 4 are actual Haida-style crooked blades from Lee Valley (Crescent Knife Works/Vancouver. Very pleased with the ones that I have built up.

Gouges: I'm convinced that you get what you pay for. I bought a set of 12 simple carving tools for $12, just to see how bad it can be. I can't get them carving sharp but they are OK for soapstone (steatite).
Big Pfeil gouges are not cheap but you are buying durability and ease of carving.

The next step up for rough shaping would be an adze. I have a full-size Stubai wood carving adze. Recently hafted a Baby Sitka elbow adze, bought the blade from Kestrel Tools. With North Bay Forge, probably the 2 top Pacific Northwest bladesmiths in the marketplace. That Sitka is a bandsaw on a stick but I'm still learning how to hang onto it. I can't yet make a straight row of strikes with either hand (I'm ambidexterous, an advantage).

OK, you want to carve a chess set. Thumb guard, kevlar carving glove, stainless steel mesh glove. Water stones and a strop and honing compound. Edge management is about 1/2 of what might be meant by "learning to carve." Probably a dozen very good bladesmiths around the USA for really good tools. Drake, Helvie, Mike Shipton, BrandantR, Flexcut, Moor and others.

The very best bass wood comes from Heineke. On that, there is no diosagreement. Start with a soft wood like that to get used to the tools and the cuts they make. Or, do you want to do the whole thing in cottonwood bark?

I don't carve anything at all in that style so I own none of those things.