Category: Carving Knives

Posts of this category describe carving knives (whittling).

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Best Wood Carving Tools for Beginners

Wood carving is much easier with the right tools. Heavy gas-powered chainsaws which most prospective carves own are not ideal for the beginner wood carver. Also sharp pocket knives are not ideal for the beginner wood carver for making anything more than whittling a spear at the end of a stick.

With chainsaw carving fatigue can be a major factor. My Husqvarna 257 is very heavy for me and after less than an hour of use fatigue sets in. If I were making a large detailed carve then I’d need to use a Stihl Msa200.

There have been great advances made in smaller chainsaws, even chainsaws powered with battery are available. These lightweight chainsaws are great options for the beginner and even seasoned chainsaw carver.

The weight of the electric battery powerd Stihl MSA20 is 10.2 lbs. The weight of my Husqvana 257 which is typical 20″ gas powered chainaw is over 30 lbs.

Thirty pounds may not seem like much but when wielding it for hours as is the case when carving matters…a lot. The only negative to a battery powered saw is the battery charge. According to the website with the recommended battery AP 300, the saw will run for 45 minutes. Just enough time to carve for a while then take a break. However with the AR 3000 battery this saw can run for 200 minutes.

If weight is not a major factor for you then a well running smaller chainsaw is fine for the beginner carver. As you might expect smaller bars/ chains might be more practical.

Tools for Beginning Whittler

I am not a professional whittler, I can carve basic things with knives and do own sharpened wood carving knives. However, I have spoke with some pros about this and they insist that the best tools to get started carving is a shortened carving knife. Stiff, short and sharp along with a 90 degree wedge blade. Shaped like a V. These two knives can get the whittler 99% of the cuts and shaping that we need. The versatility of what can be done with these two knives is very good.

There are many fancy options for carving knives and buying just these two knives is diffu=icult on amazon. This kit on amazon however contains these two blades, along with many others. Another option might be to go to a craft store and just buy individual knives.

For the beginner carver it is also advisable to use a pencil to sketch on the wood before you start carving. Also if possible, find someone that can help you get started with the basic cuts. I purchased a coursed on Udemy to help me get started carving with wood, and it was well worth the fee. My instructor was a woman who had been carving since the 1980s and she had developed extreme skill and enjoyed teaching.

So there you have it, the highly rated Stihl MSA 200 battery powered chainsaw and a $37 dollar knife kit. Are the best tools for the beginner wood carver. Once you get your beginner tools, keep them sharp and just get carving. I would recommend you start chainsaw carving chairs, then move to bears. And with knife carving start with little figurines then move to wooden ducks. You may be surprized at what you are capable of carving.

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How to Carve with Knives

Carving with knives is a rewarding hobby that takes some time to develop. It also takes the right set of tools, but with just a little investment you can get going.

Another word used for carving with knives is whittling. Whittling can be used and has been used for centuries to make anything from spears for hunting, to figurines for Christmas, to signs in a local tree declaring love for a special someone.

To get started carving with knives or whittling thre are four cuts that need to be mastered.

The Stop Cut – is a cut with a carving knife that penetrated into teh edge of the wood then stops. The stop cut is perpendicular to the plane of the wood, so it goes straight in. Then a second cut comes in and meets the stop cut to terminate it. This cut causes considerable shadow and is usefule in a wide variety of figurines and other carvings.

The Pyramid Cut – is a cut into the face of a piece of wood that is three cuts which meet at a point in the wood. When the 3 cuts are complete a small pyramid of wood pops out, creating the divot or void in the wood. They create nice shadow and are helpful in creating details.

The Vee Cut – is just what is sounds like a very simple cut into the edge of a piece of wood that creates a V shape in the wood. The Vee cut createss low shadow in the piece.

The Sweepng Cut – is a sweep of the wrist along the edge of a piece of wood that curls and creates a curved feature in the woods edge. The sweeping cut can meet a stop cut or a V cut to create the curved effect and it has a little more shadow than the Vee cut.

I will post pictures of all of these cuts to help with the beginner. Make sure to practice these cust often befure you attempt to carve something with real wood that you care about. Its good to practice using pine wood. Also here is a link to a good wood carving kit.

Enjoy and get practicing.