new wood carver recommendations please
t58martin
| Posted in Turning and Carving on
My teen aged son has asked me about getting into wood carving. He has expressed interest in doing some low relief carving and birds as well. I have a couple of question. Who makes a good set of carving tools?
Which of the myriad of tools are the essential ones to start off with? and lastly are there any good books/web sites on the subject that someone can recommend first hand? thanks in advance for your advice.
We’ve done some searching on the web. There doesn’t appear to be a lack of information, quite the contrary.
Thanks in advance for any insight that you’re able to provide.
Regards,
Replies
Carving
Martin,
I would start with palm tools - let him learn to sharpen to reduce pushing the edge and purchase one of those gloves for the opposing hand to protect against cuts.
SA
I'll second the palm tool recommendation. When I started carving, I picked up a set of Flex-Cut palm tools that I'm still using. They're good tools, and stay sharp a loooong time. I have the 11-piece set, but use only 4 or 5 on a regular basis. Here's a link to them at Lee Valley, although I think I found them cheaper elsewhere:
http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=68857&cat=1,130,43332,43334&ap=1
Also seconded is the recommendation for a protective glove. I still have a scar where put one of the gouges into my left index finger...
Full sized tools
Hello Martin,
I have been carving for 20 years, relief and in the round. I live in Italy and have learned how to carve here. Go with full size tools, Stubai, Pfeil, maybe henry taylor - Pfeil is top in the smaller sizes- precision, Stubai has a great steel, holds and edge and good for the medium larger sizes - and with the european grind rounding the edges you get better stop cuts. Do not spend money on cheap stuff. they will not stay sharp and sharp is everything. You need only a few tools 5 to 7 max and you can do 85% of your work (i have about 60 and those 7 are the shortest tools I have - most shaprening). The book by Charles marshal Sayers - the book of woodcarving from 1942 is excellent. guy writes well and clear and give the basics you really need to know. He recommends the following tools:
3/8 parting tool #12 60°, 5/8 #5, 3/8 #7, 3/8 #3, 1inch #3, 3/8ts skew (you can order the tools and a book as a kit I think from lee valley and in the mentioned sizes, henry taylor is also good (I have a few)
I would agree, mine top 6 - 7 are not much different. You can do a lot of relief and small in the round. Full size tools give you better control and will keep their value. They are much easier to use - I also have pfeil palm tools and a flex cut travel kit. Never use them although the steel is really good. They are not easy to control. Go with full size - yuo can hold them in all manners but follow the book and do the excercises and you will be pretty good. You can build on the collection after that but you could also survive a long time on those tools and your skill. Only after you have left a lot of shavings do you then know what new tool need.
A small 1000 / 4000 waterstone to keep them sharp and a leather strop. Your ready to go!
have fun - Wood Carving illustrated (web and magazine) would be a great place to start for ideas and there are a few UK sites on traditional carving. Videos from Nora Hall and chris Pye are excellent!
Cheers
Jim
I'd take a relaxed approach. Too much equipment can be intimidating. A few scars on the left index finger, assuming right-handedness, go with the territory. I think I have at least eight scars on that finger. Eventually one learns not to cut toward one's self. I started with a jack-knife, later adding a chisel, and now70 years later seem to have evolved into a collector. I could get along with about eight carving tools. In the mean time I spent some time carving on the human.
Tom
I'd take a relaxed approach. Too much equipment can be intimidating. A few scars on the left index finger, assuming right-handedness, go with the territory. I think I have at least eight scars on that finger. Eventually one learns not to cut toward one's self. I started with a jack-knife, later adding a chisel, and now70 years later seem to have evolved into a collector. I could get along with about eight carving tools. In the mean time I spent some time carving on the human.
Tom
Years ago, music teachers used to have you practice scales and and practice pieces. It was a drudge.
Nowadays, apparently they ask students what they want to do and facilitate that. They learn to play the songs they think are cool!
Seems to me so much more motivational. Take the students motivation, and teach and facilitate towards that goal. Interest is sustained, developed, and lessons are learned along the way.
I ain't an accomplished carver, but a few years back I was sharpening some carving tools and had to use them to see how I was doing, and picked up a piece of MDF...A simple v tool and a piece of MDF will allow even the most neophytic carver to produce a wheat stalk pattern in a moment.....Sense of accomplishment.
I don't get to carve much in the projects I do, but from time to time I do, and I aint afraid to tackle them (whether I achieve good results is a matter of opinion. (Clients like it, but I wish I had done better!). Not the point though- the point is to develop the "no fear" attitude.
Skills develop, but only when the motivation and confidence is there. Journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step!
Eric
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