Looking to buy my first tools...

[yertleturtle]

I am an experienced cabinet maker and want to start incorporating carving into my pieces and need some help in the right direction. I use hard woods mostly in my furniture and envision doing either relief or pierced carving panels. I have a good knife (from Ron Hock) and some nice japanese chisels. I'm looking to get some gouges, maybe a skew chisel or two and a v tool.

I see a lot of people here recommend palm carving tools to beginners and I wonder what the advantages to these type of tools are? I've been looking around the internet and found this Hirsch set at lee valley: Hirsch Carving Sets - Lee Valley Tools. I'm also considering getting some Stubai or Pfeil tools. All help is greatly appreciated.

[Mitchell]

Palm tools are usually recommended for smaller in-the-round carving. The set you have linked looks fine, and you shouldn't have any problem with the Stubai or Pfeil. You seem to know to look for "quality" tools. It'll help get you started by having good tools.

[carver33]

Stubai and Pfeil tools are both excellent tools. I believe the Hirsch are the same as Two Cherries and they also have a pretty good reputation. Henry Taylor tools get a bad rap for their "rough" look, but are also excellent tools. I have several H.T. gouges and they hold an edge well and I am extremely pleased with them.

Full size gouges and a mallet are probably what you'll want primarily for panels and relatively large carvings. However, it wouldn't hurt to have a good set of palm gouges for fine detail and touch up work.

Experienced carvers can use large gouges without the mallet to do some very fine work, but until you get comfortable with them, palm gouges are easier to use for small stuff.

[fingercuttinbad]

I am also very new to carving but have done a lot of research into the subject. I posted everything that I have purchased so far in my "hello" thread here. Hello to you all!

I planned on slowly building my tool set but being the type of person I am I went all out and got a lot of tools up front. I have everything I need ( I think) for both log carving and deep relief carving on flat plane wood. Good luck! I hope this is a help.

[Donsexton]

Hello and welcome, You are well informed for a new carver due to your back ground. I am a Henry Taylor man they are light and well balanced.

[Claude]

For architectural carving, Mark Yundt has a great web site (and great carvings!) at

website at
Mark Yundt
e-mail to
mycarver@rcn.com
visit my gallery at
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.co...00/ppuser/5243

Claude