Where to start?

[burnvic94]

I have been an avid woodworker for years but dont have a clur where to start with carving and the basic tools needed can anyone steer me in the right direction?

[Michael Short]

I just started out and I found a carving club close to me and went to an open carving session and they helped me get started with a few basic tools and I have attended two classes now and the first lessons are basic cuts and roughing out face cuts. There is a link on this site that list clubs that you can search for in your area.

Michael

[carvingbarn]

Welcome to the forum Burvic94. I second the suggestion to look for a carving club. On the upper left sides of this page, under the WCI COMMUNITY heading you will see carving clubs. You may be able to find one in your area there. Tool selection verys depending on the type of carving you want to do.

[cut up]

For me, the basic tools were a bench knife and a detail knife. Found a block of wood and cut out a boot.
It helped give me a perspective of what kind of carving I wanted to do.
Michael's advice about the carving club is invaluable. There is a wealth of ideas, information and help from those clubs, if you go.

Michael

[mpounders]

Sharp tools and decent wood are always required, but they sure make things go better in the beginning, too! Buy some basswood......oak and walnut can be a little discouraging for a novice carver and even pine is not a lot of fun to carve. Buy a sharp knife and a couple of gouges, rather a cheap set of five or six gouges from the local hobby store. I do a lot of carvings with a utility knife and some Flexcut gouges. Drake and Shipley make some really good tools also.

[Bob K.]

Make sure you start out with a good quality carving knife...Flexcut, Mike Shipley and Helvie are all excellent.

[Scott Hagerty]

Tell us a little bit about the type of carving you think you might be interested in. It also might help us to know where you live too.

I started with a couple of home made carving knives from straight razors and a 6 piece Ramelson gouge kit from the Woodcraft Store in Bettendorf, Iowa. That got me started and I have slowly added gouges as I have identified a need for them. I don't use the original knives too much anymore as my carving style has evolved and I like a knife that has some flex to it and a little more length in the blade too.