[Dennis Taylor]

Being very new to carving, I purchased a dvd made by Gene Webb on "Beginner guide to carving Wood Spirits",, what I am in need of, is a V tool for making the beard and facilal hair....I have a great knife already, but the v is the next item I think I need....my question is in degree and size, thinking 3/8 and maybe a 1/4, but how about the degree of the V...and can you recommend a good $$$ and source?..thanks in advance...Dennis

[Old_Gord]

Dennis, you might want to check out the Little Shavers web site at:
http://www.littleshavers.com/
Rick can most likely help you out.
What size of "V" tool will depend on what size of carving you are intending to work on.
BTW, If you had put your location even just state or province in your profile someone might have suggestions for carving suppliers that are local to you, other than that check out Little Shavers on line.

.

OG

[wood-whittler]

dennis,

if you are looking for a v-tool for hair and as an all around tool to use for other things, then i may suggest a 1/4" 60 degree, a 3/8" is kinda big but eventually you may want to get to have for stop cuts and such, as far as to what brand to buy that is up to you, swiss makes good tools and i use them alot and they are not bad priced woodcraft has dropped the price, but the ramelson is a good tool also but the others are a little bit better quality. like it it was said in the other post you may want to call rick and talk to him.

hope this has helped

bart




p.s the 3/8" v-tool can also be used for hair according to how big the carving is.

[whitecree]

Look no further! Little Shavers

I am completely new to the world of gouges as well, and purchased a 1/4" 60 degree palm gouge from Rick-in-seattle (see above link)

Excellent tool, reasonably priced (even adding in the exchange) and sharp enough to shave with. Great for hair and beard detail as well as working facial features into smaller works.

[Dennis Taylor]

I have the beginner kit from Rick, which I got last Fall, and just been playing with it the last few months....most of the spirit carvings I have been doing are 2 x 2 x 12 or 2 x 2 1/2 x 6, so pretty small in comparison....I emailed Rick for some help....Dennis

[Donna_T]

Dennis,
I'd agree with the 1/4" or 3/8" v-tool...it's a great universal size. However, with the exception of ears and eyelids and eyebrows where I use a v-tool, let me suggest that you try a gouge for shaping your beards and heads of hair. You'll get a gentle shape without the sharp edges that you get with overlapping v-tool strokes. I like the veiner (deep gouge) for carving animals too.

Just some food for thought!

DonnaT

Donna T