Wood Carving Tools
Woodcarving tools are handheld cutting implements used for woodcarving or woodworking. There are many different types of woodcarving tools. Some woodcarving tools may be manual, while some may be power tools.
A basic woodcarving toolkit may include the following equipment:
- The Carving Knife is a specialized blade for cutting, paring, and smoothing wood.
- The Chisel has a straight edge cutting tool that creates lines and cleans up flat planes or surfaces. It may be large or small.
- The Gouge has a curved-edge cutting tool. It exists in various forms and sizes to carve curves, hollows, and rounds.
- The V-tool may be likened to a chisel or gouge with an angular cutting edge. It is used for parting and flat work to emphasize lines.
- The Veiner is a special gouge with a cutting edge shaped like a “U.”
- Sharpening Equipment. Whetstones or strops are necessary to maintain the cutting edges of the aforementioned implements.
Additional tools comprise different grips (to affix materials to the workbench), and a mallet. Other special tools are often employed in the craft. Examples of these are routers (to level surfaces), and bent chisels and gouges (to create deep hollows).
Woodcarving Terms
- Sweep – The curve of a gouge’s cutting edge. A lower-numbered gouge denotes a shallow sweep while a high number indicates a deep curve.
- Long Bent – A chisel, gouge, or V-tool with a blade curved along the entire length
- Short Bent – A chisel, gouge, or V-tool with a blade curved at the end like a spoon
- Fishtail – A chisel or gouge with a shaft that flares outward at the end
- Palm Tools – Short implements that can be used with one hand
- Full-sized Tools – Two-handed implements
- Tang – The part where the tool blade meets the handle
- Ferrule – A metal cap on the handle of a tool to protect the wood from mallet hits (some ferrules are internal while some are external)