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---
title: Wood Carving
date: 2021-08-22
last_modified_at: 2024-10-12
categories: [crafting, woodcarving]
tags: []
description: A guide to woodcarving and some personal projects.
media_subpath: /wood_carving/webp_images/
image: 20241010_182621.webp
published: True
---

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## Overview
I'd say wood carving is one of the coolest hobbies I've every picked up. You can get started with high quality tools and materials for around $50, and be carving awesome projects on your first day. Early projects can be done in 1 to 1.5 hours, and there is something simply magical about the way a block of wood can be transformed into a little character.

## Getting Started

I learned exclusively from watching YouTube videos, and [Doug Linker's](https://www.youtube.com/@dougLinker) channel in particular was the single best thing to happen to my wood carving journey. He carves excellent little caricatures in clear, easy to follow videos. He always makes several versions by himself before ever publishing a video, so by the time he records the version for the public, he is full of concise advice and tips. He understands how to make to use a small number of cuts to communicate volumes about the shape and emotion of a piece, and I simply cannot recommend his videos enough. Here are a few that I followed along with:

- [Safety and Techniques plus Carving a Moravian Star](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E65f40Fm1k): A great intro to wood carving techniques and safety with a simple project to get you started.
- [Guide to Gouges](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEcOne4XbXA): If you notice, his two favorite gouges are <i>almost</i> the same as the ones in the Flexcut Palm and Knife Set KN600.
- [Wizard](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlIr95-ZlCc): Make awesome little wizard ornaments out of just a few simple cuts.
- [Bear](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxh1ezJEHzQ): A delightfully cute bear carving.
- [Owl](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LXY3wuRn5yo): A simple owl carving with a lot of character.

Doug has a ton of great videos. Here is an incomplete list of some of the ones I want to try in the future:
- [Gnome Door](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArVAO7CB9fI)
- [Hillbilly Gnome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4AXNQMxeIM&list=PLLMAepy0T3HzM8sSwb2TDMNa_O1iK1NZ8&index=4)
- [Mushroom](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAMBDcblyBQ): really want to try the round door one at 32:58
- [Cardinal](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fLbghQByfOw)
- [Santa Ornament](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpfL2DITRUs): really fun details on this one
- [Fisherman](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPbUU-rD8n8)
- [Gnome](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3jG0If3qDM)
- [Custom Blade Cover](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7xrWfM7JJM)
- [Paining and Finishing](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfbfOIf7i_M)

## Essential Tools
Like I said earlier, you can get started with wood carving for as around $50. At this point, I own a somewhat embarassing number of carving tools and knives, but you can easily do every project on this page with just the following equipment:
- [Cut Resistant Gloves](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HPU3GFS) - $15 - A sharp wood carving knife will through your finger and into your bone with absolute ease. Buy a cut resistant glove for your wood-holding hand and wear it at all times. There are plenty of brands on amazon but these are the ones I use and trust.
- [BeaverCraft GW10 Basswood Carving Blocks](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08D9ST5PF) - $20 - Basswood is soft, easy to carve and perfect for beginners and experts alike. These blocks are a great size for small projects and come in a pack of 10. These will be much more enjoyable to use than whatever random wood you have laying around the house, and this set is well worth the money.
- [Flexcut Cutting Knife KN12](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000ZRZQ1G) - $20 - Flexcut makes professional-grade, high-quality knives. If you only buy one knife, this should be it. It is my most-used and most-versatile knife from the Flexcut lineup, and it will casually get you through many beginner and intermediate woodcarving projects.

### Other Tools
Here are a few other notable tools that I'd like to talk about. If you have the budget, I'd highly recommend buying the Flexcut KN600, as it has literally the perfect selection of beginner/intermediate tools.
- [Flexcut Palm and Knife Set KN600](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005EG033Y) - $70 - To my knowledge, this is the best and most complete beginner woodcarving set on the market. It includes two wonderful palm gouges, a standard knife, and a detail knife. They blades are all made of 1095 carbon steel, which takes a fine edge and is a breeze to sharpen. The handles are comfortable and the blades are thin and sturdy, gliding through wood easily. You will be able to carve literally anything you want with this set. I cannot recommend it enough. If you fancy buying the pieces individually, the set includes the KN12 Cutting Knife, KN13 Detail Knife, FR306 #6 x 5/16" Sweep, and FR307 70 deg. x 1/4" V-Tool.
- [Flexcut Chip Carving Set KN115](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057P4ARM) - $48 - This is a specialized 3-piece set for chip carving, which is a style of wood carving that involves removing small chips of wood to create intricate designs. It's a high quality set and great for chip carving, but definitely not necessary for a beginner.
- [Morakniv Wood Carving 120 Knife](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09JJ8HRBH) - $30 - This is a great roughing knife for big projects. It's much thicker and longer than the Flexcut knives, and great for removing large amounts of wood quickly. I own the laminated variant, which is a bit more expensive but holds an amazing edge, as the laminated core is hardened to 60-61 instead of the CS's 58-59.
- Handmade Knives - There are many talented knife makers out there who make beautiful, high-quality carving knives. I own two by Mike Shipley from Ozark County Carving Tools, each of which cost me less than $30 at the time, although I think the price has increased since then. I own the [1" Detail Knife](https://mountainwoodcarvers.com/products/copy-of-occt-original-walnut-whittler-1-1-4-flat-grind) and the [1.5" Carver knife](https://mountainwoodcarvers.com/products/copy-of-occt-original-walnut-carver-1-3-4-flat-grind), both in Walnut out of O1 tool steel. These are excellent knives and well worth the money.
- [BeaverCraft Whittling Knife](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071WCH6T4) - $13 - This was my first carving knife and I <i>hate</i> it. The blade is double the thickness of my recommended Flexcut, which makes it insufferably hard to use as a carving tool. I also own their strop and it is waste of good money. Seriously do not buy any tools from BeaverCraft.

### Maintenance
Your knives are going to get dull. It doesn't matter how expensive or nice they are, they will get dull. If you get into woodcarving and decide you like it, you should be adding a balsa strop and diamond compound to your shopping cart. You can get a professional set up for ~$20. I you carve a lot you may also want to get a 3000-5000 grit stone. Check out my post on [Japanese Whetstones]({% link _posts/2024-08-11-whetstones.md %}) for specific recommendations.


## My Projects

The very first projects I did were simple training. You can see in the images how I practiced stop cuts and chip cuts. I also carved a star and a sphere. I definitely recommend these exercises to a beginner. The stop cuts help you get a feel for the technique, the star solidifies your ability to make strong and accurate cuts, and the sphere is a great, if tedious, exercise in control.

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<div class="caption">stop cuts and chip cuts</div>
<div class="caption">Moravian star</div>
<div class="caption">sphere</div>
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After the introductory exercises, my first real project was a wizard ornament. You can make these very simply or add more detail. Of the two I've made, I actually prefer the simple low-poly wizard to the more detailed version.


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<div class="caption">initial shaping</div>
<div class="caption">first wizard!</div>
<div class="caption">more wizards!</div>
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A little man was perhaps a lot to tackle in my first serious carving, but it was a good learning experience. I love the detail in his little hands, especially the right index finger and thumb. The entire hand is smaller than a pinky nail. However, there are some clear places where you can see my early lack of skill. Take note of how the arms seem to be flat squares attached to the body instead of round separate masses. This is an easy problem to fix with just a couple of undercuts, but at the time I didn't fully grasp the technique.

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<div class="caption">Halfway</div>
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<div class="caption">Left</div>
<div class="caption">Right</div>
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The grasshopper was the first carving that I did entirely on my own, by eye. I'm really pleased with how it came out.

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<div class="caption">Halfway</div>
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The owl is maybe my favorite little carving. I just love the way it's little feathers look. These two pictures also make clear how big of a difference lighting and shadows can make in a photo. Often the harsher the lighting, the more dynamic and three dimensional the carving looks.

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<div class="caption">Harsh Lighting</div>
<div class="caption">Soft Lighting</div>
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There's something simply delightful about the rotund softness of a wooden bear. I did this carving just to goof off, but I definitely think it is one of my favorites. Take special note of the dimensionality of the arms, compared to the little man that I did earlier. By this point, I had watched many more of Doug's videos and had better understanding of how to undercut the arms for a more realistic look.

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<div class="caption">starting</div>
<div class="caption">in progress</div>
<div class="caption">finished</div>
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I took a couple of quick videos of the carvings on a rotating stand. I think it's a fun way to see the carvings from all angles.

{% include embed/youtube.html id='SeQHaew9KdY' %}

{% include embed/youtube.html id='224lk4HNZeM' %}

{% include embed/youtube.html id='6PNK3MrEtjE' %}

{% include embed/youtube.html id='JBIMaza779A' %}

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