When you think of essential wood carving tools, the faithful chisel comes to mind, but there are a few other tools you will need to invest in for your woodcarving. Find out what tools are essential now and what you can add to your wish list for the future.
#1 Planes
When you need to level large surfaces, pull out the bench plane. For smaller planing jobs that are either end grain or on the delicate side, use a block plane. A micro plane is more like a rasp than the other planes. It’s a cheap alternative if you don’t want the expense of buying high-quality rasps.#2 Rasps
Rasps are available in varying degrees of coarseness and style. A concave rasp is suitable for shaping surfaces that are (no surprise) concave. A needle rasp is small and ideal for defining details. Another fine finishing tool is the riffler which can get in to do delicate sculpting work.#3 Carpenter’s Mallet
Designed not to damage the end of metal tools when striking, the wooden carpenter's mallet also has an angled face for better control and reduced driving force. The oval face of a cylindrical carver’s mallet won’t slip when struck on a narrow spot.#4 Clamps & Vices
You will need something to hold your piece while you carve but your standard F-clamp isn’t going to work. Depending on your project you will need to choose between a few different styles of vices and clamps.Special carver’s vices are designed to hold your workpiece from the bottom, so it doesn’t damage your carving work.
Bench dogs will hold your piece in position on the workbench. The bench hold down fits into a bench dog. A hold-down clamp can be bolted to a work surface to secure your carving block. For times when a clamp is going to get in the way, a carving bolt allows you to fasten your workpiece from underneath.
#5 Knives
A draw knife has a handle at either end and is used for roughing and shaping work on either dry or green wood. Less clamping is required with a push knife which allows you to work with the stock while it’s butted against a solid surface.#6 Spokeshave
When you need to shape and smooth small pieces of wood, a spokeshave can get into the tight spots to the job. Use with one or two hands, a spokeshave can produce fine, smooth surfaces.#7 Wood Burner
If you want to add interest and depth to your piece a wood burner with different shapes of tips will allow you to create decorative effects from light brown to black.Patterns and delicate textures can also be added to carvings with punches.
#8 Sharpening Accessories
The number one rule in wood carving is to only work with sharp tools. So you’ll need some sharpening accessories to keep your carving tools sharp and working as they should. An electric grinder with a rubber grinding wheel uses tiny pieces of diamonds for sharpening carving tools. A cotton polishing wheel is the electric version of a strop. An oil stone or water stone is placed on the bench and used for sharpening carving tools. If you need something coarser and more durable than a bench stone, a diamond hone will do the job. A honing cone is used to sharpen gauges while an auger file is ideal for small or hard to reach cutting edges.A leather strop is used for polishing the edge after the tool has been ground and sharpened.
Maintain and store your wood carving tools and they will last a lifetime and most probably your next generation’s life too.
If you have any queries about the right wood carving tools and accessories, don’t hesitate to contact us online.
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