TOOLS USED FOR WOOD CARVINGS

Lots and lots of tools are responsible for the shapes and sizes of sculptures and carvings available to us today. These tools tend to help the carver get the kind of sculpture he or she wants and in a particular shape and style. There are various hand tools such as chip-carving knife or an x-Acto knife. Also some power carving tools such as a flexible-shaft freedom tool can help speed up the carving process and produce effects that one cannot get with hand tools. Large power tools such as a band saw, belt sander, drill press and chain saw, fill out the wood carver’s shop. However, the kind of tool you see in a carver’s shop depends on the monetary strength of the carver.

Some knives and chisels for wood carving include;

The chipcarving knife; it is the first tool that a wood carver starts with. Its primary use is for whittling and chip carving. The blade is about one and a half inch long and has a handle designed to fit comfortably in the hand.

There are also the U-Gouges which are the work horses of wood carving. They are designated by the width of the cutting edge, sweep or the amount of curvature of the cutting edge, and the shape of the shaft, either straight or bent, spoon or back-bent. There are also the V-Gouges that are designated by the width between the top edge tips and the Vee bottom edge. There is also the bent and spoon Gouges which are special gouges used to get into inaccessible spots of a carving that a straight gouge cannot reach. 

                         mallets,chisels and gouges

The Skewed Chisel is a chisel which is angled back from the leading edge of 45 degree angle. 

The Mallet is another important tool in carving. The traditional mallet for carving is cylindrical shaped and made from heavy dense hardwood. There is also the rubber mallet which is made from rubber.

                                A drill Press

Some other wood carving machines includes;

 The Band Saw; it has a long thin blade, welded into a loop. An electric motor powers the blade around two large wheels. It is the wood carver’s most often used large power tool. It quickly cuts off scrap wood, saving you the work of removing by hand.

The Drill Press is an invaluable shop tool which drills precise holes, but other attachments can be added, such as a Sanding Drum.

The Belt Sander is another tool that comes in handy for doing so many things that come up during a carving project. Once you have one, you can do a lot of carving work.

The Planner and Joiner are used to surface wood, giving boards flat sides. In order to laminate boards into larger blocks for carving, flat surfaces are necessary.

The Chain Saw is a very useful tool that can be use to rough out logs for large carvings.

              The various tools used in wood carving

The above tools and machinery and more, all help in the carving process. With them, the carver can easily create and design any sculpture of choice.