Grinder Carver
Wood Carving: Choosing the Best Tools
If you’re going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?
Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, if they aren’t sharp, what’s the use? You’ll drive yourself mad.
At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. There are diamond coated slipstones that work very well to sharpen an edge. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or as small as a credit card. So very convenient.
A well-sharpened edge will have a burr and micro-bits of metal still clinging to it. A strop can easily remove all of these. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.
If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. When it comes to wood carving, you always want smooth sharp edges. They determine your efficiency. When you can achieve them, you’ll be worlds ahead of the rest. No kidding.
Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.
?Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.
It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.
?Wood chisels. Chisels can be found with a bevel on only one side of the edge or they can be found with a double-sided beveled edge. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.
?Wood gouges. You’ll find yourself using these tools all the time in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.
?Wood Rasps or Riffler files. It’s easy to get confused when you’re shopping around for these tools. Not all merchants agree. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.
Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.
?Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.
?Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.
These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (… Wonder how big that’d be.)
Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.
?Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.
?There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.
?Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.
Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!
About the Author
Len Q. is a master blade sharpener and an adventurer who strives to protect the natural world. If you would like to find out about
Shoe Systems Plus
|
|
The Three Stooges: Dizzy Doctors [VHS] $3.65 “Dizzy Doctors” (1937, short number 21 in the Columbia series) finds the boys married to working wives who bully them into getting jobs. Becoming salesmen for “Brighto,” they think it is both a spot remover and car polisher; but when the product is put to those uses, the disastrous results set a policeman and a car owner (Vernon Dent) against them. Learning that Brighto is really a cure-all, they … |
|
|
Black & Decker RTX-6 2 Amp 3-Speed Rotary Tool with 30 Accessories and 2 Spring Clamps $38.35 The Black & Decker 3-speed rotary tool is created with a high-torque 2 amp motor so it finishes jobs quickly and efficiently — without bogging down under the load. Versatile, rugged, and loaded with convenience features, this hardy rotary tool will make short work of all your fine detail jobs, craft projects, workshop and household tasks. The RTX-6 boasts an exclusive Flip-Lock spindle lock syste… |
|
|
King Arthur’s Tools 45814 Lancelot 4-Inch Diameter 14 Tooth Fine Cut Chain Carver Attachment for Side Grinder with 5/8-Inch Arbor $27.05 Lancelot Woodcarving Discs take the muscle work out of woodcarving with their speed, power and maneuverability. The secret is in the special chain saw blade which is securely held between two stainless steel plates. Mount the 4″ dia. Lancelot in your 4″ or 4-1/2″ angle grinder and watch the chips fly! It easily cuts the hardest woods regardless of grain or knots. The 14-tooth model is great for “r… |
|
|
King Arthurs Tools 45822 Lancelot 22 tooth, 5/8 center hole $28.71 Lancelot Woodcarving Discs take the muscle work out of woodcarving with their speed, power and maneuverability. The secret is in the special chain saw blade which is securely held between two stainless steel plates. Mount the 4″ diameter Lancelot in your 4″ or 4-1/2″ angle grinder and watch the chips fly! It easily cuts the hardest woods regardless of grain or knots. The 14-tooth model is great fo… |
|
|
Stainless Steel Nail Clipper with Nail File and Pouch by ToiletTree Products. Lifetime Replacement Guarantee $19.95 ToiletTree Products Stainless Steel Nail Clipper with Nail File are designed with strength in mind. This stainless steel nail clipper is ideal for trimming thicker fingernails or normal toenails. This stainless steel nail clipper comes in a matte finish which cannot be overstated. Comfortable designed handle making it easy to use.Care and Cleaning: This tool is 100% stainless steel and is design… |
|
|
CARVER Tattoo Kit 4 Machine Guns Power Supplies / 2 Rotary Machines / 2 Coil Machines / 15 INK / LCD Power Supply / 50 Needles / PLUS Accessories $129.99 Pirate Face Tattoo Kits are an excellent starting point for new tattoo artists and great for professionals on the go. This tattoo kit was put together with the professional tattoo artist in mind. The tattoo machines are easy to work with, easy to tune and run as good as some of the best out there. The power supply is reliable and rugged. All consumables are sterilized and blister packed, even the … |
|
|
Power Tool Know How Power Router Scroll Sabre & Reciprocating Saws Electric Hand Drills Circular Saws Power Planer Portable Electric Sanders Rotary Grinders & Carvers … |
This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 23rd, 2008 at 9:09 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.