Part of the process
Knives and tools
Whittling needs one short fixed-blade knife. Spoon carving adds a hook knife and often a small axe, chip carving has its own knife, and relief carving uses gouges sold by sweep number and width.
- First knife
- fixed blade, about 1-1/4 to 2-1/2 in
- Spoon carving adds
- hook knife, small axe
A whittling knife has a short, thin fixed blade and a handle that fills the hand. Detail and cutting knives from carving makers have about 1-1/4 to 1-3/4 inches of blade. A sloyd knife is longer, about 2.4 to 3.3 inches, and is the usual straight knife for spoons and green wood. A pocket knife can whittle too if the blade is thin and it locks: whittling with a pocket knife sorts out which ones work.
Each style adds its own tool. Spoon carving needs a hook knife for the bowl, sold in right-hand and left-hand versions, and many carvers rough out the blank with a small axe. Chip carving uses a cutting knife with a short angled blade, sometimes with a stab knife. Relief carving uses gouges and a V-tool, pushed by hand or struck with a mallet.
Gouges are sold by two numbers: the sweep, which is how curved the edge is, and the width. On the Sheffield list a #3 is nearly flat, a #9 is a half circle and a #11 is a deep U. Swiss-made tools number the same curves a little differently, so read the gouge sizes chart before ordering. Not sure which style to start with? Whittling vs wood carving compares tools, wood and workspace.
Common mistakes at this stage
- Buying a 12-piece set before knowing which style you will carve.
- Ordering a hook knife for the wrong hand.
- Assuming a new knife is ready to carve without checking the edge.