Both FlexCut and BeaverCraft make great quality whittling knives and are priced perfectly for beginners and intermediate skill levels. If you want to start wood carving, I would look into either one of these companies.

Still, there are a few differences worth looking into before purchasing a wood carving set from either one of them, so lets cover that first!

Quick Stats

There are lots of things to consider when buying your first wood carving tool set, but as a general overview, the tools are pretty close in overall quality if you look at the tools themselves.

If you want an in-depth review video on most of the tools each company has to offer, I will have them at the bottom of the article, or you can just click here to jump down to the video reviews!

Who Has a Better Wood Carving Tool?

Lets not bury my opinion on the page, you came here to see what is the better knife and why.

FlexCut makes a slightly better overall tool than BeaverCraft when comparing similar knives side by side. FlexCut’s steel quality is a little better, the handles are more refined, and they have thinner blades than BeaverCraft knives.

However, if you are on a budget and want to buy everything you need to get started for a good price, BeaverCraft sells better complete wood carving kits. BeaverCraft kits come with just about everything you will need for about 30% cheaper than buying similar FlexCut versions.

Still, there are dozens of other companies out there so if you want to see my absolute favorite whittling knives you can see them here: https://carvingisfun.com/best-whittling-knives/

What Type of Carvers are BeaverCraft and Flexcut For?

Both BeaverCraft and Flexcut wood carving tools are designed for beginners to intermediate carvers alike, but both companies have some specialties that they focus on more than the other.

Beavercraft tools are great for beginner wood carvers wanting to get into whittling, but they are also great for those looking to get into spoon carving and kuksa carving. This is primarily because BeaverCraft sells much more ridged hook knives and gouges to really get into and scoop out wood.

Flexcut Tools are great for beginner wood carvers wanting to get into whittling, but also great for those looking to get into figure carving and shallow relief carving. This is primarily because Flexcut sells thinner knives that allow for great detail as well as more variety of chisels and gouges.

BeaverCraft and Flexcut Blade Comparison

The side profile between the two companies are very similar to each other and have similar handling. Lets dive deeper and compare the differences.

Steel Quality

Both companies use quality, hardened steel for their blades. This improves edge sharpness and allows you to hone the knife to a super sharp edge.

– FlexCut

FlexCut uses a High Carbon Spring Steel blade with a Rockwell Hardness (RC) of 59 – 61. This steel is very durable and allows you to create a razor edge quite easily.

I can easily whittle for 30 minutes straight without worrying about honing the knife. Compaired to most of my other whittling knives, these are one of the best knives I own for edge retention.

– BeaverCraft

BeaverCraft uses a 30MnB5 Steel blade with a Rockwell Hardness of 58 – 62. This is a good quality steel that both allows you to create a razor sharp edge and is quite durable.

When compared to the Flexcut knives, I find that they need to be honed more often and wear down faster. These knives may be around 58 – 62 RC, but they seem to be more on the lower end of the hardness scale.

Edge Grind

The knife edge on both FlexCut and BeaverCraft have similar flat grinds with no secondary bevel. Both are super easy to sharpen and can easily hold a razor sharp edge.

The only real difference between the two knives on how the cutting edge is formed is that the BeaverCraft knives have a slightly steeper edge angel. This does make the BeaverCraft knives a hair more difficult to whittle with, but not by much.

For most people, this may be purely asthetic, but I really like how the FlexCut Knives come honed smooth out of the box. The BeaverCraft knives have a bit of a rougher grind on the edge. A smoother edge may translate to a better cutting edge, but the BeaverCraft knives can still remove wood quite quickly.

Blade Thickness

Part of the reason for the steeper edge angle on the BeaverCraft knives is due to the blade thickness. BeaverCraft whittling knives are nearly twice the thickness of the FlexCut Knives and can make it slightly more difficult to wedge into tight spaces.

I personally stick with the FlexCut knives for just this reason alone. FlexCut’s nice thin blade has helped me make some pretty nice detailed cuts into wood without any struggle.

If you want to see how these compare when slicing through wood, check out this video below.

Handle Comparison

Both FlexCut and BeaverCraft have similar shaped handles, but the FlexCut knives feel more refined.

FlexCuts’s Whittling knife handles are more rounded and form fitting to the hand. Plus they finish them in what feels like a clear lacquer that still shows the wood grain and protects the wood. The only down side is that it may get a little slick if your hands get sweaty.

BeaverCraft uses what feels like a generic handle that seems to match the economy priced wood carving knives. They aren’t anything special but are still somewhat formfitting to the hands and provide a better grip than some other knives I have used.

Available Tools

Both BeaverCraft and FlexCut have a massive selection when it comes to whittling knives and they both seem to have similar knife styles available. While they may not be a direct copy of each other, they will have tools designed to do the same exact task.

BeaverCraft will have the more affordable options in every knife style, but I think the FlexCut knives are still better quality for just a little more money.

I have some videos at the bottom of the page with a general overview of what both companies have to offer.

Knife Kit Comparison

Both companies have their own knife kits, but this is where BeaverCraft products really shine when compared to FlexCut.

BeaverCraft Whittling Knife Kits

My favorite thing about BeaverCraft is that you can buy an entire whittling kit that will have all you need to get started for less than $45. Some of these kits also come with wood to carve and band-aids in case you accidental poke your finger (I’ve used a few of mine already).

FlexCut tools come in small kits but currently don’t sell a full kit complete with rolling tool bag and sharpening tools like a strop, along with the tools. Some of the knife kits come with some polishing compound to put on an old piece of leather, but that’s it.

They do sell all the extras you may want separately but that can really start to raise the price. The FlexCut knife kits do come with offers inside the packaging to pick up free mail in items or rebates, so that does help a bit.

Full Knife Reviews

If you are looking for more information on each knife, feel free to check out my complete review on each brand by clicking the link below. I honestly believe that you will enjoy the FlexCut tools better than BeaverCraft, but still feel like BeaverCraft tools will still more than get the job done.

BeaverCraft Review
FlexCut Review

If you want to pick up some for yourself, check out the Amazon links below.

Click here to check out everything BeaverCraft has to offer.
Click here to browse Amazon for some amazing deals on Flexcut knives!

Video Reviews

If you want to see a video on the differences between the knives themselves, check this one out!

I also went in detail on different tools offered by each of the companies as well. For a good idea of what BeaverCraft has to offer, this is the video for you!

To get a great look at what Flexcut has to offer, I show a good portion of everything they have in this video!

Full FlexCut Review: https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/
Full BeaverCraft Review: https://carvingisfun.com/beavercraft-review/
Best Whittling Knives: https://carvingisfun.com/beginner-whittling-knives/

If you want to see more cool carving tools, tips, and projects, check out my YouTube Channel Below!

All of these knives listed below have been tediously researched and tested by me to ensure that I am providing you the best possible options regardless if you are an absolute beginner or have years of wood carving experience.

Every knife on the list was picked for you to ensure that you are getting a quality knife that comes sharp from the manufacture, has the proper steel hardness, can maintain a sharp cutting edge while whittling, and are properly designed for carving wood.

There will also be a mixture of both quality and value on this list, so beginners can also find something really nice without spending too much money.

Quick Table of Contents:
– Key Aspects to A Good Wood Carving Knife
– Best Whittling and Wood Carving Knives on the Market
– Best Budget Friendly Whittling Knives for Beginners
– Best Sloyd Wood Carving Knives
– Best Folding Pocket Knives for Whittling

Key Aspects to A Good Wood Carving Knife

Before we start, there are 3 very important things to consider when buying a good wood carving knife; blade length, blade shape, and steel hardness. These factors alone can actually make or break your entire carving experience.

– Blade Length

The ideal whittling and wood carving knife blade length is between 1-1/4 to 2 inches in length (30 to 50mm) with most people desiring a 1-3/4 inch blade (45mm). This is important as if the blade is too long it is harder to add fine details with, if it is too short, it cant remove a lot of wood.

The exception is a sloyd style knife, which is typically longer and curved to remove larger pieces of wood at a time. These are typically between 2 inches and 3-1/2 inches in length (50 to 90mm).

– Blade Style

Then there is the blade style itself, you will see primarily 2 styles of knives; upswept blades and straight blades.

The straight blades basically have a flat cutting edge, and this is where I generally point beginners to first as the edge is easy to maintain and you know where the point is at any given time for detail work.

Upswept blades, or just curved cutting edges in general, have a wonderful benefit of naturally slicing through the wood when using them and making it easier to cut through the wood. However, the curved edge requires some technique for maintaining and the tip may be a little harder to use for detail work.

– Steel Hardness

While you can use most any knife for whittling, steel hardness plays a key factor in maintaining a super sharp cutting edge while using your wood carving tools.

For reference, I will be using Rockwell Hardness (HRC) to judge the steel hardness. Ideally, you want a HRC between 58 and 62. Any less than 58 and the cutting edge will wear out quickly, but any more than 62 and the edge becomes too brittle and may chip during use. For more information, check out my page on whittling knife hardness here:
https://carvingisfun.com/whittling-knife-hardness/

Best Whittling and Wood Carving Knives on the Market

The first several knives on this list are what I believe are the absolute best whittling and wood carving knives currently on the market. These are considered by experienced whittlers and wood carvers alike to be premium whittling knives that are hand made with meticulous attention to detail and decades of experience.

However, as of 2024 there are some on here with long wait times due to popularity, being made by hand, and life disruptions. I will make notes of these so you are made aware.

But still, you will be hard pressed to find better knives than these anywhere. Seriously, if you want the best, this is it. I have bought knives from about 20 other companies that didn’t make it to this list, nobody is paying me to say anything, and I don’t get a commission from anyone not on Amazon (which is the entirety of this section).

– Deepwoods Ventures

First on my list is Deepwoods Ventures! These knives not only look great, but are made with amazing quality control. I can always find exactly the type of knife I need from them at any time and am always satisfied with the result.

These knives come in a wide variety of different blade styles to fit almost any wood carving need, including tools for spoon carvers. So, if you need a good thin detail knife or you like your knives to have some strength to them and look good, Deepwoods Ventures is the way to go!

Many beginners and experienced carvers alike may get nervous when using a super thin blade like Helvie or Drake knives, but Deepwoods Ventures provides options for both thin details and tough roughing knives for a one stop shop!

Not only that, you can upgrade the handles on most any knife for a little more money to a more premium wood handle for extra beauty and uniqueness to may anyone jealous of your knife collection.

Some people may find that the flatter handles on their regular wood carving knaves to be a little uncomfortable or awkward if swapping back and forth between different knife sets. You will eventually find that they naturally fit into the palm of your hand and are easy to curl your fingers around after some use. So stick to Deepwoods for your entire toolbox and you will be a happy camper!

To pick up your Deepwoods Ventures knife, check out their website below:
https://deepwoodsventures.com
If you want a good beginner kit, complete with leather strop, I highly recommend their Level 2 Beginning Carving Set.

– Silvern Works

A relatively new option that is just as good as the others on this list are the knives from Silvern Works. These knives have a well shaped blade and a selection of comfortable handles to choose from!

Since they are just starting out, they only have a few varieties of blade and handle options available but all of them are the right sizes and shapes for just about anyone looking to have a great whittling knife available.

The blade size, shape, edge, and thickness are all ideal for working with basswood and even work great when carving cherry and walnut. Everything from the blade to the handles are well thought out and are perfect for anyone looking for a quality made whittling knife!

Silvern Works is still relatively new to the scene and have plans for future growth with different blade shapes and tool options in the future.

This is definitely a brand to keep an eye on and will be a great addition to the other hand crafted knives on this list. I highly recommend their tools and have had nothing but great experiences using the knives.

You can pick yours up from their website: https://www.silvernworks.com/shop/

– Lee Ferguson Knives

If you are looking for a classy and well made whittling knife, Lee Ferguson will be the perfect fit for you!

Lee Ferguson makes some excellent knives and has a few beautifully crafted wood carving knives available for purchase.

From tip of the blade to the end of the handle, Lee Ferguson wood carving knives are quality knives for an amazing price! The nice and thin blade allow you to make super precise cuts and the smooth rosewood handles are very comfortable to hold for hours on end.

If you are looking for an elegant and effective hand crafted whittling knife, you won’t be able to beat the Lee Ferguson knife prices for what you are getting.

The only thing you may want to be aware of is the handles are on the slender side, so users with bigger hands may find them to be a little small.

You can pick up your knives directly from his website at FergusonKnives.com

– Helvie Knives

If you are looking for what many consider to be the pinnacle of premium whittling and wood carving knives, Helvie is the way to go.

I did move this one down on the list due to availability and an 18 month+ waitlist. Plus, at this time, one of the people running the company is experiencing serious health issues and are currently halting new orders. You can see updates on their home page here: https://helvieknives.com/

Still, if you have one of these, you have my absolute favorite knives out there!

I personally love my Helvie knives and believe that they are, without a doubt in my mind, the best wood carving tools that I own. They come right to you with a professionally honed, razor sharp, blade and just hold their edge for a long time.

The only issue you may run across is that because the are so sought after there is a hefty wait list and, as of today, is over 18 months. If you are willing to be patient, they are absolutely worth it.

To pick up your Helvie knife, check out their website below:
https://helvieknives.com/

– Drake Knives

For the price, Drake knives are very hard to beat. They are exceptionally well made tools that are beautifully crafted from tip to handle.

I did move this one down on the list due to availability and an 8 month+ waitlist. Also, the main person running the company recently passed away and his family is stepping in to continue his work.

Regardless, if you want a classy whittling knife designed to last, Drake knives are hard to beat!

Without a doubt, these knives just ooze “premium” when you hold them in your hands. They are smooth, comfortable to hold, and easily cut through woods like basswood.

These knives are some of my favorite tools on the market to day and all knives are made to order. You also get different types of wood handles with each knife, making every one of your tools a unique work of art on its own!

Since these knives are all made to order, there may be a 2-3 week wait time, depending upon how busy they are and how complex the knife is to make. Still, they are very much worth the wait and are perfect for experienced carvers.

The only things you may want to keep an eye on is the fine tip on the detail knives as they can be damaged if improperly handled. If you are going to do roughouts, I highly suggest the Gil Special for any major cuts and only use the detail knives for fine detail work.

Also, the original maker of the knives has recently passed away but his family is keeping the company going. There is a long wait time on the tools as they are made by hand, which is about 6 to 8 months as of today, so if you are patient these are wonderful knives to have in your toolbox!

To pick up your Drake Knife, check out their website below:
https://drake-knives.myshopify.com/

Best Budget Friendly Whittling Knives for Beginners

– Schaaf Tools 5 Piece Carving Set

This is a new addition to the wood carving market, but I absolutely love this set. I love it so much I bought 2 of them!

Schaaf Tools decided to shake up the whole market with this one. You get really nice steel quality, good and super sharp cutting edges, comfortable handles, an ideal spread of tools for beginners, and a nice tool wrap to put them in.

I’m telling you now, you will not find a better value beginner set for wood carving and spoon carving than this set from Schaaf Tools. End of story, go buy it, just do it. Here’s the link to pick one up for yourself: https://amzn.to/3VOt4yb

– Flexcut Carving Knives

Quite a few of you coming to this page are beginners who are looking for a nice set of knives to star your whittling hobby off right, so these next few knives are going to be your best options for a cost effective price that will last you for many many years to come.

The best and easiest whittling knives to find on the market right now are Flexcut wood carving knives!

If you look up whittling knives on the internet, Flexcut will be one of the most prolific brands available and can be purchased at many different retail outlets that sell wood carving tools.

Flexcut offers a wide variety of different tools to fit just about any wood carving need at a great price. That combined with their excellent steel quality and handle finish, makes it a hard tool to pass up.

These knives are quality made, mass produced wood carving tools that are sharp and ready to use right when from the beginning. Not only that, they sell knife sets and kits to get beginners started off right with properly balanced tools that complement each other. If you want to see my full review, click the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/flexcut-review/

For the price of the Flexcut tools, they are really hard to beat and are good enough to be the only knives you will need for whittling! If you want to pick up a great starter kit, check out the Flexcut Beginner Knife and Palm set on Amazon: https://amzn.to/37z3XrY

But if you just need a single knife for an all purpose whittling knife, the Flexcut Roughing Knife will satisfy almost all of your whittling needs: https://amzn.to/3PWJq3X

– OCC Tools

For a whittling knife with that hand crafted feel at an affordable price, look no further than OCC Tools!

OCC Tools makes some very well crafted whittling and wood carving knives to fit just about any occasion. Each tool comes with a super sharp and well made blade that is perfectly suited for beginners to experts.

Each OCC tool is hand crafted and made specifically for wood carving. You can find a wide variety of different blade shapes and lengths matched with a wide variety of different handles to fit just about any carvers needs.

The only real complaint that I hear from people is the slightly blocky shape to the handle. Because of the affordable cost of the hand crafted knife, the handle isn’t as refined as many other hand crafted knives but they are still comfortable enough to use for hours at a time. For my full review, click the link below:
https://carvingisfun.com/occ-knife-review/

These knives are primarily sold at smaller and more specialized wood carving stores, here are a list of my favorite places to buy them:
TreelineUSA.com
TheWoodcractShop.com
MountainWoodcarvers.com

If you live in Canada, check out ChippingAway.com

If you want to get into whittling and wood carving but don’t have the budget for some of the more expensive knives, there are a few great options that perform really well at a great price!

– BeaverCraft Wood Carving Tools

When it comes to the bare basics for what you need for a decent whittling knife, Beavercraft has you covered.

These knives may be on the cheaper end of the spectrum, but they shouldn’t be overlooked if you need a decent whittling knife at a good price.

BeaverCraft wood carving tools are a great stepping stone into whittling and wood carving. They have a large selection of different tools to choose from and sell complete wood carving kits that provide you with the tools you need, a way to maintain those tools, plus a way to store them for under $45.

These tools are more on the simple side with a basic wood handle, slightly thicker blade, and no frills design. Even then, they come razor sharp right out of the box and allow you to get started carving right then and there.

One of the only things that I wasn’t fond of with the BeaverCraft knives are the blade thicknesses on most of their tools. They are a little thicker than your standard knives like Flexcut, but even then this makes them ideal for beginners as they are less likely to be damaged from misuse.

If you want to get started whittling with everything you need (minus carving gloves) check out BeaverCraft’s Whittling and Woodcarving kit on Amazon at an amazing price: https://amzn.to/3LXaonG

Best Sloyd Wood Carving Knives

Some of you may just need a tool that can easily remove large sections of wood quickly, and that’s where sloyd knives come in to play. These are typically longer bladed knives with thicker blades and a full tang so you can put some power behind your cuts. These are exceptionally handy for roughing out wood to carve.

– Flexcut Sloyd Knives

My overall favorite sloyd knives on the market are hands down the Flexcut variants. They are more expensive but have excellent edge retention and feel great in the hands.

If you are looking for an absolute workhorse of a sloyd knife made with quality steel, the Flexcut knives are a great option.

The Flexcut Sloyd Knife (KN50) and Stub Sloyd (KN53) are exceptional quality knives that are made to last a lifetime! The edge retention is superb and overall design is top notch. If you are looking for that one and only sloyd knife that will last, grab a Flexcut Sloyd knife.

Like I mentioned, these are slightly more expensive knives than some other variants on the market, but for me they are worth every penny.

Possibly, the only real complaint that I have is the Stub Sloyd does not currently come with a sheath, which Flexcut sells separately for $17 to $20. However the regular sloyd knife does come with a sheath, but costs a little more than the stub sloyd by itself.

If you want to pick up your own Flexcut Sloyd knife, check out Amazon for some great prices:
Stub Sloyd – https://amzn.to/375H4wy
Regular Sloyd – https://amzn.to/3LQffGY

– Mora Carving Knives

For a quality sloyd knife at a much more affordable price, look no further than Morakaniv (Mora) Knives!

Mora knives come at a very affordable price and come with a basic sheath to protect the knife for storage and make them easy to carry with you.

Without a doubt, Mora Knives are the the best choice for an affordable yet quality wood carving knife on the market. With its laminated high carbon steel blade, full tang blade, and comfortable handle, you will have all of your sloyd knife needs fulfilled with a Mora Knife.

My only real complaint about these knives are the laminated steel itself. The core of the blade is made of high carbon steel, but the thin outer laminated layer is made of a slightly softer steel lamination. This can sometimes lead to the edge dulling out with heavy use. Even then, it is easy to sharpen back to a nice razor edge in no time at all.

To pick up your Mora knives, check out Amazon for the best prices:
Mora 106 (longer) – https://amzn.to/3rjZ9hg
Mora 120 (shorter) – https://amzn.to/3xjg7zW
Mora 122 (flat edge) – https://amzn.to/3KCgqK3

Best Folding Pocket Knives for Whittling

For many of you, the whittling knife will have to be portable as you will primarily whittle while camping or just on the go in general. This is where a dedicated and quality folding knife that you can just put in your pocket and whittle wherever you want will be ideal.

– Great Eastern Cutlery (Farm and Field)

One of my favorite whittling pocket knives currently on the market is the Great Eastern Cutlery #62 Pocket Carver (Farm and Field variant). This knife is a little on the pricey end and can be hard to find, but is an amazing pocket knife for what you are getting!

Great Eastern Cutlery (GEC) is known for making quality, hand crafted knives, and with their Field and Stream varieties, you get their quality blades at a more affordable price!

The GEC #62 Pocket Carver is an exceptional whittling pocket knife that is pretty well thought out in design. You get three blades in total with two of them being identical so if one starts going dull on you, just switch to the other identical blade and keep carving!

Even in its simplified version with the Farm and Field logo, you are getting a quality knife that will last you a lifetime. Compared to the collectable, more expensive versions, these were definitely designed to be used every day without any remorse.

If you do get the #62 Pocket Carver, I do recommended grinding back the bevel on the cutting edge for a smaller edge angel. This will make the knife cut through wood just a little bit easier and improve your overall experience.

To pick up your GEC, check out Ebay for the best prices by clicking here.

– Flexcut Detail Jack

If you want what I consider to be the best and most easiest to find dedicated whittling pocket knife available today, it will be The Flexcut Detail Jack. This knife has a permanent home in my traveling wood carving kit

The Flexcut pocket knives use the same quality steel as their regular pocket knives and put them in a compact and portable pocket knife.

If you are looking for a versatile, quality made, whittling pocket knife look no further than the Flexcut Detail Jack. With this excellent folding whittling knife, you get a locking blade and a wonderful knife to both shape the wood and add small details with!

Flexcut makes great knives that are purpose built for whittling and wood carving. These tools are affordable and are most likely exactly what you are looking for!

If you want to pickup your own Flexcut Detail Jack, check out Amazon for the best prices: https://amzn.to/43WGv15

– Mastercarver

If you are looking for a more traditional, single blade pocket knife with a locking blade, Give the MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 a shot!

The MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 has that classic look, beautiful curves, and purpose built blade to make any experienced whittler jealous.

For those of you who need a locking blade for their carving knife, the MasterCarver Pocket Whittler 2 will be one of the best options on the market today! With its properly hardened 440C steel blade combined with its classy good looks, this will be a hard knife to beat for the price!

Just holding this knife in your hands is impressive on its own as it is finished smooth to fit in your hands without any strange or sharp points bumping into your hands. This is indeed a fine tool that is designed to last.

To buy yours, check out Amazon for the best price here: https://amzn.to/3jseGHj

More Woodcarving Tips

If you are new to whittling and are looking for a place to get started, check out my one stop resource for whittling and woodcarving at https://carvingisfun.com/Whittling/

I have seen hand crafted, custom made pens easily sell between $50 and $200 for basic builds and some very high quality hand crafted pens sell for over $1000 to the right person!

Lets go over how you can make your own pens at home!

Gathering tools and materials (pictures in Required Materials folder)

The starting required tools for pen turning, aside from a lathe and lathe tools, are a pen kit, bushings, a drill bit, and a pen mandrel.  It is possible to do it without a mandrel, but vastly easier and will save a lot of time and headache. 

CA glue (super glue) will also be needed to attach the pen barrel to wood, as well as sand paper and some kind of wood finish.  Lastly, and most important of all, is the pen blank.  There are a few other tools I will mention that make life easier as we create.

Pen blanks are small pieces of wood, usually cut offs and scraps, that are turned into pen barrels.  They can be made from any wood (even punky or dry rot wood that has been stabilized), but harder woods are easy to sand. 

Softwoods will have tear outs if your lathe tools are not super sharp, but can work perfectly fine.  A nice figured cedar is excellent, or use a scrap cut off from a 2×4.

Other materials can make excellent pens, like the vast variety of resins or hard substances like antler, and even soft clay that is baked in the oven.  Most blanks are ¾ of an inch square by 5 inches long.  That’s large enough for just about any kit.

Pen kits are sold at many different online retailers, but I would suggest you buy good quality.  I get all of mine from Penn State Industries or Woodcraft locally.  The cheap sets I have purchased in the past had problems, and these two retailers will fix any problem you have with the kits. 

Quality kits aren’t that much more expensive either.  Regardless of the kit you purchase, make sure you get the correct matching bushing set.  Bushings will be your gauge on the diameter of the pen barrel as you turn and can differ from style of kit.  If you buy an assorted set of one style, often they will include a package of bushings. 

Also take note what size drill is required.  Most kits use a 7mm bit, but some thicker and fancier kits require an 8mm or larger.

Safety note: when turning always wear a face shield.  You are taking a small block of wood and shaving it down to a fraction of an inch thick.  A blank fracturing apart is possible.  Something simple like the Sellstrom Face Shield is cheap, gives enough room to breath and is less likely to fog up on you as it allows your breath to easily disperse. You can pick them up for cheap on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3x8L0GA

Furthermore, I would highly suggest wearing a respirator or at least a dust mask as it will help with most woods, but some, like cocobolo, are toxic.  It’s like inhaling pepper spray while you turn.  Other materials like polyester resin and especially horn or antler stink to high heaven and a respirator helps dramatically.

A good low profile respirator with replaceable filters is ideal as you can wear it behind a face shield. One of the best options available right now is the Elipse P100 Respirator on Amazon is a great option, you can pick one up for a good pirice here: https://amzn.to/3TTpr6C

Pen Blank Prep

Rulers and measuring tape are not required.  Line up the brass tube with your wood and mark it (fig 1a,b,c).  Give yourself a little wiggle room on either side. 

Next you will need to cut your blank.  Use whatever method you are comfortable with, such as a band saw, hand saw, etc.  You do not need to be precise, it’s ok to be sloppy.  I can’t cut a straight line with my band saw to save my life, but that doesn’t matter (fig 2a,b).

Drilling the hole through the blank can be done before sawing, but the longer the piece is, the easier it is to make a mistake.  To drill the hole, you can use a vise (fig 3) or a specially made pen vise from Penn State Industries (fig 4) with a drill press or a steady hand with a cordless drill. 

My preferred method is with pen jaws and drill chuck (fig 5a).  This gives me the straightest hole with the least worry (fig 5b).

With the hole drilled in both pieces (assuming your kit has two barrels in the pen), check to see if your brass tubes are smooth or roughed up.  Some come pre-scuffed.  If they are smooth, you will need to sand them with a 150 or 220 grit paper, so that the glue has something to cling on (fig 6).

Apply CA glue (superglue) to the brass barrel (I like to use the “thick” CA glue for this part), and then insert it into the blank, gently spinning the tube as it goes in (fig 7 and 8). 

This will insure an even coat to bond well with the blank.  The tube should be just below the wood on both sides of the blank (fig 9). If you have accelerator spray, you can spritz the CA glue to harden it faster.  Now is a good time to do more drilling and cutting off blanks while this one dries.

The last step of prep is to trim the blank to the tube.  Some people get a specific miniature saw for this, but it is easy to use a disc sander if you have one (fig 10). 

If your blank is too long, trim it shorter before sanding it flush.  My preferred method is to use a tool called a barrel trimmer.  You buy it as a kit to work on just about every size you’ll need.  Get the more expensive carbide version so that you don’t need to sharpen it (fig 11a, b, c).

Mounting

There are several different styles of pen mandrels on the market.  I have and use both a direct mount mandrel that uses a brass nut to tighten the stack together and a #2 MT that uses a tailstock center.  The later one is a little more expensive, but works much better in my option. 

After a lot of use, the brass nut gets annoyingly stiff to tighter or unscrew, and too much pressure can be accidentally applied to the mandrel, causing it to bend.

With either style, use several spare bushings (with mandrel kits, you get a few extra) to space yourself away from the head stock.  Put your first blank half, then any special bushings you need in the middle, and then the back bushing. 

Some kits will have odd sized bushing, but the instructions will always tell you the order.  If it matters to you, make sure your wood is aligned so that the grain matches, as it will be too late after we start turning.  I like to visualize the pen tip as the piece closest to the head stock.  Tighten your mount or tailstock and you are ready to make chips.

Shaping the Pen Blank

Start off with turning the blanks to round.  It is a good idea to have a design in mind and make a sketch of the profile before trying to make shapes, though freestyling it can produce interesting results at times.  As you turn the material down, take fairly light cuts. 

It your wood catches on your tool, you are either being too aggressive, or your bushings are not tight enough together.  Use any tool you prefer to get it to round, such as a roughing gouge or chisel.  My go-to is a thick scraper. 

I use a chisel to mark where I want to make dips or other figures, and for close up work on the ends.  Think of how the end user will hold the pen, and what will be comfortable.

Take it very slow around the bushings or when you are trying to get flush with the bushings.  You can easily take more material off but it is a lot harder to put material back on.  The bushings themselves will be scratched and beat up from time to time. 

They are consumables, and may need to be replaced every two dozen kits if you are sloppy.  If you make a mistake and trash the blank, don’t fret.  They sell packages of just the brass tubes at reasonable prices.  It’s wise to pick up one just in case.

Sand and Finish

Once you are finished shaping, turn your lathe to a low speed and get the tool rest out of the way.  Depending on how many tear outs you have and how sharp your turning tools are, you’ll want to start with a 100 to 220 grit sand paper. 

If your lathe is turning too fast, you will build up a lot of heat and wear out your paper faster.  I also like to use a sanding sponge. 

In between grits, stop the lathe and sand laterally so that you take off your sanding rings before moving on to the next grit.  If your pen blank is wood, I recommend going up to a 320 grit max, otherwise, you might lose the wood feel.  It’s the texture that sells it. 

At the last sanding grit I use, I will start to apply a finish and sand at the same time.  A drop of Doctor’s Woodshop Walnut Finishing, or actual walnut oil, on sand paper will act as a wood filler while you sand and leaves a nice subtle finish. 

I also use Doctor’s Woodshop Pens Plus as a friction finish to polish it up to a high gloss.  Both of these products are not very expensive and last a long time.  I’ve done about a hundred pens and used less than half a bottle.  It also works great on any bowls or spindles you turn. 

Regardless of finish, as a pen gets used lovingly over the years, the finish will ware.  I have found that these two keep the wood looking and feeling like smooth aged wood, and my daily use pen stays in a pocket with keys every day.

If you use any of the resins, or decide to do a CA glue finish on the wood (if it is fragile or full of holes, do this), take that sanding up to the max.  After 320, I start wet sanding with 600 grit, and then move on to a product called Micro Mesh that gets up to 12000 grit. 

The small pads are not expensive, and they last a long time.  The whole process is much more time consuming, but gets you the super smooth feel with no scratches at all.  Safety warning: if you use a CA glue to finish, make sure there is no cotton in your rag or paper towel as you apply the liquid.  Cotton reacts chemically, and produces a foul vapor that will sting your eyes something fierce, like onions on steroids.

Assembly (pictures in Assembly folder)

Final assembly of the pen should be done with care and patience.  You can use a bench vise (fig 12) or a pen press like the one from Penn State Industries (fig 13). 

While the vise is incredibly accurate, a pen press has the ability to take apart the pen should you make a mistake.  Assembly order should always be on the instructions that you get with your kit.

Start with pressing the pen tip into the first barrel, making sure you are using the correct side of your pen blank (fig 14). 

If using a bench vise, don’t let the steel come into contact with either the pen tip or the wood of the barrel to prevent damage.  Use a soft wood or scrap of leather as a buffer.  For a twist pen, the most common you will start out using, place the brass end into the front tube, and slowly press it in until the brass is no longer showing (fig 15). 

Take it out of the press and put the ink cartridge into the pen, screwing it in like you would when finished (fig 16). 

You are checking to see how far the pen extends and retracts.  It is critical that you take your time and then make small adjustments to the depth of the twist assembly.  Should you go too far, you will need to disassemble the whole thing (which is a pain, but possible with a pen press).

Press the back end cap and the clip to the rear pen barrel (fig 17). 

Slide the decorative ring over the installed ink cartridge and hand press the two halves together.  Line up the wood grain if you need to, and you are now finished.  Take a moment to admire what you created.

Pen Turing Idea Gallery and Examples

All pens and instructions were written and taken by my friend who wishes to stay anonymous and has given permission to share his skills on Carving Is Fun.

Don’t worry, it’s pretty straight forward. Keep reading, because in this article we’ll go over everything you need to do to prepare your strop.

Choose Your Compound for Loading Your Strop

You can’t prepare your leather strop if you don’t have a honing compound to use! These compounds typically come in one of three forms:

• Diamond spray
• Diamond paste
• A polishing block

As you choose your polishing agent, there are two factors you should consider: the agent’s “bite” and its polishing effect. 

The coarser the agent is, the more bite it has and the more material it will take off, but the finer an agent is the better it will polish. You can get both your desired bite and the polish you want by buying two honing blocks, one coarse and one fine for the perfect combo.

Diamond sprays will actually usually have a good balance of both bite and polish and come in a convenient spray. Diamond paste is also really good, but remember that compounds and pastes have different grain sizes, and it’s not obvious by the color.

One company may use green to denote its coarsest option while another uses it to denote its finest. So read the packaging carefully. If you’re new to stropping, it’s recommended that you use 3,000-12,000 grit compounds. After that, woodworkers usually opt for 0.5-microns (50,000 grit) compounds.

Gather Your Materials

Now that you know what honing compound you want, you need to collect the rest of your supplies. You will need,

• Your leather strop
• Isopropyl alcohol
• 320 grit sandpaper
• A stove
• Your compound
• A knife
• Paper towel
• A cloth

Clean Your Strop

If your leather is clean, you don’t need to worry about this step, but if your leather strop is brand new, has been gathering dust, or got stained, it will need to be cleaned.

To clean your strop, apply your isopropyl alcohol and rub it down with a cloth to clean it thoroughly.

Next, use 320-grit sandpaper to clean it even better and to give the strop a texture that your compound will be able to hold on to. I wouldn’t use the sandpaper unless you have a brand new strop though. And remember to be gentle! You’re not trying to skin your leather.

Apply Mineral Oil

This step is really quick. If your strop is new or hasn’t been used in a long time, it would be a good idea to put a thin coat of mineral oil on the leather before you put on the honing compound. The mineral oil will help keep the leather flexible instead of brittle.

Warm Your Compound

Stropping compounds are often sold in a block, and that block can get pretty hard. You may need to warm up your compound block a little bit so that it applies itself more easily.

You can warm it by putting the block in the microwave for about 5 seconds, holding it in your hands if they’re warm, or holding it over a heat source. Be careful not to overdo it! You don’t want to smother the leather.

Naturally, this doesn’t apply to use if you opted for the diamond paste or spray.

Apply Your Compound

Now is the time to apply your compound. Regardless of which compound form you chose, all you want is a thing layer over the whole leather strip. Each is applied a little differently, so we’ll go over each one.

Compound Block

Use your block like a big crayon. You don’t need to cut off a piece, just hold the whole stick. You can use light, fast strokes in the same direction, or just rub the compound back and forth. The second way is a little better because you want to warm up the leather through friction so that the compound melts a bit and absorbs into the strop. You can rub it into the strop if the compound isn’t absorbing evenly.

Diamond Spray

The spray is very simple. You just spray it! The only difficultly may be in trying not to accidentally spray to much. Try to apply two even layers to cover the leather entirely. Remember that this stuff is extremely coarse, and getting it into your eyes in any way would be disastrous.

Diamond Paste

Lastly, to apply diamond paste, squeeze just a couple of pea-sized dots onto the leather and massage it into the strop with your bare hands. The paste will work fast. If your leather feels dry after you apply the paste, add a couple more dots. You don’t need much of this stuff so be careful. ALWAYS start with the finest grain paste possible. Applying a fine grain on a coarse strop works great, but vice-versa is messy.

Once you have applied your compound, use the edge of a knife at a low angle and pulling away from the knife’s edge to press the compound into the strop. 

Heat up Your Strop

Now your leather strop is “charged,” as we like to say. Now, to really get the block compound properly absorbed into the strop, start up a burner and hold the leather over the flame so that you warm it but not burn it. Once the compound melts a bit, you can take your paper towel and rub it in. If your strip warps, you can easily fix it by laying it flat and putting a heavy book on top.

Be careful not to have the heat too low because the compound might flake off. You would have to try again in that case.

Start Stropping Your Tools!

Once you have smoothed out your stropping compound to a nice thin layer, start stropping your tools.

Remember to strop with the cutting edge trailing. Never strop with your cutting edge leading or it will cut into the leather and damage your strop.

Conclusion

While stropping isn’t a difficult task, you might be asking yourself, “why bother?” especially when a casual sharpening stone seems to do just fine. It’s primarily for its polishing factor, removing any and all imperfections. Compare sharpening with just a honing stone and then with both the stone and strop, you’ll be surprised.

Wood carving does not have to be an expensive hobby. A beginner can start whittling with some sticks or saplings, a pocket knife, and a sharpening stone for approximately $30. Pretty good news, right? The expenses start racking up with the more tools you buy, the wood carving style you choose, and any extra workshops or training.

Want a breakdown of the costs? Keep reading to see what it takes to get started and how much you can expect to pay once you become a more experienced wood carving hobbyist.

Does Wood Carving Cost a Lot of Money to Start? 

Wood carving can be considered expensive if you intend to arm yourself with all the tools, trimmings, and your own workshop in your garage. However, you can get started with just a pocket knife and some branches. 

With these simple supplies, you can get a number of projects made, such as kitchen utensils, wooden ornaments, spearheads and fishing spears, tent stakes, guitar picks, or even your own carving tools, to name a few. 

When it comes to getting started, all you need is the following:

• A pocket knife ($6 – $60)
• A sharpening stone ($10 – $30)
• Some branches (Free)

So you can get started with as little as $30! 

While I do not recommend getting the very best, professional-grade tools at first, I would avoid buying very cheap tools. You don’t want to carve with a knife that is poorly made because it will either quickly break, or blunt very easily. As for the sharpening stone, I recommend a good quality stone that’s easy to use and take care of. These don’t have to be expensive at all, like the Sharp Pebble Whetstone on Amazon, its easy to use and can get your blades nice and sharp. You can buy yourself one here: https://amzn.to/3CEVQGF

The starting costs of wood carving can also depend on which style of wood carving you want to get into, some are more expensive than others.

Types of Wood Carving Styles and Their Associated Costs

There are 6 different wood carving styles that all produce extraordinary pieces. Each of these styles is unique from the others and often requires its own sets of tools in order to get started. Let’s take a look.

Whittling

This is easily the cheapest style to start with. Ultimately, all you need to start is your pocket knife. If you want a more expansive tool kit, whittling does offer different types of knives to satisfy different cuts like removing large sections of wood or adding fine details.

• Sloyd Knife ≅ $15 – $50
• Roughout Knife ≅$15 – $40
• Detail knife ≅ $12 – $40

A really good and affordable kit to start out with is the Beavercraft Whittling kit as it comes with a few different knives, a tool organizer to store them, and a leather strop to keep the knives honed sharp. You can pick one up on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/42NhtPt

Chip Carving

Chip carving involves taking off multiple tiny angular chips with a single stroke. The result is a beautifully intricate design, but in order to achieve that design, you need specialized knives such as a long skew edge knife, straight edge, or double-sided curved knife. 

• Straight edge ≅ $15 – $35
• Long skew edge ≅ $15 -$35
• Double-sided curved edge ≅ $ 15 – $35

For those of you looking for a really nice chip carving knife set to start your carving journey, I highly recommend the Flexcut Chip Carving Knife set. You can find it for a great price on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/433A1eN

Power Carving

As the name suggests, this style requires power tools such as motor-driven, rotary, or reciprocating burrs and chisels in order to carve. Power carving tools are fantastic when you’re dealing with harder woods such as walnut or oak, but they tend to get pricey. Common power carving tools include:

• Power chisel ≅ $100
• Burrs for power tools ≅ $20 – $30 per bit
• Air compressor ≅ $600
• Micro-detailer ≅ $200 – $500
• Basic rotary power carver ≅ $330

As you can see, this style can be quite expensive and is usually not recommended for beginners. But if you do want to get into this type of carving, don’t start cheap. I have burned through 5 different rotary tools that only lasted me a few months tops. Get something that will last, like the Foredom rotary kit. It’s powerful, durable, and comes with lots of accesseries. You can pick one up on Amazon for a great price here: https://amzn.to/3Nhagl7

Wood Burning

Wood burning, the art of burning detailed images into wood, also requires a distinct type of power tool: the burner. More specifically, you need an appropriate power supply with a transformer, a wood pen, burning iron, and burning tips.

• Wood-burning pen ≅ $10 – $50
• Wood-burning tips ≅ $5 – $20 per tip
• Power supply ≅ $60 – $120+

Getting a cheap pyrography kit will help you get into the craft, but if you want something that will last you will have to get something with some real power and made with durability in mind. The Burnmaster Hawk kit is perfect for those of you looking for something that will last and give you nearly endless options for what kind of tips you can use. Pick yours up on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3NCJoxh

Relief Carving

Relief carving can be very intricate, but the results are definitely worth the effort. It is typically performed with hand tools, usually gouges, chisels, and mallets. Relief carving is one of the more affordable styles of wood carving.

• Individual gouges and chissels ≅ $15 – $50 each
• Chisel and gouge set ≅ $80 – $500
• Wood-carving mallet ≅ $15 – $60

You really don’t have to spend a lot of money to get a decent carving set to start off with, and you can get a really nice set of 12 tools that come razor sharp and ready to use right out of the box for a really good price.

If you are lost in the sea of tools to look for, pick up the Schaaf 12 piece carving set on Amazon. It is by far the best value of the sets out there and will last you for years. Pick up a set here: https://amzn.to/3NCxd3y

Carving in the Round

Of all the wood carving types, carving in the round requires the least amount of tools. All you need is a chisel and mallet to remove chunks from a chunk of wood until you have a 3D sculpture. You can use many different sized chisels across a variety of carvings, making a multi-chisel set a good investment.

• Wood carving chisel set ≅ $20 – $60
• Mallet ≅ $20 – $60

What are Other Costs Associated with Wood Carving?

As we’ve seen, wood carving is not an especially complicated hobby when it comes to the supplies you need. Still, it would be nice to know how much common tools, materials, and other accessories cost so that you can save for them accordingly.

Common Tools of the Trade

I know we’ve just covered several lists of tools, but these are only the tools specific to each style. We haven’t even touched the files, saws, or lathes that are used across many different types of carving. So let’s see what other tools you should consider buying.

• Coping Saw ≅ $5
• Files ≅ $4
• V-tool ≅ $50
• U-guage ≅ $15
• Wood Lathe ≅ $300 – $1000
• Sharpening strop ≅ $30 – $40

Primary Wood Type Costs

We can’t have an article on wood carving costs without talking about some common wood. Technically all wood is fair game for a carver, but not all types of wood are created equally – some are naturally better for carving than others. 

Apple

Applewood, while a favorite for its gorgeous appearance, is not cheap. It is often featured in furniture, but the best material you are likely to get is the applewood chunks used for BBQ on eBay for $30.

Balsa

Balsa is very popular for beginners and carvers wanting to create things like their own utensils because it’s very soft. You can get a 12”x2”x2” block for $15. Baltic birch sheets, good for wood burning, cost $15 for a 3 pack of 12”x12”x1/4” panels.

Basswood

Basswood is a lot like Balsa – it’s soft and cheap. At less than $15 per block basswood is a great choice for beginners. A 5”x2”x2” block can even be $5.

Birchwood dowels

Dowels are a great way to get a head start on certain projects, such as chopsticks or furniture legs. Birch is an inexpensive wood, ranging from $8 – $60 depending on the circumference and quantity of the dowels.

Black Walnut

Black walnut is highly sought after for its rich color, but its grain patterns make it prone to chipping the wrong way. You can get a ¾”x2”x12”block for $15.

Maple

Maple, specifically sugar maple, is exceedingly cheap at $3.50 – $5 per sq. ft. and may not give as much trouble as walnut because it has a fine grain.

Oak

White oak is one of the cheapest options on the list. Its cost ranges between $4-$6 per 4×4 board. It’s very difficult to get a hold of a natural section of an oak tree.

White Pine

White pine is also considerably cheap, especially compared to fruit tree wood. Pines of various sorts are readily available online. A set of ¾” White pine blocks are about $18 – $40. Bowl blanks are also available.

Wood Carving Tutelage

While you can learn from a series of wood carving YouTube videos, which is certainly doable, and free (minus internet provider costs), it’s a good idea to learn at least the basics from a pro in person. Otherwise, you don’t have the benefit of having a teacher with you to give you one-on-one guidance. 

When you’re taught in person, your teacher can give you the best angles and close-up views of what they’re doing and correct your strokes or answer your questions in real-time. With videos alone, you can still learn how to carve wood, but this probably will take more time and the learning curve will be steeper.

Course videos from wood carving academies may require a weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annual subscription which can range from $20 – $140, depending on which subscription plan you choose.

Wood carving workshops are fairly cheap and extremely informative. They tend to range between $100 – $800. The cost will depend on the length of the course and the level of difficulty of the project. 

Lastly, wood carving retreats are for serious carvers who are willing to pay to learn from masters. Retreats such as those hosted by Raymond Kinman will cost $1,650 per person for a 3-day retreat.

How to Save Money in Wood Carving

In addition to starting with only the most necessary equipment and cheaper wood to practice on, there are some other woodworking budget tips I can give you.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

A good way to save on wood (especially if you intend to use expensive wood) is to take accurate measurements and to effectively trace your design. Don’t just sketch, though that’s a great first step. 

Know the Moisture Content of your Wood

When the wood you use has too much or too little moisture, you can quickly run into problems with your wood’s workability – wasting money and time in the process.  

Too much moisture in greenwood can cause your marks to erase themselves over time as the wood dries. On the other hand, wood that is too dry won’t allow you to easily make smooth cuts, which can also lead to injuries.

You can tell if your wood is too dry by taking a small sample of it and putting it on a baking sheet. Stick it in the oven at 212℉ (100℃) for half an hour. If it turns to ash, it’s too dry.

Label your wood

Organization can be a priceless time and money-saver. If you are working on multiple projects at once, it would be devastating to mistakenly carve the wrong design on the wrong piece of wood. You can save on materials by labeling pieces with a marker. 

Oil and Seal your Work

It would be a shame for all of your hard work to degrade and get ruined in a short amount of time because of weather conditions. If you live in a drier climate, for instance, you are probably familiar with the need to regularly oil wooden tools and furniture so that they don’t split. You can also seal your wood to prevent damage from moisture or the sun.

Get to Know Each Type of Wood You Work With

Over time, you will start to become familiar with the kinds of wood are the best for the project(s) you want to do. You’ll start to pick up things like how yew is great for making a bow because it’s stable, strong, and elastic, or that maple is awesome for cutting boards because of its close-grained cellular structure that resists bacteria. 

The more familiar you are with various wood characteristics, the less likely you’ll be to use the wrong wood for your project.

Keep Your Blades Sharpened

Keeping your tools sharp doesn’t just prevent injuries, it allows you to work more efficiently and accurately so that you can avoid making devastating cuts that ruin your work. Before making any cuts, inspect your tools and sharpen any that appear dull or chipped.

Conclusion

There you have it! Wood carving is not an expensive hobby. It just costs more the deeper you dive into the wood carving passion. Out of all of the hobbies, woodworking may be one of the most valuable as its own trade. In other words, with enough practice, you might be able to enjoy a nice return on investment for those tools and supplies.

I know you’re curious about it otherwise, you wouldn’t be here asking, “Is wood carving a good hobby for me?” So let’s take a few moments to talk about why wood carving isn’t just a good hobby but an amazing, possibly even a life-change hobby. That’s how I feel about it now, life-changing.

Easy and Cheap to Start

Two of the best things about wood carving are: 1) it almost doesn’t matter how old you are when you get started. 2) it doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg to get started.

Whether you’re 8 or 80, there are hundreds of different projects to work on that will suit everyone’s abilities, and one of the easiest ways to get started would be a branch and a sharp pocket knife. Yep, that’s how simple it is! 

If you want more of a setup, you can start buying a $15 pocket knife, a $15 sharpening stone, and a set of 4 balsa wood blocks for $18, for a very manageable cost of $48.

Wood Carving Style for Everyone

If you’re not excited about the idea of whittling a stick or small block of wood, that’s okay, because wood carving encompasses so much more than that. Besides whittling, wood carving also includes

• Carving in the round
• Chip carving
• Flat-plane carving
• Lovespoon carving
• Power carving
• Relief carving
• Treen carving
• Wood burning

Don’t worry about wood carving becoming easy or boring. As soon as you master one technique, there will always be another technique to learn and master along the way.

Wood Carving is Cathartic

The whole reason why we all look for a hobby is to have something to help us relax, right? All of the nervous energy, the anxiety, and the anger that has all been built up during the workday is carved away piece by piece as you release all of it into the wood as the knife slides or digs in. It’s not like you have to start and finish a project all at once. You can carve as much or as little as you want at any time. You can even bounce between different projects.

Use What You Make

There are plenty of hobbies that allow you to make beautiful things, but think about how much more rewarding is it to craft an object from your own hands with raw, unshaped materials that you can use on a regular basis. Better yet, you aren’t limited to crafting just one thing, there are a number of useful things you can carve. For example:

• Utensils
• A fishing lure
• Bowls
• Mugs
• Your own carving knives

Sell What You Make

Besides being able to make useful things for yourself, other people find them useful, and enjoy the beauty of something handcrafted! The data supports this fact with the rise in average annual growth of 2.3% for the last 5 years. 

Right now, the wood carving industry is a $17 billion business which goes to show that people just like you, love the rustic natural, and earthy tools and decor. Not to mention it’s even more gratifying when others enjoy your work.

Carry on a Valued Tradition

The woodworking industry, in general, is one of the oldest in the world, and it’s not a coincidence that it’s stayed strong for centuries, despite various technological advances. 

For some, it can help them feel connected to their family roots. For others, it reminds them of their childhood, fondly remembering when their parent(s) or grandparent(s) taught them how to whittle for the first time. While for others, it helps them feel more grounded and connected to nature. What reason(s) do you have to carry on this beloved cherished tradition?

Spend Quality Time with Family

Speaking of family traditions, if wood carving isn’t a family tradition for your family, it can definitely become one! As previously mentioned, this hobby is great for almost all ages, so if you have a family of your own and you need some fresh ideas on how to spend time together, try carving. Here are a couple of ideas that can be a great place to start:

• Whistles
• Fishing spears
• Figurines
• Their very own Wand

A great way to start making memories could be to give your son or daughter their first pocket knife. Teaching them the proper way to hold the pocket knife and safety must come before all else. Once they see all the fun that you are having and the things you have made, they too can join you so they can start whittling their own cool projects!

Practice Patience

This might not be your top reason for starting a hobby or even something you thought about, learning to be patient. The beautiful part about learning to be patient is when you’re more patient with yourself, you also become more patient with others. The big things that bothered you before may become small things over time. The little things that bothered you before become less noticeable or may even cease to even exist over time. Wood carving forces you to slow down and think about what you’re doing. Over time you’re bound to become more patient.

Learn Problem-Solving

While wood carving can be relaxing to do, it still has plenty of challenges to keep it from getting boring. For instance, as you learn, you’ll start to get an understanding and appreciation for the different grains of each type of wood, whether they are:

• Open-grained
• Close-grained

You’ll find out which one is fine-grained and which is coarse-grained and how the grain affects your carving. Or knowing how different types of wood are softer and which are harder. Eventually, you’ll start to be able to distinguish which woods would work for your project and which are too difficult.

Wood Carving is an Environmentally Friendly Hobby

As a wood carver, your art medium is wood. Not only is this easily more biodegradable than plastic beads, painting canvas, or paint tubes, you can help clear the forest floor of flammable debris. 

So long as your pieces aren’t rotted, they can easily be used for your wood carving projects. This also means that your art medium is readily available for free! I can’t name another hobby that has a canvas almost everywhere you look.

Conclusion

Are you still asking yourself, “Is wood carving a good hobby and is it for me?” Well, if you are, just remember, this list was only the tip of the iceberg. You’ll find a number of reasons on your own why you love wood carving so much, as hundreds of men, women, and children have before you. Give it a try and see the beauty that waits for your imagination.

Basswood is the easiest wood to carve by hand or by machine because it’s lightweight, soft, and smooth. It has a fine, straight grain, even, and closed in its pores. It offers no resistance to a woodworker’s tools and creates an easy texture to shape.

If you’re interested in learning more about the qualities of this fine wood, why it’s the easiest to start with, and how to make other wood easier to work with, well then, you’ll have to keep reading the info we’ve got for you below!

Best Wood for Carving

In my professional opinion, basswood is the easiest wood to carve for 4 reasons,

1. It’s soft
2. It’s smooth
3. It’s lightweight
4. It doesn’t stink

Okay, so that last one is a personal reason, but everything else is important. What makes it so good? Two reasons:

1. It has a fine grain
2. It’s a soft hardwood

Grain in wood is the direction the cells of the wood fibers take throughout the lumber. Wood grain doesn’t always form in the same direction, and it’s important to cut with the grain. Carving against the grain makes you experience resistance, causing your tool to dig too deep into the wood and blunting it. 

Basswood has a fine, or closed, grain, meaning it has little pores that make the wood consistent and smooth. Open pores in wood cells make the wood coarse and an open grain makes any stain you use appear blotchy. So, in addition to being easier to carve, basswood makes it easier to make your finished work look great. 

Basswood is also considered a soft hardwood. That means it has low hardness and low density. It’s a lot softer and less dense than the hardwoods from the dicot tree category, making it light and easily malleable. 

Because of these two qualities, basswood only weighs 26lbs/ft^3 and has a surface that is smoother than butter that easily lets you make the cuts you want at the depth you want.

Hardest Woods to Carve

It’s nice to know which wood is the easiest to work with, but even basswood doesn’t have all the qualities you want. Sometimes you want to challenge yourself or use a wood with a different grain or different natural color. 

However, you might accidentally make things difficult for yourself, and one way to do that is to choose the hardest woods on the market. The hardest woods you can buy, according to the Janka Hardness Scale are:

1. Lignum Vitae
2. African Blackwood
3. Royal Ebony

Lignum vitae is the highest, requiring 4,500lbf (20kN) to get half an 11.28mm ball bearing into the wood. Not only is it extremely hard, but it also weighs 79lbs/ft^3 and the grain is often severely interlocked. 

Interlocked grain occurs when it spirals around the axis of a tree in one direction, and then suddenly reverses direction, making lignum vitae wood the most difficult to work. It can be done, with incredible results, but don’t start with it.

African blackwood has a much easier texture to work with. It has a straight grain that’s very fine and even, but it will blunt even your machine tools in no time because it takes 3,670lbf (16.32kN) to cut into it.

Finally, royal ebony wood is the “softest” of our hardest woods that require 3,660lbf (16.30kN) to dig into it. This wood is a gamble; it can give you straight, irregular, or interlocked grain, and will still blunt your instruments. 

What Other Woods are Easy to Carve?

When you do want to move on from basswood, what could you move on to? Well, there are several other kinds of wood that are good candidates for carving, namely,

• Balsa
• Pine
• Poplar
• Butternut

These are good candidates because they each share many of the same qualities that basswood has. Here are the summaries of their qualities: 

Balsa

• Hardness: 90lbf (0.4kN)
• Grain: Straight, open grain (open pores) with medium or coarse texture
• Softwood/hardwood: Hardwood
• Weight: 9lbs/ft^3

Pine (Eastern White)

• Hardness: 380lbf (1.7kN)
• Grain: Open-grain (open pores)/An even and straight grain with medium coarseness.
• Softwood/hardwood: Hardwood
• Weight: 25lbs/ft^3

Basswood

• Hardness: 410lbf (1.8kN)
• Grain Texture: Very fine/smooth/even
• Softwood/hardwood: Soft hardwood
• Weight: 26lbs/ft^3

Butternut

• Hardness: 490lbf (2.2kN)
• Grain: Open-grain (open pores)/ straight with a medium-coarse texture
• Softwood/hardwood: Hardwood
• Weight: 27lbs/ft^3

Poplar

• Hardness: 540lbf (2.4kN)
• Grain: “Poplar typically has a straight, uniform grain, with a medium texture.”
• Softwood/hardwood: Hardwood
• Weight: 29lbs/ft^3

Although most of these are classified as hardwoods, they are still among the softest woods that require the least amount of force to cut into because of their low density. The rough texture that some of these woods have will just mean that you will want to be careful with the direction of the grain.

How to Make Wood Easier to Carve

What if you don’t have the easiest wood to work with available? In trade as old as woodworking, there’s got to be a way to make your wood easier to shape and cut, right? 

There are two common issues with the wood you use that make it hard to carve: 

• It has too much moisture 
• It’s too dry and hard

It would be great to start a project with the right wood every single time, but since that skill only comes with a ton of experience, the rest of us need some help with what we have. 

When your wood is green and still has a lot of moisture, you need to be careful how you dry it. As it dries, your wood will shrink, making it prone to cracks. Try to air dry it out of the sun long and slow, or buy kiln-dried wood. 

So what about the dryness problem? A common suggestion is to soak your wood in water until it’s fully saturated to try to make it soft. I’m going to level with you:DO NOT soak your wood in the water! This causes several issues, including but not limited to,

• Discoloration of the wood
• Formation of cracks when dried
• Miscalculations from wood expansion 

Instead, go with a spray bottle with isopropyl alcohol and water mixture of at least 50/50. Opt for more alcohol when possible. Using strictly alcohol works great, but it’s expensive, so that’s why we mix. 

Using a spray bottle with this mixture means that instead of saturating the entire piece of wood, you’re able to soften just the section you need, and since alcohol evaporates so quickly, you don’t have to worry about any discoloration or other long-term damages of your work. 

Conclusion

Think you’ve got it now? We’re not really worried about you. We know you’re passionate about this hobby because you’re willing to learn, and we’re glad because we’d hate to see you give up on a hobby that can bring you an extraordinary amount of joy. We look forward to your masterpieces!

The Difference Between Carving, Whittling, and Sculpting is the technique that is used to shape wood. Carving is more of a general term, whereas whittling is a technique. Whittling is done in small pieces of wood, making harsher lines. Carving is making a three-dimensional shape. 

 In order to work wood, you need tools. Now that you know that the three above terms are ways to describe woodworking techniques it won’t be surprising that each technique uses its own tools. Whittling, carving, and Sculpting are techniques that have been around for many years. 

What is the Difference Between Whittling, Carving and Sculpting?

Whittling, carving, and sculpting are all terms used to describe a way of woodworking. As we mentioned above, there is a difference between the three terms that we will dive into deeper below. Apart from that, carving is done in various ways. I will describe each technique below as well.

The wood shaping industry is popular. Many different manufacturers develop wood shaping tools. Some tools are better than others. To get an idea of what tools to use. I will recommend a few tools for each technique.

Different types of wood carving

Whittling

As mentioned above, whittling is a term used to describe a way of working wood. Whittling is done in a small piece of wood and uses rough lines. Whittling gets done with only one tool. This is a knife. The knife gets used to shape the wood in the shape that you want. 

The most significant difference between whittling and carving is that, unlike with whittling, while woodcarving, you use a wider range of tools. These can range from a chisel to a power tool etc. 

 Even though you only use a knife for whittling, this doesn’t mean that there is only one knife to choose from. There are many different knives in various shapes and sizes that will help you whittle the shape you want. 

For whittling, you will need tools like 

Sculpting

Many people know the terms sculpting. Sculpting is a process where you make a three-dimensional shape out of something. For example, with wood sculpting, the material is wood. Once the shape has been sculpted, you can use tools to carve details inside of the sculpture.

For example, you can make the contour of a body out of wood. That would be your sculpture. However, if you want your sculpture to have eyes, you will need to carve this inside the wood where the head is situated.

Sculpting is a process where you can shape various forms out of different types and sizes of wood. There are many different tools to sculpture with. As you can imagine, size and wood type will play a role in the type of tool you want to use. Sculpturing tools are tools like

Different types of carving disciplines
Without making it more confusing. There is not just a difference between whittling and carving, and sculpting and carving there are also different ways to carve.

Carving

Carving is a wide term to describe multiple techniques to shape wood. When you carve you can use a wide range of tools to get the shape, form or contour that you are looking for. Below I will explain the four different carving techniques to give you an insight into these methods.

Relief carving

Relief carving is a technique where you create a difference between the way the space and depth look onto a piece of wood. It is as if the sculpture sits on top of the wood because of its three-dimensional figure.  When someone is using the relief technique, they are carving inside a flat piece of wood. The flat piece and the carving are attached. The shape is round and complex.

Relief carving often gets done as decoration. You can find this style of carving all over Europe. You can even find this type of art on doors, on walls, and inside buildings. 

 This type of carving is complex and takes a lot of practice and time. 

 As you now know, there are a few different ways to carve. For each carving style, you will need different tools. The tools used to make relief carvings are tools like

Chip carving

Chip carving is almost the same as relief carving when looking at the technique. The result is entirely different, though. Chip carving gets done on a wooden surface. The tools cut out one small chip of wood at a time. 

When chipping out small pieces of wood, it is possible to create geometrical patterns. These chip carvings often get made as decoration, just like the relief carvings. These decorative carvings can be hung on walls to look at something unique in your living room, for example. 
Chip carving is easier than relief carving. Chip carving is a fun technique when you are just getting into carving. It is not easy, but the result is worth challenging yourself.

 The tools that will help you chip carve are tools like

Spoon carving

We see them in shops all the time. Wooden spoons. They often get used to scoop salades out of a bowl or stirring inside a pan. Spoon carving is the process where a piece of wood gets shaped into a spoon, much like the term insinuates. 

Spoon carving is something that people have been doing for ages. All over the world, you can get wooden spoons made out of different types of wood, spoons in different sizes and shapes. So how cool would it be if you created your own spoons?

To make your own spoon out of wood using the spoon carving technique, you will need tools. Tools like these: 

Power carving

If you talk about power carving, you are talking about shaping wood using a tool that is powered by a motor. This technique often gets chosen when you want to remove wood quickly and easily. Some wood types are tougher than others. The harder the wood, the more difficult it becomes to remove wood with hand tools. In this case, power carvers can come in handy. 

The various type of bits allows you to carve out big chunks of wood quickly and let you make small and precise incisions. Therefore, choosing the right bit can be essential. When you buy a power carver, various size bits often get included with the machine.  

 Power carving is fun when you have bigger pieces of wood that you want to carve and are not looking for too many detailed lines and incisions. 

The tools that are necessary to have in your wood carving box to power carve are tools like 

Wood turning

When you are woodturning, the wood is turning too. Your wood gets placed on an axis that is rotating. At the same time, as the wood is rotating, the turner or carver molds and shapes the wood simultaneously. 

Woodturning is a technique used to shape longer pieces of wood. Think about table legs, bed frame legs, and even wooden pens. 

A motor often powers the rotating axis, but it doesn’t have to be. In the old days, they would rotate the wood by hand. But, as you can imagine, the motor makes the process a lot easier.

 As you have read, this style of wood carving is different from the styles above. So like with all the other styles, you will need separate tools. Tools that will help you turn and shape wood are tools like: 

Some Last Thoughts About the Three Different Wood Working Techniques

After reading this article, I hope you have more of an idea of the difference between whittling and carving and the difference between sculpting and carving. All three terms are a way to describe woodworking techniques. When you mix up the terms, people will often still understand what you mean.

When looking for tools, though, it can be helpful to know what tools were created for the different woodworking techniques. When you have tools intended for a particular shape or incision, your carving experience will be more fun, more accessible, and enjoyable. 

One last tip. Apart from choosing the correct tool, it is worth looking into the type of wood you want to carve. Some types of wood are more suitable for whittling, whereas others are more suitable for sculpting and carving. The main thing to look at is the hardness of the wood. 

Have fun with your next wood project! 

The best finishes and sealers for your wood carvings will come in wax, oil, or varnish sealers designed for wood. These sealers will make your wood carving more durable, protecting them from scratching and from the wood rotting.

When picking a sealer, make sure to think about your intentions with your wood carving. For example, do you want to place them inside or outside? Will you use them with food? Do you want a shiny or matte finish?

I also have a quick comparison video on some of my favorite finishes where I show how they look on both a sanded and knife finished piece of wood in the video below.

Best Indoor Wood Finishes and Sealers

The majority of the carvings most people make are going to be used indoors and not sitting outside for a long period of time. The wood finishes listed below are perfect for your indoor work of art or utensil.

Beeswax Paste

Beeswax paste is my favorite option on this list to protect my wood carvings with. Not only is it easy to apply, but it allows the natural wood color to really shine and smells wonderful.

Not only that, because beeswax paste is only made of beeswax and mineral oil, it is food safe and can be used on any food utensil. Only downside is that it isn’t very durable and can melt if left in direct sunlight or placed in a hot environment.

The final result of the wood after drying and polishing as a nice glossy look

My favorite beeswax paste is from Interstate WoodWorks, which you can find on Amazon for a great price here: https://amzn.to/3IWXy8h

Linseed Oil

Linseed oil is a very popular wood finish for many wood carvers as it is easy to apply and allows the natural wood colors to come out. Applying is easy and some people either liberally apply to the wood and let it soak in with a rag or a brush. As a warning, I have heard that rags with linseed oil can be flammable so dispose of the rags and clean up after yourself accordingly.

Drying times can vary depending on what type of linseed oil you use. Natural, unprocessed linseed oil is food safe but can take up to 14 days to fully dry. Boiled linseed oil is typically processed with chemicals and isn’t food safe, but has a much faster drying time at 3 days.

Natural linseed oil has the potential to go bad over time as it is still an organic product, but many argue that if you are frequently using the product and are purchasing from a good source that this isn’t an issue

Since Linseed oil absorbs into the wood, it doesn’t leave a film on the top and results in a nice satin finish.

As most of us reading this page are using these finishes for wood carvings, a great option is LinSheen Boiled Linseed Oil and can be picked up on Amazon for a great price here: https://amzn.to/3pcnAwu

Tung Oil

Tung oil is one of my favorite finishes for its durability and how well it makes the wood look when fully cured. There are many variants, but most people use pure tung oil as it doesn’t have any extra solvents in it.

To apply, take a rag or brush and apply liberally to the wood and let it soak in for an hour or two. Then wipe off the excess and allow to dry. Tung oil can take anywhere between 15 to 30 days to fully cure depending on temperature, humidity, and air circulation but when fully cured natural tung oil with no solvents in it is considered to be food safe.

Keep in mind that if you are using tung oil on food utensils, you must let the oil fully cure before use.

One of the things many people notice with the tung oil that is left in their bottle is that the area in contact with air will start to harden over time. Many people place marbles in the bottle to help remove excess air and prevent the oil from curing prematurely.

Personally, I like to use WoodRiver’s Pure Tung Oil as it doesn’t have any solvents and is easily found on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/30ILA0C

Walnut Oil

A very popular wood finish for bowls and wooden utensils is walnut oil as it is all natural and easily absorbs into the wood, bringing out the true colors of the wood grain.

To apply, simply apply the oil liberaly to the wood and allow to soak in for a few hours or overnight and apply 1 to 2 more layers as needed.

The drying time for this finish is varied and debatable, but many who use pure walnut oil claim that the finish never truly hardens like tung oil or Danish oil. Most people claim that natural walnut oil can harden within 3 to 6 months and can be sped up with heat or direct sunlight while some manufactures claim to dry within 3 days.

Keep in mind that this is made from tree nuts, so anyone with a nut allergy should be weary of using this on food utensils and bowls. Also, this oil does easily wash off so reapply as needed.

A popular walnut oil finish made by Chalk Mountain and is available on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3J6ciSb
It is an all natural, food safe wood finish and they claim that it dries is 3 days.

Mineral Oil

The most popular wood finish for spoon carvers and conditioning your wooden utensils and cutting blocks is mineral oil. It is a natural oil that is food safe and rehydrates the wood and helps prevent food particles from imbedding into the wood.

Of all the options above, this is the easiest wood finish to apply as there is no drying time involved at all. All you have to do is soak a rag with mineral oil and liberally apply to the wood you are treating. Then let is soak in for 30 minutes and wipe off the excess.

The final result will be a slightly matted look and will still be slightly moist to the touch as the oil does not dry. You will want to reapply every few months depending on how much the surface is washed, assuming that it is an eating utensil or cutting board.

I personally like and use Bayes food grade mineral oil for all of my spoon carvings. It is affordable and easily found on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NC2qlq

Danish Oil

A very popular and easy to use wood finish is Danish Wood Oil as it applies very easily and is available at most hardware stores. This has a wide range of application from floors to your wood carvings.

Danish Oil has is made of various oils and solvents which allows it to quickly penetrate deep into the wood and dry quickly. Not only that, they come in a variety of colors so you can match the finish to the look you are after or even use different colors on your carving for various effects.

To apply Danish Oil, apply with a brush or rag and let it soak into the wood for about 30 minutes. Then wipe off the excess and allow to dry for at least 8 hours before sanding or applying another coat. The final effect will be a matted finish.

The danish oil that I have been using for years is Watco’s Danish Oil as it is available at all of my local hardware stores and comes in a variety of different colors. You can pick up some on Amazon and see what colors they have here: https://amzn.to/3NyLqg5

Acrylic Paint

One of the most popular ways many wood carvers protect their carvings is by using acrylic paints to add some extra life and color to their works of art. This can really make your wood carvings stand out and be a great addition to any shelf for decoration.

Acrylic paints are easy to apply and are quite versatile. All you need to apply the paint is a brush and a cup of water to clean the brush off between colors. You can even water down the paint to apply a thinner layer and let the wood grain show through a little .

Since the paint can absorb into the wood, causing some minor variations in color, some people will first seal the wood with boiled linseed oil and paint on top of the hardened finish for a more even coloration.

You can use just about any acrylic paint that is available to you, but I have been using Sizarts paint for a while and find them to be a great option for an affordable price on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NFMS08

Watercolor Paint

If you are looking to keep a lot of the wood grain and just want to apply a very light color to your carving, watercolor paints are the perfect option. They allow you to apply subtle colorations to the wood for accents while keeping some of the natural wood accents.

While watercolor paints don’t provide any real wood protection, you can always finish with a clearcoat of paint or varnish when you are done. Just make sure to try the coat on a sample piece of wood with the paint applied to make sure it doesn’t alter the coloration.

For best results, sand the wood with 350 grit to 600 grit sandpaper for a nice smooth application.

My go to watercolor set for my wood carvings is from Artistro as it comes with a bunch of different colors and fits in a convenient travel case that is easy to use. You can get yours on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3qS3Ezr

Furniture Wax

If you want a wood finish that you can use for not only your carvings, but other wood objects like furniture, Furniture Wax is a great option. You can easily apply the wax to the carving and buff it off, then once it dries it provides a shiny protective layer that can prevent minor scratches and scuffs from occuring.

Furniture wax comes in a wide variety of different formulas and colors with varying dry times and effects, but for the most part they dry quickly and have a matte or shiny fishish.

I personally like and use Treewaxes Paste Wax that has caranuba wax in it. Caranuba wax is the most durable natural wax you can get your hands on and I even use it in its natural form for some of my stone carvings! You can pick up some of this paste wax on Amazon for a great price here: https://amzn.to/3DrbXaq

Wood Varnish with UV Protection

For those of you looking for the best option for protecting your wood carvings, wood varnish will be the best choice. It will even protect your wood carvings that are placed outside if you use a varnish with a UV additive it will help protect your outdoor carvings, even in direct sunlight.

When applying the varnish, I like to use a thinner for the first layer to allow the varnish to penetrate deep within the wood and let it dry for at least 24 hours before applying another coat. I find that applying between 3 and 4 coats for larger carvings provide an excellent protective barrier to keep your wood carving safe from both the sun and rain.

I personally use Epifanes varnish with extra UV-Filter as it has outstanding durability and comes in different finishes. You can pick up some on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/36IIcWB

For best results and to prolong the life of your outdoor carvings, keep them out of direct sunlight and reapply every year.

Don’t Finish Your Wood Carvings With Cooking Oils

While you can use mineral oil and walnut oils to finish your wood carvings, there are lots of other natural oils you shouldn’t use at all. Typical cooking oils like olive oil, canola oil, and vegetable oils will go rancid and start to smell after a while, causing your carving to become gummy and gross. They can also deteriorate your carving and attract bugs.

How Long Do Wood Carvings Last?

If you protect and seal your wood carvings properly, they can last for decades and almost indefinitely when stored indoors.

Here are some great ways to keep your wood carvings looking new for years to come.

• Placing it out of the sun, though, will be even better. 
• Using a UV protective varnish will help against the damaging effect of the sunlight.
• Most varnishes will keep the bugs out as well. Check this before buying. 
• Placing the wood carving on top of something so the wood won’t end up in a pool of water is highly recommended. 
• Re-apply wood finish and sealers when needed.

Each sealer is different what can be confusing when you want to know how best to apply it to your wood carving.

 The best way to apply sealer is to read the label and follow the following ten steps. 

1. Wipe it clean
2. Sand it down 
3. Wipe it clean again with water or a dry cloth
4. Wait for the sculpture to be completely dry.
5. Pour some of the sealers in a bowl or on a rag.
6. Apply the sealer as directed by the manufacture
7. Wait for the prescribed amount of time to dry before applying any additional layers.
8. Carefully wipe off any excess with a clean rag.
9. Let dry completely (time will depend on the product, see the list above) 
10. If you want to apply another coat, repeat steps one to nine as many times as you wish. 

At any lumber supply store, there are so many different kinds of wood to choose from. It’s hard to know which one will work best. Whether you’re a beginner or highly experienced, we’ve put together a list of woods that are great for carving: 

What Makes Wood Good for Carving?

Even with the best set of carving tools, your project will be unnecessarily difficult with the wrong type of wood. Qualities to look for include:

• Softness. We don’t typically think of wood as something soft; after all, it’s a solid, sturdy material. But some woods are softer than others, which makes them easier to carve. 
• Free of cracks & voids. You’re looking for nearly perfect wood. One with a smooth and consistent surface, without knots or splits. The perfect piece of wood is hard to come by. Some defects run quite deep into the wood, which makes carving it especially challenging. 
• Straight grain pattern. Whenever wood has a wavy, curly, or interlocking grain pattern, carving it becomes a lot trickier. There’s a higher chance that the wood might split or crack when you cut it. Ideally, you want wood with a straight grain. 

Should You Use Hardwoods or Softwoods?

The answer to this question isn’t as simple as you might think. Most people assume that softwoods are perfect for carving, while hardwoods are not. That’s certainly true of most hardwoods—but not all. Surprisingly, one of the most popular carving woods is a hardwood (basswood). 

Hardwoods are (usually) a bit trickier to work with when it comes to carving; it’s easier to cause splits or cracks while you carve. We recommend that you always use power tools when you’re carving with hardwood. 

When wood is especially dense, there’s a higher chance that the knife might slip and hurt the carver. That’s why we suggest that beginner woodcarvers avoid most hardwoods. 

If you’re just getting started in the world of wood carving, softwoods are ideal for beginners. They can often be carved using hand tools. Given their softness, they’re a bit easier on the tools you use (meaning they won’t dull as quickly). Some softwoods are so pliable that, when you cut along the grain, it’s almost like slicing through butter.

Next, we’re going to cover the types of wood we recommend for carving:

Basswood

Hands down, basswood is the most popular carving wood by far. Basswood is soft and smooth, which makes it great for carving. It has a light creamy color. And if you’re a fan of darker woods, basswood is easy to stain.

Hand or power tools, basswood is a solid choice. Even better, basswood is readily available, so your project won’t be held up by supply shortages. 

Basswood is affordable. One potential downside is that it has a very faint grain pattern. If you like the look of defined wood grain, basswood might not have what you’re looking for. On top of that, it’s especially susceptible to moisture damage, so keep it in a dry room. 

Looking for more reasons why you should use basswood? It emits no odor, so it won’t cause a headache while you carve it. It’s also non-toxic; if you have any sensitivities or allergies, basswood will be safe to work with. Using basswood, you can make anything from musical instruments to children’s toys. 

Butternut

This wood is just as easy to work with as it sounds. It’s soft and pliable, perfect for any beginner. This wood has a warm tan tone; it’s beautiful when used to make sculptures and trinkets. It takes polish well, so you can work the surface into a smooth, glossy finish. 

Butternut can be tough to track down at times. Whenever you’re inspecting a piece of butternut, make sure to check for any wormholes or voids. 

Aspen

This wood is better suited for those with more experience; it’s a bit firmer than basswood. Like basswood, it’s pretty easy to find, light in color, and affordable. Finish it off with wood oil to give your piece a beautiful shine. 

Birch

Looking for a light, sturdy material for your wood carving project? Birch has a beautiful bright tone. It’s a popular material when carving spoons, although it’s a bit firmer than basswood or aspen. 

Whenever you’re working with birch, be sure to select a piece that’s been properly dried. Otherwise, it will be more prone to splinting during the carving process. 

Walnut & Black Walnut

Black walnut wood carving blanks add a rich and dark brown tone to your wood project. Keep in mind that black walnut is more expensive than most types of wood, but the quality of the grain and richness of the tone make it worthwhile. 

Black walnut is often used to make tables, chairs, and sculptures. Some types of black walnut have a curly or wavy grain, which makes them harder to carve with. 

Even though it has a beautiful color, it might not be the best wood for a beginner. We recommend that you use power tools whenever you’re carving with walnut. 

Pine

This wood has a unique color that’s unlike any other on our list. It’s a good material for a woodcarver with some experience, due to its varying grain direction and the occasional pine knot. However, if you’re up for the challenge, you can create a beautiful piece using pine wood. It’s relatively soft and readily available at most wood supplier stores.  

Mahogany

As far as hardwoods go, mahogany makes for great carving wood. It has almost no odor when carved, and can be used with power or hand tools. Mahogany is highly sought after for its beautiful red undertones, which are enhanced by its earthy brown color. But if you’d like to alter the color, you’ll be happy to know it stains quite well. 

Wood carving is a real art. Using hand or power tools, you can carve intricate designs into pieces of basswood, aspen, or birch.  

Once you’ve chosen the right kind of wood, the next step is carving it! Selecting your tools and design is a whole other topic. We hope this article has helped you choose the right wood for your next project.