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Carving Tools

R.A. Salaman’s Dictionary of Woodworking Tools devotes 17 pages to chisels -- many that would be familiar to contemporary woodworkers but many others whose long-lost purposes we can only wonder about. The sheer number of chisel varieties is a reflection
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  • Customize Your Carving ToolsCustomize Your Carving Tools

    by Allan Breed

    A rose carved with 15 cuts is better than one carved with 45. That's what Allan Breed learned from his first carving teacher. And when he bought that teacher's ...

  • Sharpening the V-ToolSharpening the V-Tool

    by Dan Faia

    Learn how to sharpen this complex carving tool with a grinder and stones

  • The ABCs of Letter CarvingThe ABCs of Letter Carving

    by T.J. McDermott

    T.J. McDermott's straightforward letter-carving technique uses only two chisels, but it can transform a piece of furniture or other article into a personalized ...

  • Letter Carving BasicsVideo: Letter Carving Basics

    with T.J. McDermott

    A long-time sign maker shares his carving techniques in a demonstration making the letter 'R'

  • The Essential Carver's Tool KitVideo: The Essential Carver's Tool Kit

    with David Sabol

    A master wood carver shows how to use his favorite gouges and knife for three-dimensional carving

  • A Carved Rosette For an Elegant TouchVideo: A Carved Rosette For an Elegant Touch

    with Charles Shackleton

    Create the blanks on a lathe or with a drill press, then chisel in the details

  • Carving Leaves on a Turned PostCarving Leaves on a Turned Post

    by Allan Breed

    Two carving lessons by Allan Breed are the focus of this article. Working on a turned bedpost, Breed teaches readers how to carve two versions of corn leaves. Once ...

  • Carving Tool Tune-upCarving Tool Tune-up

    by Ian Agrell

    Carver Ian Agrell tells his students to treat sharpening as an art in itself. More important than the choice of sharpening system is knowing what shape is required ...

  • The Basics of Classical Relief CarvingThe Basics of Classical Relief Carving

    by Nora Hall

    Master carver Nora Hall teaches beginners how to carve, and she marvels at how quickly students develop skill at manipulating light and shadow to create realistic ...

  • Carving a Ball-and-Claw FootCarving a Ball-and-Claw Foot

    by Mack S. Headley, Jr.

    Mack Headley, Jr., studied the furniture and carving of Peter Scott, a cabinetmaker who worked in Williamsburg, Virginia, from the early 1720s to the mid-1770s. ...

  • Relief-CarvingRelief-Carving

    by John E. Meyers

    John E. Meyers compares relief-carving to a magician’s tricks; here, he explains how to visualize the foreground and background as many layers. He talks about how ...

  • Cabriole KneesCabriole Knees

    by Mack S. Headley, Jr.

    Colonial Williamsburg cabinetmaker Mack Headley explains how to make a leaf pattern on a cabriole leg adapted from one found on a chair from the 1740s. It’s a strong, ...

  • Turning and Carving PiecrustTurning and Carving Piecrust

    by Eugene E. Landon

    Here are 17 photo-illustrated steps demonstrating how to turn and carve a piecrust top, using traditional methods. The original of the table shown in this article ...

  • Carving a Scallop ShellCarving a Scallop Shell

    by Mack S. Headley, Jr.

    Colonial Williamsburg’s Mack Headley, Jr., offers step-by-step instruction how to carve a shell. He explains the numbering system of carving tools and the importance ...

  • Carving Incised LettersCarving Incised Letters

    by Roger Holmes

    Fine Woodworking’s Roger Holmes talked to Frank Cushwa, of Kent, Connecticut, about how he came to the art of carving lettered signs and how others can carve them. ...

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