green woodworking

Amy Umbel argues fancy sloyd knives and expensive gouges are all well and good, but the perfect knife for any carver—especially a beginner—is the one you will actually use. Time, practice, and love for the craft are more important than any tool.

A variation on the traditional Scandinavian shrink pot, these shrink boxes by Mark Gardner are turned from green wood.

Andrea Cortés provides an accessible tooling alternative to start spoon carving.

This cup, with design roots in Scandinavia and Japan, offers a quiet lesson in carving a small object.

Build a handsome chair with an inexpensive kit of tools

David Fisher puts together a collection of his favorite gouges, suggesting which sizes are most useful and explaining what each is best used for.

Using a bench grinder and a steady hand, Dave Fisher explains how to tune-up an adze–whether its an antique or a new model with sub-par bevels.

Underneath the carving, this traditional form is a great exercise in hand skills

Peter Follansbee demonstrates how to carve his 17th-century box using two common motifs: S-scrolls and lunettes.

Dawson Moore's spoon mule clamps workpieces low and from the sides, making it perfect for narrow parts, spoon bowls, and other workpieces.