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Woodcarving can be as simple or as complex as
the project requires or as the carver cares to make it. An amazing amount
of work can be done on small basswood or butternut carvings with just a
chip-carving knife or an X-Acto knife. Add a few gouges and your range of
carving possibilities increases.
Power carving tools such as a flexible-shaft Foredom
tool can help speed up the carving process and produce effects that you
cannot get with hand tools. Large power tools, such as a band saw, belt
sander, drill press, and chain saw, fill out the woodcarver's shop.
(Note: The Sculpture Studio does not
sell tools. See links below for tool catalogs.)
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Knives and Chisels |
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Chip-Carving Knife
Probably the
first tool any carver starts with is a knife. Its primary use is for
whittling and chip carving. The blade is about 1 1/2" long, and has a
handle designed to fit the hand. Like gouges, it should be made of high
carbon steel that will hold an edge for a long time. Cost: $15-50. |
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Carpenter's Chisels
These chisels
have a flat edge (#1 Sweep). They are not usually used for sculpture,
because the edge of a flat chisel tends to dig into the wood, twisting and
plunging the tool deeper on one side than the carver may have desired.
They can give a crude, unschooled look that may be desirable on some types
of sculpture (i.e. Outsider Art). |
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U-Gouges
Gouges are the work horses of carving. U-gouges are designated by the
width of the cutting edge (in inches or millimeters), the sweep,
or amount of curvature of the edge (an arbitrarily assigned number), and
the shape of the shaft (straight, bent, spoon, and back bent).
Gouges can be purchased:
- in widths from 2mm (1/16") to 60 mm (2 3/8")
- in sweeps from #2 (a barely perceptible curve) to #11 (a very deep,
half round curve)
- in straight, bent, spoon, and back-bent shapes
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V-Gouges
V-gouges are
designated by the width between the top edge tips and the angle of the vee
bottom edge.
Gouges can be purchased:
- in widths from 2mm to 30mm
- in 60˚
(#12 sweep) and 90˚ (#13 sweep)
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Bent and Spoon Gouges
These
specialty gouges are used to get into inaccessible spots on a carving that
a straight gouge can't reach.
Bent gouge: the entire length of the shaft
is curved.
Spoon gouge: the final 1 1/2" of the shaft
is deeply bent in a spoon shape.
Back bent gouges: a spoon gouge with the
curve reversed so the cutting edge is convex instead of concave.
These specialized tools are seldom used, but when needed, are invaluable.
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Skewed Chisel
A skewed
chisel's cutting is angled back from the leading edge at a 45 degree angle.
They come in straight, bent, and spoon shapes and in
varying widths.
These are specialized tools and are seldom, if ever,
used.
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Palm Tools
Most of the
above tool shapes can be purchased as smaller palm tools. A chip-carving
knife and an assortment of palm gouges are all that is needed for creating
small carvings in basswood or other soft woods.
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Mallet
The
traditional mallet for carving is cylindrically shaped and made from a
heavy, dense hardwood.
I prefer using a rubber mallet. While it doesn't have
the driving power of a wood mallet, it is less noisy, easier on the chisel
handles, and has some spring that brings the head back up for the next
swing.
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Power Carving |
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Foredom Flexible Shaft Tool
Foredom tools have a motor (1/8 - 14 HP depending on the model), and run
at up to 20,000 RPM. A flexible shaft extends from the motor to a hand
piece that holds a wide variety of burs used for cutting and texturing
wood. Its variable-speed capability is operated by a foot controlled
pedal.
The Foredom tool is an invaluable tool that can speed
up carving. It reaches into small places that chisels can't go, models
wood with almost disregard for the grain direction, makes sanding quick
and easy, and allows the creation of textures that can not be made in any
other way.
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Burs and Accessories
A wide variety of burs are available to
fit the several different styles and sizes of Foredom hand pieces. Burs
that may have been intended for other purposes can be used for
woodcarving, such as single cut and double cut carbide burs (intended for
metal work). Burs with needle-sharp points of tungsten carbide and burs
coated with industrial diamonds can be used for texturing wood. Drill bits
can placed in the adjustable chuck hand piece for drilling holes.
Small sanding discs and drums are also available for sanding and
finishing. |
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Woodworking Machinery |
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Band Saw
A band saw has
a long, thin blade welded into a loop. An electric motor powers the blade
around two large wheels.
The band saw is the woodcarver's most often used large
power tool. It quickly cuts off scrap wood, saving you the work of
removing it by hand.
To cut out a small carving, trace a pattern of the
subject's front view and side view onto the block of wood. Cut out the
side view. Save the two end pieces and put everything back together again.
Next cut out the front view. Now that most of the scrap wood has been
removed, begin rounding out the carving with chisels. |
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Drill Press
The drill press is another invaluable shop tool. It drills precise holes,
but other attachments can be added, such as a sanding drum. |
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Belt Sander
A belt sander is another tool that comes in handy for doing so many things
that come up during a carving project. Once you have one, it seems
indispensable. |
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Planer and Joiner
The planer and joiner are used to surface wood, giving boards flat sides.
If you plan to laminate boards into larger blocks for carving, flat
surfaces are necessary.
These tools are nice to have, but I worked for years
without them. I just had to pay more to have my wood supplier mill the
boards when I purchased them. |
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Chain Saw
A chain saw is a very useful tool to rough out logs for large carvings.
For shop use, I prefer an electric model. |
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(Note: The Sculpture Studio does not sell
tools. See links below for tool catalogs.) |
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Catalogs and Links |
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Woodcraft
560 Airport Industrial Park
PO Box 1686
Parkersburg, WV 26102-1686
1-800-225-1153
www.woodcraft.com
Wood Carver's Supply Inc.
PO Box 7500
Englewood, FL 34295-7500
1-800-284-6229
www.woodcarverssupply.com
Craftwoods
PO Box 439
Hanover, MD 21076
1-800-468-7070
www.craftwoods.com
Ashley Iles (Edge Tools) Ltd, East Kirkby,
Spilsby, Lincolnshire, PE23 4DD
Telephone: 01790 763372 - Fax: 01790 763610
http://turningtools.co.uk/ashleyiles/index.html
The Compleat Sculptor
90 Vandam Street
NYC, NY 10013
www.sculpt.com
(Full range of tools and materials)
Sculpture House, Inc.
100 Camp Meeting Ave.
Skillman, NJ 08558
www.sculpturehouse.com
(Full range of tools and materials)
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