Tools I Use

I get asked a lot what I carve with. This is the honest list: the knives, wood, and shop tools I reach for at my own bench, here in Pennsylvania. If you buy through the links below, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It keeps the carving lights on and the videos coming.

Carving Knives

The knives on my bench

These are the two brands I actually carve with. I have used plenty of knives over the years; these are the ones that stayed.

Flexcut Pro Series set of 3— My everyday workhorse. Holds an edge, feels right in a long carving session. If you are buying your first real carving knife, start here.

Beavercraft deluxe set — A solid, honest set for the money. Good for beginners and good as a second set once you know what you like to carve.

A note on stropping

A sharp knife is a safe knife. Whatever you buy, keep it stropped. A dull edge is where mistakes happen.

Carving Wood

Basswood carving blocks — Soft, clean grain, forgiving to the knife. This is what my Nativity figures are carved from.

Getting Started

Beginner carving kit — If you are starting from nothing, this is the bundle I would hand a friend.

Keeping an Edge

Beavercraft leather strop and honing compound — The cheapest tools at my bench and the ones that do the most work. A few passes on the strop before and during carving keeps the edge true; the compound takes it from sharp to carving sharp. Buy the knife, then buy the strop. In that order.

Flexcut SlipStrop — Shaped for the edges a flat strop cannot reach. Handy once you start carving with gouges and V-tools.

Safety

Cut-resistant carving glove — Carve toward your thumb long enough and you will understand why this exists. It is not about being careful enough. It is about making the mistake cheap when it happens.

The Bigger Workshop

WEN 10-inch bandsaw — I do most of my work with hand tools, but when I need to rough out a figure or resaw a block, this is the saw I reach for. Ten inches is plenty for a carving shop, and it does not eat half the shed.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means I may earn a commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. I only list tools I use myself.