Wanting something other than knives

[Natenaaron]

I was watching some of the videos from the international association of wood carvers. I want to carve caricature faces but want to go beyond flat plane faces. Based on what I saw I’m going to need to expand beyond my knives and get gouges and V tools into my tool kit

I have no store available to browse that is in a reasonable distance.
There are no carvers that I know of in this tiny town whose brain I could pick

so I am relying on the helpfulness of you folks. I will not be bench carving so I’m looking for palm tools

Based on my reading, video watching, and google wanderings here is my list
#7 or 9 deep gouge
#3 shallow gouge
1/4- 3/8 v tool
a tiny V tool

i think these 4 should get me started

in your opinion and experience is this a reasonable list?

are there quality blacksmiths/artisans who you might recommend (I like supporting the quality little guys)

[Brian T]

The 'D' series from Pfeil (Swiss Made) have smaller handles but full sized edges.
That's one choice to consider.

As for the sweeps, I say get #3, #5, #7 and #9, no more than 7mm wide for anything.
The D 12/2 is a nice little Vee. The D5/3 is a convenient little gouge.

I never hold my carvings so skews like 12mm (1/2") are favorites in my bench.
The Narex skews in the Lee Valley catalog are really good steel but they come at 25 degrees.
That's a big wedge to push wood open. I revise those to 20 degrees like other carving edges.

[Nebraska]

Here is my opinion (Sorry to those who won’t like it) if you’re only buying four.
3
7
11
15
And make the 3 a fishtail.

Size kind of depends on the size of your projects.

You like supporting the little guy:
I have a few tools, beautiful hand crafted from a small forges and love them. You need to plan to pay three to four times more than name brand tools. So buy four from you small forge or 12 Swiss Made.

If you think carving is a current hobby by flexcut they are fine for hobbiest. If you think you’ll still be carving 5 years from now buy Swiss Made. There is a reason they are the big dog on the block. They make excellent tools and have the largest selection of profiles and sizes.

Good luck and keepem sharp.

[woodburner807]

If you look at Doug Linker, Miller, Messer, and other knife carvers they do it all with just a knife. I do use a V tool and gouge sometimes but it isn't really needed. It just depends on what you what to carve? I do caricatures and no need for anything other than a knife. I follow the IAWC and most use just a knife. My suggestion is to do what you can with a knife and try gouges and stuff. Good luck!

[joepaulbutler]

Hey Bill, AWC?????? Maybe =In A While Crocodile

[Just Carving]

If you're doing hand held caricatures and want palm tools, over time, I would recommend acquiring one of each tool--3, 5, 9 in the 3/8" width, a 1/4" #6, a 5/8" #3 or 5, a 1/8" #11, and a 3/16" 70 degree v-tool. A small v-tool would be nice for hair and detailing clothing edges, pockets, etc.

So, 4 out of these tools and you're still using a knife: I would say the 3/8" #3, 1/8" #11, 3/16" 70 degree v-tool, and the small v tool.

My reasoning is this: I carve with my knife--flat plane or otherwise. When not carving flat plane style, and I"m looking for short cuts, the 3/8" #3 is my go to for smoothing. The 1/8" #11 can be used for deep cuts like around the eyes when creating the eye mound. The 3/16" 70 degree v tool can be used for deep v cuts that are done easier with a v-tool than a knife. Examples would be the separations between the legs, and the arms and the torso. The small v tool is great for finishing hair after doing the contouring with the 1/8" #11.

BobL

[woodburner807]

Hey Bill, AWC?????? Maybe =In A While Crocodile

International Association of WoodCarvers

[Claude]

My suggestion is https://www.flexcut.com/home/product...nners-palm-set (but you can get them cheaper on Amazon...) I bought this set around 20 years ago and still use all 5 today. I carve mainly handheld caricatures and these are great for that. The most used one is the 3/8 #3, followed by the 3/8 #6. To these five, I added a 1/8 70° V and a 1/8 #3. No regrets for buying them at all. I also own several full-size Pfiel gouges that are most useful on larger carvings, but sometimes used on my smaller ones: #3-16, #5-12, #7-10 #9-10, #1-8, #11-3, #12-6.

Claude

[JerseyGirl]

I also mostly just use a knife for caricatures, but I took a recommendation here on getting a fishtail gouge and it really comes in handy (like this morning) as I was splitting Santa legs. It’s sturdier than my knives (a few months ago I broke the tip of one of my good knives so I’m much more cautious now). Plus I think it saves my knives wear and tear for more fine work. I got a Ramelson and it was affordable. I do have my eye on a Stubai caricature set that I might splurge on. I have 2 other gouges that are terribly made and miserable to work with (even though they were recommended by a carver). I’ve learned I would rather spend a little more and get a high-quality tool that is a pleasure to use for hours at a time. I think we all experiment and end up with a few tools we truly love and a drawer we ignore.

[pallin]

Your own carving methods will determine what tools will aid your knife work. Nearly all V-cuts can be achieved with a knife, skew, or fishtail gouge, but curved gouge cuts (scoops, grooves) cannot. My initial palm tools were in a Miller-Falls set that included a #3 gouge, skew, v-tool, and spoon bent chisel. I soon moved beyond these to full-size Pfeil gouges, especially fishtails.

[Brian T]

Don't forget that you will need both the left and right skews to carve curves,
8 cuts to do a Vee groove circle of any size or depth. They are fun to carve with.
I use 2 pairs, 20 degrees is a good bevel angle (wood workers prefer 25 degrees.)

[DiLeon]

When carving caricatures in good basswood....all you need is a knife and perhaps some micro gouges. That is all I would use today. The fact is the last caricatures I carve were only knives and Dremel for fine line work. Although in my carving history I started messing with other forms of carving all them, some forms I hated and others. Each kind of carving was done best by ...various carving tools and then messing with hardwoods found some woods could only be carved by power tools. Also in basswood, if you are doing the medium or large carving,....then gouges will help. But the average size caricature, get an assortment of good knives . Lynn https://outwestgallery.com/blog/ ... a famous caricature carver only used a box knife for his carvings for a very, very long time, and today he has a few palm gouges.

[NoDNA]

I was watching some of the videos from the international association of wood carvers. I want to carve caricature faces but want to go beyond flat plane faces. Based on what I saw I’m going to need to expand beyond my knives and get gouges and V tools into my tool kit

I have no store available to browse that is in a reasonable distance.
There are no carvers that I know of in this tiny town whose brain I could pick

so I am relying on the helpfulness of you folks. I will not be bench carving so I’m looking for palm tools

Based on my reading, video watching, and google wanderings here is my list
#7 or 9 deep gouge
#3 shallow gouge
1/4- 3/8 v tool
a tiny V tool

i think these 4 should get me started

in your opinion and experience is this a reasonable list?

are there quality blacksmiths/artisans who you might recommend (I like supporting the quality little guys)

Maybe a bit late to comment for your list, I would pick ,,if you can afford ,, all. then build your stable from there. That tiny V is a real asset when doing very small areas. Sorry I do not have any references for recommendations though. But I need to get some new tools as mine are just beaters. Good luck in your search.
Chuck

[Natenaaron]

I stumbled on this beginner set and think it will be a good start. Hope I’m not wrong. It was under a 100 so I should be good

https://whittlingshack.com/shop/ols/products/basic-palm-set-5pc-bsc-plm-set-5pc

my knife massager got here too. In a couple days I will play.

[Brian T]

Your beginner set are Stubai tools. They have a good reputation. Like others, as soon as you notice that they just get a little harder to push, they need a little honing.