Woodcarving

Some of the finest extant examples of early wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Italy and France where the typical themes of that era were Christian iconography. In England many complete examples remain from the 16th and 17th century, where oak was the preferred medium.

From the remotest ages the decoration of wood has been a foremost art. The tendency of human nature has always been to ornament every article in use. Just as a child of today instinctively cuts patterns on the bark of his switch freshly taken from the hedgerow, humanity has from the earliest times cut designs on every wooden article fit for carving.

Basic woodcarving tool set

    * the carving knife: a specialized knife used to pare, cut, and smooth wood.
    * the gouge: a tool with a curved cutting edge used in a variety of forms and sizes for carving hollows, rounds and sweeping curves.
    * the chisel, large and small, whose straight cutting edge is used for lines and cleaning up flat surfaces.
    * the V-tool used for parting, and in certain classes of flat work for emphasizing lines.
    * the veiner used for veining, and drilling holes. This tool is a specialized gouge with a small radius.

A special screw for fixing work to the workbench, and a mallet, complete the carvers kit, though other tools, both specialized and adapted, are often used, such as a router for bringing grounds to a uniform level, bent gouges and bent chisels for cutting hollows too deep for the ordinary tool.

12-Piece Stubai Professional Carver''s Set
From: Rockler Woodworking and Hardware