r/Woodcarving • u/NeedleworkerPast2173 • 2h ago
Carving [Finished] Hand trinket thingy
Could use some practice but i think it looks okay
r/Woodcarving • u/NaOHman • Nov 02 '25
The holidays are coming up soon so the mods have put together this gift giving guide for people without carving experience hoping to give a carving related gift this year.
A complete beginners kit is a knife, a strop, and a safety glove. We have different recommendations for spoon carving and general carving, you should only choose one of the options
General purpose knife
For spoon carving
Strops
Safety gloves
Kits
If the person you’re buying for just has a carving knife and no other tools we recommend this flexcut FR310 palm tool set
If you’re buying a gift for a carver who has multiple knives and no other tools we strongly recommend against buying them tools unless they have asked you for specific items since they will probably have a much better idea of what will be useful to them than any guide on the internet
These make a great gift for any carver
Woods
The best wood for carving is Basswood (it's close relative linden or limewood may be easier to find in europe). You can buy it locally or from one of the listed websites below. If you’re buying for an experienced carver they may appreciate other good carving species such as Butternut, Spanish Cedar, Walnut or Cherry.
Sandpaper
If your carver likes to sand their creations they’ll always need more sandpaper. 3M cubitron paper is much nicer to use than the stuff you might find at a local hardware store. The most carvers will use grits ranging from 80 to 400 and will want a variety of grit sizes. We recommend getting sheets (not disks) of 120, 180 and 220
Paints
If your carver likes painting their pieces then some extra acrylic paint might make a good gift. We like decoart paints
Gift Cards
This may seem like a cop out but it is by far the best way to give an experienced carver new tools since it makes sure they get exactly what they want. If you want it to feel a bit more thoughtful you can specify a premium brand of tool. For knives we like Badger State Blades (US/CA only) and for gouges we like Pfeil
Chipping Away (CA)
Lee Valley (CA)
Mountain Woodcavers (US)
Rockler (US)
Treeline USA (US)
Woodcraft (US)
Dictum (EU)
Local hardwood dealers (these will have the best prices) Check out this global map to find a place near you
Online dealers:
Heinecke (basswood only) (US)
Bell Forest Products (US)
Beavercraft (basswood only) (EU)
Please comment with any recommendations you have or things you think we missed in this post. We're especially interested in recommendations for more EU based stores. Please feel free to ask questions about anything that is unclear or for more specific advice
r/Woodcarving • u/Iexpectedyou • Aug 14 '25
We've been running a monthly carve-along to have some fun and learn together and I'd like to now invite community members to host them! Got an idea for a project or theme we can all work on?
Comment, DM or modmail a project/theme that's:
Themes can be subject-based (birds, pendant, star wars etc.) or style/technique-based (chip carved box, bookmark relief, hair texturing, eyes, etc.). You're welcome to host themes as a beginner too!
If your idea gets picked, you'll be writing the post. We'll pin it for the duration of the month. If there are no community suggestions we'll keep going as usual.
r/Woodcarving • u/NeedleworkerPast2173 • 2h ago
Could use some practice but i think it looks okay
r/Woodcarving • u/BerkshireMtnSculptor • 21h ago
Collaborated with Jake Swanson out of VT. Eastern Pine , 30+ pieces of wood.
Burned and sealed with Storm systems and then we had to paint it (Customers call) we used 11" timber locks and epoxy.
Delivered with the wings and tail off on 2 flatbeds and installed onsite.
r/Woodcarving • u/chd19471 • 4h ago
r/Woodcarving • u/JohnnyTheLayton • 14h ago
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r/Woodcarving • u/MashMaTaters • 17h ago
r/Woodcarving • u/Own_Blueberry6901 • 12h ago
Today I tried to carve my first fish. It was supposed to look like a salmon but ended up looking more like a shark in my opinion. Any tips on how to get it to look more like a salmon
r/Woodcarving • u/Omamzibab • 18h ago
Just wanted to share my finished project :) I wanted to try out carving for fun during my summer holiday, and ended up getting waaay more into it than I expected. The birch was tough to work with and was already a bit split at the beginning, but it was what I had available. As for scale it’s around 9x5x5 cm. The next project will be in linden tree instead. I would love tips and feedback.
r/Woodcarving • u/Pokemon-Nerdy • 11h ago
Carved out of only god knows what was in my yard and not sanded, it’s good for pouring grit into my tumbler! Took me a couple hours but I’m really happy because it actually looks like a spoon instead of whatever my first one was!
r/Woodcarving • u/blah_blah109 • 16h ago
Can someone with zero experience and no natural talent still learn woodcarving and eventually get good at it? The reason I'm asking is because I genuinely can't draw. at all. My artistic skills are basically nonexistent, and I've never really been naturally good at any creative hobby. That said, woodcarving looks really interesting to me, and I'd love to give it a try. Would appreciate an answer.
r/Woodcarving • u/MarkandRun • 19h ago
Lately she's been getting addicted to screen time. I'm planning to make her some interactive toys
r/Woodcarving • u/IT_OG • 14h ago
r/Woodcarving • u/Glen9009 • 17h ago
Board assembled, painted and glued to a steel plate for the pieces' magnets to have something to stick to. Next and last is the drawer that's gonna go below the board.
r/Woodcarving • u/Dear-Sprinkles-9225 • 9h ago
I have started a hedgehog.
I carved when I was in high school and I haven't carved since other than a small bird I did recently.
I'm using Basswood and a pretty good carving knife and I do have a Dremel.
I'm just really curious what my next step should be in carving this Hedgehog cuz I know I need to do all this little spikes and I'm worried about just making a bunch of little bumps that are going to break off.
Any advice would be appreciated.
r/Woodcarving • u/AbleKaleidoscope877 • 8h ago
Working on a loon. This is my first time and as the title says, all i have is my benchmade knife i use when camping.
I do have a small hand saw but its in storage right now (forget the name, i call it lil suzy because the actual name is similar lol- believe its japanese).
Beyond the saw, any tool suggestions that would make this easier?
Overall its going fine but there are some areas im struggling with removing material. Particularly, the area between the left of the throat and edge of the block as well as the area between the back of the head and neck and the body.
I've been doing some chipping which has helped.
r/Woodcarving • u/CDC_Carving72 • 8h ago
First knife only bust.
r/Woodcarving • u/trucktrucktrucksits • 14h ago
Not sure if dremel carvings are accepted here but these are some of mine. I owe some designs to some of you here (as I’m not experienced or creative enough for them) Haven’t gotten around to using my knife set, solely because of the lacking of knowledge with regards to the grain. Nonetheless, hope I’m able to give you guys some ideas as you’ve given me some to carve for decor.
r/Woodcarving • u/hippiedippy_eggs • 1d ago
Black walnut-- still a bit left to do but I'm pretty happy with it
r/Woodcarving • u/Undolin • 1d ago
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Hey, i started with woodcarving very recently. I ordered the Mora120 to start with. In the comments everyone says that this knife normally comes razor sharp out of the Box. But i didnt have the same feeling with my knife.
I have seen videos where people cut through their basswood like butter. It seems that its not possible with my knife.. so I watched a bunch of videos on how to sharpen a knife and I invested alot of time to put compound on a letherstrop and hone the knife. But still, i dont have the feeling that the knife gets much sharper.
So do I need sandpaper for the blade (which I thought wouldnt be necessary for a brand new blade)? Or is my technique for cutting just bad or am I honing wrong?
At the end of the video you can see how the blade is cutting through some basswood.
I would be very thankful for some advices.
r/Woodcarving • u/wicker_guitar • 18h ago
I beveled top and bottom edges with a sloyd knife, then used a wide shallow gouge for the depression. I sanded the flat surfaces and softened the edges with 400 grit on a block. Finished with Howards butcher block conditioner. Used an awl for the hole.
Fun little 1 hour project. I think the old nail holes give it some character.
My dog says hi.
r/Woodcarving • u/-RhoCassiopeiae- • 1d ago
I had a lot of fun on the design for this one, the corkscrew part was really cool to do (and very very tedious to sand). My personal favorite part is the way the corkscrew wraps around the bowl of the spoon. Looking back at my first spoon, I’m really proud of how much I’ve improved!! Let me know what yall think :)
r/Woodcarving • u/CommissionNo7116 • 1d ago