Wood carving is one of the most rewarding and accessible forms of woodworking. With just a handful of tools, you can create everything from simple relief carvings to detailed sculptural work.
Here's what you need to get started.
Types of Wood Carving
Before choosing tools, it helps to know which style of carving you want to pursue:
- Whittling — carving with a knife, no mallet required. Great for beginners and portable projects.
- Relief carving — carving a design into a flat panel so it stands proud of the background.
- Chip carving — removing small chips of wood with a knife or chisel to create geometric patterns.
- Carving in the round — creating fully three-dimensional sculptures.
Most beginners start with whittling or chip carving, then progress to relief carving as their skills develop.
Essential Wood Carving Tools
1. Carving Chisels
Straight-edged carving chisels are the foundation of any carving kit. They're used for outlining, setting in, and cleaning up flat areas. A basic set of 4–6 chisels in varying widths (6mm, 12mm, 25mm) covers most beginner needs.
Look for: hardened steel blades with comfortable handles. Sets from Rolson and MHG offer good value for beginners.
2. Gouges
Gouges have a curved cutting edge and are used for scooping, shaping, and creating concave surfaces. They come in a range of sweeps (the degree of curvature) — a shallow sweep for gentle curves, a deeper sweep for hollowing and rounding.
A starter set of 4–6 gouges gives you enough variety to tackle most relief and sculptural carving.
Look for: a mix of sweeps — a No. 3 (shallow), No. 5 (medium), and No. 7 or 8 (deep) covers the basics.
3. V-Tool (Parting Tool)
The V-tool cuts a V-shaped groove and is used for outlining designs, adding texture, and creating fine detail lines. It's one of the most expressive tools in carving and worth adding early on.
Best for: outlining, lettering, feather and hair detail, and decorative borders.
4. Mallet
For relief carving and working with harder woods, a carving mallet gives you controlled force without damaging your tool handles. Carving mallets are typically round (so you don't need to rotate them) and made from dense hardwood or polyurethane.
Not needed for whittling, but essential for mallet-driven chisel and gouge work.
5. Strop and Honing Compound
Sharp tools are safe tools — and in carving, sharpness is everything. A leather strop loaded with honing compound keeps your edges razor-sharp between sessions. You'll use it constantly.
Choosing Your First Wood
Start with a soft, easy-to-carve wood:
- Lime (linden) — the top choice for beginners. Soft, consistent grain, carves cleanly in all directions.
- Basswood — similar to lime, widely available, very forgiving.
- Pine — cheap and accessible, though the grain can be unpredictable.
Avoid hardwoods like oak or ash until you're more confident — they'll blunt tools quickly and require much more effort.
Starter Kit Recommendation
- 1 x carving chisel set (4–6 piece)
- 1 x gouge set (4–6 piece, mixed sweeps)
- 1 x V-tool
- 1 x leather strop + honing compound
- 1 x carving mallet (if doing relief carving)
Shop Wood Carving Tools at Cherry Tree Tools
Browse our range of wood carving chisels, gouges, and sets to find everything you need to get started.