Suggested Tools of the Woodcarving Trade
By Guild Master Kasper Magnessum of the Woodcarvers Guild of the Arch Duchy of Connacht (Adrian Empire). Posted - December 2011
It is very easy to arbitrarily pick up tools only to find that you rarely need or use them. So this missive, my Lords, Ladies, and Graces is aimed towards eliminating, as far as possible the acquisition of the unusable and inedible.So I shall thank you beforehand for bearing with me, this may be a bit lengthy.
1) First off, I am going to present you with a few of my personal favorite tool suppliers, all easy to browse on the net, primarily on the list-the Flexcut Tool Company Inc. they have a very wide range of carving tools and so I will be using their range of tools as a reference for the tools that I Kasper will suggest.
2) Second-Lee Valley Tools, (a Canadian company) carving tools, sharpening stones, spoke shaves, mallets etc. an interesting company in as much as they attempt to locate and offer manufacture wood working tools that are otherwise rather difficult to locate.
3) Third-a relatively small company that carries and manufactures a fine selection of whittling tools-the Warren Carving Tools.
Now about thirty-five years ago I had met a fine elderly gentleman who had spent most of his own life as a carver. He was kind enough to give me a basic list of tools that even to this day I quite possibly use to work on at least 90% of my carvings.So from the chisel chart of flexcut find:
#1 chisel-1/2"(12mm)#MC201;
#2 Skew 5/16"(8mm)#MC202;
#3 Sweeps-1/8"(3mm)FR600;
1/4"(6mm)#FR323;
1/2"(12mm)#MC205;
11/16"(17mm)#MC208;
#5 Sweeps-1/8"(3mm)#FR802;
1/2"(12mm)#MC205;
11/16"(17mm)#MC305;
#7Sweep-7/16"(11mm)#MC208;
#8 Sweeps-1/4"(6mm)#FR428;
11/16"(17mm)#LH702;
#9 Sweeps-1.5 micro#FR801;
1/4"(6mm)#MC209; #11
Sweeps-1/16"(2mm)#FR801;
1/4"(6mm)#MC311; 60%
Parting
3/8(9mm)#MC360; 60% soft V-1/2"(12mm)#LH760;
and nice on strap-work, Back-bent Gouge-5/8(16mm)#LH453.
Now you are not committed to purchasing these marques of tool but to use it as a guide. The MC or Mallet chisels are those that I would recommend that you obtain first followed in due time by the LH or Long Handled and the FR or palm handled tools. There is as you may have by now noticed, the option of simply purchasing the bladesand a few handle to go with them. A much less expensive option and much more portable but a bit cumbersome in practice. It is also a good idea to add a few (found) carpenter chisels to your set. Carrying on I will mention that the sharpening stones that I personally prefer are:
Japanese water-stones like those found at Lee Valley. i.e.1000/4000 combo stones list#60M50.04, the Carvers Miniature water stones,#60M93.10 and the pair of Carvers slips#60M90.36.
This information will, I trust, aid you in buying your own carving set. So do enjoy yourself and feel free to email me (Master Kasper Magnessum) me when further questions arise. As a point of interest, my elderly carver gave me this information by picking up his own tools and simply making a vertical cut into a scrap of wood. I still have it.
Your servant, Guild Master Kasper of the Woodcarvers Guild
Posted by Lady Christiana Elizabeth Constable
