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All carving tools, by definition, are called chisels but we give them different names for easier identification. Carving Knife: Carving knives come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. The metal in a carving knife should be hard enough to hold an edge and soft enough to allow you to re-sharpen or return an edge easily to the cutting edge. Steel with a high carbon content and with the right hardness make very good carving knives. You should buy from a reputable dealer and don't skimp on price. This is your basic carving tool and you will have it in your hand for long periods of time. Avoid homemade knives. A homemade knife may be okay but most of the time the maker will not have the experience to make a good knife. Experience will teach you about what shape blade you will use but start out with a short blade about 1" or 1 1/2" long with a comfortable handle. Later on you will want to add other lengths and shapes to your tool box. You should buy 2 knives immediately because you may break one and you will want a backup. The best carving knife, in our experience, has a bevel that extends almost the whole width of the blade. What is a bevel, you ask? The bevel is the part of the blade that is sharpened. If you have a pocket knife or kitchen knife handy, take a look at it. You will notice that the cutting edge is a very narrow and is sorta shiny. This is the bevel. Pocket knives are great for cutting string and stuff but not so good at slicing through wood. This is why we recommend wider bevels to allow the blade to slice through the wood more easily. You can find out more about bevels under our sharpening page. V-TOOLS V-tools are called v-tools because the cutting edge is shaped like a 'V'. This tool is used to make hair, beard and other cuts that require a channel-like cut with straight sides. This tool comes is various widths (measured from tips of v) and degree of v. The degree of the v determines the angle of cut. A 90 degree v would have a much wider slope of cut than a 25 degree v. A very useful tool and probably the next tool you should buy after a knife. Size is determined by type and size of carving you are doing. GOUGES Gouges are really chisels that have curved cutting edges. This curvature is called "sweep". The higher the number, the deeper the curve or sweep. In other words, a straight chisel would be a #1 sweep and a deeper shaped gouge would a 5, 9 or 11 or whatever. The width of the blade is measured in inches or mm. Gouges are either palm gouges or a mallet gouge. A mallet gouge has a collar as a part of the shank so that the gouge is not driven into the handle when the gouge is hit with the mallet. Mallet gouges usually have a shorter bevel than a palm gouge. VEINER or U-GOUGE The veiner or u-gouge is a u-shaped gouge used to cut u-shaped channels in the wood. It is used for under cutting as under the mouth to make the lower lip standout. A small veiner is also used for hair and beard where a softer look is desired. A valuable addition to your toolbox. MALLETS Historically mallets have been made from ligum vitae. This is a very hard wood that resists splitting. We stock and recommend rubber mallets because they are pratically indestrucible and there is less shock to your arms and shoulders. Select a mallet weight that fits your size and strength. They usually come in 12oz and up sizes. GRINDERS As you progress in your woodcarving you will want to consider a grinder for easier wood removal and shaping. The slower and more powerful grinders, such as the Foredom flexshaft, are used to remove wood quickly and easily. A micro-motor grinder, with motor in the handpiece, is used to add details. There are many types and shapes of burs for these grinders. ELECTRIC CHISEL An electric chisel is a power tool that recipicates. That is, the blade goes back and forth and chisels away the wood. Of course, the blades that fit in the tool can be chisels or gouges. This tool can be used to rapidly remove and shape wood, especially where the wood is hard.