# Wood carving knives for those starting out



## woodcarverhur (Apr 17, 2016)

So it seems like every time I jump onto this forum people are always asking, "what tools should I start out with", "what's the best wood carving knife for a beginner?" so I'd like to throw out some suggestions for anyone who's trying to dabble in the craft.

-Mora 120
-Flexcut Whittlin Jack (pocket knife)
-Mora 106 (or you could go with the mora basic carving knife, uses the same blade but I find the 106 superior)
-Wayne barton chip carving knives

Honestly, these are really just knives to get you started and as long as you take care of them then they will last you until you can save up for a more expensive quality knife or knife set.

Here are some other wood carving knife suggestions: http://www.bestwoodcarvingtools.com/
They also have a whittling guide, chip carving guide, helpful techniques, suggestions on what to carve, etc.


----------



## ClaudeF (Sep 22, 2013)

A lot depends on what the intended carvings are going to be. Chip carving knives are quite different form knives used for small, hand-held, carving in the round. Larger carvings in the round don't use knives at all. The largest carvings are often done with chainsaws, angle grinders, and so forth.

Availability is another criterion for carving knives. If a new carver can't find it easily, it doesn't make much sense to recommend it.

I would suggest that the best all around knife for a beginning carver, for in the round carving, is a Flexcut Detail knife, KN13, $21.95 (www.flexcut.com) or an OCC knives 1561103, $21.95 (www.oldtexaswoodcarvers.com) or a Helvie-Smithson Economy Detail Knife $23.00 (www.helvieknives.com). None of these are very expensive, but all are high quality. I own Flexcut and Helvie knives, and all arrive carving-sharp. I don't have an OCC knife, but they have a good reputation.


----------

