You probably know what woodcarving is. It's simple. Generally, you take one sharp object, put it against some wood, and push. Now you know how to carve anything in the world. (I'm oversimplifying, but you get my point.) But if you're here, and I really don't know how else you would be reading this, then you might be interested in learning about the esoteric differences in how to push (or, dare I suggest, pull) that sharp object across that wood.

A piece of purpleheart being carving with a gouge

So let's break it down into some useful distinctions. Whittling and woodcarving. The difference is largely semantics. At least at the very beginning of your woodcarving career. (There are so many buts and howevers that I could put throughout this, but [ha] in the interest of actually making my way through this subject in a human timescale, we're going to generalize.) Traditionally, woodcarving utilizes sharp gouges and chisels to shape wood (and rasps, and files, and hatchets, and so on). In contrast, whittling is taking a knife or several different knives and shaping wood that way.

Each of these disciplines has its own tools, techniques, cuts, and guides to getting better. The great news is that no overseeing body will insist that you use one or the other. I use both, although I primarily carve using gouges rather than knives since I like to carve hardwood. (We'll get to this later if you need to be made aware of the differences in wood species and hardness.)

There is also power woodcarving, chainsaw woodcarving, and I'm sure plenty more that I have forgotten and neglected to bring up. Power carving we will dive into in a separate article, and broadly rather than deeply, since that is not my expertise. The other carving options are skills I need more experience in to offer advice. (at least right now. Come on, corporate sponsors.)

Let's dive into the main one we're going to cover today!

Whittling

From left to right - My Drake Knives Detail knife, my last remaining FlexCut knife (I gave away my other FlexCut knives to a starting woodcarver), my small detail knife from Lee Ferguson, and finally a chip carving knife! (We’ll get to it later, I promise. I just wanted to show off my nice knife.)

Whittling is up first because it requires no specialty tools. Any sharp knife will do to start with. Pocket knives are frequently the first place we all start whittling. As a kid, I started whittling by making sharp sticks (I got a lot of practice stabbing the ground.), I made bows and arrows that didn't work and cracked, walking sticks, fake swords, fake guns, and really anything under the sun that occurred to me. And I cut myself a lot. (Don't worry, you probably will too.) There are plenty of people reading this that had similar experiences, and likely many people who didn't as well.

My suggestion is the same for those who did and those who didn't. Pick up a pocket knife; I recommend one with a blade that locks, (if you don't have one, pick up a cheap one from a pawn shop, thrift store, or anywhere you think you can find a pocket knife. It's okay to spend a lot of money on a hobby you aren't sure you'll like, and it's okay to spend just a little if you are unsure you will like it. For those who would still like to start with the best tools money can buy, keep reading, and you'll find some suggestions for those, too.), and pick up a stick and try carving it. You will likely need to then stop carving and sharpen that knife*. Don't worry too much about cutting techniques; those can come later.

You want to focus on controlling your cuts and knowing where your hands and body are. Before you make a cut, examine the path the knife will take. What do you think will happen? Learning to read the grain of the wood you are using will only come with experience, and I highly recommend paying attention to it at the very beginning. This foundational skill will be necessary for every part of woodcarving, woodworking, and nearly anything you can do with wood. Try different techniques while being safe to control your knife and cuts.

*Some safety tips. Decide the path you want your knife or other tool to take before making the cut. Examine the grain for oddities, swirling grain, knots, or any character that will be beautiful and give you gray hair. Be prepared for what that will do to your tool. Make sure that if the tool slips, there isn't anything that it might hit that you don't want to be hit by a tool made for slicing through the wood, i.e., you, your grandma, Jack Black. Finally, make the thinnest cut that will get the job done. (This one is very vague on purpose. At the very beginning, I highly recommend trying to take cuts as thin as possible.) Also, be aware of how you are cutting the wood. Are you just pushing the blade through the wood, or are you using the blade's edge and slicing through the fibers of the wood? Both of these techniques have their place, but by being aware of what method you are using, you can learn where and when they should be used to best effect.

One thing to keep in mind as you start is that you are going to be using muscles and your hands in ways that, very likely, you aren't used to. Your hands, forearms, and biceps are going to be sore. You are going to need to stretch. You are going to get weird hand muscles that others don't have, and you're going to develop calluses. The most important thing to do during this period is to listen to your body. If it hurts, stop. Pain is there as a warning to your body that you are causing damage. (I didn't listen to this advice; look how I turned out.)

What should I be carving?

If you are referring to the actual figure or item you intend to be the final product, you should focus on what you want to carve. This is the most physically taxing that carving will ever be, and if you're going to have something at the end that you wanted and are proud of, you will find it easier to not mind the sore muscles and hands. I started with spatulas and small spoons, aside from a snake that was the first thing I ever carved.

My very first carving was the snake on the left and the bear is more recent roughed in carving.

There are many options if you are talking about what wood you should be carving. Greenwood is a common option and will likely give you the easiest time carving the wood. The problem with greenwood is that it is prone to splitting as it dries. There are many options to help greenwood not to develop splits, but splitting and checking is an issue you will never get rid of completely. Instead, it is something to work with and around with greenwood.

I started with some offcuts from my experience with woodworking. This was probably a bad idea, although that's because the offcut that I began with was hard white maple. And then I moved to live oak that I had seasoned for a year and a half in the trunk of my car. I wouldn't recommend that either, and not because it was incredibly, ridiculously hard. Definitely not.

I recommend starting with scavenged materials. Walk around and see if you can find any sticks that look interesting. Everything about carving at this point is a learning experience and opportunity. Watching how wood splits will teach you more about wood grain and how wood dries and shrinks. Carving dense wood will lead you to pay attention to the best ways to carve the specific wood you are working on, and slowly you will learn how to work with different species. Listen to your tools and hands and decide if a type of wood is just not worth carving (cough, live oak).

And if that isn't an option, I recommend starting with basswood. Remember that depending on where you are from, there are different species of basswood. Some species of basswood are significantly harder than others, simply depending on where you live. You can get highly technical on this topic. For example, the growing process of the tree, the geographical region, the species, the sunlight, and the way it was dried will all affect how hard the wood is once it has dried. If you find that the basswood you are using is too hard, try researching where you bought it and see where they source it. There are other softwoods that I recommend for beginners. Pine, for example, is a great choice. I absolutely love carving cedar, butternut, and cherry. Cherry is the hardest of these options, but it holds detail very well and is now my go-to carving wood.

This was one of the most exciting times in carving for me, closely followed by realizing that I could make whatever I wanted instead of following guides and videos. I carved spoons, spatulas, a little snake, and a whale spoon out of one of the hardest woods I've ever had the displeasure of meeting, and so many things that failed and broke. So many things. And so will you, if you want to. This is when I recommend that you make sure that this is something you want to keep doing. After a month or two of carving with a pocket knife, you will be ready for a new tool, and odds are that your hands will be too.

When I started carving again as an adult, trying to satisfy my desire to do woodwork in an apartment, I found a lot of joy in finding a reason to be outside and a lot of peace in the quiet time I spent carving. It let me explore my interest in woodwork at a very slow pace, and one where mistakes matter a lot less. And, more, it felt right to me in a way that I still don't know how to explain. It doesn't need to do any of this for you. Maybe you're just looking for a fun way to increase grip strength or something to do while you sit outside; perhaps you're just curious. Whatever gets you carving is good enough.

If you've found your reason for continuing to carve, or to collect shiny, shiny tools, then follow me into the land of many options, opinions, stores, and an avenue to spending far too much money. It'll be fun!

Whittling and the knives we do it with

There are some really fantastic, low-cost options for purchasing great carving knives and other whittling tools.

The first knives I ever carved with that were explicitly made for carving wood were Flexcut knives. These knives are a fantastic, low-cost way to get into the hobby. They cut very well and hold an edge well, especially for how inexpensive they are. Another reason I love FlexCut is that entry-level carvers, and even more experienced carvers, can find nearly any tool they might want from FlexCut if they want to stick to one company. Palm gouges, full-size gouges, carving knives, folding carving knives, strops, and more.

A chip carving knife and a longer carving knife

After some experience with the Flexcut knives and some more experience carving wood that was way too hard and using knives that were much duller than I thought, I decided to try some better woodcarving knives. There are plenty of other knife companies I haven't had the pleasure of testing, such as Mora, Beavercraft, OCC Tools, and so, so many more. I have heard great things from different people about these brands, but I wanted to try out knives from Drake Knives and Lee Ferguson. Two smaller knife makers that I'd seen whispered about over and over again in the Woodcarving subreddit and other forums. Both companies have been absolutely fantastic. My Drake detail knife is still one of my go-to knives because I love the handle, and the steel holds an incredible edge, and my smaller Lee Ferguson knife has been perfect for small details that I couldn't get any other way.

It primarily comes down to preference. There are some differences, such as the steel, but all of these brands offer knives that will hold an edge and carve any wood you could want it to. Some of these knives will be better for carving soft wood, some for hardwood (depending on the angle of the cutting edge and the thickness of the steel), but those preferences are better discovered with experience than formed from someone else's experience with these tools.

Please see below for links to websites of the companies above, as well as other helpful resources.

Bell Forest Products - My favorite supplier of wood blanks when I know exactly what I want

Woodcraft - My favorite supplier of wood blanks when I have no idea that I wanted something in the first place.