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Starting out.

I am a furniture maker who is looking to add carvings to my repertoire to take my period pieces to the next level.  Specifically, I'll be learning concave and convex shells, acanthus leaves and ball and claw feet.  For the purposes of these carvings, which chisels and gouges should I be looking to purchase?  I realize this is probably one of the most asked questions by new carvers, but I'm hoping to get some directed advice based on the type of carvings I'm looking to undertake.

Joe,

https://www.marymaycarving.com/carvingschool/wp-content/uploads/Tool-List-1.pdf

The above link from Mary is a great place to start regarding your tool purchases. If you dig around for her videos specifically on your furniture interests, you can get the exact tool numbers that she used for those carvings.

Welcome to the site and carving itself!

Thanks for adding that link Matthew.

Welcome to the carving world Joe!

Have you gone through the free beginner videos? If you have not carved much, these will help you get started with learning about tools, how to sharpen them, and get you through some basic carving projects. Then as Matthew mentioned, go to the lessons that you are interested in and the tool list is shown at each lesson. You can either become a Premium Member for a monthly or yearly rate or you can purchase the videos individually if you only want specific ones.

Have fun!

Thank you Matthew and Mary, this is exactly the kind of list I've been looking for.

Time to start practicing!