Carving tools glossary
23 carving tools glossary. Knives, gouges, axes, sharpening kit and work holding for carvers, with what each is used for. Click a name for its full record.
23 of 23 carving tools glossary
| Tool | Category | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| Sloyd knife | knife | General whittling and spoon carving |
| Detail knife | knife | Fine work, eyes, lettering |
| Chip carving knife | knife | Chip carving |
| Stab knife | knife | Chip carving accents |
| Hook knife (spoon knife) | knife | Hollowing spoon bowls and small cups |
| Bent knife (crooked knife) | knife | Bowls, paddles, masks |
| Gouge | chisel | Relief, bowls, figures |
| Fishtail gouge | chisel | Getting into corners in relief work |
| Spoon (bent) gouge | chisel | Hollowing deep recesses |
| V-tool (parting tool) | chisel | Outlining, hair, texture |
| Veiner | chisel | Fine lines, veins, hair |
| Skew chisel | chisel | Clean corners, slicing cuts |
| Straight chisel | chisel | Flat surfaces, letter carving |
| Palm tools | chisel | Small relief and detail |
| Carving mallet | striking | Driving gouges in hard wood or large work |
| Carving hatchet (axe) | axe | Roughing out spoons and bowls from green wood |
| Adze | axe | Hollowing bowls and seats |
| Drawknife | knife | Removing bark, shaping spindles and handles |
| Strop | sharpening | Keeping an edge keen between sharpenings |
| Slip stone | sharpening | Honing the inside of gouges and V-tools |
| Honing compound | sharpening | Charging a strop |
| Bench hook / carver's screw | holding | Holding relief work on the bench |
| Shaving horse | holding | Holding green wood for the drawknife |
Updated 2 Oct 2026