Chip Carving:

The design for this form of woodcarving is usually geometrical and arranged so that nearly all of the cuts are triangular. A soft wood such as basswood, jelutong or pine is ideal for this method. Only a good sharp pocketknife is sufficient to do the job, ideally are a skewed and a stab knife especially made for chip carving.

Low Relief:

This form requires a thinner piece of wood or a plank of not more than an inch thick on which then a design is drawn. Excess wood is carved away leaving the pattern or design into prominence. The background is cut down to approximately one eight to one half inch and most of the time is left rough.

High Relief:

Here the background is cut much deeper than in low relief. Parts of the design are carved in different levels to give the appearance of some parts passing underneath or behind others. Some of the design may be cut almost free of the background giving it a three-dimential look.

In the Round:

An in the round carving stands alone and can be viewed from all sides. It should look right from all angles.

Woods are identified as hardwoods and softwoods. These terms have nothing to do with the density or hardness of the wood. Hardwood refers to the tree that it came from, namely the deciduous broadleaved tree, which shed their leaves annually. Softwood derives from conifers, which are trees bearing cones and most of which are evergreens.

Basswood:

Basswood, also called linden and lime,is probably the most used wood by beginners and professionals alike. There is no problem with the grain and the wood is soft. It is easy to cut and does not splinter easily. It glues well and is therefor good for laminating. The tree grows in Eastern Canada and the Eastern U.S.A.

Tupelo:

Tupelo, also called pepperidge, black gum and cotton gum, is quite brittle and difficult to carve with a knife or chisel. The bottom four or five feet of the trunk is excellent for carving with grinding tools. It is fine textured and mostly used for carving birds as it is very suitable for burning feathers without significant charring.
The tree grows in in the SouthEastern part of U.S.A.

Jelutong:

This wood, also called chewing gum wood cuts and carves easily. It is light, soft, fine-textured and good for birdcarving. Watch out for cavities, which are latex traces. The tree grows in Malasia and Indonesia and produces a milky latex substance, (the reason for the traces) which is used for the manufacturing of chewing gum.

Other:

Walnut, cherry, maple, oak, butternut are much harder woods. The grains and colors are very beautiful and show up nicely in stylized carvings. Try the softer woods first before tackling these.

For best results, woods should be kiln dried.

Carving Knives:

Knives are your basic carving tools. They come in many sizes and shapes. You should have at least two with blades of approximately one and one half inch long, preferably with wide bevels.

Chisels:

Chisels are usually ground on both sides. The ends may be square or skew. They may be bent backward or frontward.

Gouges:

Gouges are chisels with curved cutting edges. The curvatures go from almost flat to a very deep U. The degree of depth or also called sweep is identified by numbers. The deeper the curviture, the higher the number. Gouges come also in various widths and can be straight or bent, frontbent or backbent.

V-Tools:

V-tools, also called parting tools, have cutting edges in the shape of a V.The angles of the V come in various degrees from 25 to 90 degrees. They are handy tools for making hair or for incised carving.

Grinding Tools:

Grinding or rotary tools are favored by many carvers. Many different types or shapes of burs are available. These power tools will remove wood quite easily and with the right bur will do excellent jobs in detailing. Use these tools in well ventilated areas as they generate a lot of dust. One should wear a mask, when these tool are used.

Mallets:

Unless you have a set of palm gouges, a mallet is required for mallet gouges as the name implies. Mallets come in several weights and many are made from lignum vitae, a very hard wood that does not split easily. Rubber mallets seem to become more popular.

Rasps and Files:

Rasps, in particular round ones are excellent for shaping decoys. Rifflers, curved files, are perfect for details.

Woodburning Tools:

Burning tools are becoming more popular with carvers, as they are mainly used for bird feathering. Burners come with a wide variety of tips.