Go out to your yard and pick up a rock. Take it into a work space and Bam,you are going to create something. I promise that every time you put that tool bit to the rock you’re gonna learn something.
Every bit has a different cut to it.Round bits, teardrop bits, pointed tip, flat square, round edge disk all searve a specfic purpose. Every time you change the speed on your tool you’ll get a different result.
When you start learning all the variations and capabilities of rock carving you’ll be ready to take it to the next level. I want to reiterate that it does not matter in the beginning how your first few rock projects turn out. You are practicing the craft of rock carving.
How to Carve Rocks or Stone
Carving Rocks/stone is a type of sculpting. Stone is different from other mediums in that it’s difficult to shape perfectly because of its density and unpredictability. Carving stone requires patience and planning. Use these steps as a stone-carving guide.
1. Choosing the Right Stone
- Step 1: Choose soapstone if you are a beginner and have few tools for carving. Soapstone’s texture resembles a dry bar of soap and is extremely malleable. It will easily form a shape with little force.
- Step 2: Buy alabaster for the best combination of durability and malleability. Alabaster comes in a wide range of colors and is available from many suppliers.
- Step 3: Avoid very hard stones like granite and marble. Carving these stones requires specialized tools like electric grinders and hammers.
- Step 4: Pick a slab of stone that is much larger than your intended sculpture. Carving is a subtractive process, not an additive one. Unlike adding more paint to a portrait, carving involves taking away stone to create the piece’s shape.
- Step 5: Inspect your stone for cracks and fissures. Since you’re working with natural materials, it won’t be unusual to experience structural flaws. Finding a stone with few flaws will reduce the likelihood that your stone will break when carving.
2. Getting the Necessary Tools
- Step 1: Wear respiratory protection while carving. Even if you are carving small quantities of stone, the stone itself may contain asbestos or silica. These are both harmful if inhaled.
- Step 2: Wear protective goggles over your eyes. If you wear a prescription pair of glasses, cover those with the goggles as well.
- Step 3: Consider wearing gloves if you are carving a large piece. Stone can be abrasive and carving it can cause blisters, scrapes, or cuts.
- Step 4: Invest in a hammer, chisels, and files. Online retailers like Amazon sell starter carving kits for $30.00. Alternately, local art stores and home gardening companies offer multiple types of carving kits. Although you may not need all these tools for soapstone and other softer stones, they will make your carving quicker and more precise. Here’s a quick guide to the tools you may need: (Soft hammer, Chisels or Files).
- Step 5: Purchase a sandbag from your local hardware store if you are sculpting a big stone. You will need to rest your sculpted piece on this sandbag as you work on it.
3. Carving Your Stone
- Step 1: Draw your design on a piece of paper. It is best to visualize your piece beforehand because sculpting requires abstract and spatial thinking. Although your drawing will be 2D, it will help you better visualize how your 3D item will need to be sculpted.
- Step 2: Look at the stone to determine the direction of the bed or grain. Similar to wood, the grain or bed is the direction in which the rock was formed.
- Step 3: Use a crayon to draw your design on the actual rock. This will be the blueprint for carving your stone.
- Step 4: Hold the hammer in your dominant hand and the chisel in the other. For example, if you are right handed, you will hold the hammer in your right hand.
- Step 5: Strike the end of your chisel with the hammer. If your angle is right, chips of stone will come off.
- Step 6: Place your stone on the sandbag if it is unsteady. For smaller stones, keeping the stone in a secure location while carving can be very difficult and will make you more exhausted trying to keep it steady manually.
- Step 7: Carve towards the center of the stone, not towards the edges. Since the stone becomes less thick and less supported towards the edges, it can break in uncontrolled ways.
- Step 8: Chisel along cracks, not across them. Remember that even the most optimal stone slab may still have minor cracks along the surface. Reduce the amount of lost stone by working with the cracks, not against them.
4. Finishing Up
- Step 1: File your stone moving away from you only. Filing is best for creating fine detail, smoothing out chisel marks, and refining the final shape of your piece.
- Step 2: Glue large pieces of lost stone back to the sculpture with epoxy. Epoxy is a special glue that typically comes in two components that you have to mix before applying.
- Step 3: Sand your final product with 220 grit paper. Removing chisel marks and scratches will make your stone look more refined and professional.
Best Carving Tools for Beginners and Professionals:
1. BeaverCraft S01 Spoon Carving Set
This is one of the best wood carving kits for beginners that want to try themselves in spoon and bowl carving. A Ukrainian-based manufacturer BeaverCraft has thought it all over for you and made a simple, yet very useful wood carving knife set that consists of a straight knife and a hook knife (also called spoon carving knife).
With only these 2 tools you can create an infinite number of excellent pieces of art that will find their place at your kitchen cupboard or at your friends’ shelf with the souvenirs. Spoon and bowl carving is considered to be one of the easiest wood carving techniques for a beginner. BeaverCraft S01 is the best wood carving set that is very well made out of quality materials and sharpened for you to start carving right away.
- High-quality carbon steel blades
- Best value for money spent
- Very sharp blades that hold their edges well
- Trustworthy brand
- The handles may be uncomfortable for those carvers, who’s got large hands
- Covers only the very elementary needs
2. Flexcut SK107 carving tools
Flexcut SK107 best wood carving set may be the love at first sight for those of you, who have the urge to carve out pictures in wood, interested in leaf carving or want to add intricate design to different objects. Basically, this all-in-one is everything you will need for carving out simple pictures on a beginner level. The set includes a quick-change handle, 10 interchangeable blades of various shape and purpose and an 11 pocket tool roll.
Although, these are the wood carving tools beginner may find not very easy to work with, this is a really good offer among other wood carving tools for sale. Additionally, you can purchase extra handles for the blades you use the most, so you don’t have to change them that often, but, on the contrary, this will not be light on the wallet, for sure.
- Extremely sharp blades
- The most complete set of blades that covers all of the needs for leaf carving
- The tool roll is a very useful bonus
- Pricey
- Extra caution should be taken when changing the blades, as it’s not very easy and can be dangerous
3. Xacto X5179 Carving Tool Set
This particular product comes with a carving set that has 6 tools. Xacto has introduced forged steelhead in these tools to make them deal with numerous types of woods. And when it comes to handling, the brand has come with an impressive one. You will find it very comfortable. And it’s durable too.
These tools are used for shaping wood as well as groove cutting. And if you are looking to do some deep relief cutting, you will find these to be very useful. The blades of these tools are designed, sized, and shaped in a way so that they can provide detailed and accurate cuts with consistency.
Moreover, they have made sure that the blades stay sharp for a long period providing you with extra comfort. For, no one likes to sharpen the blades frequently.
- The durable handle provides comfortable holding and the blades remain sharp for long
- It’s kept lightweight to minimize hand fatigue
- The plastic molding may be a bit cheap
4. Gimars 12 Set SK5 Carbon Steel Carving Tools
This set of knives contains three different walnut-handled cutting instruments. The hook knife handles round edges, and the chip carving knife allows for precise detail, while the sloyd knife is perfect for whittling down large pieces of wood into finer shapes. Each blade is built into the handle for maximum stability and cutting accuracy, and you also get a small piece of cow leather for cleaning them in a quick, efficient manner.
Even better, the kit also contains wax for helping you keep each of the blades sharp, as well as a basic block of wood to practice on. The durable and comfortable designs of the handles make these knives perfect for taking on difficult projects without letting them slip out of your hand or suddenly veer off in an awkward direction.
- Designed with high-quality walnut grips
- It contains multiple knives for different cut types
- Includes sharpening wax
- Perfect for a beginner
- Easy to polish using cow leather
- Takes up a lot of room
- There were some complaints that the lid of the box doesn’t seem to open and close properly
5. SCHAAF Wood Carving Tools Set
The Shaaf wood carving knives use a special ash hardwood handles that provide the maximum grip and stability you need, yet still letting you handle all different kinds of wooden materials with the blades that are made from high-quality chromium-vanadium alloy steel.
Inside the kit, there are 12 different razor-sharp wood carving tools giving you a range of different gouges and chisels that work great for both beginners and more seasoned woodworking experts. The entire blade set is packed into a special Schaaf tool roll made from protective plastic and canvas.
The blades have been designed so they can be sharpened so that the best possible results are given with each performance, and only a little maintenance and a few small adjustments are needed.
Overall if you are looking for a mix of quality carving, performance, and style then this kit has everything you need to start you progressing with your wood carving techniques. With the added extras of gouging and chiseling your woodworking skills are guaranteed to increase.
- Made with high-quality and strong materials
- Includes twelve individual, valuable tools
- Tools can be sharpened at any time
- Specially-designed flat-sided handles to prevent rolling
- Protective canvas carrying rolling matt
- Expensive
- Some knives may require additional sharpening before starting carving
Tips for Buying and Using Carving Chisels
Here are some additional tips to assist you to choose the best chisel for your tasks:
- Buy your chisel based on your experience level. Are you a beginner, an intermediate, or an advanced woodworker? Be honest about where you reside on the spectrum of experience and this will help you make the wisest choice for you.
- Always keep the purpose of why you are getting your chisel in mind. Choosing your chisel based on its intended use is the best way to avoid wasting your time and money.
- If you need to make lots of specific joints your carving chisels won’t produce, you should consider more specialized chisels (like the mortise and paring). Try starting with a general-purpose set of bevel-edged bench chisels of varying sizes (especially ¼ inch, ½ inch, ¾ inch, and 1 inch)
- You should select a blade material based on how hard the wood is and how often you’re willing to sharpen it.
- Keep your eyes out for blades that can be sharpened easily. Chisels that are easy to sharpen have much better value for money as they will last so much longer.