Tool & Supply Recommendations

I have no affiliation with any of these products. It is simply an attempt to answer questions I am often asked. In almost every case, I have purchased and extensively used these products in my shop.

 

General Woodworking Tool Suppliers

Lie Nielsen - Warren, Maine - Top quality bench planes, chisels, backsaws, sharpening, etc.

Lee Valley - Canada - Similar to Lie Nielsen, great bench & workholding accessories, powered tenon cutters, layout tools, drill bits

Tools for Working Wood  - Brooklyn, New York - Holdfasts, moxon vises, shellac, sharpening supplies, finishing supplies

Highland Woodworking - Atlanta, Georgia - Bandsaw blades, machinery

 

Chairmaking

Tim Manney - Maine - Tapered Reamers, shavehorse plans

 

Woodturning

Wood Turners Wonders - Gainesville, Georgia - CBN grinding wheels, Rikon grinders

Packard Woodworks - Tryon, North Carolina - Turning tools

 

Finishing Supplies

The Real Milk Paint Company - Tennessee - Milk paint, tung oil (half&half)

 

Green Woodworking & Sloyd

For new spoon carvers looking for a basic introductory set, I recommend a Mora 106, Wood Tools open sweep spoon knife (alternative - Mora 164), Wood Tools Robin Wood Carving Axe (alternative - Gransfors Bruk large Swedish Carving Axe), and Silky Gomboy 270 medium teeth.

Mora - Sweden - widely available and affordable beginner to experienced spoon carving knives, 106. 164, 120 - I use a 106 almost every day

Wood Tools - United Kingdom - slightly less available, but nicer spoon carving hook knives and introductory axes

Pinewood Forge - Leonard, Minnesota - Sloyd knives, sharpening supplies, books - My favorite sloyd knife, I use the strop daily

Jason Lonon - North Carolina - wide variety of premium hand forged carving tools, stocked fairly often, I use his adze

Nic Westermann - United Kingdom - wide variety of premium hand forged carving tools, extremely long waitlist 

Reid Schwartz - New Hampshire - premium hand forged carving knives, my favorite tools period, long waitlist

Gransfors Bruk - Sweden - widely available axes, excellent quality - I use the large swedish carving axe and carpenter’s axe

Hans Karlsson - Sweden - wide variety of premium hand forged carving tools, can be difficult to source

Svante Djarv - Sweden - wide variety of premium hand forged carving tools, can be difficult to source

Kalthoff Axes - Sweden - premium carving axe, obtainable, but with a wait

Silky Saw - Japan - widely available folding pruning saws - I use the Gomboy 270 medium teeth