Another year is coming to an end and as you all well know this is the time of year to look for bargains. These deals are not just exclusively for clothes or home goods but it generally applies to everything that is sold.

In one of my recent emails I find that Woodcraft are selling carving tools at a good discount and with this company they guarantee to ship them out the same day as ordered providing the order is received by 2pm EST.

The first set of carving tools that caught my eye were a set of six, a Henry Taylor starter set. These fine tools are made with hand forged blades and beech wood handles, not the general inferior quality blades that you associate with a beginners set. They are razor sharp so they are good to go straight from the box. Yes, they come in a storage box, not just loose items. The curves on the blades supplied are relatively small but will work great on small relief carvings, ideal for carving small lovespoons or ornaments. The total length for the Henry Taylor carving tools is eight inches so they won’t be too cumbersome for detail carving and should nestle nicely in the palm of your hand. The price for this set is discounted by 30% which for me is a pretty good saving.

The second set of carving tools that caught my eye were by Flexcut&#153, as you well know they are one of my favorite carving tools because of the versatility with the interchangeable blades. This holiday set that they have put together has six interchangeable blades, together with a quick connect handle, a mini detailing knife, SlipStrop and gold honing compound to ensure that the tools are kept at the peak of performance. They include a 16 page phamplet that explains the proper use of carving tools, honing and sharpening.

For the festive season there is also a small preprinted wood block to make your first carved ornament, with detailed instructions within the phamplet together with photographs. The total value of this package is $135.00 if purchased separately but as a boxed set it is $79.99. That’s a real good price as I recently purchased the SlipStrop and gold compound for my tools and that alone was $12.95!

The third set of carving tools that I found interesting are a Japanese carving tool called Power Grip. I have a set of these myself and they are every bit as sharp as the Flexcut&#153 tools. They are great for carving woodblock if you are into woodblock printing but I use them in conjunction with my other carving tools to carve my lovespoons. The ones that are on sale at Woodcraft are a five piece set at a 30% discount, that is $19.99. These tools are mid-length in size, in-other-words they fill the gap between the Henry Taylor and the palm tools from Flexcut&#153 giving you the ultimate in flexibility. The full seven piece set is $41.99. This set also comes with a storage box for safe keeping.

The nice thing about buying a starter set is you have the majority of blades to cover for general carving projects at a greatly reduced price compared to buying individually. They come in a convenient tailored box and for this time of year an easy wrapping project. Quality tools at a well reasonable price, so if your at a loss what to buy the handy person in your life then maybe a carving starter set could be the answer.