Setting up a Carving Space

The longer I’m around woodworking and woodworkers, the more I realize just how broad this craft is. My projects tend toward furniture and cabinets. But in the last few years, I’ve dabbled in some carving. It offers a change of pace and a set of new skills to learn — and tools to get.

Along the way, I’ve discovered that carving has different workshop needs than what I already have set up. The biggest difference is that you don’t need much space at all.

While there’s a lot of information about setting up furniture making shops, there isn’t much on creating a space for a dedicated carver. So my aim is to talk about the big ideas of a carving shop: worksurfaces and work-holding, lighting, and layout, then