Post #714714 by AlohaStation on Thu, Apr 24, 2014 7:05 AM

There are many ways to carve fine detail. A cutting tool may not be right - if thats the case you can try rotary tools (dremel, foredom, wecheer...). There is no stress to the grain of the wood and you can get amazing detail. You stated that your chisels aren't sharp enough - that is a personal problem. Sharpening is a refined skill that all wood carvers should begin with. If not then WillCarve's reply is spot on! Xacto blades are sharpened downed to the molecular level - they don't last long but to its very easy to change to a new blade.

Some good exotics I have used for carving are: Cocobolo, paduak, mahogany, Cherry, ebony, redwood, cedar... remember exotics can be toxic and caution should be used when working with them. I found out the hard way that I'm allergic to many exotic woods.