I got interested a long time ago when I saw an old style santa project in a magazine. It may have been Woodcraft or Better Homes and Gardens Wood magazine. Anyway, I bought a small set of exacto knives and carved the miniature figure. That gave me enough interest to want to do more. I bought Ron Ransom's Santa Carving book and continued using exactos. Ron Ransom had his contact info in the back of his books, so one evening I got up the courage to give him a call. He was a perfect gentleman and talked to me for quite a while and recommended I move up to a bigger knife and maybe a few chisels. I ended up getting a set of palm chisels from Woodcarvers Supply and I made my own knife from tool steel and some scraps of wood. They have all served me well. I've since gotten a foredom and some flex chisels, but you always have a few go-to tools that you reach for.
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