Whether you're new to carving with stencils or looking for your next wood carving project, welcome!
This is where you'll find our favorite wood carving resources and links to stencils as well as wood carving tutorials.
When my wife started wood carving, she was frustrated with spending a lot of time sketching designs instead of actually carving. She was also concerned that her poor drawing skills would impact her finished carving if the lines were symmetrical or correctly placed.
These stencils allow you to quickly and easily form the basic design so you can get to carving and customizing!
Whether you're new to wood carving or a seasoned pro, we hope you join our free Community. This is where we share exclusive painting tips and answer questions from carvers like you!
This post may include affiliate links which means I may earn a commission on qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you.
Favorite carving tools
I like to keep woodcarving as simple and accessible as possible and do most of my carving with a Flexcut roughing knife.
- Generous 2″ Straight Blade: Features a 2″ high-carbon steel blade with a straight profile and a 1-¾″ bevel for efficient, heavy stock removal.
- Flexible Spring-Steel Construction: The blade’s spring-steel design absorbs pressure, giving you smoother, controlled cuts that follow the contours...
- Ergonomic Ash Wood Handle: Built with a sculpted American ash handle that provides a comfortable grip and reduces hand fatigue during long carving...
Most frequently used V tool 8 mm #12
- Swiss Made
- Square tang in handle
- Durable octagonal shape hardwood handle
#7 gouge, Pfiel
#3 gouge (⅜")
# 1 gouge (the flat chisel from Badger State)
- BRAND NEW 3-FINGER REINFORCED DESIGN FOR EXTRA PROTECTION AND COMFORT. We reinforced the three fingers most vulnerable to cuts in these safety cutting...
- EN388 LEVEL 5 CUT RESISTANCE RATING. Enjoy the highest level of protection on the market. Our tight-knit, lightweight protective gloves are more than...
- PERFECT FOR MEN AND WOMEN AND AVAILABLE IN PLENTY OF SIZES. Forget about one size fits all work and safety gloves. Our cut resistant gloves come in...
The Best Basswood for Carving
Our favorite place to get wood for carving is from Heinecke Wood Products.
Unfortunately, we've never had a positive experience with packs of wood from Amazon and cannot recommend purchasing from there.
Where to buy wood carving stencils
Our wood carving stencils are available through the Etsy shop Ronan 3D Prints. Only stencils found in this store are created by us. All stencils found in the shop have carving tutorials.
It's important to use a mechanical pencil to trace your designs. Most #2 pencils or carpenter's pencils won't fit in the slots. Folks frequently ask what pencil I use. It's the Koru Toga.
- Advanced rotating lead engine ensures 0.5mm nano diamond lead pencil is always sharp and your writing is on point
- A fine 0.5mm #2 lead produces intricate lines for clear text and vivid graphics
- Extra durable diamond-infused lead is stronger than standard lead, delivering strikingly dark marks
Wood carving tutorials
Carving tutorial videos can be found on our YouTube channel. There are also a few painting tutorials and a couple of carving tips & tricks posts here on the blog.
Wood Carving Stencils Lineup
- Gnome (a top seller!)
- Girl gnome
- Owl
- Scandi Santa
- Simple wizard
- Santa face
- Classic Santa (full body design)
- Penguin
- Snowman
- Parrot
- Sheep (perfect for Easter and Nativity sets)
- Angel
- Corner Santa
- Spooky Guy (Halloween figure with two face options)
- The Spooky Guy stencil has a blog post with painting tips.
- Nativity Joseph
- Mother Mary (beautiful as a stand alone or in a Nativity)
- Manger
- Simple Savior (a carved Jesus created in collaboration with AC Riley)
- Cat on a log
- Spirit face
- Jack o'Lanterns (These guys are stackable and have mix and match faces! Learn more in this blog post.)
- Christmas goblin
- Christmas tree
- Toy soldier
- Folk art Santa face
- Christmas ornament pack (mitten, sweater, stocking)
- Jolly Santa (a classic Santa face with high, round cheeks)
- Eyeball stencils
- 3 Kings, flatplane style
- Christmas "ghost"
How to suggest ideas for future stencils
Many of the stencils were made due to popular demand. If you'd like to make a request or share your completed pieces, please join our free Community and share your photos!
Leave a Reply