The Ashley Iles Peter Benson Carving Tool Set 1 was developed from real data rather than guesswork. Peter Benson tracked which tools his students reached for most often over several weeks of teaching, and this set reflects what actually got picked up and used.
What each tool brings to the bench:
- No.20 Curved Gouge, 3/16" (No.11 sweep, Veiner) --a deep U-shaped gouge for cutting rounded channels, veining, hair texture and any detail needing a clean, deep groove with no sharp sides
- No.18 Curved Gouge, 1/16" (No.9 sweep) --a small, steeply curved gouge for tight hollows and fine detail recesses, particularly useful where the veiner is too wide
- No.40 Curved V Tool, 1/16" - a fine, narrow V-tool for delicate outlining and lettering detail in confined areas
- No.5 Fishtail Gouge, 5/16" - a medium-sweep fishtail for shaping in tight spaces; the flared cutting edge reaches into corners and undercuts where a straight gouge's shaft would foul the surrounding wood
- No.3 Fishtail Gouge, 1/4" - a shallow-sweep fishtail for smoothing and blending in confined areas, particularly useful for lettering serifs and delicate surface transitions
- No.4 Fishtail Gouge, 3/16" - a small fishtail bridging the shallow No.3 and medium No.5, useful where neither quite matches the curve required
Supplied in an Ashley Iles 6 pocket carving tool roll, this set suits carvers ready to move beyond basics into detail work that demands real control in tight spaces.