Wood Carving lets you turn a simple block of wood into something useful or beautiful. You will learn knife safety, practice basic cuts, and complete your own carvings. Go slow, be safe, and enjoy the process.
Why it's worth it
With a knife, a block of wood, and some patience, you can make a neckerchief slide, a spoon, or a little animal that looks back at you. Wood Carving teaches you to handle sharp tools with real control, see shapes inside a block before you cut, and keep at something slowly until it's right. It's a quiet, portable hobby you can do around a campfire for the rest of your life, and many carvings end up as gifts people keep for years.
Start this week
- Check whether you have your Totin' Chip. If not, ask your patrol leader or Scoutmaster how to earn it.
- Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Wood Carving counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
- Ask your counselor what wood is best for beginners, like basswood, and where to find a small block or scraps.
- Look at a few simple carvings online or in a library book, and sketch a shape you'd like to try.
Plan ahead: Requirement 2 asks for the Totin' Chip, so earn it first. Then practice cuts on scrap wood before starting your projects in requirements 6 and 7.
Stay safe
- Carve away from your body, wear a carving glove on the hand holding the wood, and carve with an adult nearby.
- Keep blades sharp and closed or covered when not in use; a dull blade slips more easily.
Requirements · 7
Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).
- Requirement 1
Safety and first aid
Tips for this section: Learn the hazards of sharp tools and how to treat a small cut.
Example for this section: Explain how cuts happen when carving toward yourself, using a dull blade, or rushing. Then show the first aid for a small cut: apply pressure with a clean cloth, clean and bandage it, and tell an adult.
- Requirement 1a
Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face while carving and how to anticipate, prevent, and reduce them
- Requirement 1b
Show you know first aid for carving injuries, including small cuts, scratches, and splinters
- Requirement 2
Knife safety
Tips for this section: Earn your Totin' Chip first and practice safe knife handling with a leader.
- Requirement 2a
Earn the Totin' Chip
- Requirement 2b
Discuss what you understand about the Safety Checklist for Carving with your counselor
- Requirement 3
Tools and sharpening
Tips for this section: Ask an experienced carver to show you how to sharpen and care for your tools.
Example for this section: With your counselor, practice sharpening on a stone and stropping your blade. Explain how to store tools so edges stay sharp and nobody gets hurt reaching into a bag.
- Requirement 3a
Explain to your counselor, out loud or in writing, how to use and care for 5 kinds of tools you might use for carving
- Requirement 3b
Tell your counselor how to use and care for several kinds of sharpening devices, then show you can use them
- Requirement 4
On scrap wood or a project you're working on, show your counselor you can make each of these cuts
Tip: Practice each cut on scrap wood until it feels controlled and steady.
For example: On a scrap block, practice the stop cut, the push cut, the pull cut with your thumb behind the blade, and the V-cut. Keep your free hand out of the blade's path and wear a carving glove on it.
- Requirement 4a
Paring cut
- Requirement 4b
Basic cut and push cut
- Requirement 4c
V cut
- Requirement 4d
Stop cut or score line
- Requirement 5
Explain why different kinds of wood suit different projects, and why you picked the wood you used for requirements 6 and 7
Tip: Feel and compare a few soft and hard woods, and talk about which suit different projects.
For example: Compare basswood, pine, and a hardwood like oak by feel and by trying a cut in each. Explain why soft, even-grained basswood works for detailed figures while harder woods suit spoons or bowls.
- Requirement 6
Carve a simple piece in the round from your own design or a project in the Wood Carving merit badge pamphlet
Tip: Start with a simple shape, like an animal, and take your time.
For example: Carve a simple animal, like a fish, bear, or bird, in the round. Draw the outline on two sides of the block, rough out the shape, then add details and smooth it before finishing with oil or wax.
- Requirement 7
Finish a simple low-relief carving or a chip carving project
Tip: Try a simple design on a flat board using low relief or chip carving.
Places to visit
Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.
A woodcarving club meeting or show
Carvers bring finished pieces and tools, and many love helping beginners with their first cuts.
How: Have a parent or leader look up a local carving club and ask if your patrol can visit a meeting or show.
A folk art or history museum
Carved decoys, signs, and toys show how people used carving for everyday objects and art.
How: Have an adult check the museum's website for carving exhibits or demonstrations, and go with your family or patrol.
Where it can lead
- Woodcarver or artisanMakes and sells carved art, signs, furniture details, or decoys.
- Furniture maker or cabinetmakerSkilled trades that sometimes include decorative carving.
- Museum conservatorRepairs and preserves wooden objects and art.
- Pattern or model makerCarves precise models used in manufacturing and design.
Ask yourself
- What did you picture before you started carving, and how close did you get?
- When did you need to slow down, and what happened when you did?
- How did your cuts change between your first practice block and your final project?
- Who would you like to give a carving to, and what would you make for them?
- What would you like to carve next?
Good questions to ask your counselor or a carving club member
- What was the first thing you ever carved?
- How do you know when a knife needs sharpening?
- What do you do when you cut off a piece you didn't mean to?
- Which tools would you recommend for a beginner on a small budget?
- How do you choose a design and plan your cuts?
Helpful reads
- Earning a merit badge, step by step, From picking a badge to getting the final signature: how to find a counselor, set up meetings safely, work the requirements, and keep your progress., Youth · Families · 6 min read
- Contacting counselors, experts, and organizations, Email and phone scripts, who to ask for, how to follow up, and how to say thanks, with a parent copied every time., Youth · Families · 7 min read
- Choosing your next merit badge, How to pick a badge you'll actually finish: start with what you care about, balance Eagle-required and just-for-fun badges, and make the most of camp., Youth · Families · 6 min read
For leaders & parents
- Provide carving gloves and close supervision during carving sessions.
- Invite a local carving club to lead a hands-on workshop.
People & places that can help
- Merit badge counselor — Talk with them early; they can explain what's expected.
- Local woodcarving club — Experienced carvers can teach techniques.
- Scoutmaster and troop leaders — Can help you earn your Totin' Chip.
- American Folk Art Museum (opens in a new tab) — See carved figures, signs, and decoys made by self-taught artists.
Pairs well with
Named in these requirements
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Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.