re: V Tool - Part 2

I’ve found this true with my Pfeil gouges (which are really all I have). I bought a heavy handful of them upfront, based on what I consider pretty extensive research on the most used gouges for what I wanted to do. There are a couple more I’d like to add, but I can’t ever find them when I swing by woodcraft and I don’t really ‘need’ them so I wait…

I could certainly get behind a planned large purchase of gouges up front if there was good guidance on what to buy, but I think you run into problems with buying what you ‘think’ you need without the experience to tell you so. I’ve got a small handful of gouges I routinely reach for as part of everyday use (ie- not a carving specific project). Many of the others sit idle most all the time. 

I also lack the artistic ability to put many gouges to proper use. My hack version of carving is limited to small design work usually. I’d probably get a little better if I did more, or course. But then, I often immerse myself in a discipline (and the associated tools) to learn about it and get a basic, functional level of skill to add it to my overall repertoire. Whether I continue to learn and refine that skill set usually has to do with the projects I decide to work on…