Bench Knife

A bench knife (sometimes just called a carving knife) is a general-purpose carving blade, but with a shorter blade and a design more like a tiny utility knife or scalpel. Unlike long whittling knives, a bench knife’s blade often has a broad, rounded point and a short cutting edge. The spine is thin and strong, making it good for utility cuts and finishing work. Bench knives are used to make clean cuts along the grain, trim corners, and carve straight or shallow angled cuts precisely.

Beginners benefit from a bench knife because it cleans up cuts and smooths surfaces after using larger tools. For instance, after making rough cuts with a chisel or whip knife, you can use a bench knife to pare away wood for a finer finish. It’s excellent for stabilizing small stocks of wood and carving without a mallet. Also, bench knives are useful for scooping out wood when chisels can’t fit. Learning to use a bench knife teaches safe grip and control: many beginners practice fine, controlled cuts with this reliable tool.

At BeaverCraft, we carry bench knives (for example, the C2 and C5 models) intended as go-to carving knives. Our C5 «Wood Carving Bench Knife» has a comfortable ash handle shaped for versatile use, and a high-quality steel blade. This type of bench knife is included in BeaverCraft knife sets and kits, ensuring beginners have a strong all-purpose knife on hand. In our kits, the bench knife often comes with other knives and tools, so new carvers can start by making general cuts and then refine with that bench knife before moving to details.