Wood Carving Merit Badge
Seven requirements. Safety and first aid; the Totin' Chip and the Safety Checklist for Carving; the care and use of five carving tools and of sharpening devices; four basic cuts shown on scrap wood or a project; why different woods suit different projects; then two carvings, one in the round and one low-relief or chip carving, with the wood for each explained in requirement 5.
Elective Merit Badges Arts Hobbies Merit Badges Requirements Safety
The plan behind this
Before you carve
| requirement | what it needs |
|---|---|
| 1(a) | the hazards you are most likely to encounter while wood carving, and what to do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate or lessen them |
| 1(b) | first aid for wood carving injuries, including minor cuts and scratches and splinters, shown |
| 2(a) | earn the Totin' Chip recognition |
| 2(b) | discuss your understanding of the Safety Checklist for Carving with your counselor |
| 3(a) | the care and use of five types of tools you may use in a carving project, explained orally or in writing |
| 3(b) | how to care for and use several types of sharpening devices, then a demonstration that you can use them |
| 4 | on scrap wood or a project you are working on, show a paring cut; a basic cut and push cut; a V cut; and a stop cut or score line |
The carvings
| requirement | what you make |
|---|---|
| 6 | a simple carving in the round, from a project you plan yourself or select from the Wood Carving merit badge pamphlet |
| 7 | a simple low-relief or a chip carving project |
5 is why different woods are used for different projects, and why you chose the type of wood you did for your projects in 6 and 7.
What this page is
The Wood Carving merit badge, drawn so the safety work, the Totin' Chip and the tool care come before the two carvings, with the wood choice of requirement 5 noted as looking ahead to them. It is not a copy of the requirements: each step is a short label with a link to the official requirements, which are what actually governs and which change from year to year. The free official pamphlet is the fuller guide.
Sources for this page
- Wood Carving Merit Badge Requirements, Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2025-09-19 · The requirements themselves, and the free official pamphlet linked from them.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.0.3 · The process every merit badge is earned through, which this page does not repeat.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 7.0.4.3 · Which version of a changed requirement applies to a Scout who has already started.
- Guide to Advancement, 2025, Section 4.0.0.1 · Why the requirements are not in the Guide to Advancement and are expected to change annually.
Last checked against its sources on .