Ten engraving tools are as many as will be required for ordinary purposes.
The beginner can start with five, but labour is often saved by having a
sufficient number. They should be about 3½ inches in length, according to
the size of the worker’s hand, and when held in correct position the point
of the tool should not extend beyond the end of the thumb more than half
an inch. In practice the greatest freedom is obtained when the point
extends but little beyond the thumb, but as some allowance must be made
for repeated sharpening away on the oilstone, the half-inch extension is
recommended. When purchased they are generally much longer, 6 inches, but
this length is much too great to allow the tool to be used with ease. The
makers will generally grind them down to the required length for the
purchaser, an ink mark or piece of stamp paper stuck to the tool
indicating exactly the amount to be taken off. One side of the handle is
flat, and the tool, as it enters the handle, is slightly curved upwards.
This is to allow for free passage of the hand and tool over the surface of
the wood, and though tools may be without this upward curve they lose
freedom of action by being so.
[Fig. 1]