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Edition 2026Active Merit Badge
Wood Carving
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Wood Carving teaches controlled, patient knife work to transform a block of wood into a finished sculpture. You must hold your Totin' Chip before picking up a knife. You will master the four basic carving cuts, respect grain direction, and carve two distinct projects: a low-relief plaque and a complete three-dimensional figure in the round.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Woodcarving Safety, Knives & Sharpening
- Wood Grain Characteristics & Carving Woods
- Relief Carving, Incising & Whittling Cuts
- Crafting Finished Functional Carved Projects
4Printable Pages
7Requirements
2015Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Wood Carving Requirements
Every requirement for the Wood Carving merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1Hazards and First Aid
Do the following:
- a Explain to your counselor the hazards you are most likely to encounter while wood carving, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, or lessen these hazards.
- b Show that you know first aid for injuries that could occur while wood carving, including minor cuts and scratches and splinters.
2Totin' Chip and the Outdoor Code
Do the following:
- a Earn the Totin' Chip recognition.
- b Discuss with your counselor your understanding of the Safety Checklist for Carving.
3Knife Care and Carving Tools
Do the following:
- a Explain to your counselor, orally or in writing, the care and use of five types of tools that you may use in a carving project.
- b Tell your counselor how to care for and use several types of sharpening devices, then demonstrate that you know how to use these devices.
4The Four Basic Cuts
Using a piece of scrap wood or a project on which you are working, show your counselor that you know how to do the following:
- a Paring cut
- b Basic cut and push cut
- c V cut
- d Stop cut or score line
5Choosing Wood for a Project
Tell why different woods are used for different projects. Explain why you chose the type of wood you did for your projects in requirements 6 and 7.
6A Simple Carving Project
Plan your own or select a project from the Wood Carving merit badge pamphlet and complete a simple carving in the round.
7Low-Relief or Chip Carving
Complete a simple low-relief OR a chip carving project.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Wood Carving requirements in 2015. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/wood-carving/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
Spotted a discrepancy on this sheet? Tell us and we will re-check it against the official requirements.
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