Warren Cutlery Tools

I can only suggest a workmate with the vice clamp, that will give you the best of both worlds you will have some large jaws on the workmate and the vice clamp will help on small pieces other then that drill a hole in your picnic table and just use the vice clamp.Its very good i wish i had bought one years ago

CV3 has a good portable tool caddy but space sounds a premium with you ? other than that drill a hole in the picnic table thats already there , but i dont think that would go down to well.

WEll long term all tools sre worth buying as long as there good quality, buy good , buy once

but you dont need lots of tools to start ,but do get good ones they hold there edge better. a couple of carving knifes and palm chisels will get you going and mayby a clamp to clamp things to the edge of a table

I ddont like the workmate it has its uses , but the thing is not the right height for me.and can be back breaking when used for long periods.

My old bench was knocked togther with waste wood but i made it to the height thats suits me .

I'm not familiar w. Warren Tools, but if price indicates anything, they seem to be better than "beginner" quality. Haven't found any reference to what steel is being used, or what the Rockwell hardness is, which would be more helpful in determining the quality.

Seems like the Warren tools are a reasonable starting point. The choice of handles will let you determine what feels good in your hand. But after awhile, swapping the gouges and blades back and forth will become tedious. By that point, you may know which tools are your favorites, and consider buying better ones of those. And/or buying several more so that you don't have to stop a carving session to re-sharpen. For instance, I have 3 of the same kind of Mora carving knives just because I like the way they preform for the types of cuts that I make.

Also, really inexpensive tools often have a hidden price, which is called frustration. As a beginner, frustration can exact a heavy toll. Nothing like botching a finishing cut because the cutting edge crumpled under pressure to turn a stick to "designer firewood."

For myself, most of the portable benches thew wrong height. For some work, I like a surface around 40" high so I don't have to bend over. For other work, like detail carving, I want a surface that is around waist height. A a result, most of my detail work is done sitting on a bench with a heavy pad over my legs, and a carving glove on my gripping hand, aka, lefty.

Also, think about sharpening. It takes some practice, but being able to put a good edge on any tool is necessary.

I am relatively new to carving as well. The Pfeil tools you mention I have seen at Woodcraft, this is the first I have heard of Warren tools. They are a product made in the USA and to me, that's a plus. I like to support our home country's business's when ever I can. I'm not sure I would like to keep changing the tools in the handles though, especially the knives.

I purchased my first batch of carving tools from Flexcut also a USA company. They offered the gouges and chisels in both the removable handles or solid piece. Flexcut are reasonable priced tools and I have been happy with them so far.

We do a lot of travelling/camping in a small motor home and I also carve on many a picnic table. I have a small clamp on vise that opens to 3" I picked up at Farm & Fleet. It works OK, for the $20 it cost me. If your staying in campgrounds you make do with what you can.