All you need is a sharp knife to get going. and medium-hard wood block or branch about an inch in diameter. I would (and have) argue that a slash proof knife is a REALLY, REALLY, BAD idea as it makes you lazy, then when you carve without wearing it you are in much more serious danger as you have developed a strong hand and bad techniques. Good carving technique is inherently safe - keep the thumbs of both hands on the work piece at all times and it is very difficult to cut yourself. The boy-scout manual is an excellent starting point but everything written by Tangerman is a must read. These articles taught me everything I needed to know.
The Woodcarving Illustrated forum is well worth visiting.
The interweb is full of plans, patterns and pictures you can downoad, resize, cut out and stick onto your timber. None of my students could draw when they started carving (that's a lie, one student was able to draw) they all used re-sized photocopies of plans from books, friends, and the internet.
Join a group or class if you can find one, often you can't but that shouldn't stop you having fun. I started off whittling tricks like ball-in-cage and chains before moving on to spoons, then ducks, and so-on.
Check out my blog if it helps at all
Just go for it
Andrew,
aka stuckinthemud,
avenue.woodcarving
