Allen, like you I wanted to give a try at checkering. The first thing that I determined was the lines per inch on the stock. Then I trolled the internet and bought a starter set of Dem-Bart tools. There are lots of sets out there in number of tools and prices. My starter stock was 16LPI and I had trouble finding it. Use the guide that comes in the kit and start on a piece of soft wood to get the feel of cutting before moving on. Start from a baseline and continue to work from it. Buy additional heads so that you have a sharp tool, start slow and don't try to cut the line the complete depth on one pass. I take plenty of breaks because when my hand gets tired I tend to make mistakes. The work that you see posted by others here is not done in 5 minutes. Good checkering to you and hopefully others will chime in with tips and support.
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