That can be hard, I carved as a kid and opened my hand up to the bone from the crook of my thumb to the my first knuckle on my index finger. Thankfully missed ligaments, but still have a big scar 20 years later. My parents encouraged me to start again, and I did briefly, but quickly found other hobbies, only recently have I been able to return to it and find joy in it.He has physically but its mind over matter at this point. He gashed his thumb with a carving knife a couple of Christmas' ago (12 stitches I think) and is "blade-shy" still.