Custom rugs and carpets can be greatly enhanced by carpet carving or sculpturing with the Hofmann MS40 air driven carpet carving machine. Plain carpets can be given that three dimensional aspect to create a rich and interesting design. When custom carpets are made with a combination of colour and carpet carving the design possibilities are greatly extended. Whilst the combination of hand tufting and carpet carving provide endless possibilities for custom rugs, any tufted carpet can be sculpted. The Hofmann MS40 Carpet Carver is driven with compressed air, which assists in keeping the unit cool. The carver blades reciprocate when the eccentric drive causes sideways movement of the top carver blade. The standard carver blade width is 40mm but there are also 8mm,11mm and 18mm blades in addition to a "V" shaped blade for cutting "V" shaped grooves in a single pass. The range of blades opens up the possibilities for creating special custom rugs. In time and with extended use the blades will need sharpening, a service that is offered by Hofmann. Carving or sculpting can be done free hand or with the carver mounted in a base plate where the angle and depth of the carver can be set and locked.