This from David Bass…
Just adding my two cents. When I first started I used to have an iron grip on mine and would up with sore fingers and forearm. You may want to loosen your grip a little bit. Also I have found that some basswood is harder to cut than others. So, if it seems like you are trying to carve a brick use Marty’s method of spraying it with a water/alcohol mix, which could soften it a bit.
I hope that helps.
David