205 articles in the archive · page 3 of 18
In depthOctober 9, 2024
Why Carving is Honestly One of the Best Ideas That Could Cross Your Mind
A master carver on why carving is worth your years, what it does to your head, and who really shows up to learn it.
In depthOctober 2, 2024
Do I need to be good at drawing if I want to wood carve and sculpt?
A flat sheet cannot show what a form does when it turns away from you. After forty years I still model in clay first, even for one acanthus leaf, and then I turn the panel sideways to see whether it reads as a full round.
In depthOctober 2, 2024
You do not need drawing skills to start wood carving
You cannot draw, so you think carving is closed to you. It is not. A printed pattern, carbon paper, a pencil rubbing off an old carving and an old book plate all put a finished design on the blank, and your eye sharpens afterwards from the carving itself.
In depthOctober 2, 2024
What kind of wood should you use for Wood Carving?
What kind of wood do I carve? Basswood first, then walnut. I also love cherry and brown oak, and I name what I skip.
In depthOctober 2, 2024
What are the dangers of wood carving for beginners?
Forty years at the bench, and the injuries are always the same few. The off hand first, then sharpening, then a piece that moves. Ranked by how often they really happen, with the wood species that bite skin and lungs.
In depthOctober 2, 2024
What Is the First Step in Wood Carving?
The first step in wood carving is a proven sharp edge on one gouge, not a wood order. Here is the ordered first hour at my bench, why the skipped step decides the result, and the seven moves that end with a real carved shape.
Everything above is free and stays free. The courses are where I put your hands on the gouge and watch what they do.
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WOOD for Wood CarvingOctober 1, 2024
Is Brazilwood Good for Carving?
In depthSeptember 30, 2024
What to look for in a wood carving tool set before you buy
How to judge a boxed set of carving tools before money changes hands. What the hardness stamp really proves, how to read a sweep number, which shapes a set of twelve hides, and the five checks that take ten minutes at the kitchen table.
In depthSeptember 29, 2024
Can you teach yourself wood carving?
Teach yourself wood carving further than you expect, then meet the two walls that stop nearly everyone. Shall we carve?
In depthSeptember 29, 2024
How can I practice woodcarving without a lot of space
Woodcarving without a lot of space needs holding, not floor area. A master carver on real sizes, clamps and dust. Shall we carve?
In depthSeptember 20, 2024
Why Does Wood Carving Take So Long for Beginners?
Why does wood carving take so long for beginners? Four causes, two of them fixable this week for about five dollars.
In depthSeptember 18, 2024
Sketch and Model my Carving Design?
A carving design lives in clay before it lives in wood. See four ways to move a pattern onto a board, and the one I avoid.