A Small Beginner's Guide to Wood Carving

A SMALL BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO WOOD CARVING

WITH 3 FARM ANIMAL CARVING PROJECTS

Hannah E. Chhar

Salutations!Thankyoufortakingalookatthissmalllittle booklet.Thisguidewillteachyousomeofthebasicsofwoodcarving withtopicssuchasinformationaboutthetoolsyouneed,wheretogetthem, thetypeofwood,safetyandofcourse,carvingitself.Includingthetemplatesforthecarvingsintheback ofthebooklet!Plus,someextrainformationabouthowyoucandesignyourowncarvingsandtemplates. Iwouldalsoliketomakeitclearthatonedoesnotnecessarilyneedalottostartwoodcarving.I knowthatalotofotherhobbiesorprojectsrequirequiteabitofmaterialsortoolstostartand woodcarvingmayseemthatway,butallyoureallyneedissomewoodandagoodcarvingknife!Sotryto notfeelintimidatedbythenumberoftools.

Thisguidecameoutofmyyearningtosharemycreationswithothers,andtoinspireothersto discoversomethingnewthey’venevertriedbefore.Oneofthosepeoplebeingpossiblysomeonelikeme. Yousee,I’vealwayshadtroublefindinghobbyformyself—ormorlikeIhadtroublecallingthingsmy hobbies.Takeforexamplemeand…letssay….art,watercolorpaintingtobespecific.Ienjoypainting anddrawing,butthethingisthatfirstly,Ibarelydoit,probablyabouttwiceoronceamonthamIableto getpaintdownonpaper.Andsecondly,I’mnotthegreatestatit,ahah.Sowiththat,andwithahandfulof otheractivitiesthatIcall“halfhobbies,”attheendoftheday,Ialmostfeelhobbyless!ButafterIhad discoveredwoodcarving,thewayIcansculptablockofwooddowntomyimaginationfascinatedme.So hereIamsharingmyknowledgeandcreationswithyou!IfIamabletoinspiresomeonetodiscoverthat woodcarvingissomethingtheyreallyenjoyandinspirethem tocontinuewoodcarvingbeyondtheprojectsofthissmallbooklet,mygoalwouldbe fulfilled.

Andhere’sareminderthatsometimescarvingswon’tgoasplanned.Youmay accidentallycutyourself,accidentlycutoffapieceofthecarvingyouweren’t mentto,findingefrustrationswithhowtocutsomethingandwhatnot. Thissoundcheesybutkeepongoinganworkwithwhatyouhave.You’re doingbetterthantheyoubeforeyoustartedcarving.Anicelittlereminder forsomeextraencouragement:)

GOODLUCKANDCARVEON!

THE HARDWARE

And other materials

Beforewejumprightintowhattoolsareneeded,it’dprobablybehelpfultogetasenseof whereyouwouldfindandshouldlookforthesetoolsfirst.Ofcourse,youcouldjustjumpright intoastoreoronlineandchuckeverythingyouwantintoyourcartbutIhavediscoveredplaces whereyoucangetthesametoolsataquitenicediscountorevenfree…well….Freeinasense…

LIBRARIES

Kindofasurprise,right?Somelibrarieshaveatypeofprogramsocalleda“LibraryofThings”where peoplecancheckoutitemsjustlikebooks!Mylocallibraryhasitemssuchasdrills,andcameras. Althoughmylibrarydidn’thaveanythingthatInecessarilyneededforwoodcarving,youneverknow whatyoumightfind.Doesn’thurttotakealookatyourlocallibrary’swebsite.

SCHOOLS

Iwouldhighlyrecommendtryingtocontactanyschools(highschools,colleges,etc)with woodworking,construction,orevengeneralartclassesandseeiftheyhaveanythingtheycouldlend you.AcoupleoftoolsIusedintheprojectsinthisbookletarethingsthatIborrowedfrommyschool artteacher(thanksMrs.Hawks)suchasgougesandsandpaper.Ievengotholdofsomemediocre carvingknivesthatIonlyusedoncebuttheycameinhandywhenIwastryingtolearnhowtosharpen knives(Andwastooscaredofpossiblyruiningmynicenewbrandedknife).Eventhoughmostofthe toolsIwillhavetoreturnbacktotheclassroom,theywerehelpfulinfiguringoutwhattoolsIwould usealotinmyprojectsandshouldpurchaseformyself.Ittrulyishelpfultotryoutawidevarietyof toolsbeforespendingyourmoneyonthemaswellastryingtotestthewatersinwoodcarving.

eBay

Primarilyforthehardwaretoolssuchaknives.AlthoughIwouldtakecautionwithbuyingknives fromoutsidethecountryasthatmaybeatoughthingtoexplaintocustoms,ahah.Buttherearesome prettygoodpricesontherewithquitedecentdiscounts.$3-5offwhatyoumightpayforin-store.I’d saytotryandlookatextratoolssuchasgouges.

KNIVES

FLEXCUT

Price:$20-25+ (Boughtminefor$22.99atWoodcraftin-store)

Ican’tvouchenoughforhowgreatFlexcutknivesarefornotjustbeginnersbutforallcarversin general.Forallprojectsincludedinthisbooklet,IusedaFlexcutKN13detailingknife.It’saquite versatiletoolforcuttinglargechunksbutalsoformakingsmalldetailswithit’ssmalltip.Allyoureally needisasingleknifetostartoutwoodcarvingbutifyouwant,Flexcutalsoofferssetsoftools,

Igotmyknifeatalocalwoodworkingshop,butIwouldhighlysuggestlookingforpossiblesecond handknives.LookonsitessuchaseBay,whereyoucanfindsomebrandnewunusedknivesfor18 bucksormore.Havingupto3dollarsoffwhatyouwouldpayinstore.

ForsomeconstoFlexcut,Ifindthattheir “ergonomic”handleabitjankey.Itmaybe becauseofthewayIholdmyknifebutIprefer thehandlebeinglessbulbous,butthatofcourse isjustapersonalpreference.Overall,Ican confidentlysaythatFlexcutisagreatbrandto startoffwith.

BEAVER CRAFT

Price:Under$20

Abitofamoreaffordableoptionforflexcutknives.MostlydecentstarterknivesfromwhatI’veheard butIhavealsoheardthattheytendtodullquicklyandhavetobesharpenedoften.Iamalsonotafanof theshapeoftheknifehandleswhichseemtometobetoorectangular.IwouldrecommendtheirC1 Smallwhittlingknife,andC2DetailingknifewhichhasasimilarbladeandhandleshapeoftheK13 flexcutknife.

They’remainlysoldonAmazonbutIwoulddefinitelyrecommendtryingtobuyoneBaywithfree shippingandslightlycheaperprices.BUT,ifyoucan,Iwouldstillhighlyrecommendgettingaflexcut knifeoverabeavercraftknifeforafewbucksmore.

GOUGES

Gougesaren’tnecessarilyneededforwoodcarvingbutIfindthemtobereallyuseful.Theyactkind oflikeachiselandstripoffstripsofwood.Therearetwotypeofgoueswhichcanbeeasilydistinguished bytheirpointshape;ageneralGougesometimesdubbedasaU-Gouge,andaV-gouge.Inthephoto above,allare“U-gouges”excepttheoneinthecenterwhichisaV-gouge.

“U-Gouge”

IdentifiedbytheU-shapeofthemetal,anicecurve.Itendtonotusethelargergougesasmycarvingsare relativelysmallbutbigUgougesareratherhelpfulforshavinglargerstripsofwoodandroundingedges. MymostfrequentlyusedgougeisactuallyarelativelysmallU-gougeasithasanicesleekthinhandleand cutequitewellwhensharp.AsIgotitfromaschoolanddoesnothavealabelorlogoofanysorts,Iam notsurewhereitcamefrombutIwouldsaytotrytogotoalocalwoodworkingshopandlookatphysical gougesthereandfindasizethatyoumaywanttouse.

V-Gouge

Asthenamesuggests,it’spointisV-shaped.Duetothis,itmakessharperlinesinthewoodwhichmakes itquiteusefulformakingsmalldetailssuchasthehairsonabeardanddefiningshapes.Itendtousethe biggerV-gougesasIfindthemtobequiteversatileasyoucangetthinlineswhenyouapplylesspressure andlargershavingsofwoodwithmorepressure.Again,I’drecommendlookingatgougesinstoreand lookatalltheshapes,sizes,handles,etctofindsomethingyoumightlike.

WOOD

Basswood

Byfaroneofthemostrecommendedtypeofwood forbeginnerwoodcarvers.Firstlyandmostimportantly, itisquiteasoftwood,withbeinglessdensethanother speciesmakingiteasiertocarve.Plusthefactthatithas averyconsistentandusuallystraightgrainwith littleto noknots(hardercircularpatternsinthewood)allowsfor furthereaseincarvingwithacertaintyinconsistency. ThenbecauseofBasswoodcanpracticallybefound almostanywhere.Ifyou’vepassedbyawoodworking sectioninacraftstore,it’smorethanlikelythatallof thoselittlewoodplanksandboxesarebasswood.Asas theyaresocommon,italsomakesbasswoodrather inexpensive.

AtalocalWoodcraftnearme,Iwasabletogeta3x3x12 basswoodblockfor$12.50anda2x2x12for$10.99. ThenIboughtBeavercraft’s12pcsBasswoodCarving Blockswhichwere$18.95(notincludingshipping).

Althoughitmayseemlikealotofmoney,itcomes withenoughwoodtomakenumerousprojectstokeep youbusy.Iliketousethesmallerbeavercraftblockers forprototypesandtestingaswellastryingtogetthefeel ofaproject.ThenIusethebiggerblocksfrommylocal woodworkingstoreforfinalizedpieces.

Eventhoughbasswoodhasbeenadvertisedasbeingoneofthesoftestandeasiestwoodstocut,I wouldrecommendcaution.Sometimesbasswoodcanbeindeedharderthanexpected.Itcandependon thingssuchasthespeciesofbasswoodand/orhowitwasdried.Inoticedthiswiththebeavercraftwood seemingabitmoredenserandslightlyhardertocarve(barelynoticeable,really)thanthewoodIbought in-store.It’sahitormisssituation,soI’veheard.

SANDPAPER

Thesmallerthegritnumber,theROUGHERitis.Thebiggerthegritnumber,theFINERitis. Thereisn’tmuchtosayaboutsandpaperotherthanfiguringouthowsmoothyouwantyour carvingstolook.Itendtogowithamuchsmallergritnumberlike80asIlikethecarvingmarksonmy pieces.Ithasarusticfeeltoit.Butifyouwantyourcarvingstobesmoother,thenyoumayneedtogeta coupledifferentgritsofsandpapersoyoucangraduallyincreasethegritnumbertogetthewoodreally smooth.

Saws

Sawsareratherimportantinthefirststepsofwoodcarving,with havingtocutablockofwoodtosizeorwhatnot.Butsawsarealso reallyhelpfulintheroughingoutstageswhereyougetneedtoget themostbasicblockedoutshapeofthecarving,or“blanks”asthey arecommonlycalled.

Themostusefulsawinwoodcarvingwillprobablybea bandsawandjigsawwhicharebothelectricsawswithratherthin blades.Veryhelpfulforquicklycuttingoutroughouts.

Thenext sawthatissomewhatcommonforroughoutsisthe handheldcopingsaw,asomewhatsmallthinbladedsawmakingit ratheragilewithhavingsomemoreprecisionasahandheldsaw.In away,acopingsawiskindoflikeamanualhumanpoweredband saw.

Asformyself,Iuseaprettybasichackingsawjusttocarve outmyblocks.Iroughoutthecarvingsmanuallywithaknifeas seeninmycarvingprocesswhichmakesthecarvingtakemove time,butalas.Whohasthetimeforspecifictypeofsawsanyways? Ingeneral,allyouneedisasinglesawthatwillbeabletocutyour

Clamps

Quiteasmallitembutusefulforthosewhoareusingahandheld sawtoroughouttheshapeoftheircarvings.Iborrowedminefrom myschool’sartroom.

BUT REMEMBER...

Everyoneisdifferent!Whatworksforothersmaynotwork foryou!Mysawingsetupisquitebasicwithnospecialequipment atall,heckit’sprettymuchapieceofcardboard,newspaperanda hackingsawonthefloor.Youdon’tneedtoomuchforthishobby. Ofcourse,youcanalwaysgetthefancyequipmentinorderto maketheprocessmucheasierandfaster,butyoudon’tnecercerilly needit.Thisissomethingthatgoesforalotofhobbies.When discoveringacoolnewhobby,I’msometimesoverwhelmedbyall theequipmentorwhatnotused,makingmefeellikeIneedallofit tostartthehobbywhichissimplynottrueaswoodcarvinghas taughtme.So,startsmall,orlarge,orwhateveryouhave!Just remembertohavesomefunwithit.

My “setup” with my handy old hacksaw and newspapers on the floor

OTHER ADVICE

And things to note before you get started

SAFETY

GLOVES

Byfarthemostimportantsafeguardsin woodcarving,especiallyforbeginners.Whenlookingat carvingtutorialsdonebypeoplebarehanded,itmaybe easytothinkthatyoucandothatsame.“Idon’tneed gloves,thumbandfingerguardsshouldbeenough,”was somethingIhadinitiallythoughtaswell.Andohboy wasIwrong.Inevergotthumbguardsandoptedfor glovesasIfoundsomeratherinexpensiveonesina gardeningsectionofapharmacy.Theyweresimple gloveswithalayerofthicklatexorrubber(notgetting intospecifics).Thesegloveshavesavedmefromslicing myfingersoffandstabbingmyselfCOUNTLESStimes. Itrulycannotthanktheseglovesenough.Butofcourse, noteverythingisfullproof!Onceinthefirstmonthof woodcarving,Iwasplayingaroundandsomewhatstress relievingbyshavingoffchunksofwoodandhadstabbed myselfthoughtheglove.Ibleedoutforagoodfew hoursandgotanicelittlescaronmypalm!Sorather thansolelyrelyonyourgloves,makesureyouareaware astowhereyouarecuttingandwhereyourfingersareas well.

SAFETY GLASSES/GOGGLES

Ratherasmallarticleandnotnecessarilyas widelyusedforwoodcarvingbutIwouldhighly recommendhavingthemonhandwhensandingyour piece.Prettysureyouwouldn’twantsawdustinyour eyes.

MASK

Again,anarticlethatisnotwidelyusedortalked aboutinwoodcarvingbutIfindthatwhenIwoodcarve, thetechniquesIusetendtoproducealotofsawdustand ofcourse….endupinhalingit.Ithasleadtoacoupleof sorethroatshereandthere.Butitreallyjustdependson technique.Butitshoulddefinitelybewornwhensanding yourpiecewithevensmallerparticlesofsawdust.

fterahalfanhourorso,youmaynoticeyour knifenotcuttingintothewoodaswell.Likeallknives, yourcarvingknifewilldullandwon’tperformasgreat asitwasrightoutofthepackage.Ormaybeyourknife isn’tthatsharpcomingofthethebox.Noproblem!All youreallyneedisaleatherstroopandsharpening compoundtosharpenyourknifeandbringitbackto peakperformance.

Atanywoodworkingstore,you’dbeabletofindsome typeofsharpeningtoolsandstroops.Although,those tendtobeabitmorehighendbybrandssuchasFlexcut andthuspricier.Forthis,I’drecommendgoingonline tolookforcheaperoptions.I

BEAVERCRAFT STROPPING LEATHER STROP KIT

Price:$10

IhavebeenusingBeavercraft’s“StroppingLeather StropKit”whichcamewithasinglepieceofleather andachunkofgreensharpeningcompound.Itsounds simpleandveryminimalbutit’sreallyallyouneed,and ofcourse,it’slessexpensivethanthemainbrandstuff ANDworks.MyBeaverCraftstoophasbeenwithme foreverysingleprojectinthisbooklet!

SHARPENING

1.Startbyrubbingthesharpeningcompoundonthe leatherstrop.Trytogetthecompoundrathersmooth andevenonthestrop.

2.Takeyourknifeandsetthebladedownontothestrop inawaywherethebladeosFLAT.Thereshouldbeno shadowoftheblade.Somemaysawata45degree anglebutIfindthatjustmakingsurethebladeisflat worksbetter.Seediagrambelow.

3.Sweepthebladeintheoppositedirectionthebladeis facing.Then,flipthebladeoverandsweeptheother way.Repeat20-30times.

MISCELLANEOUS FIXES

Sometimesaccidentshappen.Otherthanpersonalaccidentsandinjuriesyoumayalsoaccidently cutoffapieceofwoodthatyoudidn’twanttocutoff.Althoughthesolutionmayseemlikeanobvious solution,whenyou’repanickingaboutwhatyouhadjustdone andwhatyou'regoingtodo,thebraingets alittleblurred.Butrelax.Dependingonthetypeoftype(size,shape,etc)ofwoodyouaccidentlycarved off,thismaynotworkforeverything.Butmayaswellfirsttrytofindthecarvedpieceinyoupileofother woodshavings.Ifyoucan’tfindtheoriginalwoodpieceyoucouldalsotrytocarveasmallbitthatitlike it.

HereIaccidentallycut offmysheep’searVan Goghstyle.Iwasn’table tofindthelittleearinall mywoodshavingstoI endeduptakingasmall woodshavingandshaped itlikethecutoffear.

Nextisthemostpredictablestep.Justgluethepiecebackon.Idecidedto usemodpodgesinceitwastheonlythingIhadathandbutofcourseyou canalwaysusetherecommendedwoodgluetoputeverythingback together.Ifoundthatmodpodgeworkedratherwellformypiecesoyou couldsaveacouplebucksbyusingmodpodgeinsteadofthesaidfancy woodglue.IwouldnotrecommendElmer’scraft gluethoughasit’s mainlyusedforsmallerpiecesthatlikepaperanddoesn’thavethatstrong ofahold.Aswellasnotbeingwaterresistant.Again,itreallydependson whatyouaretryingtoputbacktogether.

Finally,allyouhavetodoitwaitfortheglue totryandsanddowntheaddedpieceto makeitlookabitmorecohesivewiththe restofthecarving.Thisismostlyneededfor thenyou’reputtingonapieceofwoodthat wasn’tthesamepiecethatwascarvedoff. Andthereyouhaveit!Aratheralmost seamlessfix!

FINALIZATIONS

Talkingaboutfinalizationsbeforelearningtocarve?Absolutely.Ifindthatknowingwhatyou’ll behavingtodoattheendofyourprojectmaybehelpfulsoyouhaveanideaofwhatyouhavetocome! Sandingisapartofthefinalizationprocessbutallyouhavetoknowaboutsandinghasprettymuch alreadybeenmentionedinthe“Sandpaper”guideinthebeginning.

PAINTING

Paintingisaratherfunprocessinwoodcarving.Gettingtoseeyour creationcometolifeincolor.Ofcourse,notallcarvingsarecoloredinorder todisplaythebeautifulgrainofwoodbutBasswooddoesn’thavetheprettiest grainoutthere.EitherWay,here’sashortlittleguideonpainting.

Firstly,thepaintsthemselves.IuseAppleBarrelacrylicpaintsastheyare ratherinexpensiveatmylocalcraftstoreandcomeingoodsmallamounts. Secondly,Ihavemysoftbristlepaintbrushesagainfrommylocalcraftstore, asmallpipettewhichisoptionalbutfordroppingindividualdropsofwater, andfinallyapalettewouldbehelpfulaswellbutanyplastic/ceramic/glass/etc surfacewillwork.

Irecommendnotusingthepaintstraightoutofthebottle/tubeasacrylicpaints dryshinyastheyaremadeofplastic.Iwaterdownmypaintsinordertomake themlooklessplasticlightandletsomeofthatwoodgrainandtextureshine throughthepainttogivethat“authentic”woodfeel.Itendtousesomething likea3:4ratioofwatertopaintanddo2-3layersofthat. Iwouldrecommend usinganotherblockofwoodtoswatchyourpaintasthepaintonpapermay notlookthesameonwood.Thisisalsohelpfultoseehowdilutedyouwant yourpainttobeaswell!

Keepinmindthatyouarepaintingwoodandthatwoodisquiteabsorbent. Thatmeansthatthepaintmayspreadtoplacesthatyoudon’twanttobe paintedsogoslowlyandkeepawatchonthepaintspread.

Here,Ipaintedwithwatercolorpaint,letthe paintdry,andthenwashofftheexcesspaint togivethewoodareallylightstainlook. Anothertechniqueforyoutoplayaround with.

Apartofthefinalizationprocessthatmanytendtoforgetabout.Afterfinishingyourcarvingand paintingit,youmaywanttosealitinordertoprotectitfromdirtyandmainlytokeepthewoodfrom absorbingmoisture.Therearemanytechniquesandproductspeoplehaveusedtosealtheircarvings.Iam currentlyusingwatereddownModPodgesinceitisratherinexpensiveandisrelativelywaterresistant.I wateritdownforsimilarreasonsastowhyiwaterdownmypaint,tosealthewoodbutnotmakeitfeel plastic-y.Otherpopularsealingmethodsincludeasimplegoodrubofbeeswaxwhichnotonlysealsthe woodbutalsopolishesit.Although,itmayneedtobereappliedeverysooftendependingonwherethe carvingwillbedisplayed(needstobekeptoutofthesun).Thenthere’salsousinglinseedoilasasealant topreventthewoodfromcrackingaswellasgivingthepieceanicepolish.Ifyoudon’tthinkanyofthese aregoodforyou,therearemanymoreproductspeopleuseassealantssogoonandexplore!

YOUTUBE

Trulynotasurpriseasbeingagreatresourcewiththewidevariety people sharingtheirpassionsinvideoform.AlthoughIdohavespecificYouTubers whoIfoundtobereallyhelpful.

DougLinkerhasmanyextremelyhelpfulvideoswhicharealsovery convenientlyorganizedintoplaylists.Afterwatchingallofthevideosinthe “IntroductiontoWoodcarving”playlist,Ifoundmyselfgoingthroughand addingabunchofvideosfromthe“BasicbeginnerWoodcarvingProject Videos”toaplaylistofprojectI’mhoppingtomake.Overall,veryhelpful forseeingcarvinginactionandlearning.

CarvingisFunisverybeginnercarverfocused,goingovernumerous topicsaboutthehobbyaswellasalsohavingnumerousfunprojecttutorial videos.Plus,hasawholeplaylistofreviewingcarvingknivesandtools whichwouldbereallyhelpfulforthosewhoarestrugglingdecidingonwhat toolstheyshouldbuy!

WOODCARVING ILLUSTRATED FORUM

Ifindforumstobeextremelyhelpfulwhengettingintoahobby.Seeing otherswiththesameinterest,sharingidea,tips,tricks,etc.Thisspecificforum hasthousandsandthousandsofpoststogothroughallmostlyaboutthetopic ofwoodcarving!Imainlybrowsedthe“WoodCarvingforBeginners” channelandlookedatallthequestionspeoplehadaskedandtheiranswers.I foundthatthereweresomanygoodquestionsthatiwouldhaveneverthought toask,alongwithsomeveryinformationalresponsestothequestions.Youcan trytosearchupaquestionyouhaveontheforum.Oryoucanofcoursemake anaccountandpostyourquestion!

LSirish

WebsitebyLoraS.Irish—longtimewoodcarverandaknown professionalinthecommunity—hasplentyofarticlesaboutwoodworking. Notjustwoodcarvingbutalsoothertypesofcarvingsuchaschipcarving, reliefwoodcarvingspooncarving,andsoon.ThearticleIfoundthemost helpfulwhenIstartedwoodcarvingwas“Beginner’s

WhittlingandRelief

CarvingToolKit”asithasnumerousphotosandextensiveexplanations abouteachtool,theiruses,andoverallveryhelpfulwithnotonlylearning howtowoodcarvebutalsowithwritingthissmallbooklet!Iwould encourageyoutoexplorethissite,andwithalloftheotherresourcesaswell, becauseyouneverknowthatyou’llfindthatmaycomeinhandy.

DOUG LINKER PLAYLISTS CARVING IS FUN CHANNEL

WOODCARVING ILLUSTRATED

CARVING

Beforewegetstraightintocarvingprojects,startbygettingtoknowthebasiccutsthatyou willuseintheproces.Irefertothesetypeofcutsintheinstructionsofcarvingsaswell.Soyoumay aswellgrabanysmallblockofwoodandpracticealong!

SWEEPING CUT

Themostbasiccutandsimplest.Asthenamesuggests,it's prettymuchaflatswoopintothewoodpushingtheknife awayfromyou.Holdtheknifeinonehandbythehandle, andwithyourotherhand,holdyourwoodandusethe thumbofthehandholdingthewoodtopushtheblade.The handholdingtheknifeshouldnotbedoingallofthe carving.Thinkofthethumbofthehandholdingthewoodas anenginepushingtheblade. Thereisn’tmuchtobesaidfor thisselfexplanatorycutbutmakesureyouknowwhere yourfingersare!Mygloveshavesavedmyfingersfrom beingcutfromasimplesweepingcutmultipletimesasthe woodsuddenlysplitsapartandmyknifegoesflying.Oneof theslightdownsidesofcarvingsuchasoftwood.

PARING CUT

Inawayasweepingcuttowardsyourthumb.Thistime,holdthe woodinonehand,andyourknifeintheother.Griptheknifewith yourfourfingersandwithyourthumbWHENWEARINGA GLOVEFORTHUMBGUARDS,useyourthumbasaguardforthe bladetostopaftercuttingthewood.Orinmoreidealstandards,tryto keepyourthumbbellowwheretheknifewillcuttoavoidhavingthe bladetouchyouatall.Whichevermakesyoufeelmorecomfortable asItendtobewearyofaccidentlyslippingandhavingtheknifego formychestifmythumbisn'ttheretoblockitahah.Ittaketimeto getusedtocuttingtowardsyourself.

STOP CUT

AcutthatItendtousealotandcomesinmanyforms.Cutdowndirectlyintothewood,then makeasweepingcutorparingcutintothatcut.Canalsobetheotherwayaroundwithaninitial unfinishedsweepingorparingcutandthenadirectcutintothewood.Itwillthenmakeanice cleanlittlechip.Iuseitmostlyfordefiningtheshapesofhindsonanimalsaswellastoshave downfeaturesofanimals.Basicallyusedtostopacutfromcuttingintoadesignatedarea.

VEE CUT

Likethename,thecutisinawaymakingaVshape.Startbymakinganangledcuteitherupor down.Donotfinishedthecut.Then,makeanangledcutupintothatpreviouscutwherethey willmeetinthecenter.Theendresultshouldbearhombusshapedchip.

MORAVIAN STAR

Agreatandsupersimpleminiprojectthatisreallyhelpfulwithworkingonyourstopcutsand V-cuts!Plus,theendproductlooksprettycoolaswell.

ThiswasthefirstthingIhaveevercarved.BelowaresomephotosofmyfirstMoravianstar,myfirstever woodcarving.Asyousansee,itwasvery…well…notgood.Andthatisokay!Iwasreallyhappyfinally gettingmyfirstevercarvingdonebutofcourseIwasdistraughtthatIhadmessedupsomethingsoeasy Thatwasmyignorance.HowwasIgoingtobegoodatsomethingIhadneverdonebefore!?

Noonebecomesaprofessionalovernight!So hereismylessontoyou,don’tbeupsetthat somethingdidn’tcomeoutrightthefirsttime,it rarelyeverhappenslikethat.Justknowthatyou hadjustdonesomethingthatpastyouhadnever thoughtyou’dbeabletodoandtryagain!

couldbe2x2x2,3x3x3,etcbuta1x1x1

Drawan"X,"oneverysidefrom cornertocorner.Alsomakeacrosson allfacesoftheblocktomarkthecenter

Thencutintotheedgeoftheblockon thatcenterlinethatisapartofthe cross.Then,makeaV-cutintotheedge oftheblock

Continuecuttingintotheblockuntilyoucutinto thethecenterofthetwofacesoftheblock, essentiallycuttingthecornersofthetwofacesof theblocktogetherasseeninthephotos

ContinueuntilyourV-cutiswideenoughthat itstretchescornertocorneranddeepenough thatitgoestothecenteroftheXonbothfaces oftheblock.Thisifyourfistfinishedside!

Repeatthesameprocessonallsidesofthe cube,shapingeachspokeofthestar

Theorderinwhichsideyoucarvedoesn’treallymatterandcanentirelybeuptopersonally preference.Someliketostickwithfinishingonefacefirst,somemaylikejumpingaroundor goingaroundasidefirst.

Andsoonerorlateryou’llbedowntoyour lastcoupleofsidesleft!Dependingonthe orderyoucarvedin,someofthelastfew pointsmayseemtobeinawkwardpositions wheretheyseemfragilebuthaveconfidence inyourselfandjustgoforit.

Andthereyouhaveit!Yourfirstwoodcarve!If youdidn’tlikehowthefirstoneturnedout,by allmeanstryagain!Youcanalsogoaheadand attachalittlescreweyeandmakeitan ornamentofkeepitasitisforanicelittledesk decor.

eadytostartcarvingafluffyfriend?Thisisarathersimplesheepwitharatherbasicformbut stillquitecute.Youcanfollowthesameinstructionswhenmakingsmallerversionsofthecreaturesas well!Forallanimalcarvingsinthisbooklet,feelfreetomodifyanytypesofcutstowhatseemstofityour carvingstyleandwhatdeemsproficientforyou.Notallcarvingstylesarethesame!

Startwitha3inx3inx2in wherethegrainrunsfromlefttorightofthesheep insteadofupanddownthesheep.Usingnormalwet elmersglue,pastebothtemplates(whichcanbefound andcutoutfromthebackofthisbooklet)onbothside oftheblockofwoodwherebothtemplatesarefacing thesameway.

Startindentingtheareabetweenthelegswith simplesweepingcuts.Notcuttingtoomuch intoityet.

Madeadirectcutintothelineoftheleg.Thencutupintoitlikeastopcut.Repeatthison thebacklegsaswellasonbothsides.Again,noneedtocarvetoodeeplyintothewood.

Startcarvingthebacklegslikeso, mainlyusingsweepingcutsdownto thetoes.Trytoevenitoutonboth sides

Togetthatlittlecurvedindent inthebackoftheleg,roll yourbladeintothewoodand thenup

Thebottomofyour carvingmaylook somethinglikethis

Whenthebacklegsarefinished,goaheadandtrytoshapethe backandbackneckofthesheepuptothehead.Mainly repeatedsweepingcutsandrollingcutstocreatedthecurved

Markandindentthearea betweenthesheep'swooland

Carveoutthataresusingacombinationofsweepingcutsand stopcuts.Asortofgougewouldalsobequitehandyinmaking

Shapetheedgeofthesnoutwith stopcuts

shapethefrontchestandlegsofthesheepbymaking longsweepingandstopupsuptothesnoutofthe

Formofsheepshouldbecomingtogether

Gobacktothebottomofthesheepandcarve downthebellywithstopandsweepingcuts

Indentthebottomofthesheep's snoutonthefacesideoftheblock.

Atthispoint,thesheepshouldprettymuchshouldnothaveanyexcesswood thatdoesn'tcorrespondwiththetemplate.Itshouldhavetheoutlineofthe template.Andatthispoint,iswherewearedonewiththeroughingout! Meaningthatwecanmoveontoshapingandremovingthetemplatebitmy bit.

SHEEP: SHAPING

Cutintothehindlineofthesheepandcarve outthesurroundingwoodusingstopcuts, definingthehindleg.Dothatonbothsides

Whenyouhaveagoodthicknessofthehind, roundtheedgeofthehindtomergewiththe restofthebody.Dothesamewiththetop partofthehindtomakeitlookcohesivewith thebody.

Cutintothelineseparatingthewoolfromthesheep'sgetand shavedowntheleg,definingthelegs.Repeatforalllegs

Notincludedinthetemplatebutdrawyourselfalittletailontheback.Cutdirectlyinto thetaillineandcarvethewoodaroundthetailtodefineit.Carvethetopbitofataila littletomakeitmorecohesivewiththebody.

Atthispointyousheep maylookalittlelikethis

Youcanthenthinthefrontofthesnoutby anglingyourknifetocutmoreintothe frontpartofthesnout.Afterwards,round outthebottomsidesofthesnout.Thisis alsowhereyoucancutdownyourearsto thedesiredthickness.Thenyoucanthin thebottompartoftheearsandmakethem abitmorecohesivewiththerestofthe face.

Continue

Markalineintheverycenterofboththefrontand backlegsofthesheep.Thencutdirectlyintothe markedlineaboutHALFWAY.Makealittleangled v-cutintothedirectcut.

Cutthelinesseparatingthefacefromthewoolandcarvethat partofthefaceoff.

Cutthelinesseparatingthefacefrom thewoolandcarvethatpartoftheface off.

carvingdownthefaceandsurroundingwool untilitisroughly5/8thofaninch.Youcantrytomark howwideyouwantyoursnouttobebymarkingit.Tryto makesurethatitiscentered.

Then,shavedowntheedgesofthelegsataslightangletolooklike sogivingabitofalessstiffpose.Andthataboutit!

Allthatisleftissomeoptional sandingtoroundoutthesheep

Alittlesimpletechniqueistofoldthesandpaperin halfandusetheedgetocandthelittlecornerslikein thefaceandaroundtheears.

Andthereyouhaveit!Anicelittlefluffyfriend!You cangoaheadandpaintitornot.Ipaintedmysheeps woodwhitewithdarkgreyfeaturesbutdowhatever youwant!Brownsheepblacksheeppinksheep!I alsofoundthatjustpaintingthewoodwhiteand keepingthefeaturesandlegsnaturalmakeforareally nicesoftlookasseenbelow.

erewe’llcarveasweetlittlepigtojointhefarm.Theprocessforthiscarvingisquitesimilarto thatofthesheep.Thiswouldbeagreatanimaltomakelilminiaturesforwithlittlepiglets!Butbeforewe startlookingatsmall,let'sstartoffwithlearninghowtocarvethe“normal”sizedversion.Startoffwitha 3¼inx2inx1¾inblockofwood.

Aftergluingdownthetemplate,malelines tomarkthebottomofthefeet,andthetop ofthesnoutasshownabove.

Makeadirectcutintothebackoftheback legsandstartshapingthebacklegwith (upwards)sweepingandstopcuts.

Atthefirstindentoftheleg,tryusingdownwardssweeping cutsfromtherumpdowntotheindent.Continuetoshapingthe curveofonlytheback/bottomhalfofthepig’sback.

Markthepointwheretheearsconnect withthebackasshow.The,makea directcutintothatline.

Continuetofinishthecurveofthepig’s backuptothepointwheretheears connectwiththebodyasshown.

Carvedowntheearstomatchtheear curveasseenonthetemplate.

Markthepointwheretheears connecttothefrontoftheheadand madeadirectcutintothatline

Usingv-cuts,carveoutthe woodbetweentheearsandthe face/snout

Continueuntiltheareais smoothedoutandeveas pictured.

Makeadirectcutintothewoodfollowingthe templatelineofunderthesnoutandthefrontof thefrontarm.Shaveoffthattoplayerofwood asaguide.Thencarveoffallofthatexcess wood.Belowthesnout.

PIG: SHAPING

Gobacktothefeetandmakedirectcutsintothe initiallymadelines.Shavedownthestomachas accordingtothetemplate.Yourcarvingmay lookliketheaboverightphoto.

Likethesheep,makeadirectcutintothe hind/hipandshoulderonthetemplate. Thencarvedownthestomachinorderto definethelimbs.Alsomakeadirectcutin thefrontshoulderandcarveoffthetop layerofwoodtodefinethepig’sneck. Repeatonbothsides.

Carefullycarveofftherestofthepapertemplateonthepig. Youcarvingmaylooksomethinglikethis.

Drawalinemarkingthecenterofthe face.Onthetopoftheears,drawlittle triangleslikeshown,Alsodrawoutwhat bigyouwantyoursnouttobe.

Angletheoutside partoftheearsas accordingtoyour drawing.

Then,makeadirect cutintothecenter lineontheears.

UseV-cutstodifferentiateanddefinethe twoears.

Trytomaketheearsslightlymorepointed asaccordingtoyourearlierdrawings

Shavedownthecornersofthesnoutfrom thebaseofthesnouttothepointtogetthe sizeandshapeyouwant.Makesuretostart aroundthebaseastomakethesoundlook morecohesivewiththeface.

Yoursnoutandpig’sfacemaylook somethinglikethis!

Somefinaldetailsincludeslightlyangling thesidesofalegsabitsimilartothesheep aswellasmakingasmallv-cutto differentiatethetwofeet.

Andnowyou’vegotyourselfalittlepigfriend!Asfo sanding,Ithinkthemainareathatwouldneedtobe sandedistheareabetweentheearsbutotherthanthat thepigmayalreadyberelativelysmooth.

Youcanplayaroundwiththewidthofwoodyouuse tocarveyourpig.Forthegrewspottedpigbelow (whichwasactuallymyprototype)Ihaduseda thinnerblockofwood,about1⅜inthick.Stillthe exactsameinstructionsjustaslightlydifferentresult!

CHICKEN

What’safarmwithoutachicken?Thislasttutorialwillteachyoutocarvealittlefeatheredfriend foryourlittlefarm.Iwillwarnyouthatthewaythischickenwascarvedwasquitetedious,moretedious thanasimplecarvinglikethisneededtobe,sobeware.Eitherway,grabyourknife,thechickentemplates, anda1½inx2inx2⅛inblockofwood.

Pastethetemplatetothe1½inx2inx2⅛inblockofwood whereagain,thegrainofthewoodrunsfromlefttoright insteadofupanddownbasedonorientationofthetemplate. Checkthelineupofthetemplatebymakingpointsatthe crown,pointofbeak,andbottomofthewattle(lilchicken beard)thenconnectingthosepointstomakelines.Thesame canbedonetoconnectthebackandfrontofthefeet)

Aftermakingadirectcut intothebackofthe chickenshaveoffthattop layerofwoosandrepeat onotherside.

Movetolookingatthebottomofthe chickenandmarktheBACKofthe chicken'sfeetandstarttoshave thewood onthebackofthechicken'sfeet.Continue doingsountilthebackofthefeethasbeen defined.

Thecarvingmaylooklikethis.From here,continueshavingoffallthewood behindthechickensothatitlooklikethe rightabovephoto

CHICKEN: ROUGH OUT

Startcarvingouttheupperpartofthechickenwithstopcutssweepingcuts,etc.Avoidcutting intotheearoftheheadandtail

Continuetocarveoutthatindentinthebackuntilitlookslike theshapeasshownonthetemplate.

Roundthecornerofthetopofthehead androughouttheshapeofthecomb (thelilmohawkonchickens).

Cutintotheareabetweenthecrown andbeakofthechicken

Useveecutsandstopcutstomarktheareaonthefaceof thecarving.Agougewouldbeveryhelpfulinthiscase.

Faceshouldlook mostlylikethis

Faceshouldlookmostlylikethis

Makeadirectcutintothebeak line,wattleline(againthe chickenbeardthingy)and downthefronttothefeet. Shavethattoplayerofwood

Carveouttherestoftheexcesswoodas accordingtothetemplate.

CHICKEN: SHAPING

Refinethesmalldetailed cornerssuchasthearea betweenthebeakandthe wattleandthewattleand thebody.

Makeadirectcutintothewattle followingthelinesandshaveoffthat toplayerofwoodwithstopcuts.Only about1centimeterin.

Continuetomakethechickeneven allaroundsothatitlookslikeitwas cutoutfromacookiecutter,ifthat makessense.

Dothesamethingwiththebeakwithcuttingintothe beaklineandcuttingoffthetoplayerofthebeakBUT makesurethatthebeakisTHICKERthanthewattleand thatyoucandifferentiatethetwofeaturesasseeninthe right-mostphotoabove.

Gobackdowntothefeelandmarkthe baseofthefeet.

Again,cutintothelinebetweenthecomb ofthechickenandthechicken’shead. Thencutoffthetoplayer.Thistimemake surethatthecombisjustslightlythicker thanthebeak

Yourcarvingmaylooklikethissofar.

Makeadirectcutintothewingofthe chicken.Thenshaveoffallofthe surroundingpapertemplatearoundthe wingasshowninthephotoabove.

Takingaslightbreakfromthewings,shapeyour chicken’stailbysimplyanglingyourknife’scutinto thetailonbothsidestogivethetailabitofamore pointedtriangularlook.

Andbacktothewings!Makeadirectcutintothemiddlefeatherfringe linesandcutoffthetoplayerofthepartofthewingwiththelineson thetemplate.Repeatonbothsides

Then,trytocarveofftheremainingpapertemplate.Trytomake surethatthecutsinthewoodseparatingthetwopartsofthe wingsarestillvisible.Thengobackanddeepenthebackpartof thewingtodifferentiatethetwopartsofthewingfurther.Carve therestofthebodyaroundthewingaswelltoallowthewings toprotrudemore.Repeatonbothsides.

Afterrepeatingthepastcoupleofsteps (carvebodyaroundwing,carveback partofwing),yourchickenwingsmay looklikethis.

Goingbacktothefrontofthechicken,markhowwide youwantthecomb,beak,andwattletobe.Tryto makesureeverythingismostlycentered.Thenroughly carvedowntoyourdesiredwidths.Maywanttoleave someextrawidthincaseofmistakes,moreimportant

Shavedownthefaceofthechickento bethesamewidthofthebaseofthe beak.Lookatnextphotos.

Aftershavingdownthechicken’s face,yourcarvingmaylooks somethinglikethis.

Next,youwillshapeyourbeak.Simplystartinoneside corneroftheblockybeak,andshaveitdowntoapoint.The repeatonallsidecornerstilyougetadesiredshapesimilarto thatpicturedabove.

CHICKEN: FINAl TOUCHES

Thefrontofyourchickenmay looksomethinglikethis

Allthereislefttodoistomakesomeminor adjustmentshereandthere.Here,Itriedtothinthe tailabitbythinningthebackaswellastryingto roundtheedgesofthebackabitmore.Thenmake somelittlev-cutsinthetailforsomedetail.Aswell asshavingthecombtoapointabit

Andhereisathefinalchickencarving!Theretendstobealotofroughedgesaroundthebeak andwattlesotherewouldbeagoodplacetodosomesandingaswellasthelittlecrevicesin betweenthewingdetails.

TEMPLATES

nthefollowingpagesyouwillfindthetemplatestoallthefarmanimalprojectsaswellassome variantsofthem.Youcanprintandcutthemout,oryoucanprintthetemplatesonceandthentraceover thetemplatewithanotherpieceofpapersoyoucancontinuallymaketemplateswithouthavingtoreprint themeachtime.

Bellow,youwillalsofindthesize/sideguideforthewooddimensionsforeachprojectin inches.

DESIGNING YOUR OWN TEMPLATES/CARVINGS

HaveyourowncarvingideainmindWanttomakeatemplateforitbutdon’tknowhow?Well here’saquickandsimpleguideforyoutomakeyourowntemplates!Although,myprocessismainlyfor verysimplifiedprojectswhicharesymmetrical.Ifyourcarvingideaisnotsymmetricalandmore complicated,somestepsmaynotworkforyou.

Istartedwithaphysicalsketchbutyou canjustdrawitdigitallyaswell.I maderoughideaforthesizeofthe carving,andmadeaflatSIDE PROFILEofthecarvingidea.

Itransferredthatdrawingtoadigitaldrawingprogram(Autodesk Sketchbook),turneddowntheopacityofthephotoofthesketch, andtraceditonanotherlayer.MakingadjustmentsasIgo.Ialso addedaboxsurroundingthedrawingaswell.Ithenmadea secondversionwherethedrawingwasMIRRORED.Remember, youneed2!A“mirrored”andnotmirroredversion!!

Then,ItransferredbothdigitaldrawingphotosontoagoogledocumentwhereIcould resizethephotousingthat“Imageoptions”adjustmentfunction.Althoughyoucan probablydothiswithotherprogramsaswell.Iinputeitherheight OR width,notboth withaspectratioon.(Withaspectratioof,andwithchangingboththeheightandwidth, it’llmessuptheproportions.Andwiththat,justprintoutthedocumentandthereyou haveyourtemplate!

SPECIAL THANKS TO:

Mrs.Hawksforlettingmeborrowabunchoftools(thatIendedupnot using…)BUTIREALLYAPPRECIATEIT!

Ms.Ogdenforherenthusiasmforeachnewcarving.

Myfellowtablematesandclassmatesfortheirsupport,inputonideas, andencouragementaswellasbeingmyplaytesters(trulychildrenatheart… oraliteralchildaltogether,youknowwhoyouare—ahem—).

MerloStationHighSchoolforbeingtheonlyschoolthatcontactedme backafterIreachedouttoahandfulofschoolaroundme.

Mycarvingglovespreventingmefromslicingmyfingersoff.

Hectortherockforkeepingmywoodencreaturescompany>

Mytrustycarvingknifeforgivingmeacoolcarvingscar.

Mybrainfor….It’sbraindoings…

TheMYPpersonalprojectforinspiringmetodosomethingImayhave notdoneotherwisewithoutit.Aswellasallthestressithascausedmethisyear(thoughitmaybemy fault…).Loveit.

MyphonestorageinwhichIhadtodeletehundredsofphotosandacoupleofappsinordertomake roomforallthephotosinthisbooklet.

Nuhad(akaBuddy)Forbeingamazinglyphotogenicandplaytestingmychickens:)

AndtoVIEWERSLIKEYOU