Sharpening Wood Carving Tools

Sharpening carving tools is an essential step in carving. A sharp carving tool works better because it slices through the wood easier, making it safer and quicker to use. It, also, leaves a cleaner path behind. A good sharp edge means less effort, which means less force. When less force is needed, more control is possible, making the work safer.

There are many methods of sharpening carving tools from power grinders to wetstones to sandpaper and finally the strop. The most inexpensive method is using a couple of grades of sandpaper and a strop.

How much sharpening is needed depends on how damaged the edge of the blade is. If damaged or dull, you will need to use a 400 grit sandpaper laid on a flat surface such as the edge of the table. Place the blade edge down and drag it across the wet surface of the paper at an eleven degree angle. One way of finding an approximate eleven degree angle is to use either a nickel or a dime beneath the spine of the blade.

If your carving blade is three quarters of and inch in width or more, lay your blade flat on the sharpening surface and raise the spine of the blade until you can fit the edge of a nickel under it. If it is less than three quarters of an inch, use a dime.

Drag the edge along the wet sandpaper surface until all the nicks are gone and you have a smooth edge. Then do the same thing using a 600 grit wet sandpaper.

Finish by loading your leather (strop) up with your white aluminum oxide to the point that it won't absorb any more compound. You can use some light oil to help create a paste-like consistency. Make sure you wipe your blade clean of any sandpaper residue with a cloth. You don't want to get any grit on your strop. Then drag your knife edge along the strop at the same 11 degree angle, and continue equally on both sides, sharpening until you get a mirrored edge.

You can test the sharp edge by taking your knife and carving across the end grain of a piece of carving wood. You should see a smooth shiny surface and the end grain clearly. If you see a white line in your slice, you have a nick in your edge. You need to go back and start the process over. Once you have the edge you like on your knife, all you should have to do is strop about every fifteen minutes and protect your edge when you're not using your knife.

Whittling - Whittling Vs Wood Carving

Whittling is the removal of pare shavings or the cutting of small bits from a piece of wood. It is the most basic form of wood carving but it is not actually the art of wood carving, as it is done today. Wood carving requires a number of tools, even power tools at that. So it could get complicated pretty fast. But this is not how it is when one whittles. All you need to whittle are two things: a piece of wood and a knife.

True whittling has always been very simple. Details in the wood aren't very refined but rather pretty coarse. When you are holding a whittled object in your hand, you know it. You can plainly see each knife stroke. Using sand paper isn't an option. This is the exact opposite of wood carving, which typically excels in details. When you're holding a wood carving of the same object, you usually won't see even one knife stroke. It's very interesting. Whittling a little girl could take a week when all you're using is a knife. Wood carving the same little girl requires more tools but it takes just a fraction of the time. She'll also have many details that couldn't be produced with just a knife.

Whittling requires no special tools, no special circumstance or any specific type of working environment. Just you, a piece of wood and your knife are all it takes. You can whittle anywhere inside or outside your home, in a car, at a picnic, in a park-nearly anywhere. This is not so with detailed wood carving.

There are quite a number of special tools that you'll likely be using when you wood carve. There are detail knives and carving knives, wood rasps and wood files, wood gouges and wood chisels. And these aren't all of them. (Ever heard of a sanding stick?) There's a very good chance that you'll probably have a handful of power tools as part of your wood carving tool kit. Then you'll also need to concern yourself with how to supply electric power. It isn't so simple.

You really do need a designated work area when you're wood carving. You usually aren't even holding the wood you're working on. Many times it'd be a vise doing that for you so you'll need a good work bench or platform. And with all those valuable tools around, you don't want anyone fiddling with them. Besides the possibility of losing them, many of them are dangerously sharp and no one should touch them but you. And what about that special creation that you've been working on for so long? You surely don't want any spectators scoping it out when you're not around. Who knows what'll happen? (Hey, where'd the nose go?)

The act of whittling is considered to be a contemplative, meditative process. It isn't so much what you're whittling but the process itself. Wood carving, on the other hand, is more of an end result process. You strive to create what you see in your mind with all the details that come with it. You've a product to produce and so you may not care to spare any time.

It comes down to a matter of taste and how you feel. If you have no care to rush, you want to take your time and see what happens, whittling is for you. If you'd like to see just how skilled you can be, how good you are at bringing out details, wood carving may be just what you're looking for. Hey, try them both. You might surprise yourself.

Wood Carving Tools

Wood carving tools comes in different styles that depend on shapes, uses and sizes. Before you decide on which tools you acquire it is very important to consider the three basic factors.

Tools are always designed for particular functions. To start with the parting tools have V shapes that are very narrow and smaller in size. The cutting edge is either 40 or 60 inches and in most cases it is used for finishing the corners that are found on the inside.

The veining tools come in U shapes. They are very small in size and they are used for making grooves and rough lines. The flutes are larger compared to the veining tools. In most cases they are used for making surfaces very smooth and giving it a good finish.

Chisels ranges from narrow sizes to the widest size. They are mainly used for flat-cutting of edges occurring at 90 degrees and making good finishes for the sharp edges. The skew tools are like chisels that provide straight cutting for edges occurring at 45 degrees. Depending on the type of cutting they can give a left skew or right skew.

The long bent gouges are used in making concave curves. They are mainly used for roughing and making hollows. The spoon gouges have a concave shape with straight shanks. They are also mainly used for gouging. The back bent gouges are similar to the spoon gouges except they have convex-shaped curves that bends backwards. They are mainly used for chopping undersides.

It is therefore good to note that the size of the wood curving tools will determine the radius of the curves. Hence tools that contain low size numbers are mostly used for finishing. On the other hand tools that contain big curvatures have size numbers that are big to be able to make deep cuts.

Wood Carving - How to Choose the Right Style

Wood carving is a special craft. It requires extreme patience that could flourish with a fine imagination. If you decide to become a wood carver, you'll have several styles to choose from. You could use just a piece of wood and a small knife. Or you could go so far as using power tools. So how can you know which style is best for you?

There are five main styles of woodcarving. Each style is distinctly different from the other. These styles are whittling, chip carving, relief carving, intaglio carving and carving in the round.

Whittling. Whittling involves the removal of pare shavings or bits of wood with a cutting blade. It is the simplest form of wood carving, but not actually the art of wood carving. Because whittling is and always should be very simple, this is a critical differentiation to bear in mind. A piece of wood and a knife are all you require. And because it is so simple, whittled objects don't have much detail, as is the case in all other styles of wood carving.

When you're holding a whittled object in your hand, you absolutely know it. Each knife stroke is clearly seen. It remains as simple as when it began centuries ago, during the time of cavemen. Isn't that amazing?

Chip Carving. Chip carving involves the use of several knives to remove small pieces of wood (chips) from a flat wood surface. These are specially made chip knives that are used to push or pull at the wood, cutting upwards or downwards to free each chip.

Chip carving has become so popular that it is now its own art form. The main technique is to chip varying triangular shapes from the wood. This creates complex patterns that are often geometric in nature. Free form lines are regularly used to accentuate these chipped patterns. You could really let your imagination go.

Relief Carving. This type of carving is done on a flat back cut of wood with images cut in 3-dimensional fashion. These are the wood carvings you see on walls or sitting on tables or surface tops.

There are two types of relief carving. A low relief carving is identifiable by the visual effect that is created. Without shadows to imply deep carving, the product appears very shallow and is thus considered low relief. In high relief carvings, a spectacular depth effect is created by the addition of shadows throughout. Both types result in carvings with good dimension and detail. The end product is polished to create a very smooth surface. Then it may be painted, waxed or varnished.

Intaglio Carving. This style of wood carving is very similar to relief carving. But instead of looking as though it is above the wood surface, it looks as if it is part of the wood. The designs are below the suface because they are carved deep into the wood. Think of old wooden rolling pins. Remember the cute little pictures that were carved into it? That's intaglio carving.

Many furniture makers really like the style of intaglio carving. It has come so far as to be fitted for a blank space, carved separately and then inserted into the furniture. How about that? It can even be found in dining tables and in bedroom furniture. It's wonderful for wood paneling. You can even see it in specialty plaques, as part of an existing decorative item or as the actual surface of coffee tables and end tables.

Carving In The Round. This is the most advanced style of wood carving. The product can be viewed from all sides with a full and easy view of all details. It is carved out of the wood and its base serves as a supporting platform or as a pedestal. The carving could be a person, an animal or a landscape-nearly anything you can imagine. It could be life-sized or to scale. The sky is almost the limit with carving in the round.

This style of carving requires quite a number of tools. A variety of knives, gouges and chisels are a bare minimum. The use of power tools is not surprising and often expected. The final product then is usually quite spectacular. Oftentimes, a product of carving in the round is easily mistaken for a porcelain creation. The details are that impressive.

Wood carving has been around since the days of cavemen. With time, it has become quite an impressive art to behold. It's very relaxing, often exhilarating and extremely satisfying. If you're looking for a hobby, wood carving could be just what you're looking for.

Protecting Your Wood Carving Knife Edges

Whoops!

We've all done it. Used a carving knife to slice the lid of the Donut box open, gotten up to answer the phone with a chisel on our knee only to have it drop onto the floor and ruin the edge. (and then to make it worse, it was only a telemarketer!) Things like these happen to all of us and then we wonder why our tools keep getting dull. If we can learn to prevent these things from happening the life span of our tools will increase dramatically.

Things that can damage your edges

Sandpaper. Sandpaper is probably the worst on any edge. It contains the same Aluminum Oxide or Silicon carbde particles that help create the edge of your knife in the first place. When you carve a piece that will eventually need to be sanded, carve it as close to finished as you can without using sand paper. After you start sanding your carving, you really cannot go back to carving again. When you sand, you are leaving these sandpaper abrasive particles in and on your carving which, when you use your knife to touch up an area that has been sanded will abrade against the edge, thus dulling it.

Other tools. These tools most often have gone through an extensive Heat treating process to get them hard. When they bang against each other they will get dull.

Misuse of your tools. I've done this myself. I've gotten to the point where I can start sanding my carving and used my carving knife to... yes, slice up the sandpaper into smaller pieces. Don't do it. Have a junk knife to do this.

The table or bench. Tools roll off or get pushed off the table and onto the floor. (that darn cat!)

Put your knives on a tray with rubber drawer liner glued to the bottom to keep your tray from sliding. I purchased my lining at Home Depot for $2.50 a 6 ft. roll.

Don't ...

Store your knives and chisels together in the same compartment. You should have a compartment for each individual tool. When you store these tools in the same compartment the hard steel of these tools bang together as you are walking to the car after the carving club meeting and get dull.

Store sandpaper with your knives, put your sandpaper in a seperate container. Those particles fall out into your bag or box and abrade your tools.

Do...

Have a junk knife in your bag. Use this knife to slice up your sandpaper, cut open the super glue or scape the paint from your fingernails.

Put your tools back on or in places that prevent them from rolling off the table or into each other.

Keep a sheath on your tools. If you do this, you can store your tools together.

Sheaths- I've seen a lot of solutions.

You can use wine corks for your chisels and knives.

Woodcarving Illustrated has had projects to carve your own sheaths in the shape of thumbs, ducks etc.

Styrofoam- Just cut a block longer than your blade and stick it in.

FoamCore- Go to your local picture framer and ask for some foamcore cut offs. It is a styrene sheet with paper on both sides. It even comes in colors. You then can cut it to fit your tools.

Leather - glue up a piece of leather to wrap around your blade.

Phone books - I saw a lady at a show that rolled up a phonebook and taped it together to stick her knive blades into the end between the pages.

We all took the time to learn how to get a razors edge on our tools, now let's protect them!

View this and more articles on wood carving knives at www.DeepwoodsVentures.com

Carving and Painting Duck Decoys

Duck Decoys are constructed of different materials. Most of which are factory manufactured of molded materials such as plastic. I've seen some made of a rubber like material you can inflate to use them and deflate them for easy transportation. You can factory manufactured duck decoys made from cork like material.

There are very good carvers out there who carve decoys from wood. Their artwork can really make those pieces of wood come to life once they have them painted up. Many people look for these decoys and pay good money to get them. This type of decoy is mostly used as art for collectors but there are people out there who carve working decoys for duck hunting. There is a self satisfaction and great admiration by other waterfowl enthusiast for people who carve there own decoys and find them really work for them as a duck hunter or even a wildlife photographer.

One problem that occurs when using decoys is the paint comes off after time. After a while those life like decoys can become very un-life like. Once this problem comes to affect you, there are a few choices you have to remedy this. You can purchase new decoys or you can repaint the old ones.

Don't get all frustrated this can be fun and you can purchase books on the subject to learn how to paint your own decoys. Think of the satisfaction you will get when the decoys you paint up yourself come back to life once again. When you put them in the water and they actually work for you.

Why not get into carving your own duck decoys. Think of the pleasure that would bring whether you want to put them on your mantle or in the water and use them as working decoys. You can get books on carving duck decoys as well.

Whatever your enjoyment is, duck hunting, collector, photographer or hobbyist, carving and painting your own duck decoys can bring you great pleasure.

Wood Carving Basics

There is woodcarving and there is whittling as the old-timers call it, the latter of which is the oldest of the two forms. The three main things required to begin carving are 1. Either a whittling knife or a six piece basic carving set, 2. A soft wood, and 3. Imagination and desire.

As you progress in talent you may graduate up to chainsaws and hardwoods but for today we will stick with the basics. The basic six piece carving set consist of the following tools: A straight gouger, straight veiner, straight chisel, bent v-tool, straight skew, and a bent chisel.

These tools come in different handle shapes so it is up to you to decide which type feels more comfortable in your hand. Most sets can be purchased for under $50.00.

There are four basic types of woodcarving you can do and each type may require different tools for the job. As stated earlier whittling is the oldest of these and requires nothing more than a carving knife. Then, there is Carving in the Round, Relief Carving, and Chip Carving.

For hand carvers the best wood choices are Basswood, Pine, and Cottonwood. If you choose wood that is either to soft or to hard you will not be able to achieve the desired results. Once you have the correct tools and wood in hand the rest is up to you.

Woodcarving is a wonderfully inexpensive hobby that allows the artist to escape pressures we all face and let the problems of the day float to the floor along with the shavings.

Make Money From Wood Carvings, Without You Carving Anything

Wood carvings have always been popular. Most people, who have ever been to countries such as Indonesia, or the Philippines, will have seen them being made by hand. The talented craftsmen sitting cross-legged on the floor, chipping away at a piece of wood, until they have created an animal, person's head, or other wonderful piece of wood carving. These unique one-offs always seem far more special than anything we could make. Then, one day, you visit a craft shop back home, and see a shelf filled with identical wood carvings. How do they get them all to look the same? Surely, one craftsman cannot be that precise each time? Well, no, they can't. The secret behind this mass-production is a wood-carving machine. This is where you can set up your own lucrative business, making woodcarvings, without having to lift a single carving tool yourself.

The wood carving machines take one wood carving, and make identical copies. The way they work is almost magical. The original carving is literally traced by the machine, and it carves a second copy as it goes. That original carving, that costs two hundred bucks, say, then becomes two. The opportunities are endless. You can make as many copies, of any wooden carving, as you want to. Each one is identical to the first, and can therefore be sold for the same amount of money. Wooden seats for stools, wooden book ends, wooden Christmas tree decorations, and anything else that you can find, can all be duplicated in the same amount of detail as the original.

The only outlay that you need to make is for the machine, and the wood. Some of these wood carving machines can be found, second-hand, on sale for as little as a couple of hundred bucks. So, if you made a copy of a carving that originally sold for $200, you could sell the second one for the same amount of money and have recovered the cost of buying the wood carving machine with only one carving! The wood that you use can also be any type that you can find. You can even find wood for free. A lot of people have trees in their gardens that they do not want anymore, and have them cut down. Quite often, the trunk is then chopped up for fire wood. However, if you get in touch with a person who you know has just had a tree taken down; you can probably get some of the wood before it has been chopped up into smaller pieces. They will be glad that you take it off their hands, and probably not want any money for it. It is worth getting in touch with your local tree surgeons, or other companies that actually cut down the trees, and see if they can get hold of the wood for you cheaply.

Before you know it, you will be creating wood carvings that are every bit as good as the original hand-carved ones, and building a nice little business out of it that you can expand massively!

Wood Carving and African Handicraft

For many years, the art of wood carving from Africa is known to be one of the most beautiful, natural and unique in the world. It has maintained its huge economic and cultural importance to the people of Africa in general and to the artists in particular. This art of wood carving is centuries old and is passed down form generation to generation. This enables the work to become not only consistent, but also better with time.

The exact impact of wood carving on culture differs from tribe to tribe. Among the Akan of Ghana and La Cote d'Ivoire the use of wood carving in symbolism is recognized right form family (Obusua) to the state (Oman) level. As an example, wooden stools symbolise power and authority. In Kenya, among the Kalenjin tribe, wooden clubs (Chepunyo) are carried only by circumcised men and their design varies from one age group to another.This culture is obeyed,sometimes in total disregard of ones high and powerful status in modern day society.Such is the power of wood carving in African culture.

The economic aspect of wood carvings, on the other hand, is a more recent development. With better communication among nations, and the onset of the internet in the nineteen nineties, the beautiful, unique African wood carvings acquired wider exposure to the outside world. They were marketed as home and office decors, gifts to loved ones and domestic utensils. They did not disappoint.

Many different types of materials are used in African Handicraft. Wood and soapstone are commonly used to make unique, exciting sculptures while baskets are woven from natural fiber such as sisal. In keeping with tradition, sculpting is done by men while basket weaving is done by women. Most sculptures take the form of animals and humans with close link to the country of origin. Even when African handicraft items are based on the same subject matter and design, the fact that they are handmade with simple tool, makes them very unique. No two items will be alike. Wood remains the most important material to the artists mainly because it is easily accessible. It is also relatively easy to carve items out of wood enabling the artists to express their thoughts more easily and freely.

However, do not be fooled that African wood cravings would not be of high quality just because they are made from some natural material and with simple tools. The wood is either soft or hard - Both types have their own bads and goods. Whether the wood used is soft or hard, does not affect the quality of the end product. The final product will be something you will be extremely proud to show off.

The purchase of unique, original African wood carvings is on the rise because the products are truly exquisite and one of a kind piece of art. They are made from materials local to the country of origin by very talented and hardworking citizens of Africa. Just one look at these beautiful creations will assure you that you are not only in the presence of a beautiful handicraft but also something which represents African culture, history and heritage.

Bird Carving As a Specialty in Wood Carving

Today in the world of specialization we no longer regard someone as a medical doctor, but as a pediatrician or allergist or some other form of specialization in the medical field. This holds true for many professions, trades and other aspects of our world today. Specialization also holds true for the arts and crafts in general and for the woodcarving or sculpturing art in particular. Those that specialize in carving fish belong to the National Fish Carvers Guild and a number of other organizations cater specifically for fish carvers.

Similarly some woodcarvers do nothing but carve birds and no other objects or figures. The premier magazine for the bird carving fraternity is the Wildfowl Carving Magazine. Many bird carvers belong to bird carving groups and organizations such as the International Wildfowl Carvers Association and others. Even those that carve birds are divided in sub specialties, such as, stylized bird carvers, who visualize a bird in the shape and grain of a piece of wood. Another group is decoy carvers, who duplicate ducks, shorebirds and seabirds for the purpose of using them to lure birds to hunting blinds for sport hunting. Most decoy carvers today, however, carve their decoys for competition and decoration.

One of the specialized areas in bird carving, is the creation of realistic life size birds. Both the detail and colors of the plumage are replicated as close to reality as possible. As a matter of fact, some of the experts in this area of carving are able to create wooden masterpieces that is difficult to distinguish from the real bird.

I have spent numerous hours for the past seventeen years to create lifelike creations of birds in wood. Through many hours of practice on my own and tutoring by the masters, I have learned that the most important factor in this carving process, is to simulate every detail of the feathers of the bird. Secondly, painting a carved bird realistically can transform, a below par carving, into a finished product that is worthy of admiration.

In my article on **Carving Realistic Bird Feathers in Wood** I have outlined the carving process used by me and many other bird carvers to create realistic looking birds. I encourage you to look at bird photos in any of the resources referred to above to appreciate the art of bird carving.

Wood Carving - Bevels and Cutting Angles

Most wood carving tools are cutting tools. Every cutting tool has at least one bevel. This is the sloping surface coming off the edge. But it's more than jut a sloping surface. It's actually a cutting angle. So the bevel supports a specific cutting angle that determines how the tool can be used. Experienced carvers know about bevels and how they affect cutting efficiency.

If you're just starting out as a wood carver, and you're going to purchase carving tools for the first time, here are some things you should know.

Some carving tools leave the manufacturer without a bevel. This means that you'll have to be the one to make the cutting angle, which determines the shape of the bevel. Many experienced wood carvers prefer new tools this way because they want to put the cutting angles on themselves. They don't want to have to remake an edge.

Non-beveled edges are only recommended for those wood carvers who already know how to sharpen knives or similar types of cutting tools. Beveled edges are essentially wedges and every metal wedge is, in effect, a knife. When you know how to sharpen knives, you can make the cutting angle (AKA the sharpening angle) just the way you want it. You control the bevel exactly.

It's pretty easy to find new carving tools with pre-set bevels already ground in by the manufacturer. Nevertheless, the new carver must be aware that, even though the cutting angle was created by the tool maker, it may not be the correct size or shape that they want. Don't just assume that the bevel is correct. Know your needs, i.e. your specific carving tasks, and get the right tools. You shouldn't rush this.

The cutting angle of your carving tool, or the length of the bevel, determines the strength of the wood you can carve. At its very basic, the greater the cutting angle, the steeper and shorter the bevel. The greater angle means more cutting strength on the edge. The stronger the edge, the harder the wood to be cut. What does it all mean?

If you're going to cut soft woods, you'll want a small cutting angle on your tool's edge. This is a very thin edge and makes for a very large bevel (a long backwards slope).

If you're going to cut hard woods, you'll want a large cutting angle on your tool's edge. This makes for a much thicker, slanted edge and a small bevel (short and steep).

Here is another important point to keep in mind. The size of the cutting angle on your edge can determine how much control you'll have when carving.

If you're using a carving tool with a small cutting angle and a large bevel, more of your hands can rest on the wood. This provides better control and, therefore, better carving. Unfortunately, your edge isn't as strong as it could be.

If you're using a carving tool with a large cutting angle and a small bevel, less of your hands can rest on the wood. This could make carving a bit clumsy because you've got much less control of your hands. It's a curious thing. You've a strong edge that cuts fast but mistakes are easily made.

Because we're talking about bevels, here are the three main types of bevels that can be found in wood carving: straight (square) bevels, rounded bevels (convex) and hollow (concave) bevels.

Straight bevels. As the name sounds, these bevels have a straight square edge. They provide the most efficient cutting and the greatest strength to the edge for its sharpness. Many wood carvers prefer this type of bevel.

Rounded bevels. The profile of a rounded bevel is convex and looks the exact opposite of a hollow bevel. More effort is needed to cut the wood because the wedge is normally thick. Therefore, cutting angles are large.

Hollow bevels. Hollow bevels are concave and look the exact opposite of a rounded bevel. It's a very unique shape but working with it isn't very easy. Oftentimes, the hollowed bevel will unknowingly ride up on the edge of a cut so you've got to watch every part of it all of the time.

When you know the fundamentals of how cutting angles on beveled edges affect cutting efficiency, you'll know so much about any cutting tool that you hold in your hand. Simple mistakes can be avoided and you'd be well on your way to becoming a skilled wood carver.

Proper Care of Wood Carving Gouges

Proper care of wood carving gouges is important in order to ensure the longevity and quality of your tools. Carving gouges are one of the most used tools when carving and therefore are prone to a lot of wear and tear. By following these tips you can get the most use out of them.

First and foremost purchase quality tools. Quality tools will stay sharper and cost less in the long run. When sharpening your tools do not grind them. You will want to use a whetstone and strop, otherwise you may damage the gouge. For your carving gouges you will also need a set of ceramic slip stones to get inside the tool as well. Make sure the sharp edges are well honed, otherwise the tools will not cut cleanly. You will notice a difference in your carving when using properly sharpened tools, as they will seem to glide through the wood with little effort.

When you are done using your tools clean them and make sure they are dry before storing them. Carving gouges can be stored in either plastic or leather cases. The most important thing is that the case keeps moisture out. You want to make sure the case is sturdy enough so that the gouges do not accidentally get chipped or damaged. Find a safe place to store your wood carving tools in their cases, such as a toolbox or tackle box. This will keep them safe from being accidentally dropped or having weighted items land on them.

Improper care can ruin the best tools. By making sure your wood carving gouges are properly sharpened, cleaned and stored you will ensure that they are not just easier to carve with but also that your finished pieces will look their best.

Wood Carving - Art? Or Just a Hobby?

I remember a conversation I had with a friend of mine named Dan. Dan was an expert when it came to carving wood. I guess you would call him a wood carver. He certainly wasn't a lumberjack. He didn't "hew" wood; his talent lied in carving wood. Dan explained this to me over a few Mai Tais and informed me that the craft of carving wood was immensely more complex than I can possibly imagine. He kept impressing upon me the idea that carving wood is the same as sculpting from stone or painting with oils. Essentially, wood carving is an art.

The skill in masterfully carving wood is certainly impressive. I agreed that carving wood deserved to be respected more than it has been in the past, and Dan seemed happy that his point hit home. At first, I hadn't realized just how much Dan's words had affected me that day. The following weekend, I was lying on my bed and a commercial for a wood router had come on the television set. I immediately realized that wood carving is indeed an art. I grabbed my keys and headed to the nearest hardware store.

I was immediately overwhelmed with the sheer amount of wood carving tools that were available. I consulted a knowledgeable employee and went home with a basic wood carving set that was aimed at novices. I had originally suspected the set to be a bit too basic but, after a day or two of practicing, I realized that wood carving is an art that could never be described as "basic". Since that day, my talent in wood carving has grown exponentially and I now count myself among the many devoted fans of the art that is wood carving.

The most important thing I learned about wood carving when starting out was just how important it is to be patient. This is an incredibly difficult skill to learn and nobody truly masters it. Frustration is natural for anybody who is trying to take on a new challenge, but wood carving has always been seen as an art that is supposed to promote relaxation. The key is to become "one" with the wood. Let the wood inside you and become one another. Only then will you be able to look at the wood and see what can truly be done with it. Have faith; all questions will make sense in the end.

Wood Carving - How to Make a Gouge Honing Board

Once a gouge has been correctly sharpened, it doesn't take much afterwards to bring the edge back to absolute sharpness. This refers to the natural wearing away of the edge from use and not as a result of it being damaged. When all it needs is some honing, a bringing back to razor-sharpness, and not a true sharpening, there's something very handy that you can do about that.

One way to bring your edge back to pristine condition is to make a gouge honing board. Instead of using a fine grade sharpening stone all of the time, you could use your very handy honing board to bring back an edge. These are the things you'll need:

Solid rectangular block of softwood, 3" x 2" x 1" (l x w x h)

Rouging compound, fine abrasive powder or paste

Bench knife, fixed blade of less than 5" long

Tool with a non-sharpened edge/an old knife

Gouges for honing

The block of wood doesn't have to be of the specified dimensions, just close enough. If you want better control, it could easily be longer or wider. The honing section that you'll create can be placed anywhere on the block that suits you best. After all, that's what making this honing board is all about: your comfort and ease in honing gouges.

There are many types of rouging compounds. What you want is a material that can coat a surface with an easy application, especially in troughs and tight corners. You definitely don't want a rouging or polishing compound that comes in the form of a solid block. That would be nearly useless in this application.

A bench knife is preferred because of the small fixed blade. You don't need much of a cutting edge to make the honing board. You just need something sturdy and sharp. Be sure this knife has been sharpened before you begin.

Here we go. Take the wood block and decide where you'd like to create the honing section. If you follow the given dimensions, just start about a half inch inwards from the width-wise side. Take the gouge to be honed and cut a concave or positive profile into the wood. Using the exact dimensions of the gouge as your guide, be careful not to widen the trough further than the gouge is wide.

Now you'll cut the convex or negative profile into the wood. Take the same gouge used to make the positive profile. Move further inwards along the block of wood by about a quarter of an inch. That would be a quarter of an inch inwards from the positive profile. Take the gouge and turn it over so that the trough is upside down. In this position, cut the negative profile of the gouge into the wood. Take care not to widen the convex curve further than the gouge is wide.

You have just made a gouge honing board. Well done. Use the bench knife to square the edges between the carved profiles. It wouldn't be difficult for you to create a special honing board with positive and negative profiles for each of your regularly used gouges.

Now you'll prepare it for honing. Take the rouging compound and, using an old knife or a tool with a non-sharpened edge, evenly lay the compound all along the trough of the positive profile. When you're done, apply the rouging compound evenly over the convex surface of the negative profile. Take the overturned gouge to softly pack compound into the tight corners of the negative profile. And now your gouge honing board is ready.

When it's time to use it, just follow the bevel of the gouge. For the positive profile, lay your gouge in the trough, which should fit nice and tightly with the rouging compound added, and pull your gouge through the trough with the outside bevel flush on the honing board. For the negative profile, turn your gouge over and fit it over the convex surface and into the tight corners. With the inside bevel flush on the wood, pull it smoothly through the profile. Apply more rouging compound when necessary. Only use moderate pressure when pulling your gouges over the honing board.

There you go. You have successfully made yourself a gouge honing board. And you know how to use it correctly. Just remember, it isn't actual sharpening but it will get an already sharpened, undamaged edge back to good working condition. It's very simple, yet very effective. Just imagine what other types of quick-fixes could be made for carving tools.

Wood Carving Tools

Any homeowner who enjoys working in the garage should invest in wood carving tools at some point in their lives. From the expert woodworker to the weekend warrior, tools that can be used to quickly carve wood come into play. There are many wood carving tools on the market today, some of the more basic ones include:

Knife - A sharp pen knife is the most basic of wood carving tools. It can be used in a variety of ways and should be included in any wood carving kit. Be sure to buy a durable blade with a heavy gauge steel.

Chisel and Hammer - A chisel and hammer are necessary when digging out large chunks of material. Always make note of the grain of the wood when using a chisel and hammer or you risk removing too much.

Coping Saw - A coping saw is used to make intricate turns in wood. Necessary for most wood workers during those first few minutes when you are taking a block of wood down to a general shape of the finished product.

File - A file refines of wood after the saw, knife and chisel have been at work. It's the first step in completing a finished woodworking project. Careful, being too aggressive could damage the features of the wood.

Sandpaper - Helping to complete the finished product, sandpaper is a vital part of woodworking for smoothing rough cuts.

Wood tools are important for anyone with a shop at home. Even if you don't think they are necessary you will eventually come across a project requiring the use of these tools. Better to have them and not need them than the alternative.

Wood Carving - How to Sharpen Straight Chisels

If you're just starting out as a wood carver, you'll quickly discover how wood chisels are used all the time. There are many kinds, many sizes. They'll need periodic sharpening and it's good to be able to do them yourself. It isn't very fitting to have to bring your tools to a professional sharpener whenever they become dull. You lose money, you lose time. And best of all, straight chisels are the easiest wood carving tools to sharpen.

Straight chisels can be sharpened in two steps. The first is to get the tool's edge to sharpness, and the second is to strop that edge to silky smoothness.

- Straight Chisel Sharpening. This is sharpening for straight square chisels and it's very simple. Start with a coarse grade sharpening (honing or whetting) stone. Make the shaft vertical with the edge touching the stone. Slowly lower the end facing up until the edge's surface touches the wood. Stop right there. With the beveled face flush on the stone, you have achieved the correct sharpening angle.

While holding the chisel's beveled face flush against the stone, place your index finger on the top of the beveled surface for better control. Pull the stone towards you, away from the edge. Do this 10-20 times and then check for the burr. A burr is a feather-like sliver of wire that will come off the chisel's edge when you have achieved absolute sharpness. You slide your finger across the edge (never lengthwise!) and a burr will feel like sand or grit on your edge. If there isn't a burr, do another set of strokes until you've correctly raised it. If the tool has a second bevel, sharpen it as you have just done with the first bevel. Sharpen until you've correctly raised the burr.

After sharpness has been achieved with a coarse stone, move to a fine grade stone. You can do this with just one fine grade stone or with a succession of increasingly fine grade stones. Perform the sharpening strokes in the same way until you get a burr. If you've got a second bevel, do the same until a burr is raised. Be very sure that you've raised a burr along the entire length of the chisel's edge, and on both sides. If you won't make sure, just stop what you're doing and go watch television. I'm not kidding. If you're going to sharpen, do it well or not at all. It will affect how well you're able to carve. (If that doesn't matter to you, really, then what are you doing?)

There are a couple of different stroke techniques that are commonly used when sharpening straight chisels. With your index finger on the top of the beveled surface as you grip the shaft, place the fingers of your other hand on top of the first. Instead of pulling the tool towards you, you run it in circles. If not that, you can also push the tool sideways in one direction and then sideways in the other. There is no one specific method. Experiment and see which technique is best for you. I like the stroke that pulls away from the edge best. It's the simplest way to raise a burr and then detect it.

- Skewed Chisel Sharpening. Skewed chisels are just a bit different from straight chisels. A skewed chisel's edge is at a slanted angle, a skewed angle, and joins the side of the chisel head at an acute angle of less than 90 degrees.

Sharpening a skewed chisel is done in just the same way as sharpening a straight chisel. There is only one difference. The skewed edge needs to be made parallel to the forward edge of the sharpening stone. Or the edge can be made perpendicular to the side edge of the sharpening stone. Either way works fine. Just be consistent if there is a second bevel.

- Chisel Stropping. Your well-sharpened chisel now has burrs all along its edge. Well done. Stropping will remove those burrs and all other micro-bits still clinging.

You've got a couple of choices when it comes to stropping. First choice: You can use a free strap of leather to strop your edge in one direction and then the other. Lay the beveled face of your chisel's edge flat on the strap and pull away from the edge, parallel to the length-wise surface of the strap. Near the end of the strap, lift the chisel and turn it over. Place the opposite face of the chisel's edge flat on the strap. Pull in the opposite direction, away from the edge and parallel to the strap surface. Back and forth and back and forth until your edge is silky smooth.

The second choice for stropping your chisel edge is to use a stropping board, also referred to as a honing board. This could be in the form of a flat rectangular board, a paddle, a wooden bench or it could be one you make yourself. The technique for using a stropping board is just the same as the technique used on a free leather strap.

Leather strops and stropping boards are usually combined with a polishing compound. It facilitates the stropping process and makes carving much easier. It may be in the form of a liquid, a paste, powder or even a solid block that fits in the palm of your hand.

Stropping is a very important step in sharpening and shouldn't be dismissed. Think of it as you using a chisel with a dirty edge. It surely doesn't perform as well as a clean edge. And because it's dirty, using it will cause you to have to sharpen it much quicker than you usually would. So strop, and strop well. Your carving will be better for it.

Beginners need to be very careful when stropping. As novices in this art, the edge is often rounded instead of being polished smooth. That's because the edge isn't truly flat during the stropping process. A secondary bevel will be produced that thickens with each sharpening. Eventually, the only way to save the edge is to remake it. That would be a great loss in time and effort. Pay close attention.

When you've trained those hands to do a good job, you'll be able to sharpen any straight chisel, any skewed chisel in your tool collection. That's a lot you already know about sharpening carving tools. Keep it up. Just be so careful and watch out for secondary bevels.

Spotlight on Jacobo Angeles - A Rich Wood Carving Tradition in Oaxaca, Mexico

Try searching the Americas to find creators of folk art with more form, symbolism and importance to the development and sustenance of their culture, than those of indigenous ancestry in Oaxaca (wa-HAW-ka), one of the southernmost Mexican states.

Many so-called experts in folk art have mistakenly written that the origins of Oaxaca's wood carving tradition date back fifty or sixty years, to a small number of carvers residing in one of the central valleys of Oaxaca, a few miles from the state capital of the same name. The error has consistently been equating the recent commercialization of the art-form with its origins, and ignoring its pre-Hispanic roots and subsequent development.

Jacobo Ángeles lives with his wife María and two children in San Martín Tilcajete, one of three main native Zapotec villages, where most residents earn a living from carving and painting colorful figures, often generically referred to as alebrijes. The others are Arrazola and La Unión Tejalapan.

At age 12 Jacobo began learning to carve from his father. Later on he was mentored by village elders. "Over the past few decades our craft has without a doubt changed dramatically," Jacobo explains, "with the use of more synthetic paints, a tremendous increase in the range of figures being carved, and with domestic and international demand for our carvings growing exponentially and affecting how and what we produce. But remember, my ancestors were carving animals right here in this region before the Spanish arrived in the 1500's. And we were using only natural paint colors which we derived from fruits and vegetables, plants and tree bark, clay, and even insects. In my family we still use what we find around us to make paint for our figures, and our wood of choice continues to be the branches of the copal tree."

San Martín Tilcajete is located about a 40 minute drive from the city of Oaxaca, along a highway leading to the state's Pacific resort towns, including one of the oldest ports, Puerto Escondido. Puerto Escondido was a hub for the export of coffee and other cash crops during colonial times, but is now a popular beach destination for Mexican and international vacationers alike. Many travelers combine their sun and sand vacation with a visit to Oaxaca, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, searching out unique pieces of folk art including dance masks, pottery and clay figures, rugs and tapestries, and antiques from the colonial period forward. And of course there are the pre-Hispanic ruins, galleries, impressive Dominican churches, museums, and renowned Oaxacan cuisine.

"My ancestors used a 20-day calendar," Jacobo continues, "and each day was represented by a different creature. So every Zapotec person had an animal with whom he had a connection, and each animal had certain characteristics which carried over to the individual. For example, the jaguar represents power and ultimate strength, the frog is characterized by honesty and openness, the coyote watchful observation, the turtle always a troublemaker prone to breaking the rules, the eagle technical and strategic power, and so on. My people used to carve figures of just these 20 animals. They started out as small whittlings for good luck that people would keep in a revered niche in the home, or wear around the neck as amulets. They also carved larger figures for their children to use as toys."

After much probing, an almost forgotten story emerges of the use of decoys of wood and other materials. Jacobo reveals: "My people used a variety of methods to attract different kinds of game, but for hunting birds of prey, rabbits, and deer, yes they at times used decoys. A painted wooden snake would be placed on the ground in an area where ants had trampled the grasses so the snake decoy would easily be seen by eagles. To hunt rabbit, my ancestors would attach a rabbit tail to one end of a straw hat, and at the other end another tail with a face painted on it. For deer, a crude wooden deer torso with real antlers would be placed in the tall brush. So carving was historically important to our people for not only totemic and related reasons, but it was directly related to our subsistence. All the written records from the period of the conquest, and not just local legend, confirm the importance of woodcarving."

"But look at what we now carve. While in my family we still use natural paints, and still carve our totems, we've transformed a simple yet important and symbolic tradition into something very different. In our villages we now carve many more than those 20 animals because of collector demand. More importantly, we're able to make our heritage better understood and appreciated by the world. In our own workshop, our painting depicts designs and representations of our culture ... friezes from the ancient ruin at Mitla, symbols representing waves, mountains and fertility, the totems, and other metaphors for our culture, past and present."

Indeed the world has taken notice. Jacobo's work is prominently displayed in The Smithsonian Institute, Chicago's National Museum of Mexican Art, and elsewhere throughout the continent and further abroad, in museums, art colleges and galleries. Jacobo regularly traverses the U.S. promoting Oaxacan folk art and his Zapotec heritage, teaching in a diversity of educational venues ranging from junior schools to university departments of fine art, and as honored speaker at art exhibition openings.

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A visit to the Ángeles workshop, accessed by a heavily pot-holed narrow dirt road towards one end of the village, affords an opportunity to learn about this extraordinary skill-set, from Jacobo, Maria --- an excellent painter in her own right --- and some two dozen other members of their family who produce some of the finest quality carvings found anywhere on the continent.

The men do most of the carving, while women do most of the painting, but the tasks are definitely not exclusively based on gender lines. Carving is done with non - mechanical hand-tools such as machetes, chisels and knives. The only time a more sophisticated tool is used is when a chain saw is employed to cut off a branch and level a base for a proposed figure.

Except when a special order is received, the woodworkers in the family are given artistic license to carve whatever figure they wish. A piece of tree trunk will "speak" to one of these specialists, and be the inspiration for creating a particular animal: the shape, thickness, and bends and twists in the piece come alive. After the bark is removed, a detailed outline is drawn, defining the image with greater clarity and detail. The sculpting in earnest then begins.

"From the female copal tree we are able to make figures out of one piece of wood, often very large and intricate. This wood is soft and easy to work with. The male tree is harder, and branches tend to be smaller and somewhat delicate, so we use it to make animals which we assemble in the process."

The carving alone takes up to a month, at times longer. The figure is then left to dry for up to 10 months, depending on its overall size and thickness. Because of the properties of copal, and Oaxaca's semi-tropical climate, the wood is susceptible to termite infestation. Accordingly, during the drying process the piece is soaked in a gasoline / insecticide mixture for several hours. As an added assurance, it's then placed in an oven, just in case eggs have evaded extermination. "All of our pieces are guaranteed to never have a termite problem," Jacobo assures.

Since the figures are fashioned while the wood is green and more easily workable, the wood separates while drying. "There are a couple of members of my family whose main job is to fill the cracks before the painting begins." For this remedial work they use wood shims as well as a sawdust-glue mixture. But even these slivers of wood and the sawdust have been cured. "We're proud of our work, and never want to have any problems with any of our buyers, whether someone is spending $20 or $2,000."

In almost all cases in the Ángeles workshop, one person carves and another paints. Once a figure has left the hands of the carver, all proprietary rights are released, and another member of the family is entrusted with the painting. Nephew Magdaleno explains: "Occasionally one of my cousins will come up to me and say 'what do you think about these colors or this kind of design concept for this coyote,' and I'll give my feedback, but it doesn't happen very often, and I'm invariably pleased with the result. For me it's the form that's most important, and for whoever's painting, it's the imagery it captures."

One cannot help but gasp at the sculpting genius which goes into each piece: A starving dog scratching fleas, a bear with its paw in a honey pot, a snake constricting a wincing jaguar, a winged horse on its hinds, a woman with long braided locks and the body of an armadillo, or a deer, life-size by Mexican standards. There's something particularly arresting about each creation: the ever-so-flowing and realistic movement, a fanciful stance, or a familiar pose striking a chord with our popular characterization. However the painting is anything but familiar. No color goes untested and the intricacy of and variation in design is remarkable.

Theories abound regarding the beginning of the modern-day manifestation of the tradition. Some say that because hallucinogenic mushrooms are native to this part of Mexico, drug induced revelations caused the imaginations of some to wander, ultimately becoming expressed in their carvings. The better explanation is that knowledge of colorful, large, papier maché alebrijes or dragon-like forms which originated in the State of Mexico, eventually filtered down to Oaxaca, and were the inspiration for the fathers of contemporary painted wooden carvings. "You know, it's not accurate to refer to what we create as alebrijes, because to the older generation of Mexicans, and to true folk art collectors, alebrijes were developed near D.F. (Distrito Federal, or Mexico City, the nation's capital), and what we do is completely different."

Jacobo demonstrates how his ancestors created natural paints, historically utilized for dying clothing, painting buildings, and ceremonially as face and body decoration used for rites of passage, fiestas, prayer and other important occasions. Today their primary use, at least in Jacobo's family, is for painting the carvings. He explains with the assistance of his machete and a tree trunk how he cuts away the reddish inside part of the bark of the male copal, allows it to dry, then toasts and grinds it: "This is a primary base that we use, which allows us to create a range of colors, tones and shades. Just watch."

Using his hands as palettes, Jacobo begins by placing a small amount of the powdered bark in one hand, squeezes juice from a lime, creating a brown, which he then places on an unpainted wooden owl. "Yes the owl is also one of our sacred creatures, the great healer, quiet and humble." He reveals: "Now over time, and in the sun, this color will change or fade and be absorbed into the wood. So what our ancestors learned to do was take the dried sap from the copal tree and heat it up with honey. The resulting liquid is then mixed with the paint, changing the color a little; see, it becomes a deep orange ... but most importantly it acts as a mordent making the color permanent, and a little shiny." He adds powdered limestone, and the color changes to black. With the addition of baking soda and more lime juice it becomes a deep yellow, and with more chemical it miraculously becomes magenta. A new base is then started, with crushed pomegranate seeds. Magically the pulverized pink is transformed into green with the addition of limestone powder. Mixed with the magenta, it becomes navy blue. With the addition of zinc it becomes grey, and with more zinc, white. Blue from the añil tree, indigo, is altered with the addition of bicarbonate, zinc, lime juice or the powdered lime mineral. Corn mold, a black gooey culinary delicacy known as huitlacoche, when fermented and then powdered, yields ochre. The red of the dried and then crushed minute insect, the cochineal, which feeds off its host nopal cactus, becomes orange with the addition of the juice of any of a number of acidic fruits.

The demonstration terminates with Jacobo asking, "what´s your favorite animal," following which he finger paints a rabbit from the rainbow of colors on his palms, as only Alice could have imagined.

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With approximately 150 families now producing painted wooden figures in these and a couple of other smaller villages, the questions left unanswered remain: What facilitated and drove more carvers to adopt the papier maché style of using brilliant color combinations, and how can everyone in these villages make a living from this solitary art-form?

As with other crafts in the central valleys of Oaxaca, their production wasn't always the primary means of sustenance for the populace. Traditionally, handicrafts were a hobby or part-time trade, beginning with very few items being sold to the odd passerby, adventurer or traveler. In the case of rugs from nearby Teotitlán del Valle, there were trade routes that producers followed in order to effect more sales in other regions of the state, and in some cases beyond. But the primary means of family survival was working the land and small-scale ranching. And in the case of the carving villages, there never was a broader market, although in San Martín Tilcajete embroidered shirts, blouses and dresses were an extremely well-received craft throughout the 1960's and into the 80's.

Dramatic change in production and marketing of wooden carvings had its genesis in the 1940's. The pan-American highway cut through the Sierra Madre del Sur mountains, reaching Oaxaca, opening up the region to the north, in particular Mexico City and the border states. Until then Oaxaca was relatively isolated notwithstanding a rail connection. By the 1950's and early 60's Americans and Canadians were prospering from the post-war boom, credit cards had been mailed to virtually everyone, and word spread of a new kind of vacation, in a third world country, Mexico. Jet air travel facilitated the transformation. The women's movement meant more two income families, resulting in more disposable income for traveling. Mexicana Airlines and Oaxacan travel agents partnered to begin offering tour packages, which further facilitated tourism to the region.

The hippie movement of the 1960's and early 70's brought Oaxaca to the forefront of the alternative lifestyle, with throngs of youth and their pop idols traveling to Huautla de Jiménez, then a tiny Oaxacan village, to eat hallucinogenic mushrooms with the now infamous healer María Sabina. North American youth saw and purchased the first generation of contemporary wood carvings.

By the 1980's, as a consequence of multiple factors, Oaxacan alebrijes had become well-established as folk art, with the market continuing to grow. The economic implication was that farmers and ranchers were able to spend more time carving and painting, and less time in the countryside and in marketplaces vending their produce and animals. With a new toll-road opening from Mexico City to Oaxaca in 1995, access to the southern state became even quicker and easier, and safe. In good conscience, travel writers were no longer able to warn tourists about driving the switchbacks, back-road banditos, or cars overheating on secondary roads without service stations.

The future market for the artistry? While the odd visitor to a Oaxacan coastal resort such as Puerto Escondido, or the more popular Huatulco, does visit the state capital and the workshops of carvers like Jacobo, most do not. Within the next four years a new highway to the coast will open, cutting road travel time by at least a third. Even more sun worshipers will visit Oaxaca, and marvel at the art of Jacobo and María Ángeles.

Since opening their family workshop in 1996, without a doubt Jacobo and María have singularly raised the quality bar for other villagers who aspire to mirror their success. With Oaxacan wood carvings of superior quality now well established on the world stage, and access no longer an impediment, the challenge for others in San Martín Tilcajete will be to achieve the success of the Ángeles family through production of like quality, until now eluding most.

A challenge for all carvers in the region is to ensure a continuous supply of copal to meet demand. A reforestation project spear-headed about 15 years ago by the late master of contemporary Mexican art, Rodolfo Morales, continues through his Foundation. The Ángeles family with friends and other villagers spend the last Sunday of each July, in the midst of the rainy season, planting, a part of their sustainable living effort: ensuring an ongoing supply of raw product, cutting only branches for making figures so that the tree continues to grow, reducing waste by utilizing the slivers and sawdust in repair work and any remaining twigs and branches as firewood for cooking, and using the sap and bark in paint production. "And you know," Jacobo reminds, "for generations we've been using the hardened sap as incense, mainly at religious cememonies. There are even knifemakers down the road in Ocotlán, who engrave their hand-forged blades using a special ink made with the sap. Have you visited the cuchillería of Ángel Aguilar?"

For high end collectors, we can only encourage the success of all efforts aimed at maintaining the growth and development of the Oaxacan woodcarving tradition, since it satisfies and advances our penchant for and obsession with quality hand-fashioned craftsmanship. For the artisans in the region, aside from the obvious economic importance, it's part of maintaining their Zapotec heritage and illustrating the richness of the culture to the broader world.

The workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles is located at Calle Olvido #9, San Martín Tilcajete, Ocotlán, Oaxaca ( t: 951-524-9047 ; w: http://www.tilcajete.org ; e: angeles@tilcajete.org ).

Wood Carving Skill

Wood Carving is a kind of special skill. It takes patience, concentration and time. There are so many beautiful wood sculpture on sale at market, but do you know how does the craftsman work on a piece of wood? In brief, there are mainly three kinds of wood carving skill.

1. Handmade carving. This wood carving skill takes longer time and more concentration. Usually, a carver begins a new carving by choosing a quality wood, decided by the approximate size and outer-shape of the wood the carver wishes to create, if the carving is to be large, several pieces may be fix together. Once the general shape is made, the carver may use a variety of carving tool for creating details. (some of the tools are carving knife, gouge, Chisel, V-tool and veiner) After the carving is finished, the carver may seal or color the wood with some natural oils, such as walnut or linseed oil which can protect it from dirt and moisture.

2. Paper model. This is the most common used skill in this field. Some of the wood work manufacturers do not have skillful carvers. So they often draw out the shape of the characters they wanted to carve on the wood on paper, and then paste the paper on wood for the carvers work on the wood by following the lines on paper. The paper model wood carving is much time-saving, but the finished wood carving is not vivid enough.

3. Machine. Machine carving is also often used in it nowadays. As we all know machine can just work on the flat board, so machine carving is impossible to create a three-dimensional work.

By comparing the sculpture skills listed above; we can easily answer the question "why handmade carvings are much expensive than other?"

Carving Realistic Bird Feathers in Wood

I assume that if you are reading this article, you know all about the different kinds of wood carving that exist today. The following is intended for those who want to carve realistic bird feathers. It is a summary of a specific aspect of wood carving wild birds. It is intended to provide prospective wild bird carvers with pointers to hone their carving skills. Following these guidelines I can assure you of producing realistic feather detail in every bird you carve. I trust my advice will move your carving ability from the ordinary to the extraordinary. It will help you create realistic feather detail.

It is also assumed that you have learned how to rough out a bird, and have prepared the bird to carve the feather detail. The first step you have to take is to make sure that you have a roughed out bird carving, free from any tool marks and sanded to 600 grid with very fine good quality sandpaper. No shortcuts can be tolerated. Every tool mark, and every bump in the wood must be eliminated before beginning the detail feather carving process.

The golden rule for carving realistic feathers is not to carve too deep. It is better to have less detail than deep carving marks resembling fish scales rather than soft feathers. When I first started detailing bird feathers, my birds had the fish scale look to them. I outlined each feather too prominently, instead of a gradual transition from one feather to the next. Some feathers, for example the soft feathers on the birds chest and belly, are very soft with one feather flowing into the next. To achieve this is easier said than done.

To achieve realistic carved feather detail, a bird's feathers can be classified as stiff or soft feathers. We will address carving the stiff feathers first.

Carving stiff feathers, such as the primary feathers of the wingand the tail, is achieved by **rolling** in the outline of the feather. Rolling is the process of using a round object such as the back end of a drill bit with a very sharp edge. I roll the bit along the pencil outline of the feather, compressing the wood, rather than carving the wood. Consequently creating a depression on the outside of the feather. As you continue rolling the feathers of the wing or tail with this tool, you are creating the illusion of the feathers being stacked one upon the other. Cutting this feather separation line with a carving knife, you usually end with to deep a cut resulting in the **fish scale look**.

On completion of the rolling process, the rolled area should be sanded with fine sandpaper to remove any deep indentations caused by using too much pressure during the rolling process.

Mark feather quills with a #2 pencil on those feathers where the quill can be seen. The next step is burning in feather details with the aid of a pyrographic pen with a very fine tip. Burn the outline of each quill with the rheostat of the pyrographic setting that will cause a slight browning of the wood. Do not burn dark deep lines, the deeper you burn the wider the lines and the less professional the result. After burning the quills, the heat is lowered and the feather barbs are burned in. Look at a flight feather of a real bird and note that the barbs are not straight but slightly curved. Using a low heat setting enables you to place the barb lines closer together. It will also prevent you from burning too deep and thus loose your effort to create that real feather look.

Soft feathers are blended into one another. A gradual transition is created by carving a shallow depression between feathers, using a ball shaped carving bit in a rotary type carving tool. It is important to use a pink or blue Arkansas stone rather than a diamond or ruby carving bit to give you a softer look. The result is a less pronounced groove between feathers. The next step is to remove the sharp edges of this groove with a flame shaped stone and sandpaper. The aim is to achieve barely visible edges between feathers. Once you have created this soft effect you are ready to carve the detail into individual feathers. To achieve this use a cylindrical white or blue stone in the rotary carving tool. Start at the tail coverts and proceed to the head. By carving from the tail to the head of the bird, the feather overlay will be correct. Now blend the overlaying feathers into the lower ones. This gives you complete control over the desired softness.

The final step in creating soft feathers is to use the pyrographic tool and burn in the exposed quills, duplicating the procedure for the stiff feather quills. Next use the burning tool to emphasize a few of the barbs created by the cylindrical stone. Burn only a few of the barbs from their base to about a third of their length. Some burning marks should be shorter than others, thus creating a realistic soft effect.

Wood Carving Supplies

Wood carving can be a fun and rewarding craft for advanced and novice artists alike. There is nothing like the feeling of turning a hunk of material into something meaningful that you can display in your own home, give as a gift, or even sell for a profit. However, in addition to the skills needed for this craft, one must also have the right wood carving supplies.

The possibilities of turning a piece of wood into a sculpture or figurine are endless. Prior to selecting the right tools, it is good to have a plan for exactly what you want to make. Making skectches or even taking pictures of the image you would like to sculpt puts a visual image in your head that will keep you on track when the carving begins. Also, before selecting supplies, you should take some time to familiarize yourself with the different types of wood carving such as chip carving, relief carving, treen, and whittling. Last, but certainly not least, before choosing carving supplies, you need to find the right kind of wood.

The most basic tool for carving wood is the carving knife. These knives come in many different shapes, sizes, and blade angles, all used for different types of cutting, paring, and smoothing wood. Many of the blades are specialized for longevity in wood carving and handles specialized for ease of handling. Always take the time and do the research to find the best knife for your particular project.

Another useful tool is the gouge. This is basically a carving tool with a curved cutting edge used in carving hollows, rounds, and sweeping curves in wood. Just like regular carving knives, gouges come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and angles. Study your plans closely when selecting the right variety of tools like gouges; it is important to look at relative proportions, that is, the size of a cut or groove compared to the size of other cuts and the size of the entire object.

Another tool, the chisel, has a straight cutting edge used for cutting lines and cleaning up flat surfaces. Chisels can also be used for wedging and are often paired with hammers for being driven into the wood. Once again, choosing the right kind is important. In addition to size, there are many varieties to choose from such as the butt, carving, corner, and framing chisels. Remeber: study your plans and do the reseach before choosing a specific tool.

As your project advances, you may realize that the tools you have are not sufficient for a particular task. You may eventually realize the need for more specialized tools such a V-tool, a veiner, or a router. Remember that there is a type of tool for every type of cut you can imagine; just do the research and you'll find that special tool you need. You may also find a mallet and special screw for holding your project to a table handy additions to your wood carving supplies.