The Wonderful World Of Vegetable And Fruit Carving

It's considered that fruit and vegetable carving originated from Sukothai within Thailand close to seven hundred years ago, although some people challenge this fact and believe that it initially began at about the time of the Tang Dynasty in China.

The Thai Art of Fruit and Vegetable Carving is a very important part of Thailands historical past and one of their oldest art forms. Coming initially from around 14th century when a young Thai woman ornamented the floating lamp for the Regal Festival that is celebrated during the night of the full moon. This young woman carved fruits and vegetables in a variety of flowers which were used to beautify the floating lamp, making it look like an enormous water lily flower. When the King Phra Ruang noticed exactly what the lady had produced, he treasured this fresh innovation and decreed that it would be an art heritage of Thailand and will be taught and practiced to all Thai females. This expertise continues to be passed on through generations only in person and to family and friends, especially in the Royal Palace.

From its simple origins in the local street markets from the East where street artists would produce elaborate garnishes upon request to being exhibited and flaunted in modern-day restaurants, resorts, wedding receptions, cruise ships along with extravagant surroundings, the skill of fruit and vegetable carving is becoming more and more well-known under western culture with students undertaking courses to learn the special and skilled techniques to create beautiful ornamental exhibits all constructed from vegetables and fruits.

Water melons tend to be one of the most well-known fruits which are used to create some of the wonderful displays you see in Asian restaurants and hotels due to the versatility of the fruit. It is not only an easy task to carve, it is also very beautiful once the external skin is removed. Smaller fruit can also be used in many of these fruit and vegetable displays. Bananas, celery, beetroot, cucumber, potatoes as well as taro are carved in to flowers and leaves.

Special fruit carving knives are often used by the fruit carver. These specialised tools are designed in such away to be able to give the artist full range of movement for when they are creating the complicated flower petals and leaves. The knives in many cases are quite small with the blade curved in shape and with a small solid wood handle. Regular chef kitchen knives could also be used nevertheless people often find them to be rather cumbersome to handle.

Flowers are not the only things carved in to the fruits and vegetables. Many other designs for instance animals, buildings, people as well as landscapes may also be carved from the fruit and vegetables. The only limit is the artists own imagination.

Fruit and vegetable carving can be a very worthwhile and relaxing experience. Having the ability to produce something so amazing from something so everyday is a great accomplishment. After you have mastered the basic principles you are able to pretty much let your imagination run wild!

Wood Carving - How to Choose the Right Tools

If you're going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you'll need to select a number of tools. There's just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?

Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, if they aren't sharp, what's the use? You'll drive yourself mad.

At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. There are diamond coated slipstones that work very well to sharpen an edge. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or as small as a credit card. So very convenient.

A strop is meant to remove the burr and all micro-bits still clinging to your well-sharpened blade edge. This is very important in wood carving. If anything still clings to the edge, it'll really affect your progress. You've got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.

If you're really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you've learned that, you'll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. The need for smooth sharp edges is a constant in wood carving. When you can achieve them, you'll be worlds ahead of the rest. No kidding.

Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.

æ Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren't all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you'd like.

It's a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you've learned what each type of knife can do, and you've considered the carving project ahead of you, then you'll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That's why you've got choices.

æ Wood chisels. Most chisels are ground on both sides but it is possible to find them with a bevel on only one side. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You'll have quite a selection.

æ Wood gouges. This is one of the most used tools in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You'll probably end up with several kinds. That's not a problem. Surely, you'll use each one at some time or another.

æ Wood Rasps or Riffler files. Shopping for these tools could be a bit confusing. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don't be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.

Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.

æ Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.

æ Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There's even a wood carver's kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.

These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It's all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (... Wonder how big that'd be.)

Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you'll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you'll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you'll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.

æ Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There's quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.

æ There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don't have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.

æ Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.

Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it's very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!

Chainsaw Carving Tips

Safety should always be the first concern on any project. Proper safety equipment such a goggles, gloves and sturdy scaffolding are very important. The scaffolding should always be moved to the right height and position for safe carving. If your arms feel uncomfortable holding the saw to cut, adjust your scaffolding or you can be seriously injured. Never cut above the waist unless it is with a small electric saw and your arms are fully extended.

Before making the first cut, draw out the main shape of your carving from the front view. Leave about a foot at the bottom for the base. Be sure your saw is as sharp as it can be. A sharp saw makes the job so much easier. A 16 to 24 inch blade will usually do most carvings. Make your wedge cuts by cutting a down angle first and then a straight or slightly upward angle to chunk it out. Once you have made all of your wedge cuts from your markings, it is time to mark the sides.

You have to imagine the profile and be sure to not cut off too much especially from the head. When you have all the main chunks cut out, it is time to start carving with your saw. A 12 inch electric saw is great for shaping out the smaller chunks. Be careful not to cut too deep. You can do much of the final saw work by applying the blade lightly on the wood and raking it back and forth. This will take layers off.

If it is a human carving, you will need to finish it by sanding. You can use a palm sander for the large areas and a die grinder for the smaller areas. You can use the edge of the sanding disk to cut beards, hair or fur. On animal carvings, turn the saw slightly sideways and carve out fur lines with the tip. Some other handy tools to have are wood rasps and wood chisels.

When you have finished carving and sanding, it's time to coat your project with a mixture of half shellac and half mineral spirits. You can leave it natural or paint it. If you don't think you can carve a human or bear, try a mushroom. Above all, keep your mind on safety and have fun. You may be really surprised at what you can do!