History of Woodcarving

Carving has probably been around since the beginning of time. Early tools, toys and decorations are among the items known to exist. Think of some of the antiques that use to be routine household items. Furniture, spoons, picture frames and whistles. The list goes on and on.

 Types of Carving: There are many different types of carving. Some of the more general styles are listed.

 Whittling: Remember seeing somebody slicing pieces from a stick with a pocket knife? That is whittling. Some is simple, some is quite detailed, but in general it is carving with a knife only and usually a pocket knife.

 Chip Carving:  Intricate designs are carefully “chipped” out of the wood. Many times the finished work is geometric in it's nature; but sometimes is graceful and flowing.

 In the Round : This is a figure carved on all sides. Even though it may not be round in shape, the carver works all the way round the piece.

 Intarsia:  Many small pieces of wood are individually cut and fit to form a design somewhat like a puzzle. Often this is considered to be a “craft” rather than woodcarving, but is closely related and requires a great deal of skill.

 Intaglio:  An example of this is the butter mould of yesteryear. This had a sunken design that when butter was pressed into it a raised design was left on the butter. The opposite of Intaglio is cameo and this explains High Relief carving.

 Relief Carving:  Usually done on a flat piece of wood. The design is brought into view by removing various amounts of wood from the top surface rather than on all sides. Low Relief carving is when the carved element stays level or below the established surface.

 Power Carving:  is self explanatory and is the usage of power tools to remove waste wood rather than using hand tools.

 Chainsaw Carving:  This is for the daring. It is another speciality area utilizing big chunks of wood and a REAL chainsaw.(many people use a special guide bar with a very small radius tip that reduces the kickback area on the bar.

When to Carve:  As long as you can safely handle the tools there is no age barrier (also there are many lady carvers). It doesn't have to be noisy or messy. Carve whenever you feel the urge so to do! KIDS! Please listen to your parents or those guiding you.

 Where to Carve:  That my friend is more a matter of “may” than “can”. Some carve in the living room, whilst some have a specially designed woodcarving studio. There are many appropriate places between those extremes. Good lighting and safety are the two main guidelines. Depending upon what you are doing at the time, good ventilation and a devise to filter dust from the air (when power carving) are very important.

Basically, the choice of where you carve is up to you and those you live with!

 Why Carve? Why not? If you've thought about, or even want to give it a try, JUST DO IT!!

Some of the reasons we carve include: the opportunity to compete with other carvers, the challenge of creating an object from a block of wood, enjoyment, utility, an outlet for talent, FUN! Sometimes it even generates income.

 How to Carve:  One consideration is the gift of a natural talent against learned skills. To become a good carver it is important to carve at least a little bit every day. You've heard the expression ”practice makes perfect”. The more you practice with woods and your tools the better you become. The better you become, the more enjoyment you will experience.

If you have natural talent or a background of skills that lend to this endeavour it might be easier. In our society we often hear it said “you can't do that”. Unfortunately, we tend to believe it! All children draw. Why then when we reach adulthood, do we think we can't? DON'T defeat yourself before trying!! Most skills CAN be learned.

One of the easiest and best ways is to join a woodcarving club and reap the benefits from the experience of other members. All woodcarvers anywhere in the world are eager to help beginners. We have all had to start, and are all thankful for the enjoyment to be got from working with wood.

If you require help send your email address and a description of the help you would like, to the staff of u2cancarve using the contact us link.

 Tools:  This is a topic of more opinions than there are varieties of tools. One thing we all agree on is to get the best your budget will allow (best doesn't always equate with pounds). The type of carving you want to do will influence the selection of tools. However, it is wise to select tools that feel comfortable in your hands. The less you have to think about the tool, the faster your skills will develop.

It is NOT necessary to buy large sets of tools! Most tools are available individually. Find some folks who do what you want to do and observe. Your decision may not be their's or vise versa, but you can learn by watching and listening. None of us live long enough to make all the mistakes possible, so let's benefit from the experience of others.

 Wood:  Any wood can be used for carving, but some are certainly better than others.

Factors to consider include: colour, grain pattern, quality of the wood, how it was seasoned, how hard/soft it is, what you want to do with it, and cost.

Again, this is a matter of personal choice and it is up to you to decide what you like and what woods will give you the best result for the project you are working on.

There is no short cut for practice and the experience it gives.

 Patterns:  Carver's tend to pass patterns around. Other sources are pictures, colouring books, internet, drawings, imagination, the list goes on.

Remember that you can change a pattern to meet your own likes. Photocopiers make it easy to reduce or enlarge a pattern.

 Blanks:  Blanks are blocks of wood cut to the outline of a pattern. These are easy to obtain as well as blocks of wood for you to cut your own. There are a great many carvers who are willing to cut blanks out for you.

 RISKS! Nothing is without some degree of risk, but this can always be minimised.

Tools must be sharp!!!! Sharp tools increase the pleasure of carving (dull tools are far more dangerous than sharp ones). Blunt tools put more people off carving because a blunt tool is hard to control and leaves a very poor finish. Help with sharpening is always available, and can be a subject in its own right.

At some stage a cut is inevitable so protective gloves are worth using for some work.

DUST is an ever present risk. Some wood dust is more toxic than others, but any dust can be damaging to the lungs

HAPPY CARVING!!! 

Dave Shires,

with thanks to Alec Ekford.