Wood Carving

Wood carving  is a difficult and rewarding hobby. With hard work and dedication you can make amazing works of art to decorate your home and give as gifts. This is not a craft suitable for children, since many of the tools have dangerous sharp edges. This guide will briefly outline the tools and tips needed to be an excellent and skilled wood carver.

Necessary Tools

For any wood worker, whether skilled or novice, these tools will be necessary to create your masterpiece.

• Carving knives  are needed to cut and smooth the wood.
• A gouge  helps to create hollows, rounds, and curves in the wood.
• Chisels  have straight edge perfect for making those sharp lines in the wood.
• Veiners  are a special type of gouge used for creating deeper hollows.
• A v-tool  can part the wood.
• You will need to keep at least one tool sharpener  handy for when the edges of your equipment get dull.

Other Information

In addition to the quality of the tools, the type of wood that you choose will make a big difference in the quality of the finished product. Harder woods are more difficult to carve than softer woods, but they are definitely more durable. Soft woods are not as resilient and therefore might get damaged more easily. Depending on which kind of wood you choose, the tools you use will have to be strong enough to stand up to it.

External Links

• Wikipedia
• CarvingPatterns.com has tons of patterns for all different levels of skill.
• Wood Carving Illustrated Magazine is the go-to mag for tricks of the trade.

International Resources

For this resource in your home country, please see:
DE: Holzschnitzerei