Woodcarving Basics | Popular Woodworking

Learn strategies for ‘shallow relief’ and ‘applied’ carvings.

Have you ever been concerned in one thing the place you get fully absorbed in it? Where hours go by with out realizing it? Those are the moments while you uncover one thing you actually love.

Within a month of taking lessons from European Master Carver Konstantinos Papadakis, I knew carving could be my life. I typically discovered myself dreaming of my subsequent mission. When talking with individuals, I’d discover myself finding out their faces intently and questioning which gouge I’d use to attain these shapes. That’s after I knew I used to be obsessed.

This article is a stroll by way of the fundamentals of getting began in carving so the concept and chance of this artwork kind can grow to be a actuality – and hopefully stop harm, tears and frustration. Who is aware of? It would possibly grow to be an obsession in your life, too.

Two Approaches

Relief two methods. The whole background of the shell at left has been lowered. At proper, a sequence of angled cuts across the perimeter of the carving units it off from the background.

Carving a shallow design immediately right into a flat board is the best method to begin. This is known as “shallow relief carving,” the place the background is lowered with gouges and the carving seems to be raised off the floor. There’s no sawing obligatory, and it’s straightforward to clamp your wooden to a workbench.

There are two methods to carve shallow reduction in a flat board. One is to decrease all the background flat and the opposite is to carve down at an angle near the design. This method can be utilized as a design on the highest of a jewellery field, for instance.

Another method, known as “appliqué” or “applied carving,” is to chop the define of the design with a band noticed or scroll noticed earlier than carving. When the carving is completed, it’s glued to your piece of furnishings. With this method, the carving is hooked up to a short lived backer board. This course of is defined within the “Clamp Without Damage” beneath.

Transfer a Design to Wood

Apply your self. Carvings can also be separate from the background and utilized to a panel after the carving is full.

One of the best strategies to switch a design to wooden is to make use of carbon paper or switch paper and hint a design. Carbon paper (from an workplace provide retailer) produces a blue or black line, whereas switch paper (from a craft retailer)is available in a wide range of colours. Lighter colours are extra seen on darkish woods, similar to walnut or mahogany. Carbon paper is tough to erase, whereas most switch paper might be erased with a daily pencil eraser.

Another technique is to hint round a template. This is strategy is commonly used when the design repeats a sample, and velocity and accuracy of the switch course of are vital.

Templates work effectively with patterns which have a mirror picture. The template might be flipped on a centerline and a reverse sample drawn.

A template, nonetheless, could make it tough to switch inside strains. Strategic holes within the template will help, however watch out how you narrow the holes or your template might disintegrate. You might have to finish any inside strains by hand.

Template Materials

Repeat after me. Templates make it fast and straightforward to duplicate a sample, together with complicated shapes with inside parts.

For templates, a wide range of supplies can be utilized; I take advantage of card inventory, versatile plastic or metallic. A template works greatest if it has some thickness so a pencil can run alongside the sting. Use a white or coloured gel pen, or a coloured pencil, to switch onto darkish wooden to see the drawing higher.

To use manila folders or card inventory as a template, glue a photocopy of the design to the heavy paper with spray adhesive, a glue stick or different adhesive. As any such template is used, the skin edge will grow to be worn and distorted. Put Super Glue alongside the sting of the template to maintain it intact.

Plastic web page dividers or disposable plastic chopping mats work effectively for templates. Because the plastic is clear, the design might be simply traced. Keep in thoughts that the plastic might want to have a minimum of one tough aspect to obtain a pencil line, or you should use a marker that may write on clean plastic.

Lighten up. On darkish woods, a light-colored pencil or gel marker creates strains which can be straightforward to see. Complete the inside strains by drawing freehand.

Aluminum or copper may also be used as template materials. These supplies are particularly helpful for transferring a design to a curved floor as a result of the fabric can kind alongside a contour and maintain a form.

Another method to switch a design is to make use of a photocopied picture (from a toner copier, not an ink-jet printer). The picture is transferred by turning the design over and rubbing over the paper with lacquer thinner or with a scorching iron to launch the toner ink to the wooden. (Note: The wooden have to be clean.)

This is a superb technique for transferring giant detailed designs the place the strains must be transferred precisely.

Not all copy machines are the identical. Some launch each element; with others, it’s tough to get a clear line. When working with solvents, work in a well-ventilated area and use correct security gear (gloves, masks and security glasses).

Clamp Without Damage

Temporary repair. Paper glued between a backer board and a carving might be simply eliminated after the carving is full.

The greatest method to maintain the wooden whereas carving is to make use of bench canine with a vise. I began on a kitchen desk and held my carving with two bench clamps. (It’s not nice for the desk should you slip, although!)

When utilizing metallic clamps, place items of wooden, cardboard, cork or leather-based between the clamp and your wooden to guard it from injury or dents. And watch out to not hit the clamps along with your instruments. (If the clamps get in the best way, connect your work to a backer board.)

Carvings which can be utilized or glued to furnishings are sometimes lower out with a scrollsaw or band noticed. This makes the carvings fragile and tough to clamp. Attach the carving clean to a short lived backer board, then clamp that to your bench.

Find a board that extends a number of inches previous your carving on all sides. Trace the sample onto the board and unfold white or yellow wooden glue on this space. Place newspaper or brown paper over the glue, then lower the paper near the form of your carving.

Spread glue on the again of the carving, utilizing sufficient to saturate the paper, however not a lot that it seeps alongside the sting when clamped. If any glue does squish out, wipe it away with a humid material. It’s greatest to wash any extra now slightly than let dried glue intrude along with your carving.

Place the carving on the backer board and clamp it flat. With bigger or intricate carvings, place a board over the carving clean, then clamp to make sure even stress on all elements of the clean. When the glue is dry, you’re able to get to work.

To take away the carving while you’re completed, place a flat chisel or a pointy putty knife between the carving and the backer board and gently faucet it with a mallet, working across the carving. The paper will break up and launch. Be cautious; it’s straightforward to interrupt the carving in fragile areas.

Strong double-sided tape is healthier than the glue-down technique for delicate carvings. I take advantage of ShurTape double-sided material tape, which might be bought at most {hardware} shops. Woodturner’s double-sided tape may also be used.

Trace the sample on the backer board, then place double-sided tape over the define. Remove the again of the tape, place the carving on the board and clamp. Remove any extra tape with a small knife – wooden chips sticking to uncovered tape whereas carving are annoying.

When the carving is completed, brush alongside the sting with a solvent similar to acetone, lacquer thinner or denatured alcohol to launch the clean from the backer board. Test to see what solvent releases your tape, utilizing correct care and air flow.

A Good Set of Tools

Within attain. These two gouges are the identical dimension and sweep, however the fishtail gouge on the high is extra versatile. It can lower into corners and different tight areas.

I want full-length gouges (9″ to 11″ lengthy) over shorter palm gouges for security and management. These are held with each arms, which retains your arms away from the device’s sharp edge. One hand is all the time on the deal with pushing the gouge, and the opposite hand is all the time on the metallic shank guiding the lower.

Most European instruments are recognized with two numbers, similar to a 14mm, No. 5. The “mm” is the width in millimeters and the “number” refers back to the curvature, or “sweep.” No. 1 is a flat chisel and because the numbers improve from 2 to 11, the curve will increase.

I want fishtail-shaped gouges as a result of they match properly into corners. Straight gouges are for extra heavy or sculptural carving. Most European woodcarving gouges are good high quality and I take advantage of instruments from a wide range of makers.

Brass, metal, wood or rubber mallets work effectively at a weight of 1 to 1 1⁄2 kilos. Wooden mallets are higher for heavy pounding and eradicating lots of wooden as a result of they don’t injury gouge handles. Brass or metal mallets work effectively for lighter tapping and managed cuts. I take advantage of metallic mallets for all my carving as a result of I want their small dimension.

If you want, put on fingerless gloves to guard the edges of your hand from the tough edges of the wooden. Kevlar carving gloves may also be used to stop slicing your fingers.

Basswood and butternut are one of the best woods to start out with. They are comfortable and straightforward to work. For extra superior carving tasks, mahogany and walnut are good woods to deal with after studying the essential strategies in softer, extra forgiving species.

Start with Good Techniques

Get a grip. Use each arms on the gouge for management and security. Keep the hand that holds the metallic shaft involved with the wooden and use it to pivot the device.

Position the wooden with the grain parallel to the sting of the bench so that almost all cuts are made to the appropriate and left, as an alternative of towards and away out of your physique. Keep the bottom of the hand holding the metallic shank of the gouge on the wooden always. This creates a pivot that controls and guides the device.

Most individuals have one hand that’s dominant. This hand feels extra pure holding the deal with of the gouge and the much less dominant hand holds the metallic shank. But the carving course of is extra environment friendly and versatile when you may swap backwards and forwards between your proper and left hand.

With primary reduction carving, the perfect work peak is an inch or two beneath elbow peak. This means that you can lean into the work with out bending too far. If the workbench is larger than your elbows, you’ll elevate your shoulders too excessive; whether it is decrease, you may pressure your again.

If you’ll be able to, stand to have essentially the most flexibility whereas carving. This means that you can shift your whole physique for higher leverage and entry to the carving. It additionally means that you can lean and use the burden of your physique to make cuts, slightly than counting on arm power. I’ve had a number of college students who’re confined to wheelchairs they usually have been profitable utilizing small laptop computer benches.

Never lower towards your self. Even if it looks as if there’s sufficient wooden between you and the gouge, make it a behavior to by no means level the gouge towards your physique – even whether it is only a small lower. Turn the wooden round if wanted to remain secure.

Basic Tools & Equipment

Begin with the fundamentals. The assortment of gouges at proper can create a stunning number of shapes and permit you to get begin in carving. From high: ■ 6mm V-chisel ■ 6mm, No. Three gouge ■ 14mm, No. Three gouge ■ 14mm, No. 5 gouge ■ 10mm, No. 7 gouge ■ 10mm, No. Eight gouge

Add as wanted. As you acquire expertise, you’ll uncover the necessity to add to your set of carving instruments. This group will take you to the following stage. From high: ■ 6mm V-chisel (60°) ■ 14mm, No. 1 gouge ■ 3mm, No. Three gouge ■ 6mm, No. Three gouge ■ 14mm, No. Three gouge ■ 18mm, No. Three gouge ■ 12mm, No. Four gouge ■ 5mm, No. 5 gouge ■ 14mm, No. 5 gouge ■ 6mm, No. 7 gouge ■ 10mm, No. 7 gouge ■ 14mm, No. 7 gouge ■ 10mm, No. Eight gouge

The instruments in my most popular units are largely the sizes I used after I began carving. I grew to become accustomed to those specific shapes and sizes. The instruments in these units can fluctuate barely in width and curvature, however they’re normal set of instruments. You can add instruments as you discover a want for them.

Carving a Simple Leaf

1. Correct grain route. Using a 14mm, No. Three gouge, spherical over one aspect of the leaf, beginning this lower on the peak of the curve the place the grain switches route. Work downhill to remain in management and to stop the wooden from splitting forward of the lower.

2. Also right grain route. Reverse route on the peak of a curve to comply with the grain. Learn to carry the deal with with both hand to work effectively.

One of essentially the most difficult elements in studying to carve is determining lower within the right grain route. As a instructor, that is additionally probably the most tough issues to elucidate. Sometimes one of the best ways to find that is to place the gouges to wooden and see what occurs. If it fights with you, flip round and go within the different route.

3. Meet within the center. To carve the hole of the leaf, use a 14mm, No. Three gouge to carve down from either side to satisfy on the backside of the hole.

4. Define the sting. Using a 14mm, No. 5 gouge, proceed shaping the hole part of the leaf by carving alongside its perimeter. Notice the route I’m carving. This may also create a pointy, excessive leaf edge.

5. Across the grain. To end defining this a part of the leaf, make a delicate slicing lower throughout the grain on the backside of the hole. This strategy of slicing throughout the grain may be very helpful when making these ultimate clean-up cuts.

To get a primary concept of how the grain works in carving, examine the eight numbered images on this web page and the following, by which I carve the easy leaf design.

6. Finish shaping. Using a 14mm, No. Three gouge, end rounding over the opposite aspect of the leaf to finish the form.

7. Vein line. With a 6mm V-chisel, carve the middle vein of the leaf, ensuring there’s a mild curve to this line. With a 14mm, No. Three gouge, spherical over the leaf in order that it curves down towards the middle vein.

8. Final Details. Finish up by making a number of small vein strains with a 3mm V-chisel. A shallow undercut across the perimeter of the leaf removes noticed marks and cleans up the skin edge.

If you’ve gotten by no means carved earlier than, begin with a easy design. This helps get the texture of the instruments and primary carving cuts. Base your design on one thing in nature as a result of there are such a lot of fantastic references – go outdoors and decide a flower or leaf and place it in your bench for reference. Find a pleasant comfortable piece of basswood, get a primary set of carving gouges and escape into the fantastic world of woodcarving. Watch out – when you begin, you possibly can get hooked!