How to get started in carving?

[dennis thompson]

I like to paint & I like woodworking so I'd like to combine the two & start to do some wood carving. Can someone suggest:
-a book to get me started
-what tools I might need to start (& where to get them)
-what wood would be best to start with
-any other thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated
Thanks
Dennis

[phil harold]

Hi,

What do you want to carve?
That will help you decide on tools and lessons
A little hard to carve signs with a carving knife

Starting out I would find a decent set of palm tools and a carving knife that could get you into small animal / woodspirit / caricatures

If you want to do furniture and mantal pieces

there is a nice set of in the classified section
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=122873

find a local club!!!

there are some nice shell and flower carving tutorials here:
http://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=96996



great information here: (remove the space be for the ".com")
chippingaway .com/BeginnersHowToGetStarted.htm


pick up a wood carving illustrated magazine there is all levels of lessons in there

they also have a website and forum that is helpful

and the most important tool for carving is a way to hone and polish the tools

This is best to see at a woodcarving club so you an see how others do it and make your choice..


The sharper the tool the better for carving!

enjoy

[Phillip Bogle]

I agree with Phil Harold. You have to decide which type of carving interests you and that will dictate your direction on tools and tutorials. Mike has some excellent tutorials on furniture embellishment type carvings (check the sticky at the beginning of this list) and they are simple enough for a beginner to get their feet wet.

I am working on walking sticks and carvings to embellish my wood turnings. You may have a good eye for proportion and like me, caricature might be your interest. If that is the case Woodcarving Illustrated as Phil said, is an excellent starting point publication.

I will go out on a limb here, I think one of the most important investments you can make is good tools, AND learn how to sharpen them to a superior edge. You may think they are sharp enough but I will bet you need to get them sharper. I suspect that most beginning carvers give up not due to artistic ability, but due to dull tools, and thinking it is the carver not the dull edge. We have been all raised to not blame our tools, but in this case it is the tools and the edge you give them. You do not need to spend big bucks on sharpening tools, but you can. A good set of waterstones, rouge & strops is all that is needed to sharpen. You can buy other tools that will speed up the job, and that is up to you and your budget. I ended up going into a retirement business of sharpening, just to pay for all the tools I bought --be forewarned this can be a problem.

BTW: If you have good tools, and a perfect edge -- you will get addicted to the feel of wood cutting and shaping. There is no other feeling quite like the feel of wood being cut by a great edge, and watching the curls, and shapes form.

[phil harold]

I will go out on a limb here, I think one of the most important investments you can make is good tools, AND learn how to sharpen them to a superior edge. You may think they are sharp enough but I will bet you need to get them sharper.

I agree with good tools

and sharpening

my first set was some miller falls chisels that I still love to use this day
ebay #170398027181
mine came in a wooden box and cost me 15 dollars at a yard sale 13 years ago


buy small and grow or buy that set in the classifieds
a bit of an investment, but some nice tools!

[Gord Pat]

One of the best books to get you started in wood carving is by Rick Butz, How to Carve Wood.
It will introduce you to various types of woodcarving.
Then you might be in position to buy some tools when you know what you want to carve.
Actually you might want to start off whittling small flat plane caricatures, all you need is one knife.
Take a look at what Gene Messer has been posting on YouTube, he has a number of tutorials for beginner carvers, everything from a cowboy boot to human figures , many starting off from just a small block of wood.
http://www.youtube.com/user/whittler0507
So to start out all you need is a knife and some basswood, no big outlay for tools till you get an idea what you really want to do.

GP