What can I say. It is fun.
To begin to carve, there are a few things to think about.
Safety is very important, you will be working with sharp tools and saws.
When sanding you need to wear a mask.
If you use power tools you should wear safety glasses.
When carving you need gloves made with Keflar and or finger guards.
The easiest wood to work with and which is best for beginners
is Bass wood or Butternut wood.
Carving can be simple or complex depending on what you want to carve.
The information on this site is simple or for beginners.
To Begin with you need a least a carving knife or an x-acto knife,
sandpaper, and a couple gouges. You will need a stone to
sharpen knife.
If you use x-acto knife you can change the blade when it gets
dull.
Choose your design, sand the wood lightly to remove dust or stains.
Transfer the design, by using graphite or carbon paper.
Cut the design out, if you have a band saw it will be easier.
Use the knife or a chisel to make stop cuts.
( To make stop cuts, you cut into the outline of your pattern to prevent chipping)
Now you can start removing wood.
You will need to continue the stop cuts as needed ,until you have enough wood removed.
After you are satisfied you have enough wood removed, you can start adding details.
When carving away from you, put left thumb (if you are right handed) on the back or dull side of blade,
and rotate right wrist and hand as you push with left thumb.
If using knife, as peeling a piece of fruit, keep thumb underneath wood for protection.
The keflar glove will help protect hands from slicing cuts, but will not protect from punctures,
so always think about safety before making a difficult cut.
You need to keep knives and tools sharp.
They say a dull knife will cut you just like a sharp one,so be careful.
Don't get discourage it takes a lot of practice, learn from your mistakes
and have
fun.
