Any woodcarvers who care to share some advice and tips

[tobytools]

Hi gents,
Just a quick one. I'm looking for some advice on all aspects of carving, anyone kind enough to help me I would e greatful. We could swap emails via PM

I once tryed to carve and I ended up in odd stock .
Cut nerves and damaged tendon OUTCH!
I'm a tad smarter and a whole lot uglier
Thanks
TT

 

[Racers]

I think you smell chequer is playing up :wink:

Pete

 

[tobytools]

It this blasted iPhone. I'll be happier when i get shot of it.
My spelling isn't so distorted that it's unreadable I hope.
I have to say it's getting embarrassing
Life's to short to worry tho.

Ps. I saw a WIP of a box you did, I likes the idea and the plane you used to clean up the dovetail
TT

 

[Racers]

Don't woury about it I am dislexic so my smell chequer has to work overtime.

They are usefull planes.

Pete

 

[bugbear]

I'm looking for some advice on all aspects of carving

I think that can only be answered by a book (video, or course)

Bugbear

 

[tobytools]

I'm looking for some advice on all aspects of carving

I think that can only be answered by a book (video, or course)

Bugbear

I have books and access to youtube but what I'm really after is a human to talk about these things with.

So far I'm self taught it's just nice to discuss points for a real persons view.

TT

 

[KevM]

Toby,

http://www.ringwood-woodcarvers.org/index.html - St Leonards & St Ives Village Hall every 1st & 3rd Tuesday of the month, from 6-30pm till about 9-00pm, not far from you

Or, if you can get yourself to Brockenhurst college (it's not far from the station if that helps) they've got a course starting this evening (14th Jan), looking at their courses I wish Brockenhurst were a bit more accessible to me.

http://www.brock.ac.uk/course/RAC514/o:476/ £70 for 8 week evening course - starting this evening at 7pm
http://www.brock.ac.uk/course/RAC547/ £70 for 8 week evening course - starting tomorrow
http://www.brock.ac.uk/course/RAC705/o:875/ £42 for 1 day workshop in May

A bit more Gucci, http://www.mallinson.co.uk/courses.html , I believe he's over Bridport way
I think I've seen that Lyme Regis boat-building academy advertise one day carving courses*
There used to be a chap in Martock who advertised courses, bit of a trek for you, but you could tie it in with a trip to Yandles

*EDIT: Hmm, I think I may have imagined the Lyme Regis one, their short courses offering are here http://www.boatbuildingacademy.com/cour ... t-courses/

 

[KevM]

Okay, one more for you: http://mudefordcarvingclub.blogspot.co.uk/ they meet in Stanpit village hall on Thursday evenings

 

[Cottonwood]

I carve quite a bit, nearly every day, although not particularly in the european tradition (fixed work piece, mallet and driven chiskels) I use elbow adzes, axes, bent knives, scorps etc in green wood, more recently rasps-after the pieces have dried.
But the basic things I find are
Keep the tools sharp
Dont rush and try to cut corners
Learn to read the structure of the wood
Take risks
Dont panic
Dont get precious about your wood especially if its from an expensive source..
Develop a sence of form, have the image in your mind of what you are intending to carve
Do drawings/sketches/plans etc to develop the form
Do small models to try out an idea
Study the work of people whose carvings inspire you
cheers Jonathan

 

[MickCheese]

Dont rush and try to cut corners
cheers Jonathan

That made me laugh, was it supposed to?

Mick

 

[Cottonwood]

A bit like "dont come running home to me if you fall off your bike and break your legs".... :lol:

 

[DMF]

Hi,

just about to start myself, tomorrow should see the delivery of some faithful chisels after a recent thread on the hand tool section and what with SS supplying a mallet (far to grand for the job!) i'm good to go!

Be interested to see where you have got to so far with this, to start with i just want to have a go at some lettering and some basic pattern work, saw Chris Pye (think i have that right) demonstrating a few bits using a straight gouge and i was going to have a go at that, i'll post the ensuing mess after to get some tips from you :lol:

Dean

 

[tobytools]

KevM- thanks for the links I think I'll have a go at one of the courses, a taster
I think I'll also attend a meeting to talk the ears of some new people. Do you attend these meetings yourself?

Cottonwood- I appreciate the advice, and makes sence. I'd rather cut corners than my thumb again

DMF- have fun, and post your progress. I saw that mallet what a beauty, it's that mallet that got me making mine I now have 6 mallets that I've made my self.
Let me know how those chisels work out for you. I'm rather luck I got a joblots over 10 months ago and have about 30 addis, herring bros, frost carving chisels, just have to sharpen them tho

Thanks guy I appreciate the advice. I'll keep you all up to date on what I do next.
TT

 

[DanielT]

Dont rush and try to cut corners

If only this was a woodturning thread

 

[bugbear]

I'm rather luck I got a joblots over 10 months ago and have about 30 addis, herring bros, frost carving chisels, just have to sharpen them tho

If they came from a single carver, they'll work as a set for the type of carving (s)he did.

I bought a roll of Addis chisels, all nicely ground and honed. Some careful investigation revealed them to be ideally suited
to small lettering - one is tempted to speculate they were used by someone doing memorial tablets.

But they'd have been no good for figurative sculpture - too many flat gouges and fishtail chisels, not enough deep gouges.

BugBear

 

[dkaardal]

My first, third, fifth, sixth, and ninth piece of advice is learn to sharpen your tools. Everything is easier with a sharp tool, and if there is any tool that you really don't like sharpening, grind it down now and sharpen it up. Then do it again.

When I first started carving I was fine with straight chisels, didn't like sharpening gouges much, and hated sharpening V-Tools. The only way I got over it was to take my best, sharpest V-tool, grit my teeth, and ground it flat. Sharpening it the first time was really annoying. Then I did it again and it was even more annoying. again and again, all darned day - but by the end of the day I no loner gave any thought to putting a new edge on any of my tools, and I could take a badly edged V-tool and get it to the point where it would glide through oak perfectly - and all it cost me was 3mm of steel and one day in the shop.


Oh, and strops are your friend. I keep a bit of veg-tanned leather charged with green polishing compound on my bench and use it constantly.

dak.

 

[KevM]

My first, third, fifth, sixth, and ninth piece of advice is learn to sharpen your tools.

dak.

Okay, can't help myself, what are your second, fourth, seventh and eighth pieces of advice? You can't leave me like this the suspense is killing me! :wink:
And please let it be true that you've got a tenth! (Maybe that's to have a really fresh cup of tea at hand?)

 

[KevM]

KevM- thanks for the links I think I'll have a go at one of the courses, a taster
I think I'll also attend a meeting to talk the ears of some new people. Do you attend these meetings yourself?

Toby, you're welcome I hope there's something useful there for you. No I don't attend any of those meetings, that's the wrong part of Dorset for me I'm afraid, almost Hampshire indeed! Also, time pressures are against me at the moment, I'm doing well if I can carve* out a couple of hours at the weekend between work commitments. The meetings look like they might be a good place to start - they don't look too threatening in the photos!

*Groan!

 

[tobytools]

KevM- thanks for the links I think I'll have a go at one of the courses, a taster
I think I'll also attend a meeting to talk the ears of some new people. Do you attend these meetings yourself?

Toby, you're welcome I hope there's something useful there for you. No I don't attend any of those meetings, that's the wrong part of Dorset for me I'm afraid, almost Hampshire indeed! Also, time pressures are against me at the moment, I'm doing well if I can carve* out a couple of hours at the weekend between work commitments. The meetings look like they might be a good place to start - they don't look too threatening in the photos!

*Groan!

I'm going to ring up the collage this week and find out about the next course available.
I want to make furniture and have allways had a thing with carving so hopefully I can incorporate both into some projects.

Like most novices the sharpening side of carving gets me down, I've sharpened a few of mine with shallow sweeps as they are easiest but, some of the other ones seem a bit much for me.
The v, bent spoon.
As mentioned I should just grind flat and go for it

Great advice for you all thanks,

One more question....... Wait for it.....



What methods/ equipment do you use to refrains and sharpen you chisels "seriously"

TT

 

[KevM]

Like most novices the sharpening side of carving gets me down, I've sharpened a few of mine with shallow sweeps as they are easiest but, some of the other ones seem a bit much for me.
The v, bent spoon.
As mentioned I should just grind flat and go for it

Great advice for you all thanks,

One more question....... Wait for it.....



What methods/ equipment do you use to refrains and sharpen you chisels "seriously"

TT

I think I'll have to plead ignorance here! My only carving tools are a small set of Flexcut, I hone these in accordance with Flexcut's directions with the supplied Flexcut profiles and yellow compound. I haven't had to regrind yet, the little and often approach seems to work quite well, at least for Flexcut.
I'm sure somebody will be along to help out soon enough... Good luck!