Relief carving can be easily described as “carving figures in wood”. Like most of the other types of wood carving, it always begins with designing. The most common tools that are used in relief carving are chisels, gouges, and a mallet.
Unlike pocket knives, they’re fixed blade, meaning they don’t fold. Fixed blades offer a bit more sturdiness than what you get with a folding knife. Hardwoods have knots and growth rings more than softwoods so the grain goes multiple directions.
To get started with whittling, you will need two main things – the wood and the knife. Choosing the wrong wood and knife is what makes whittling for beginners hard. With this guide to whittling https://woodcarving.info for beginners, we will help you get started with a pastime that you will love. The shorter the blade, the more control you have over your whittling as your hands will be closer to the material.
Flexcut Right
If you are picking out a branch, remember to cut it slightly longer than you intend your spoon to be and about twice its width. You should also get some 80, 120, and 220 grit sandpaper for a smooth touch and a marker or pen for the design and a cleaner cut. You will also need a protective finish for a shiny touch. A chisel it optional, although it would make your job much easier. You could explore the difference between the shavings when you shave against the grain versus when you shave with the grain. An easy way to determine the grain is to judge the edges of the woodblock.
This is a great extra safety precaution for when you’re getting used to the different kinds of knife strokes and general knife handling. The gloves may feel a bit cumbersome at first, but you’ll surely appreciate them should your knife slip. Slowly carving wood away to reveal the form you’ve held in your mind’s eye is meditative and soothing. It exercises your mind, makes the most of your creativity and helps you pass time around the campfire. Step back into a simpler time with the craft of whittling. At eKnives, our team recommends an OTF, or out-the-front, knife.
Tools
On the other hand, it’s another piece of gear to carry and maintain. Get this book when you’re ready to move on to advanced projects. It’s filled with patterns like a chain, ball and cage, and even some simple puzzles. Below I’ve included a short list of the most popular whittling woods. “Splash whittling” is a historical, decorative technique in Norway using an ax to create a herringbone pattern. One of my favourite projects, was sharpening sticks to put in the ground and make a playground.
There is always another piece of wood out there with your name on it. Pine is a soft wood, however, the grain is slightly coarser than our first two choices. The coloration makes this a popular option for whittlers mind you as you can get white or yellow tinted pine. The reason soft woods are better is due to the fact they are nice and easy to cut. It is a peaceful past time that requires no frills – just a knife a piece of wood and a little creativity.
Whittling wood does not require heavy equipment but you would need simple tools like a knife and sharpening material. As this cut involves moving a knife toward your body and toward your hand, it’s important to keep your stroke short and controlled. You should try to keep your right thumb out of the blade’s path as much as possible. We also recommend wearing a thumb pad for extra protection. If you’re a new whittler, we highly recommend that you wear a pair of gloves when you start out.
- Using your pocket knife is a great way to try out whittling without investing in a ‘proper’ whittling knife.
- I use them every day at my job and can’t be happier with their performance.
- Serious woodworkers will love the creative dimensions that whittling introduces to their projects.
- Although you could whittle with any kind of wood, softwoods are usually the best for whittling because they’re easier to cut.
- They have a grip handle, sharp blade and a sheath with a clip belt.
As the name suggests, this is a rough cut and a preliminary step before starting to use more advanced techniques. However, we know a few whittlers that exclusively use the straightaway rough cut to make a complete work of art. It might be difficult for newbies, but it is nice to know that the possibility is out there. However, this is a hook knife that is ideally suited for detail and spooning work – but will work great when whittling. The hook shape and pointy tip will help you draw a layout in your material so that you can easily “chip” away the layers with a whittling knife later on.
Not only are they going to wind up with a butchered project, they’re also likely to cut themselves up because they aren’t paying attention. I love the use of a two-sided whetstone like the one I mentioned above because of its simplicity and ease of use. Using specialty tools works well, but they lack the fine-tuning a simple whetstone offers. At the campsite, in the backyard, and in the sunroom on a rainy day, you’ll find me whittling. I’ve been whittling off and on for going on ten years now and admit I was initially attracted to the skill because of how awesome it is.