Articles by: Roger-Schroeder

All About Drawknives, Spokeshaves, and Scorps

All About Drawknives, Spokeshaves, and Scorps

Whether pushed or pulled, these tools rank high as wood removers By Roger Schroeder As a woodcarver, you know that the game plan is to remove wood. A sharp knife can’t be beat for a small project in softwoods. For large hardwood pieces, chisels, gouges, V tools and power tools […]

by February 7, 2010 Techniques

Modern Ivory Carving

How to carve authentic looking ivory in materials available today Carvers have a long history of turning to ivory as an alternative carving material. It holds detail better than any woods, but is much harder than most woods. Ivory from elephant tusks has been outlawed for many years, so carvers […]

by February 5, 2010 Features

The Humorous World of Pete LeClair

Lanky figures, eggheads, clowns, and grizzled faces are all part of the carving repertoire of Pete LeClair. A resident of Gardner, Massachusetts, Pete has been carving since 1979. After an unrewarding stint with ships in a bottle, he tried his hand at carving caricatures. He tracked down a couple of […]

by February 5, 2010 Features
Shop-Made Holding Devices

Shop-Made Holding Devices

Inexpensive methods for holding irregularly-shaped carvings By Roger Schroeder Carvers tend to be innovative—and with the odd shapes that carvings can take on, many commercial holding devices just won’t work. That is why carvers design, or adapt, their own holding devices. The variety of designs is endless, but most can […]

by February 1, 2010 Shop Tips
All About Buying Wood

All About Buying Wood

A handy reference guide and inside tips from 30 years of buying carving wood By Roger Schroeder Buying wood—be it pine, basswood, or something exotic like rosewood—can leave you scratching your head wondering about the mathematics and vocabulary. When I first started purchasing wood, I fell in love with a […]

by January 29, 2010 Shop Tips
Files, Rasps, and Rifflers

Files, Rasps, and Rifflers

These versatile tools have a wide range of carving uses By Roger Schroeder While purists will argue that files, rasps and rifflers, not to mention sandpaper, should never touch a wood carving, don’t sell these tools short. Many projects need a smooth surface, not a flat-plane or faceted one. These […]

by January 24, 2010 Shop Tips