eNews: Strop Talk

Strop Talk

Strop Talk

Welcome to Strop Talk! As you know, stropping keeps your knife sharp between cuts. This quarterly e-newsletter is our way of staying in touch with you between issues of Woodcarving Illustrated. Here we share projects, features, tips, insider scoop on books and authors, club news, and more. We hope you enjoy reading […]

by October 18, 2016 eNews: Strop Talk
Carving a Realistic Rabbit

Carving a Realistic Rabbit

Turn this woodland favorite into an adorable spring decoration By Desiree Hajny Thanks to popular media, we can’t help associating our long-eared friends with spring. I’ve had several batches of young bunnies in my backyard and always enjoy watching each one’s development from wide-eyed little creature to majestic adult. For […]

by March 2, 2023 eNews: Strop Talk, Spring Carving
Custom Paint Rack

Custom Paint Rack

Size this basic design to fit your workspace By Steve Russell Organize your paint collection with a rack made to suit your needs. This multilayered design with a clear front gets paint bottles up off the bench, moves them closer to eye level, and doesn’t take up much space. You […]

by March 2, 2023 eNews: Strop Talk, Shop Tips
On-The-Go Carving Desk

On-The-Go Carving Desk

Quick & easy plywood box protects your tools and contains your chips By Tom Noller  I like to take small projects with me when I travel, so I designed and built this combination travel tool carrier and lapboard. It not only holds projects, tools, and reference material, but also collects […]

by December 1, 2022 eNews: Strop Talk
Happy Tree Ornament

Happy Tree Ornament

Quick-carve holiday gift allows you to experiment with making different faces By Larry Green This jovial little caricature really looks great hanging on a Christmas tree. The variety of expressions you could carve for him is endless. Carve one or a forest of ornaments and create on the go by […]

by December 1, 2022 eNews: Strop Talk, Holiday Carving
Fantasy Wizard

Fantasy Wizard

Customize this caricature wizard by changing the staff and paint colors By Don Dearolf After the Harry Potter books and movies came out, I was inspired to carve a wizard. That took a back seat to some of my other projects, but when The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey came out, I […]

by September 28, 2022 eNews: Strop Talk, Fall Carving
The Rule of Three

The Rule of Three

Create accurate proportions in your figure carvings By Donald K. Mertz The rule of three is an easy way to envision a human figure in a block of wood before and during the carving process. All human figures have the same basic elements. These elements need to be in proportion […]

by September 28, 2022 eNews: Strop Talk, Techniques
Whittling an Eagle Head

Whittling an Eagle Head

Celebrate the patriotic summer holidays with these quick carvings By Pete Zanauskas Carve these easy eagle heads to celebrate Fourth of July and Veteran’s Day. You can use a band saw to mass-produce blanks, and then carry them with you to whittle in your spare time. I turned mine into pins, […]

by May 25, 2022 eNews: Strop Talk
Carving a Relief Caricature

Carving a Relief Caricature

Whether you love hiking or hunting, celebrate your hobby with this easy, adaptable project By Eric Owens I love to hike, and when I look at this guy, I just want to strap on my boots and hit the trail! He is a beginner/intermediate project, and most carvers need a […]

by March 3, 2022 eNews: Strop Talk
North Pole Snowman

North Pole Snowman

Simple relief ornament can be carved and painted quickly By Steve Russell While on a trip to Las Vegas, I came across a picture of a snowman on the side of a building. I thought it would make a great Christmas ornament! I made a few changes to the design to […]

by November 1, 2021 eNews: Strop Talk
Two-Hour Pelican

Two-Hour Pelican

Carve and paint this comical bird in an afternoon By Don Swartz Even a beginner can finish this carving in an afternoon. It’s a great way to practice making strong, deliberate cuts. Once you master the basic techniques, you can change the shape of some features to personalize them or […]

by August 16, 2021 eNews: Strop Talk