Keep your tools sharp and secure for less than five dollars By Lynn Diel Almost every carver I meet has a way to organize tools for home use or to bring to club meetings or take on trips. Tool rolls, boxes and even fancy tool chests all come into play. […]
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 […]
Burning adds realistic texture to this cute creature By Desiree Hajny Woodburning caught my attention at the first woodcarving show I participated in, back in 1982. At this particular show there were two sections, one for the carvers of birds, and the other reserved for miscellaneous carvings. I had brought […]
Simple tools and materials can produce great results By Lavonne Russell I purchased Woodcarving Illustrated Spring 2005 (Issue 30) on a whim—without any carving experience and no tools. What was I doing with a woodcarving magazine? But something about the bearded figure on the cover caught my eye. He looked like […]
This easy-to-make shop aid is a great way to keep your gouges and V-tools in tip-top shape By Lora S. Irish With just a few minutes of work, you can create this honing board customized to sharpen your specific gouges and V-tools. This honing board is small enough to include […]
By Bob Duncan Readers who prefer to store back issues in a three-ring binder may continue to do so by drilling their own holes. You can clamp the magazine tightly between two pieces of wood and drill the holes with a 1/4″ (6mm)- to 5/16″ (8mm)-diameter drill bit, but this […]
Use basic cuts to create accents for frames and furniture By Chris Pye Most carved molding looks more difficult to carve than it really is. Decorative molding has many uses, such as around the edges of tables or picture frames. The simpler carved moldings offer a good introduction to traditional […]
Simple mixtures and techniques to create a variety of flesh colors By Lora S. Irish While there are a variety of pre-mixed paints to simulate different skin tones, I prefer to mix my own. That gives me complete control over the colors, highlights, and shadows. It also allows me to […]
Essential knowledge for a professional finish By Vicki Rhodes You’ve spent months getting each carved detail just right. Now it’s time to finish the piece and bring it to life with color. Many carvers find themselves hesitant to take the next step. To develop a suitable comfort level, you need […]
Hershal Borders’ complex canes start with a block of basswood and a theme By Ayleen Stellhorn “I guess I do just about everything backwards,” laughs Hershal Borders. But for this Middletown, Ohio, resident, “backwards” may well be the key to his growing notoriety as canemaker-extraordinaire.“I start with a block of […]
