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FREE Pattern: Carve This Bald Eagle Portrait

FREE Pattern: Carve This Bald Eagle Portrait

An artistic presentation flows easily with rotary bits and a good paint job By Wanda Marsh The American bald eagle is a joy to carve. An enduring and majestic symbol of freedom, the bird captures our attention whether we see it in flight or sculpturally presented at a carving show […]

by February 7, 2010 Patterns & Projects

The Dream Weaver

There’s much to learn from professional woodcarver Ian Norbury, whose carvings are in collections all over the world. “I don’t sell woodcarvings,” Ian Norbury declares emphatically. A quizzical statement from a man who has been a professional woodcarver for over 25 years, until he completes the thought: “I sell dreams […]

by February 7, 2010 Features
Extreme Pumpkin Carving

Extreme Pumpkin Carving

This October, showcase your carving skills with something special for Halloween Here are ten hot tips for people using woodcarving tools to relief-carve a pumpkin: 1. For most pumpkin carvings, select a tall, elongated pumpkin because it is easier to develop the pitch of the face in the horizontal plane. […]

by February 7, 2010 Fall Carving, Patterns & Projects
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

Observation Leads to Inspiration

Creativity powers John Taye’s carving John Taye’s ideas for carving materialize while he pushes a cart up and down the aisle of a grocery store’s produce department. He’ll also mine ideas from drawing and doodling in a sketchbook or observing the world around him. “I see things in nature that […]

by February 5, 2010 Features

Schimmel’s Carvings

Turn of the Century Carver’s Work Popular Among Collectors Pennsylvania woodcarver John Bastian recreated several Wilhelm Schimmel carvings before designing a cat based on Schimmel’s style. Wood carver Wilhelm Schimmel may have been considered a tramp in his time, but today his pieces are popular among collectors of folk art […]

by February 5, 2010 Features
Woodburn Realistic Fur

Woodburn Realistic Fur

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 […]

by February 5, 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

Soff Jaws™

There are literally hundreds of ways to clamp a carving—and nearly as much a variety in prices. But Soft Jaws™ converts an ordinary shop vice into a very useful carving vice for a variety of projects. The shop vise is one of the most widely owned tools in workshops throughout […]

by February 5, 2010 Product Reviews
Quick Carve Spreader

Quick Carve Spreader

Carve this useful utensil out of a branch using only a pocketknife By Chris Lubkemann Most—if not all—of my carvings are done in green wood. That’s just my style and you can easily find it when camping, hiking, or even in your back yard. or this project, choose a straight, […]

by February 5, 2010 Patterns & Projects, Whittling