Want to start a relaxing hobby that doesn’t bore you after some time? Wood carving is the answer! Carving wood to make beautiful patterns and structures is a sought-after skill that requires plenty of practice and patience. Professional wood carvers can take weeks to finalize a small piece because of the intricate details and patterns needed for this skill.
However, that doesn’t mean wood carving for beginners is a far cry. You can start wood carving from scratch and master this skill within weeks, if not days. So, if you have enough time and motivation to learn wood carving, stick around while we explain how to start this engaging pastime activity!
Wood Carving Techniques
Before you get a wood carving kit to start peeling and cutting, learn the important carving techniques first. Wood carving for beginners gets easier when they understand the basics and journey on accordingly; you should do the same. Here are the primary wood shaping methods you’ll need for this hobby:
Chip Carving
Chip carving is the simplest way of creating beautiful patterns on wood chips with a few tools. Since intricate wood carving for beginners can be tricky, starting with this easy cutting technique is smart. You use a knife/chisel and a small mallet to craft designs on flat wood surfaces and practice sanding in the process.
Relief Carving
Relief carving is making 3D designs with a wood carving kit on straight woodblocks. This carving trick is quite straightforward, and you don’t need much practice to hone this. If you love those beautifully crafted floral patterns on wood, get a wood carving kit and start practicing; you’ll learn them soon.
Whittling
Whittling is a 3D wood carving method where you create delicate patterns on a board by sweeping knife motions. Since whittling is used for intricate designs and small wood pieces, mastering it will be good for your wood carving hobby. You can create life-like designs and decoration pieces with whittling.
Carving in the Round
The most realistic and complicated wood patterns are made by carving in the round technique. If you can make three-dimensional and life-like designs on wood, you’re already a master of this craft. Although this method is difficult, you’ll love its results, so give it time.
Things you need to Learn Wood Carving
Once you understand different wood carving methods, you can take up this hobby and start practicing it. Consult your wood carving handbook to clear your concept about different chipping methods because you’ll need help with this hobby quite often. Here are the things you must have in your wood carving kit:
Carving Wood
Basswood is best for carving because it is soft and has a rich grain. You’ll need easy-to-handle basswood blocks that you can start peeling and shaping early on in your learning journey. Although getting ready-to-carve basswood blocks is good, you can use any wooden surface if you can’t manage new blocks. However, remember to pick softwood because hardwood is difficult to tame, especially for beginners.
Carving Tools
A wood carver’s tools are his most important asset because they enable you to make dashing designs on plain wood boards and showcase them with pride. An all-in-one knife set must be in your wood carving kit because you cannot use just any knife to tame hard or softwood. If you have a small hammer, that’s good too because you’ll need it for chipping and creating thin lines on wood.
Drawing Patterns
Peeling wood is one thing; making excellent designs on it is another. If you don’t have any experience with wood carving, having an easy-to-trace pattern will help you. You can follow this trace’s details and convert them on a wooden block to achieve great results.
Safety Gear
Wood blocks and carving knives can injure your hands if you’re careless with them. That’s why wearing gloves is essential while working with wood and knives. If you have an allergy or asthma, you should also wear a mask to avoid inhaling the particles flying off from a woodblock. Taking care of your skin is vital because injuries during woodwork are common, and you don’t want your hobby to go wrong.
A Handbook for Beginners
Wood carving indeed looks interesting and easy but doing it without a guide is hard. If we talk about wood carving for beginners, they need special guidance and instructions to hone this skill. So, if you’re a noob with wood carving, keep a handbook in your wood carving kit to refer back to. This book will help you with tools and designs at different stages of your wood carving hobby.
How to Start Wood Carving?
Now that you know some carving methods and your wood carving kit is complete, follow these steps to get started with your new hobby:
Prepare your Wood carving Kit
Make sure your wood carving kit has knives, woodblocks, and a pattern you can follow in your new design. Pick a well-lit and ventilated place to start wood carving because the tiny particles flying from a wood board can cause some breathing issues. Your wood carving kit doesn’t have to be fancy, and the basic tools like a knife and chisel will do for now. Once you learn a few things about carving, you can add new items into your kit.
Draw a Pattern on Wood
If you have a ready-made carving pattern, excellent. Trace it on a wooden block and get carving. But if you don’t have a stencil, draw something on a wooden board, and you’re good to start. Pick a simple design initially because wood carving for beginners is more about neatness and less about the design. This pattern will work as a stencil and give you the confidence to move the carving chisel or gouge around. Don’t go for complex designs because you’re practicing your grip and knife movement as of now, but you can always experiment later.
Choose a Carving Technique and Start
Chip carving is the easiest technique you can follow while learning this hobby because it doesn’t take much effort. You use a chisel and mallet to chip small parts off a woodblock and create a nice pattern on it. Once you’re good at chip carving, you can start whittling or relief carving to make more beautiful patterns. If you don’t have professional carving knives and gouges, you might have trouble cutting hardwood with a regular knife. Therefore, we always recommend getting good-quality tools while adopting a new hobby because, after all, it’s all in the details.
Sand your Design
When you have something on the wooden block to show off, straighten its edges and ridges with sandpaper to finalize it. If you see professional woodcarvers, you’ll notice they always emphasize neatness and smoothen every corner of a design. You should also keep sandpaper handy while learning this trick.
Summing Up
Thanks to its engaging nature, wood carving is an excellent hobby for anyone who needs a good pastime. Once you decide to adopt a new hobby, gather some wood carving essentials, and you’re ready to start. The best thing about wood carving is, you don’t need any extensive equipment or a workspace to start it. You only need a few items in your wood carving kit, and you can start it anywhere in the house. Make sure you have good-quality carving wood, and your tools are sharp enough to create new patterns. Rest you can learn from a wood carving handbook, and make this skill your new favorite pastime.
If you want to start working with metal, check out this post on getting started with blacksmithing!
