HELPFUL HINTS FOR THE WOODCARVER

These are topics I use when I teach beginning carving.

I will expand on some of these over the next few months.

• Your tools must always be sharp.

• Use the wood grain to your advantage: (A) Strength (B) Aesthetics

• Never cut in the direction where your knife blade can go between the wood fibers.

• For a clean cut, sever all the wood fibers.

• Develop a mental image of what you want before you start carving.

• Analyze each cut before you make it: (A) Why am I making this cut? (B) Where are my hands in relation to the tool blade?

• Analyze each cut after you make it: (A) Did I achieve what I wanted? (B) What did I learn?

• Clamp your work whenever possible.

• When making a "stop cut", the handle of your tool should angle over the piece you want to save.

• To have control of a cut, you should always see both edges of your gouge.

• Don't detail too soon.

• Never put anything that bleeds in front of the blade.....