Woodcarving

Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a cutting tool held in the hand (this may be a power tool), resulting in a wooden figure or figurine (this may be abstract in nature) or in the ornamentation of a wooden object. The phrase may also refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures, to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracery.

History

From the remotest ages the decoration of wood has been a foremost art. The tendency of human nature has always been to ornament every article in use. Just as a child of today instinctively cuts patterns on the bark of his switch freshly taken from the hedgerow, so the primitive man, to say nothing of his more civilized successor, has from the earliest times cut designs on every wooden article he is accustomed to handle. The North American Indian carves his wooden fish-hook or his pipe stem just as the Polynesian works patterns on his paddle.

The native of Guyana decorates his cavassa grater with a well-conceived scheme of incised scrolls, while the savage of Loango Bay distorts his spoon with a hopelessly unsuitable design of perhaps figures standing up in full relief carrying a hammock.

Figure-work seems to have been universal. The carving to represent ones god in a tangible form finds expression to in numberless ways. The early carver, and, for that matter, the native of the present day, has always found a difficulty in giving expression to the eye, and at all times has evaded it by inlaying this feature with colored material.

Techniques Of Carving

Tools

w The carving knife: a specialized knife used to pare, cut, and smooth wood.
w The gouge: a tool with a curved cutting edge used in a variety of forms and     sizes for carving hollows, rounds and sweeping curves.
w The chisel, large and small, whose straight cutting edge is used for lines and     cleaning up flat surfaces.
w The V-tool used for parting, and in certain classes of flat work for emphasizing     lines.
w The veiner used for veining, and drilling holes. This tool is a specialized gouge     with a small radius.

A special screw for fixing work to the workbench, and a mallet, complete the carvers kit, though other tools, both specialized and adapted, are often used, such as a router for bringing grounds to a uniform level, bent gouges and bent chisels for cutting hollows too deep for the ordinary tool.

Tool Terminology

w Gouge - Carving tool with a curved cutting edge. The most used category of     carving tools.
w Sweep - The curvature of the cutting edge of a carving gouge. A lower number     (like #3) indicates a shallow, flat sweep while a high number (like #9) is used     for a deeply curved gouge.
w Veiner - A deep gouge with a U shaped cutting edge. Usually #11 sweep.
w Chisel - A carving tool with a straight cutting edge (usually termed #1 sweep)     at right angles (or square to) the sides of the blade.
w Skew Chisel - A chisel with the edge at a "skew" or angle relative the sides of     the blade. Often termed #2 sweep.
w V-Tool or Parting Tool - A carving tool with a V shaped cutting edge. Used for     outlining and decorative cuts.
w Long Bent - A gouge, chisel or V tool where the blade is curved along it's     entire length. Handy for deep work.
w Short Bent or Spoon - A gouge, chisel or V tool where the blade is straight     with a curve at the end, like a spoon. Use for work in deep or inaccessible     areas.
w Fishtail - A gouge or chisel with a straight, narrow shank that flares out at the     end to form a "fishtail" shaped tool. The narrow shaft of the tool allows for     clearance in tight areas.
w Back Bent - A spoon gouge with a reverse bent end. Used for undercuts and     reeding work.
w Palm Tools - Short (5"), stubby tools used with one hand while the work is held     in the other. Great for detail and small carving.
w Full-size Tools - 10" to 11" tools used with two hands.
w Tang - The tapered part of the blade that is driven into the handle.
w Bolster - A flared section of the blade near the tang that keeps the blade from     being driven further into the handle.
w Ferrule - A metal collar on the handle that keeps the wood from splitting when     the tool is used with a mallet. Some tools have an external, visible ferrule while     others have an internal ferrule.
w Rockwell Hardness - A scale that indicates the hardness of steel. A Rockwell     range of 58 to 61 is considered optimum for fine woodworking edge tools.

Selecting A Wood

Carvings should go along the grain for greatest supportThe nature of the wood being carved limits the scope of the carver in that wood is not equally strong in all directions: it is an anisotropic material. The direction is which wood is strongest is called "grain" (grain may be straight, interlocked, wavy or fiddleback, &c.). It is wise to arrange the more delicate parts of a design along the grain instead of across it, and the more slender stalks or leaf-points should not be too much separated from their adjacent surroundings.

The failure to appreciate these primary rules may constantly be seen in damaged work, when it will be noticed that, whereas tendrils, tips of birds beaks, &c., arranged across the grain have been broken away, similar details designed more in harmony with the growth of the wood and not too deeply undercut remain intact. Oak is a lovely wood for carving, on account of its durability and toughness without being too hard. Chestnut (very like oak), American walnut, mahogany and teak are also very good woods; while for fine work Italian walnut, lime, sycamore maple, apple, pear or plum, are generally chosen. Decoration that is to be painted and of not too delicate a nature is as a rule carved in pine.

Carving

The actual carving should be done with the grain, not against the grain!

Methods And Styles Of Wood Carving

w Chip Carving
w Relief Carving
w Scandinavian Flat-Plane
w Caricature Carving
w Love Spoon
w Treen
w Whittling

Chip Carving

Chip carving is a style of wood carving in which knives are used to remove small chips of wood from the project surface in a single piece. Chip carvings have two planes: the wood surface, and the point beneath the surface where the cuts intersect. Patterns can be free form style or based on geometric figures. The projects are created primarily using a chip carving knife.

Relief Carving

The process for relief carving is usually as follows. The carver first fixes the wood to his workbench by means of a carvers screw or clamp. The carver then sketches on the main lines of his idea, indicating the flowers, foliage, or other subject. If the design be very intricate or of a geometrical character, he may trace the design from a pattern first prepared on paper.

The carver grounds out the spaces between the lines with a gouge to a more or less uniform depth. Then he hosts the upstanding pattern that remains, i.e. he models and shapes the details of his design, carefully balancing the lights and shadows; and finally, after having obtained the result he desires, he cleans up all of the cuts. The quicker he works, the fewer times he goes over the same part, the more sketchy the subsidiary portions, the less high finish he puts into the detail, the better the result. Incised work, chip carving, are generally finished at once and not in stages.

Scandinavian Flat-Plane

Flat Plane wood carving is a style of figure carving. The figures are carved in large flat planes, created primarily using a carving knife. Tool marks are left in the carving and very little (if any) rounding or sanding is done.

Caricature Carving

A caricature carving is a humorous wood carving that exaggerates or distorts the basic essence of a person or thing to create an easily identifiable visual likeness.

Although caricatures can be made of inanimate objects such as cars or buildings, the art form is usually reserved for illustrations of people, especially celebrities and politicians.

Caricatures can be insulting or complimentary and can serve a political purpose or be carved solely for entertainment.

The word "caricature" can also apply to a person or thing that displays behavior or mannerisms that are ridiculously exaggerated and overly stereotypical.

Love Spoon

A love spoon is an ornately carved spoon traditionally made from a single piece of wood by young men, especially in Wales, as a love token for their sweethearts, to show their affection and intentions.

The earliest surviving example, displayed in the Welsh Folk museum in Cardiff, dates from around 1667, although the tradition probably dates back long before that.

The love spoon originated from the "cawl" (soup) spoon. Over generations, decorative carvings were added to the spoon and it lost its original practical use and became a treasured decorative item to be hung proudly on a wall. Certain symbols came to have specific meanings: a horseshoe for luck, a cross for faith and marriage, or hearts for love.

Sailors would often carve love spoons during their long journeys, which is why anchors would often be incorporated into the carvings.

Although the Welsh lovespoon is the most famous there are also traditions of lovespoons in Scandinavia and some parts of Eastern Europe, which have their own unique styles and techniques.

Whittling

Whittling is the art of carving shapes out of raw wood with a knife, as in the whittling of a toy boat. It is a tradition that has been practiced worldwide for centuries.

Sometimes the terms "whittling" and "carving" are used interchangeably, but this is incorrect. Carving implies the use of chisels, gouges, and a mallet, while whittling implies only the use of a knife.

Whittling is typically performed with a light, small-bladed knife, usually a pocket knifeSpecialised whittling knives (pictured) exist and are most desirable because their chunky handles are easier to grip for long periods and are held close to the blade, allowing precise control and pressure.Some communities hold whittling festivals and competitions.