Ozark Walking Sticks

Several years ago, I began to gain an interest in wood carving and was fascinated by carvings of old men (also known as "hillbillies" or "Wood Spirits"). I tried to justify buying some tools and just didn't follow through. I did buy some assorted basswood from a hobby store and started out in an attempt to carve a caricature with my pocket knife. I had downloaded some plans off the internet that included a drawing of the figure on a flat plane and I quickly became frustrated with my inability to carve according to the directions. I placed the started figure to the side and it eventually ended up on a shelf in my closet.

I had been to Silver Dollar City in Branson, Missouri, on several occassions and was intrigued by the wood carvings that they had in the wood carving workshop. I was still hesitant to buy any special tools, because I was unsure if it was a passing interest. A few months ago, I again saw a picture of a carving of an old man with a beard and again I was bitten by the desire to start carving. I went to a local bookstore and bought the latest copy of "Wood Carving Illustrated" magazine.

After doing some simple projects from the magazine, I looked at their online forum about carving. The forum is a great place to ask questions and read responses to previous questions. There is so much information, that I haven't even scratched the surface yet.

After completing a few simple projects, I really began to feel good about what I had learned so far. Another interest of mine is designing websites. So I decided to combine both hobbies and create this website to help others learn how to do wood carving.

Wood carving can be such a relaxing hobby and you may find yourself still using it to relax 20 years from now. Wood carving becomes addictive also. Many people that I have heard from, say the same thing, "I just can't get enough of this."

Check out the links at the top of the page for more detailed about wood carving and how to get started.