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Inexpensive Wood Carving Travel Case

May 152012

When it comes to wood carving, one of the best things is that you can carve anywhere that you have your tools and a little room to sit. If you are like me, you have added wood carving tools along your journey of carving. There is absolutely no way that I could carry all of my wood carving tools and materials with me away from home, but with a very inexpensive item from Wal-mart, you can take a few of the essential carving tools with you.

I found a clear, single layer tackle box at Wal-mart that does the perfect job of carrying a few of my carving tools while on the go. The tackle box holds my carving knife, small detail knife, carving glove, thumb guard, a few triangle blanks of basswood, and a small leather strop. That’s everything that I need to carve a small Santa ornament or refrigerator magnet.

Wood Carving Travel Case

Wood Carved Faces

Wood Carving Projects 3 Responses »

Apr 282012

Hey everybody! It’s been over a month since I posted anything on the blog. It is has been very busy around my house and I haven’t had much time to devote to the blog or to much carving. I have a ton of ideas and things that I have been making notes on to share, so don’t give up on me. I will get back to sharing as soon as I can.

For now, I wanted to share some faces that I carved on the triangle block of basswood. I think that they turned out fairly well. I need to give them a face lift with some paint and they should be ready to be refrigerator magnets.

Let me know what you think of these.

Wood Carved Faces in Basswood

Click on the image to see the expanded picture of all 4 faces.

Fish Hooks Make Great Ornament Hangers

Beginner Wood Carving Information, Wood Carving Tips No Responses »

Mar 102012

Ordinary fish hooks make very functional Christmas ornament hangers. Using a pair of wire cutters, carefully cut the fish hook a short distance below the eye of the hook. Use caution not to throw the sharp barbed hook into your eye or skin and also do this process where you can easily find the sharp hook so that you don’t risk stepping on it later with bare feet. The actual hook and most of the hook shaft are scrapped and the eye is then used as the hanging mechanism on the ornament.

Most of my Christmas ornaments are made of basswood and therefore will allow me to insert the short hook shaft that is attached to the eye, into the ornament with a pair of pliers and a little bit of force. I have found that most of the time, the eye will remain securely in the ornament without any further assistance, but there are times that a small amount of glue is needed to keep it securely in place. I usually wait until I am completely done finishing the ornament (painting) before I insert the eye.

Ornament Hook

Wood Carving Scrap/Reference Book for Inspiration and Review

Beginner Wood Carving Information, Wood Carving Tips No Responses »

Nov 202011

Have you ever had an idea for a wood carving project but just don’t know enough about your subject matter to feel comfortable enough to tackle the project? When doing any wood carving project, you minds’ eye must first see the project so that it can translate the doing process to your hands. Having this mental picture is vital to your success.

A great idea to not only inspire you, but to also assist you in gathering a mental picture, is to start a scrap/reference book. Use clippings from magazines and old books that depict your chosen subject and place them in a scrap book. You can also use the internet to search for pictures and drawings of your subject matter.

By collecting these items, you will be on your way to being able to picture in your mind what you want your hands to carve. As you gradually add to the collection of images, you may even come up with other ideas that you hadn’t previously thought of. I also like to take pictures of all of my completed projects also, to add to my reference material for future projects.

You Might Be A Wood Carver If…

Beginner Wood Carving Information No Responses »

Nov 172011

I have always enjoyed laughing and making others laugh. While doing wood carving, I sometimes find myself thinking about funny anecdotes. Here are some “You Might Be A Wood Carver If…” sayings that I have come up with.

If you find yourself buying so many tools that you just can’t “strop”, you might be a wood carver.

If you only wear one glove and you aren’t the King of Pop, you might be a wood carver.

If the following statement makes sense, “I carve so much I have to strop every 15 minutes”, you might be a wood carver.

If you know the difference between a gouge and a veiner, you might be a wood carver.

If you leave a trail of wood chips everywhere you go, you might be a wood carver.

If the neighbors kids get their hamster bedding from you, you might be a wood carver.

If you primary vacuum cleaner is a shopvac, you might be a wood carver.

If the words “chip” and “slice” immediately make you think of something other than golf, you might be a wood carver.

If you friends invite you over for a party and tell you to bring your favorite chips, and you bring basswood chips, you might be a wood carver.

If your date has ever asked you if you had protection and you took out your wood carving glove, you might be a wood carver.

If you get more enjoyment from a copy of Woodcarving Illustrated, than from the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition, you might be a wood carver.

Let me know what you think of these sayings. I ran them past a couple co-workers and my wife and they found these to be the best out of the ones that I wrote. If you find them funny, share them with your friends and family, but tell them where you got them.

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