Wood carving is one of the oldest handcrafts in history. And if you are a fan of the Outdoors, then there is a big chance you are into it. If you are new to wood carving and want some tips to help you improve as a beginner, we have got you covered.
How to learn the basics?
Nowadays, learning has never been easier. Everything is at the palm of your hands: videos, How to articles and even online courses. We recommend exploring videos on YouTube for wood carving instructions , it is the number one place where knowledge is free. You can watch first hand how everything should be done, along with some useful tips from the video authors.
Reading a book can be very informative unlike some people think. It can be very detailed and instructive and it can be surprisingly enjoyable.
Where to get your first wood carving Kit?
Practice makes perfect. That’s exactly how wood carving is. You should practice what you learn and you will eventually get better along the way. Choosing what tools to get can be confusing and intimidating. The trick is to get something basic, you are a newbie so you don’t have to buy something so advanced. We recommend a set that must include as a start: “Carving knife”, “Chisel”, “Gouges” and “V-tools”. Check the link below for our pick for your first Wood carving tool set.
Wood Carving set for beginners
How to choose the best wood for carving?
Wood selection is a beginner’s must know. You should be familiar with wood types and to be able to choose what type of wood suits your piece the most. Wood is divided into two types: Soft Wood and Hard wood. Unlike what the name suggests, Hardwood is actually easy to carve. Due to it’s complexion, it lasts longer and supports more details. On the other hand, Softwood can be very hard to carve and due to it’s structure which tends to tear inside cuts, it is not carving friendly specially for beginners.
We recommend starting your carving journey with Basswood: it is soft to carve and holds details remarkably. You can order Basswood and other types of Wood online in small blocks.
Or if you have access to the woods you can chop some yourself if you are handy with the Axe and Saw.
Wood carving projects for beginners
To practice your carving skills you should start with small an easy projects. For example, a spoon, a spatula and maybe a small abstract animal . It is simple and does not require crazy skills.
Safety and Protection
Safety first. That is our motto. Be careful while using those sharp tools for the first time, or even if you are not new to wood carving safety is not to be taken for granted. We recommend a pair of carving gloves, it never hurts to be safe.
If you want to dive deeper into woodworking we recommend the Woodwork101 it contains a large collection of 1000 hours of detailed videos and blueprints in HD. It will take you by the hand so you’ll be able to build everything radically easy. It’s like having a master woodworker, by your side, showing you what to do at every step from every angle.
Check it here.
Wood carving is quite an enjoyable activity, whether it is in the Outdoors or back at home. It can help reduce stress, develop handy skills and it is easy to learn.
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