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Wood Carving for Beginners

Every blog article filed under Wood Carving for Beginners.

August 15, 2024

Wood carving tips for beginners, and the order the problems arrive

A hundred people a year start carving in front of me, and the mistakes arrive in the same order every time. Bench height, light, a pattern that slipped, an edge that went dull two hours ago. Here is the list I would hand you across the bench.

August 3, 2024

Wood carving classes for beginners, and how to tell a good one

The question underneath most emails about classes is whether the money will be wasted. Here is what I look for when somebody sends me a course to check, what I built into my own beginner course after students asked for one, and the two questions worth asking before you pay anybody.

July 21, 2024

Beginner wood carving, the first year in the order it really happens

One knife, one basswood board, and a year of short evenings. Here is the whole first year in the order it really happens, from the three angles you practise in week one to the panel that finally reads from across a room.

June 27, 2024

Why wood carving is so popular, and what keeps people at the bench

People watch carving videos for months before they touch a board. Here is what actually pulls them in, what stops about half of them by week three, and the one thing that keeps the rest at the bench for thirty years.

November 15, 2022

The basics of wood carving, and the order they actually bite

Beginners do not fail because the design was hard. They fail in four places: the grain tore, the board slid, the tool was blunt, or the spare hand sat in front of the edge. Here is the short list, in the order it bites.

November 8, 2022

How do I learn to carve wood, and the order that actually works

There is no shortcut, but there is an order, and the order matters more than talent. One knife for a month, sharpening in week two, drawing in month three, and one shape repeated until your hands stop thinking about it.