Blog Tag

sharpening

Every blog article tagged sharpening.

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 31, 2024

What a carving knife is, and the one I put in a beginner's hand

One short blade, about an inch of edge, and it follows whatever you drew. Here is the knife I hand every beginner, the three grips nobody teaches, and the two jobs it will never do for you.

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 30, 2024

Wood carving tips that matter, and what really makes a master carver

Tips are worth very little on their own. What separates a carver who keeps improving from one who stalls is understanding why each move is made. Here are the reasons behind the moves, the layer trick that makes relief read deep, and the two places practice actually pays.

November 16, 2022

Will wood carving lessons online teach how to carve wood, honestly

A camera set six inches from the blade shows a rotation nobody can see from four feet back. What it cannot do is put a hand on your wrist when you press too hard. Here is the honest split, and the five habits that close the gap.

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.

December 8, 2020

Carving walnut, is it good wood for the job?

I once worked a house built entirely from purple walnut, and carved a furniture panel out of what was left over. Here is how the wood really behaves under a gouge, what bevel it wants, where it snaps, and what a board should cost you.

December 7, 2020

What is the best woodcarving tool set, and the four that do the work

Half my students arrive with a 30 piece box and carve with four of them. Here are the four gouge numbers that do the work, the three makers whose steel holds an edge, and how to buy them one at a time.