Tips and Techniques
By Barbara Mann
A few weeks ago I heard somebody ask "How much carving do you need to do?" If you are serious about becoming a wood carver, the answer is "More than two hours on Monday nights." A good start is to set aside 15 to 30 minutes a day to carve. Then one develops "muscle memory" about how to make the cuts properly and how to cut with the grain of the wood. Then throw in a couple hours on the weekend and you'll be finishing your projects. Another good way to learn is to repeat what you just learned by doing a second carving of the same cutout. This time you should be able to do it without the help of an instructor, although we'll be glad to comment or answer questions if asked.
Taking wood carving classes and workshops really helps a lot of carvers move to a new level of
achievement in carving. Try to participate in the available opportunities. There will be only one Florida Wood Carving Roundup in 2018 and that will be in Arcadia. It's the perfect opportunity to build your skills. In the early years of the FL roundup, as many as 14 members of our club would attend. Make plans to attend in 2018
to give your carving a real kick-start.
In the book Outliers, author Malcolm Gladwell says that it takes roughly ten thousand hours of practice to achieve mastery in a field. Forty hours per week over five years gives us 10,000 hours. Most of us don't have that kind of time until we retire, if even then. But it is clear that developing expertise in any skill, is, to a large extent, a matter of practicing the correct way. Even if achieving mastery does not tempt you, you can become more skilled and have more fun carving when you carve more than just on Monday nights.
"Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes." Oscar Wilde
"The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play." Arnold J.Toynbee
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Ten Extremely Important Rules of Carving
- Make sure your knife is sharp.
- Your knife must be really sharp!
- Don't try carving with a knife that isn't sharp.
- Before starting to carve, check your knife to see if it is sharp.
- Carving with a less-that-very-sharp knife is very frustrating!
- In the realm of wood carving, sharp is good, dull is bad.
- Keep your knife sharp!
- If your knife is really sharp, it will cut much better.
- If you miss the point of Rules 1 through 8, make sure the knife you carve with is sharp!
- If there is any doubt, refer to Rules 1 through 9.
From the Little Book of Whittling by Chris Lubkemann. See you at the program on May 15!
Our Facebook Page
Capital City Carvers now has a Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/CapitalCityCarvers A great big thank you to our webmaster Craig Kittendorf and his daughter Sara! It looks great!
Members in Chip Chats
The March/April 2017 issue of Chip Chats had an article on the 2016 Pensacola Interstate Fair. Several members had entries in the wood carving competition and two of their winning carvings were pictured. Look for Walt Krietlow's cottonwood bark house on page 24, and Lance Peterson's mountain bluebird on page 25. Way go gentlemen!
Detail Knives
What's the difference between a detail knife and a regular carving knife? The blade of the detail knife is shorter, thinner, and has a sharp point. It is designed for control to make small cuts needed for an eye or mouth. Detail knifes should never be used to hog off wood or the point used to pry.
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