Woodcarving, Beekeeping, and Country Life

Chip Carving – Part 2

You can find the first part of this article here – Chip Carving – Part 1.

Sesame Street is a great kids program. I watched it as a kid and it’s still on TV from what I hear. Every show is sponsored by a letter and a number. It was a great way . . . → Read More: Woodcarving Article – Chip Carving Part 2

Chip Carving – Part 1

Today I am talking about chip carving. This is something totally new for me as I have never chip carved in my life before starting this article. I thought it would be fun to start a new series about something I’m not as familiar with so we could learn together.

Since I am . . . → Read More: Woodcarving Article – Chip Carving Part 1

If you are a fan of British humour (notice the u!) then you are probably familiar with Monty Python. Monty Python was a very creative comedy group that performed many skits back in the day. One of my favorite would be some non-sensical piece that would be immediately followed by a news anchor saying “Now for . . . → Read More: Woodcarving Article – Cottonwood Bark

Shave and a haircut, two bits! The melody to that line is used extensively in bluegrass banjo to end songs. If you watched “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” you’ll remember it as well. In case you don’t know a bit is one half of a quarter so it’s equal to 12.5 cents. I’ve always thought that was peculiar. If you bought something that cost 13 cents and paid with a bit they’d owe you .5 cents in change and there isn’t a .5 cent piece. I don’t understand how that works. I guess that’s why they don’t let me work on international economic policy.

Anyway, I want to discuss power carving bits not bits of currency. We’ve already talked about the basics of < !– google_ad_section_start –>power carving and then covered dust collection< !– google_ad_section_end –> in more detail. Bits are very a very important and vast subject and they deserve to have their own introduction.
Continue reading Power Carving Bits – Wood Carving Article

We have started exploring power carving. Last time we discussed the basic things you would need to get started. Today we discuss what I think is the most important part of power carving, dust collection.

Dust collection is all about your safety. This is an important topic so please don’t mistake any humor as me taking the subject lightly. Continue reading Dust Collection – Wood Carving Article

I can’t remember the whole song or the name of the band but I do remember the catchy vocal hook “I’ve got the power!” We have discussed the manual side of carving. Today I would like to discuss some basics about power carving. Continue reading Power Carving – Wood Carving Article

Hold it!

Hold it right there! I bet the every time you hear this statement you think someone is in trouble. You might even be in trouble right now. I’m not there so I don’t know. I can tell you this: if you don’t have a safe way to hold your wood while you carve you will be in trouble very soon.

There are different types of woodcarving projects out there and they come in all different sizes. You need a holder to match what you are doing. I’ve included a few of the basic options. Continue reading Wood Carving Vises – Wood Carving Article

The American Woodcarving School was founded in 1974 by Sculptor Michael Denike. Mr. Denike’s dream…a school that’s sole purpose is instructing and promoting the art of Woodcarving. The school holds regular day and evening classes 52 weeks out of the year, and approximately 6 weekend workshops per year.

The regular classes allow the . . . → Read More: American Woodcarving School – Art School

Against the backdrop of the world’s most ancient mountains is a special kind of place . . . A place where history lives . . . where tradition lingers . . . where people come together to discover their creative spirit. Continue reading John C. Campbell Folk School

You ever have anybody tell you that you’re not to sharp? I know how you feel. Those days are over! It’s time to stop living the dull life and get on the razors edge.

I’m not a renowned expert on sharpening but I know it’s important, I know that it’s not as hard as people think, and I know that you don’t have to spend lots of money to buy the accessories you need to keep your tools sharp.

I’ve been carving for a few years now and one thing I’ve learned is that most beginning carvers do not take sharpening seriously. They try to get the same results they see better carvers getting but they can’t. One factor in this, besides experience, is that a lot of the beginners are carving with dull tools. You cannot get good results with dull tools. Continue reading Sharpening – Wood Carving Article