Wood Carving Basics

Even if you have no experience with woodworking or using tools, Wood Carving Basics will teach you new skills and show you how to create handmade treasures. Starting with a list of supplies and tools, plus suggestions for setting up your work space, the chapters are designed to progressively increase your comfort level with additional techniques. More than 300 full-color photographs accompany the step-by-step instructions.
Eleven exercises range from carving to whittling to etching, followed by a selection of patterns — including animals, a decorative border, letters, and numbers — for your first wood carvings. Projects include whittling a letter opener from a tree branch and carving a wooden spoon, a decorative butcher's trade sign, and a duck decoy. This well-illustrated guide concludes with helpful advice for painting, finishing, and displaying your work.

Stephen Johnston is a woodcarver and a longtime member of Northwest Wood Carvers Association. When not working his day job as a web developer, Stephen is busy woodcarving and teaching others how to do so via workshops, conferences, and the organization's website. He sees traditional woodworking as a creative outlet and a form of slowing down and meditating. He lives in Eatonville, Washington.