Wood Carving Techniques and Tools

Wood carving is a form of working wood through a cutting tool or a sculpt leading to a wooden figure and is often called as Xyloglyphy. It is an enjoyable hobby and can be done with less investment. There are different methods for this, so make sure you choose the best one of your interest. 

There are virtually an unlimited number of timbers that can be shaped and it can be a great form of expression for an artist within. Wood carving for beginners begins with the fundamentals of what techniques and resources to use. 

Wood Carving Techniques:
 

There are mainly four types of techniques used to shape a wood piece, they are:

• Whittling
• Relief Carving
• Carving in the round
• Chip Carving

Whittling: It is the act of cutting pieces of wood from timber. This is the most basic form of wood carving; however, it is less common today as modern day wood carving moves around specific and complex designs.

Relief Carving: It is generally sketching images into a piece of flat timber; a 3 dimensional picture is designed through the way the wood is removed. This is often used to enhance furniture or signs. 

Carving in the round: It is carving all the way around, which makes a more soft and natural overall look over whittling. This method provides the most versatility as anything can be designed into a three dimensional object. 

Chip Carving: In this technique, knives or chisels are used to remove wood chips from a block of timber to create designs or styles. This method is often used to decorate household goods. Each technique utilizes a different set of tools to finish off the desired work. 

What tools to be used?

 

Understanding what tools to use is a must for wood sculpting for newbies. Whittling is the easiest to get started as the only resources needed are a sharp blade and a piece of timber. This is probably the most affordable and easiest way for a beginner to get into this field. 

Chip carvers only require a couple of different knives to chip the timber surface and is another wise decision to get started in wood sculpting as it needs only a few resources as compared to other methods. 

Carving in the round needs more resources to achieve as it needs a wide range of knives, gouges and chisels. This method utilizes almost any device as a different function may need a different set of tools. 

Relief carving needs a primary carving set to make the images onto the timber; however, it uses mainly gouges to create the effect. Sculpting in the round and relief carving can be quite difficult task for starters, as they need more resources and patience. 

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