Back to basics

**Frank&Earnest** · 13th September 2008, 09:10 PM

Quite regularly on this forum somebody who is about to start woodcarving asks the questions: How do I start? What chisels do I buy? and we do our best to help giving our two bobs' worth based on our varied experiences.

Last month, laid down with a cold, I rummaged into the bookshelves and rediscovered a good starting book that had been there faithfully waiting for me to retire and rekindle my old love: The book of wood carving, Charles Marshall Sayers, Dover Publications Inc., New York 1978, a reprint of the original published in 1942.

The author, a Scot migrant to the USA, made a living carving and teaching carving.

He expresses his principles very simply:

- woodcarving is the decoration of objects, not sculpture
- no sanding of carved surfaces - very fine sanding of the flat surfaces
- only four chisels needed for most work:
1/2" 60 degrees V chisel
3/8" no.7 straight gouge
5/8" no.5 straight gouge
1'" no. 3 straight gouge.

I had the 3/8 gouge, a Stubai bought 35 years ago, and the 5/8, an old Maples found in a trash and treasure market a few years ago. So I went to the new C.tec and bought the Pfeil 3-25 gouge and 12-10 V chisel. (not the 12-12 because the V becomes too rounded - a compromise).

This taught me an immediate lesson: what for decades I had considered sharp (the "professional" sharpening of my first 6 Stubai) is not sharp. Using the Pfeil chisel was a real pleasure. I gave a touch up to the box lid I had already carved but it's never like a clean first cut. Too bad!.

Now that the box challenge is finished, I can show the holding device built for the purpose I mentioned before. Very simple: a rectangle of MDF edged on two sides and two strips of wood of the same height as the fixed edges pushed against the piece to be held so that it fits snugly and drilled under the drill press through to the base to be held in place by dowels. The whole frame is kept in place on the workbench by a bolt in the centre. The only smart thing about it is the piece that holds it under the bench: the square cap of a steel fence post drilled in the centre. This allows the pressure to be finely regulated by tightening the nut, so that the frame does not move under the pressure of the cuts but can be easily rotated as needed.

The turned box in QLD silky oak (courtesy of Weisyboy) is my first carving with the new chisel.

**SPIRIT** · 13th September 2008, 09:42 PM

about time you got back into the carving again next thing you will tell us that you have started turning pens

maybe we could have a carving challenge

**Frank&Earnest** · 13th September 2008, 10:04 PM

Originally Posted by SPIRIT

maybe we could have a carving challenge

You win.

Were you the only one person who voted for my carved box?

**SPIRIT** · 13th September 2008, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

You win.

Were you the only one person who voted for my carved box?

sorry l didn't vote

**wheelinround** · 13th September 2008, 10:40 PM

FE excellent thread

**SPIRIT** · 14th September 2008, 09:31 PM

so frank what is your next carving going to be

**Frank&Earnest** · 14th September 2008, 09:50 PM

A pen?

**SPIRIT** · 14th September 2008, 10:20 PM

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

A pen?

stop while you still can

**Skew ChiDAMN!!** · 14th September 2008, 10:41 PM

Not as silly as it sounds... I recently saw a very nicely carved redgum slimline (total parts value about $5!!) sell for $250.

**underfoot** · 15th September 2008, 06:40 PM

great carving Frank and I like the jig, simple and functional,

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

He expresses his principles very simply:

- woodcarving is the decoration of objects, not sculpture
- no sanding of carved surfaces - very fine sanding of the flat surfaces
.

Hope this doesn't exclude (from the woodcarving forum) those of us that use carving chisels to decorate the surface of our sculptures

**Frank&Earnest** · 15th September 2008, 09:36 PM

Thanks for your kind words, Wheely and Underfoot.

Just to clarify my poor summarising, I'll quote from the book's first page:
"It is not my intention to go into wood sculpture in this book, but it is the most difficult of the mediums, and the highest form of sculpture".

Maybe this forum could spell it out for the uneducated populace, like the SA club I belong to does,

and be called "wood carving and sculpture"...

**underfoot** · 16th September 2008, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

".

Maybe this forum could spell it out for the uneducated populace, , and be called "wood carving and sculpture"...

Agreed

who do we talk to?

**Frank&Earnest** · 16th September 2008, 11:55 AM

Ultimately to Neil, I assume. The quickest way could be to ask him in a PM... with apologies for adding to his already high pile of things to do. A more democratic (and therefore less effective

) way to do it could be to start a petition by opening a poll in this subforum. If Neil, directly or through mods, keeps an eye on this forum (which should be dear to his heart anyway) your question might be in the process of being answered already, who knows... My preference would be for the PM.

**DJ’s Timber** · 16th September 2008, 12:33 PM

Originally Posted by Frank&Earnest

Maybe this forum could spell it out for the uneducated populace, like the SA club I belong to does,

and be called "wood carving and sculpture"...

Originally Posted by underfoot

Agreed

who do we talk to?

Have changed the heading, so no need to be sending a PM now

It does say woodcarving, sculpture, whittling and related fields in the Description header so it shouldn't really be needed but have put Sculpture in the Tiltle just to keep you happy

A forum for WOODCARVERS both professional and amateur to seek and give help, make observations and statements, etc. On the subject of woodcarving, sculpture, whittling and related fields.

**Frank&Earnest** · 16th September 2008, 01:11 PM

Where's the smilie for " I doff mi cap guv'nor"?

Thread: Back to basics - Carving

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