Thread: Wood carving groups/lessons Blue Mountains area

Welcome Rhys:
I am the only active wood carver in my village of 475 souls.
If there are others, it's a secret even after 10+ years living here.
The Hello of that is, you need a "Plan B."

What is it, specifically, that you would like to carve?
The tool selection is very different for different styles.
Top quality carving tools hold a "carving sharp" edge for about 30-40 minutes of steady use. They just get 'heavy' to push around. So, they need a brief but regular and periodic tune-up. You have to learn to do this yourself. No big deal but it's 75% of carving with pleasure.

In the meantime, creep down into the archives and find "Star's Sharpening Journey."
My methods have evolved a little since then (big expose' planned).

Check out the Glenbrook School of arts, there are night classes. The Men's Shed at Mt Riv has a few carvers. There is also a Blue Mountains woodworkers group. I met a few people from there at the Glenbrook fair. Also get along to the Penrith Show in autumn, there is always a woodwork display and you can meet people there.

I can't help with the upper mountains, sorry

Mount Riverview Woodcrafters has one woodcarver in the group (I'm working on the others). We meet on the second and fourth wednesday each month from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm. Hawkesbury Woodcraft meets each saturday at the Scout Hall, Wilberforce 10:00 am to 2:00pm and has several woodcarvers in the group. I belong to both these groups and would be happy to assist you if possible when I return from a UK trip mid September.

In the meantime you could contact Ian West via the Hawkesbury woodcraft web site for details (follow the link to Hawkesbury Woodcraft on oz-wood.com ). Ian is the president of the Riverview group and the secretary of Hawkesbury Woodcraft, he should also be at the Penrith Show.

I mainly specialise in Welsh love spoon carving but I am interested in all types of woodcarving. My website and blog are below. The blog, when traced back through will reveal step by step processes I use, plus tools, workspace and informative mistakes and blunders I have made during projects.

Rhys,
If David Stanley is offering to be of assistance you will not go too far wrong. In fact you are one lucky little vegemite

Yep, yep !
what's best than a teacher and a group of one student !

David,
I'm a member of the Blue Mountains Woodturners who meet at the same location as the Woodcrafters and I know Ian as well. I might just take your advice and go to one of their meetings to see if we can scam up a Carving Group, maybe even include the Lower Mountains Men's Shed people as well.

Many thanks.

Rhys