Thread: Beginners guide to woodcarving

Hi Speedie,
Is Doncaster Vic. reasonably close to you. That is the place to go, as it is a Carving Club, with some of the best Carvers in the State.
Ring Bryan T on 9 4594176. He has all your Answers.

issatree is absolutley right = find the nearest Carving Club and start there.
It is such a rare sport that the players appreciate newcomers.
The 'bookshelf' approach is a poor second. I have a few general carving books,
they don't make a whole lot of sense (steps left out) until I had a couple of years of experience.
I was given an introductory wood carving course as a Christmas present.
Turned out to be jam-packed with information to soak up and do a relief carving at the same time! Very good instructor, a full-time professional carver.
Also, I learned that I wasn't satisfied with relief carvings. Now I claim that I do relief carvings on 4 sides and the top.

Completely agree with both of the above. There is no substitute for hands-on instruction. Books are ok after you have some of the basics down, but there are so many variations and subtleties that the printed media just can't cover it all. Video is better but it still just covers what it covers... no chance for you to ask questions or get clarifications or expansions on specific issues. This is particularly important regarding your safety in the beginning when you are less than familiar with the myriad of ways your tools have of biting you and thus not always aware of potential hazards nor knowledgeable enough to take steps to prevent them.

Hi Everybody.

Thankyou for your very informative responses. I now tend to agree with you regarding joining a club. Nothing like receiving first hand instruction.

Speedie

In terms of some examples of gargoyles with step by step instructions you could try this Carving gargoyles book. As the others have said getting someone to show you is probably the best place to start.

Oh, and if you don't wish to get 'bitten' by the tools remember the golden rule when using any sharp implement - keep both of your hands behind the cutting edge - easy really!

Philip.