Thread: new to carving please help!

IGGY: I'm embarassed that the "stop and think" phase might last for a year of more!!!
But, it does. The best part is to see rekindled interest in those pieces.

Star could save me months of work by freeze-drying a bunch of toads and glueing them in a stack. What's the rule for winning a six with a cane toad? Is it true that you can pump them up to 100psi and let them fly? But, I digress.

One design element that I've used a lot lately is a very deep groove cut between a limb, a leg, and the body. Finally figured out how to do that.
Possibly a coping saw cut to start. The saw has to have the blade set to cut on the pull stroke.
If not, then a knife cut (Moor chip knife, Flexcut KD14) down the midline of what will be the groove. 12mm/1/2" skew chisels to carve out the groove, one side at a time. Two or three cuts to get to the bottom depth, working both sides equally. I confess to being ambidextrous. I can do a lot with a pair of skews without moving the carving.

Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata) is so splitty/splintery that I have to go slowly to avoid knocking chunks off the carving. I get the impression that most carvers work far more quickly than I do. At one time, I was concerned, now I do not care at all.