Young Whittling On the Go

13 Easy-to-Learn Woodcarving Projects
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-1-63741-379-1
Verlag: Fox Chapel Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 128 Seiten

Whether experienced or new to woodcarving, you are sure to appreciate the in-depth knowledge of the art form from author David Young. The book begins with information on what you need to know to start whittling including tools, materials, knife sharpening, and techniques. Next, David covers finishing your project with instructions for his simple painting technique to achieve professional-looking results. Using these techniques, you'll then be ready to start whittling the 13 beautifully illustrated projects which range in difficulty, building on the skills and techniques used in each. You'll start with projects that build upon each other, adding a new technique and skill for each. You are then ready to start the next set of simple projects, further refining your whittling skills. You're now ready for the step-up projects that include a pineapple, a vase with a rose, and a wood spirit. Each project uses a 1' x 1' x 'varying length' block and can be completed in less than an hour. The scale of the projects and the use of minimal tools and supplies make carving the projects possible in virtually any space or location.

David Young started whittling in early 2019 when he stumbled on carving and found that it clicked for him in a way other hobbies hadn't. David learned from experienced carvers by reading their books and following along with their online videos. As an author and instructor, he focuses on designing simple carvings that use repeatable patterns and processes, making it easy to teach others how to recreate his designs. A regular contributor to Woodcarving Illustrated, David's first book is Whittling on the Go. He welcomes carvers trying his designs and sharing them on social media.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Young, David

Leseproben

Getting Started

One of the great things about whittling as a hobby is that it doesn’t require a lot of equipment to get started. In addition to a knife and some wood, you need just a few things to keep your knife sharp and use it safely. In this chapter, I will provide a quick summary of what you need to start whittling and prepare you to take on the projects in the remainder of the book.

It is important to have basic whittling kit that includes your carving knife, measuring tools, sharpening tools, and carving safety gear before you make your first cut.

Introduction to Wood

Let’s start by looking at what you need most to whittle: a good piece of wood.

Selecting Wood

The best wood for beginners and the wood most commonly used for carving is basswood (known as linden or limewood in Europe). Basswood is a soft hardwood with a tight, even grain that holds details well. In the US, there are two types of basswood: northern basswood and southern basswood. Northern basswood tends to be very light in color and is very easy to carve. Southern basswood tends to be darker and can sometimes be a little harder to carve, though still usable. When selecting a specific piece of wood, look for straight, even grain without any blemishes or knots.

If you can’t find any basswood, other commonly used woods include butternut, birch, ash, pine, and poplar. Woods like walnut or cherry can be desirable for their color, but they are harder, more brittle, and more di?cult for a beginner to carve.

Basswood blocks of various sizes. The two blocks on the left are southern basswood and have a slightly darker color than the rest, which are northern basswood.

Understanding Wood Grain

The grain in this wood is horizontal. The pencil lines indicate the direction to make “downhill” cuts with the grain.

As you carve, it’s important to pay attention to the direction of the wood grain and understand when you are carving with, across, or against the grain.

When making cuts parallel to the direction of the grain, you are carving with the grain. When making cuts perpendicular to the grain, you are carving across/against the grain. In practice, many cuts will be made at different angles, which can be done either with or against the grain. The simplest way to identify if a cut is with or against the grain is to hold your carving so that the grain is horizontal, and then identify if the cut will be downhill or uphill. If carving downhill, you are carving with the grain, but if carving uphill, you are carving against the grain. Just remember, it’s always easier to carve downhill than uphill.

Although it is good to carve with the grain whenever you can, it is possible (and sometimes necessary) to carve across or against the grain. When carving across or against the grain, use the widest part of your blade and start with small cuts to avoid breaking the wood. If you are doing a lot of across or against the grain cuts, consider stropping before and/or after doing so (see here).

Choosing a Knife

Woodcarving knives come in all shapes and sizes that serve many different purposes. If you are just getting into whittling, choosing your first knife can be a little overwhelming. The information below is intended to provide some guidelines for beginners on what to look for in a good all-around carving knife. A knife that meets the criteria below will work well for the projects in this book and serve you well for many years to come. As you continue to carve, you will develop your own preferences and start to identify other types of knives that you may find useful.

¦ Length. A blade that is 1 ½" to 2" (3.8 to 5.1cm) long makes for a good all-around carving knife. Knives in this range are capable of making both roughing cuts as well as detail cuts.

¦ Thickness. One of the distinguishing characteristics of whittling knives is that they tend to be very thin. The thicker the blade, the more di?cult it will be to push through a piece of wood, and the more likely it will be to split the wood apart rather than cutting cleanly. A blade thickness of 1/32" to 1/16" (1 to 2mm) or even less should work well for the type of whittling covered in this book.

¦ Cutting edge. For most beginners, a straight cutting edge is easiest to start with. While curved edges are helpful for some applications, the straight blade makes it very easy to pinpoint the location of the cutting edge and tip, allowing for greater precision and control. A straight cutting edge also makes sharpening very easy.

Preparing Wood

Even generally soft wood can sometimes become overly hard and di?cult to carve. Whether it is due to age, variations between trees, overly dry climate, or some other factor, there are a couple tricks carvers will use to soften up their wood. A common approach is to spray a 50/50 mixture of water and rubbing alcohol onto the wood prior to carving. Another is to store wood in an airtight container with a damp cloth (not touching the wood) for a day or two prior to carving. Keep in mind that these are last-minute options to apply before carving. You should store your wood in a cool, dry place. If you have ongoing problems with hard wood, you might try other sources or types of wood as a point of comparison.

These knives are all different, but they are each good choices for an all-around carving knife.

¦ Detail tip. If you are starting with one knife, you will want to make sure the tip is shaped well for carving fine details. The tip should come down to a point at the front of the knife, and the thickness of the blade should also decrease as it nears the tip. An overly rounded or thick tip will make carving fine details more di?cult.

¦ Grind. The grind of the blade refers to the shape of the sides of the blade as they come down to form the cutting edge. A flat-ground blade is generally recommended for beginners and makes sharpening especially easy. A flat grind means that the sides of the blade are completely flat as they come down from the spine to the cutting edge. Other grinds you may find on whittling knives include the scandi (short for Scandinavian) grind, in which the angle toward the cutting edge starts farther down on the blade, or the convex grind, in which the sides curve down to the cutting edge.

¦ Blade material. A good whittling knife will have a high-carbon steel blade. Many pocketknives are made from stainless steel, which is great for overall strength and corrosion resistance, but makes them more di?cult to sharpen and maintain.

¦ Handle. Handle shape is a matter of personal preference, and it may be hard to know what you prefer as a beginner. If possible, try to hold a knife before you buy it. If that’s not possible, then you may want to start with more generic rectangular or oval handles, which tend to be usable for most people.

Depending on your carving experience and skill, you will have to decide what blade grinds (flat, scandi, or convex) work best for you when choosing whittling knives.

¦ Folding knives. Most pocketknives don’t have the right blade shape, grind, and/or steel to be ideal for the type of whittling taught in this book. Additionally, the handles tend to be less comfortable for longer whittling sessions. However, if you would still prefer a folding knife, it is possible to find some that meet the criteria described above, and a few manufacturers make folding blades that are specifically designed for whittling.

The Rockwell Hardness Scale for Steel

Steel hardness is commonly measured by a rating system called the Rockwell Hardness Scale. Not all manufacturers advertise the Rockwell hardness of their blades, but most of the reputable knife makers do. For whittling, you want a knife that is hard enough to hold an edge, but soft enough that you can easily sharpen it. Whittling knives generally fall in the range of 58 to 62 on the Rockwell Hardness Scale.

Other Materials and Tools

Tools, such as V-tools and U-gouges, can help add texture and detail to your carving projects.

In addition to knives, there are a few other tools and pieces of equipment that you may find helpful as you begin your carving journey.

V-Tools

After a knife, one of the first tools that most carvers acquire is a V-tool. Sometimes referred to as a V-gouge or V-parting tool, the V-tool is made up of two forward-facing cutting edges that come together in a V shape. When pushed through wood, it quickly makes clean and even V-shaped cuts. V-tools are classified based on their width and the angle of their V. For example, a ¼" (6mm) 60-degree V-tool or a ?" (3mm) 90-degree V-tool. The Simple Wood Spirit project in this book is specifically designed to introduce and provide lots of practice with using a V-tool.

Whittling or Woodcarving?

It’s common to hear the words “whittling” and “woodcarving” used interchangeably, which might have you wondering if there is any...