Whether you are a woodturner,cabinetmaker, pyrographer ordedicated woodcarver, it is use-ful to have basic woodcarving skills.

Over the next few issues I will discusstips and techniques that will put you onthe road to becoming a competent wood-carver. I will also provide a selection ofprojects to put theory into practice.

A common misconception aboutwoodcarving is that you need to be artis-tic. This is not the case as a logical step-by-step approach will usually producesatisfying results.

Tools When starting out as a woodcarver it

can be a daunting task to select a begin-ner’s set of chisels from the vast selectionavailable.

There are literally hundreds of toolsavailable, but as with most things in life,Pareto’s principal of the 80/20 rule can beapplied, ie. typically 80% of your workcan be done with 20% of your tool kit.

As a professional woodcarver andteacher for over 20 years, I have foundthat there are a few favourite tools usedon every job. It is this small selection oftools that I have used as the basis for myWoodcarving by Numbers course. Noother carving tools are required to com-plete the projects in this series.

I have given each blade profile a num-ber (Fig.1) and as the tool is required, Iwill make reference to the profile in thetext.

If you have your own carving tools,

then use Fig.1 to identify the relevanttools. Alternatively the full set of profilesis available as a special set from RecordPower (Photo.1)

The Significant Six TechniquesThese six techniques are the founda-

tion skills for successful carving.First let’s clarify some terms. When I

mention the ‘shank’ of a carving tool, I amreferring to the entire length of steel bladebetween the handle and the cutting edge.The ‘cutting edge’ is the razor sharp edgeat the end that is used to cut the timber.The ‘profile’ is the shape of the cuttingedge — this can vary from flat to a fullsemi circle, from a V-shape to a U (Fig.1).

The Pinch PositionThe first two techniques relate to how

to hold the carving tool correctly. The firstis called the Pinch Position (Photos.2 &3).

Pinch the blade between your fingerand thumb. Don’t worry if you are left orright handed. Simply hold the tool inwhichever hand feels comfortable.

This position is used for fine work orfor ‘setting in’ a cut. ‘Setting in’ is wherethe shank of the carving tool is held ataround 90° to the surface of the work.

The Fist PositionThe second technique is the Fist

Position (Photo.4).Make a fist around the shank of the

carving tool making sure that the cuttingedge is next to your little finger. Youshould have around 25-30mm of bladeexposed. Holding the tool in this way will

give you a firm grip. Once again, don’tworry if you are left or right handed. Justhold the tool in whichever hand feelsmost comfortable.

AnchoringIrrespective of how you hold the tool,

it is absolutely essential that the handholding the carving tool, or the arm of thehand holding the chisel, is always firmlyPhoto.1: Record Power boxed set for

Woodcarving by Numbers

Photo.2: The Pinch Position for settingin a cut

Fig.1: Tool profiles used in this series

NUMBERSPt.1 — Six Basic Techniquesby Mike Davies

Woodcarving By

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‘anchored’ to the work or workbench(Photo.5). This ensures that you have con-trol of the blade at all times which willprevent you from slipping.

Note in the pictures for the pinch andfist positions how the hand that is holdingthe tool is firmly fixed to the work, ie,pressed down onto the surface.

The Tapping TechniqueThe Tapping Technique involves the

combination of the fist position andanchoring (Photo.6).

When pushing the chisel forward it isessential that you only ever use controlled

arm weight. Never apply body weightbehind the carving tool as this may lead toa loss of control.

With the tapping technique, hold thechisel in the fist position. Establish a fixedposition with your anchoring hand andtap the handle of the tool with your mal-let. First practise this technique withoutremoving any timber. Note that after eachtap the cutting edge returns to its originalposition.

When using this technique to removetimber, you can apply an increased forceand maintain control at all times. Practisethis technique to remove fine shavings oftimber and then larger pieces with heavierblows.

The Sliding TechniqueIf you cut a loaf of fresh bread and only

apply a downward force on the knife,then regardless of the knife’s sharpness,the resulting cut is very ragged and torn.The knife is much more effective if youslide the cutting edge across the bread asyou press downward. The same principleapplies to a carving chisel.

As you push the carving chisel for-ward, try to include a sliding motion.Note in Photos.7-9 how the entire lengthof the cutting edge is used by rotating thehandle during the cutting process.

Photo.4: The Fist Position, for thoseoccasions when you need a firm grip

Photo.3: The Pinch Position used for fine work Photo.5: ‘Anchor’ the hand to the workpiece to avoid slippingwith the tool

Photo.6: Practise the Tapping Techniqueto remove fine shavings and largerpieces

Photos.7-9: The Sliding Technique — practise sliding the blade across the cut as you push forward

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Becoming AmbidextrousOnce you have mastered these five

techniques, there is just one more tolearn. This one really makes life interest-ing and is why, as a carver, it doesn’t mat-ter if you are left or right handed.

When carving to the left hand side ofthe bench you should hold the carvingtool in your left hand, and vice versa forthe right (Photos.10 & 11). Depending onwhether you are right or left handed, oneof these positions will definitely feel awk-ward at first, but do persevere. Just likeriding a bike it will soon become secondnature.

The most important aspect of this tech-nique is that it prevents you from havingto contort yourself into compromisingpositions, or from having to constantlymove your work.

Making Your First CutsTo carve timber effectively it is helpful

to understand how the timber is formed.This, in turn, will help you make deci-sions about the appropriate direction tocut.

Imagine a piece of wood as being abundle of long drinking straws, the lengthof the straws representing the direction of

the grain. Figs.2-4 show that the cut willalways be more effective when it is direct-ed from short grain to long.

Before you dive into your first project,it is worthwhile familiarising yourself withyour tools and the six basic techniques.The following exercise is also ideal fortesting the sharpness of your tools.

Sharp tools are absolutely essential foreffective woodcarving, but we will take acloser look at sharpening techniques inthe next issue.

Start with a clean, flat piece of timberthat is light in weight and has aclose straight grain. Clear (knot-free) Pine is inexpensive andsuitable for practice work. Thepiece should measure approxi-mately 250mm x 140mm x20mm.

Mark two square lines acrossthe board, measuring approx.50mm in from each end. Thenmark a series of parallel lines,approx. 10mm apart and run-ning with the grain as shown inPhoto.12.

Fix the timber firmly to yourwork surface, making sure thatthe grain is running horizontallyin front of you. In whicheverhand you feel most comfortable,hold chisel #4 (Fig.1) in the fistposition.

Straight CutsSlide the chisel through the timber in

the direction of the grain, making surethat you anchor the hand holding theshank. Remove small scoops at a time,moving the chisel with controlled armweight only. If you find that you need toapply body weight, you are trying to

Photo.10: Hold the carving tool in theright hand when carving to the righthand side of the bench

Fig.2: Working in the correct directionproduces a smooth clean cut

Fig.4: As a general rule, always cut fromshort fibres to long

Photo.12: Practice board marked withparallel lines with the grain

Photo.11: Hold the carving tool in theleft hand when carving to the left handside of the bench

Fig.3: Working from long to short grainas shown will result in the timber break-ing out and giving a ragged cut

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remove too much timber in one go.The objective is to create high ridge

lines in place of the parallel lines. Theridge lines need to be perfectly straight.

Reverse HandsNow hold the carving tool in the oppo-

site hand and carve the lines in the oppo-site direction. Remember, hold the carv-ing tool in the left hand to carve to the leftof the bench and vice versa for the right. Itwill feel awkward, but do persevere!

Use the tapping technique to formdeeper channels. Try to produce cleanchannels, formed by a number of taps,without any visible chatter marks from theblade.

FlutesMark a series of parallel lines across

the grain, measuring 10mm apart. Drawtwo lines running in the direction of the

grain, 60mm apart to form the top andbottom of the flutes.

Continuing with Tool #4, hold the toolin the pinch position so that the shank ofthe tool is 90° to the surface. Gently set inthe profile of the blade to form the bottomof the flute (Photo.13). At this stage try notto set in your cut any deeper than 2mm.

With tool # 4 in the fist position, carveacross the grain using the sliding tech-nique (Photo.14). The goal here is toremove a uniform strip of materialbetween the lines and create a perfectlystraight line on the surface of the timber.

You will need to practise sliding theblade to get a clean finish across thegrain. This is where razor sharp tools areessential. Use your anchor to give controlas your channel meets the set-in cut.

The base of the flute needs to be set alittle deeper than the channel. However,it is important not to leave heavy cuts oneither side of the flute where it meets thesurface (Photo.15). The base of the fluteshould be deeper and the sides shallow(Photo.16).

To achieve this, use the tips of the cut-ting edge like a knife blade and slide thecutting edge to create a deeper cut in thebase of the flute (Photo.17). The shape ofthe blade profile will follow the set-in cutif you angle the handle and slide theblade.

Once mastered, these skills can betranslated to numerous designs and deco-rations (Photo.18).

To watch an online tutorial video ofthe Significant Six techniques, visit theCarving section of the Record Power website, www.recordpower.com.au orwww.recordpower.co.nz, and click onthe link to open the video.

The Record Power 12 piece CarvingTool Set with bonus WoodcarvingFoundation Skills DVD and booklet (RRP$132.00) is available from The AustralianWoodworker Mail Order Bookshop,pp.82-90, Ph: 02 4759 2844 or fromRecord Power stockists.

Photo.14: Cutting a flute with the Fist Position and the slidingtechnique

Photo.15: Avoid making heavy cut suchas this at the edges of the base of theflute

Photo.17: Slicing the edges of the fluteto achieve the shallow cuts

Photo.18: A simple carving made with the techniques describedin this article

Photo.16: The correct cut with a shallow cut at the edges

Photo.13: Starting a flute with the toolin the Pinch Position

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