[sfsdgraham]

Hi I'm Darrell, was wondering what is some good rules of thumb to follow. For a beginner. About sharping and the use of the right tool for the job.

[Mischief]

Heya Darrell,
I am merely a beginner ...2-3 months ahead of you?..First off, Tool. Get the beginner's kit from Little Shavers. Sharp as heck!I bought a small pocket knife to start and and read some online articles on how to sharpen. I was so happy with myself until I got my kit from Rick at Little Shavers and then I knew what SHARP was. But it gave me a standard to strive for. You dont have to sharpen the tools in the beginner's kit. Just strob it and it will remain sharp.
As for learning to sharpen, there are so many techniques out there. Get a tool and try try try. I progressed from sharpening a pocket knife and now can do gouges...err some of the time. Everyone's experience is different but I would say that learning to sharpen took a fair amount of my time.

[dmatias]

Practice and patients in learning to sharpen are essential. I learned by watching and then ruined a few before I got it right. The ruined ones luckily one of my other carving buddies was able to resurrect and teach me how "not to do that again". You will learn what works for you, but if you get pre-sharpened tools then the stropping is usually all you need to do to these unless you break the tip off or really blow it somehow.

[mdallensr]

You'll hear the same advice from most of us: learn to carve safely first! Get a carving glove and wear it. Observe some experienced carvers or take lessons if you're lucky enough to be near a carving instructor. They will all stress safety first. There are lots of books, videos and seminars on sharpening, tool selection, and carving techniques, and you can find some of those at most libraries, so learning those parts of carving is pretty straightforward. Carving safely isn't always intuitive, and you need to keep at it until it becomes a habit. If you can master safe carving, you'll have a hobby you will enjoy. Good luck. Mike

[sfsdgraham]

Thanks to all, This will come in very handy. There is not an instructor that I no of but, through this site I did find a group that meets at the votech school. So I'm very excited to see what they will have to offer!!

[susieq]

Many years ago, when I first took up carving after watching Rick Butz on PBS, I bought a nice set of smallish German tools and thought I was all set. I watched the tv show and he made it look pretty easy. It wasn't. I worked and worked on a chunk of wood and got no where. I finally gave up and put the tools away. Not long after all that, I saw a woodcarving show advertised to be held locally by a local club.

At the show I met several teachers and got hooked up with a carving group. The first thing I learned about carving is that most new tools you buy are not sharp. They need sharpened unless you buy from someone like Rick Ferry of Little Shavers. I had been working myself silly with dull tools and didn't know any better.

Getting in with a group is the best thing you can do for your self. It doesn't need to be a formal class, just a group that meets to carve. I guarantee someone will take you under their wing and show you everything you need to know.....because that is the way carvers are. Once you learn the basics, the rest is really up to you as to how far you go, how good you get.
Have fun getting there.

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, the single most important thing you can learn is how to sharpen your knife/tools.

[Shannon]

Joining a club or finding experienced carvers near you who are willing to share their knowledge is probably the best advice for a beginner. Take classes when you can - and ask questions. Everyone will have a slightly different style and it make take awhile to figure out what works best for you. Attend shows and try out the different brands of tools before you buy if you can. Try several different sharpening methods before you settle down to perfect the method that best fits your style.

This concept of personal style became very clear to me through an article that's coming up in the summer issue. Chris Pye shared in a previous article to keep your corners on gouges - they are useful for specific applications and you paid for them! Helli Mayr shares that he grinds the corners down to form a fingernail shape on the gouge. Is one technique right and one wrong? No - it's what works for you. Compare it to cooking - there are probably a ton of recipes for chocolate chip cookies - and everyone swears by the one they use... but hey - I've never had a chocolate chip cookie I didn't like!