A Simple Afternoon Project For Beginners

[gene-messer]

Here's a fun simple project for beginner carvers that takes less then a hour to whittle and makes a great little gift ...

It's the simple axe in the stump ..

So here goes ..

All your going to need is a knife , thats all to complete this project ..

Steps

1. The Pattern ( use a scrap piece of basswood and make it 1/2 inch thick , Draw the pattern on the basswood and cut it out )

2. The cutout from the bandsaw

3. The cut's to begin separating the the handle from the axe head

4. Continue to remove wood from the handle

5. At the end of the axe handle .. cut a notch for the shape of the handle ..

[gene-messer]

6. The handle shaped down with the notch cut in the end ..

7.Next , you move to the axe blade and begin removing wood from each side of the blade to shape the front ..

8. A front view of how you remove the wood from both sides of the blade to get the v shape of the blade ..

9. After shaping the front of the axe blade .. remove wood in the back of the blade to even the blade out as shown in the photo ..

10. Take a little snadpaper and smooth off the axe ..

[gene-messer]

11.Take a little burnt umber or brown acrylics and paint the handle ..

12. Take a little ( I used gray and black shade to paint the blade ) but you can use whatever suits you ... And there you have the finished axe ..

13. Get a tree brach from somewhere and cut it off to make and stump and then just cut a knotch in top of it and insert the axe ..

It's a very simple project .. but good for beginners to play around with ..

Gene

[gene-messer]

Iam sorry .. I messed up and hit the wrong button ... ( thats what getting old and too many graveyards do to you ) heres the pictures for the final phase of the last post ..

[Lightningbolt]

I love it Gene! I have often carved this same project of ax in the stump by taking a chunk of wood with a portion of a limb still attached, then carving the limb down to be the ax which is actually carved looking like it's in the stump. I would most definitely recommend "your" method for beginners.

Thanks for taking time to post this as it will be very helpful in my future carving classes with kids!

[Bartster]

gene,


great little project this could also be used for bigger projects as an add on to a base.


bart

[tnartist05]

A neat little project Gene! Thanks for taking your time to demonstrate the different steps of carving the axe. Forrest

[gtech]

Should I bring this tutorial from the past?

Well, I like my documentation all formatted the same way. So, why not. It reminded me that it was a fun little project to make and looks good on a desk.

A Simple Afternoon Project

And it goes well with the video

http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.co...axe-part1.html
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.co...axe-part2.html

Gilles

[Tom-H]

Always a winner!

Tom H

[Lightningbolt]

I always like to see a classic thread from the past given a re-birth. Nice documentation of Gene's tutorial Gilles. That was pretty neat!

Coincidentally I also just completed a two part posting of how I carve my version of the ax-in-the-stump project but I would consider it having a "moderate" level of difficulty and probably not for beginners. I carve mine from a forked branch out of one piece of wood which might be a little more difficult but what I consider a good way to boost yourself to the next level. Perhaps they will provide another level of challenge for someone.

Part 1: Nothing Like An "Ax In The Stump" (Part 1 of 2)
Part 2: Nothing Like An "Ax In The Stump" (Part 2 of 2)