what do I use to hang a carving on the wall?

[Dicky]

I find the angled hole works well. The method used by Phil is great too, but it doesn't work too well on a wall that houses a frequently used door. Trust me on this one.

[mdallensr]

For carvings that I want to stay flat against the wall, I use keyhole hangers. I get mine at Ace, but they're available for most DIY's. I find the centerline, trace the shape of the hanger, and carve the cavity to recess the hanger. When you hang the carving, you can adjust the screw to keep the carving snug against the wall.

[jimmy joe]

I have never used the key hole hangers but they look like a winner to me ! Thanks Mike .

[mtngoat]

Sharon, I use saw tooth picture hangers on my bark, i carve a small indention in the center of to area where I'm gonna put to allow for hanging medium used the supplied brad nail and a little glue and your in business. You can get them from any hobby or home improvement store

[Sharon Dell]

Thanks to you all! I ended up going with the angled hole in the back. The carving is my avatar. My husband said I should try to sell it, but I am really attached to the little guy. Maybe if I put a really high price on it it won't sell, but if it did, I would be stoked!

[pallin]

I really like the suggestion of mdallensr of using the keyhole bracket recessed into the back of a carving and will likely use them in the future.
On a related topic, what if your carving isn't symmetrical along the centerline and you want it to hang straight? In this case I temporarily hang the piece from a cord and a pushpin in the back and check the alignment. Then I move the pushpin to one side or the other until the carving hangs straight. That's where to place the hanging bracket!

[Sharon Dell]

I like the keyhole bracket also. Will look for them next trip to the hardware store! Great ideas from all of you! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

[twymanok]

I use a multitude of hangers for small things I will use saw tooth hangers or a key hole router bit or an angled hole the angled hole is easier though. For bigger carvings I use 2 hole D ring hangers with heavy grade braided wire.