Hello from the Newbie

Greetings all. Just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to your cool little community. I've been wanting to get into wood carving for a while, and am finally doing it. I've started out by buying a dremel, and am practicing and messing around with it on some circular junks of pine. A lot of fun so far, and I have a lot to learn, but hey, that's half the fun, right? Actually, the little stick man guy I'm making now is turning out better than I thought he would.

Anyway, just browsing through here, a lot of you are super talented, and it's cool to read your thoughts and comments, and see the links of your work. So, thanks! 8)

Welcome Jamie,
Nice to have you aboard look forward to seeing your work on picture trail when you finish a piece.
Colin

[Donna_T]

Welcome Newbie,
We've all been there--starting out and trying to figure out what to do next!

One word of warning if you're power carving...be sure to wear a mask and/or use a really good dust collector. Wood dust can be deadly and we want all our carvers to live to be really ancient!

Half of the battle with power carving is to not be afraid to try something new and keep practicing. Anyway, we're glad to have you join us. There's a wealth of knowledge amoung our fellow carvers--and they are all so great about sharing all the little carving tidbits they've learned the hard way.

Donna T

Jamie.....Goodluck with your new found hobby, we all enjoy carving too and will be looking forward to some of your pictures.

I've ben carving for around two yrs, let me suggest that if possible, in your area, see if there is a carving club, and go to one of their meetings, this step has helped me 100X over.

My vext big help has been the internet, this board again 100X over, but also all the various web sites on carving are fantastic.

Good luck, any questions, just post it and you'll start getting all various help......these questions help us all....I just learned some more on this trip to the board. Coffeeman

Hey, thanks a bunch everyone. I'm really having a lot of fun learning. This board has been a terrific resource, by searching back on previous threads I've found a wealth of tips and suggestions that I can't wait to put to use. Good tip with clubs, I'll definitely look into that. I also found out right away about the importance of a mask. It's amazing how much fine dust that little dremel produces! I've been wearing a bandana (a la outlaw cowboy style) which helps big time. Also, a pair of sunglasses to protect the eyes.

Thanks again guys, I appreciate the support. I'm looking forward to learning more and getting better!

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I suggest you go buy a regular respirator for dust...that basswood dust really does a number on me, probably not to everyone, but not worth taking a chance over!

[Callynne]

Welcome Jamie, we are happy to have you join us. I hope, like me, you find carving to be one of the biggest joys in your life! We'll look forward to seeing some pictures of your work when you're ready to share...we love pictures! Callynne