Woodcarving on a Shoestring

[Big D]

It's me again...

I know that there are a bunch of you guys and gals that have found ways to save money in the pursuit of Woodcarving excellence.

Just wondering if you could share a little of that earned wisdom with us beginners.

Please keep it to things that actually worked out well for you. We need useful info, please.

A whole bunch of newbies would be pleased as punch and I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of "Ol' Timers" could learn a thing or two along the way.

Everybody likes to save a little!

[mikeg]

Rick's beginner kit at www.littleshavers.com is a very good deal if you're just starting out. Also, I'd say, don't buy cheap tools. Inexpensive is fine but cheap tools just need to be replaced and cause frustration.

mikeg

[DADDIO]

ditto on mikeg's not buying cheap tools,you'll regret it. you can get a decent set of palm tools in the 30.00-40.00 dollar range and be way ahead.i started with just a 3 blade remington whittler knife i got from http://www.woodcarvers.com great people to also deal with,you'll be surprised at what all you can do with just a good knife,alot of my carving i like to see just how much i can do with just my knife.get a good glove....way cheaper than emergency room visit.and then kick back and carve!!

[Just Carving]

Learn how to sharpen tools. Search on "Scary Sharp" here and with Goggle, and you'll learn to sharpen "on a shoestring". Practice on some old non-serrated kitchen knives, putty knives, utility knives, etc.--things that haven't been used in a while and need to be sharpened. Just warn people that they're sharp when you're done, and put a protective cover on them which can be made from cardboard and tape.

Now, find a good knife--folding or otherwise, that has carbon steel blades, and is "cheap" in price, and sharpen it. Stainless steel blades are good if the stainless steel is good. You'll learn quickly if the knife has garbage steel. It'll sharpen but won't hold an edge for beans.

You can also make carving tools out of "other" tools as long as the steel is good. Other tools might be files, hacksaw blades, reciprocating saw blades, putty knives, etc. Again, it's a matter of having good steel and how to sharpen it.

I didn't know anything about tools until a few years ago. I learned from people here, and then applied what I learned. Some with good results...some not.

Wood can be found almost anywhere. Search on free wood or found wood here and you'll learn about the places to ask for wood or to look for wood.

But above all, make sure you do your woodcarving safely. Getting hurt takes all the fun out of carving. And ER visits are a heck of a lot more expensive than the best tools. So, I suggest you buy a good carving glove before you try anything involving sharp tools. Have fun!

[Tom-H]

Lynn Doughty (excellent carver) carves with a box cutter (utility knife). One of these costs a couple of dollars along with several replaceable blades. If you keep these blades stropped they do an excellent job. Only drawback I can see is you cannot carve real small stuff. Well also, people tend to look at you in a funny way, especially carvers. This can be a real cost saver....I still use one for roughing out a carving...and I carve small. Tom H

[Kenny_S]

Ditto MikeG's post and make sure that the utility knife is the fix bladed one. Safer!
I have used the Stanley 199 for about a year now and I like useing it but find that I do have to use a thinner bladed knife also.

Rick's beginner's kit has everything yopu need to get started, Sharp tools and knife, Glove, thumb Gard, tool protectors, strop for sharpening tools, compound and a bax to keep it all in for less that $50. Besides Rick will sharpen the tools for free also. Great friendly service.

Just my take on the question.

[Lightningbolt]

Tools: All during the 1980's when I was a full-time residential youth counselor the only carving tools and blades sold at the trading post were X-Acto and they were cheap in price. The camp allowed me to spend $8.00/month for free so you can only imagine how quickly that I filled up a huge tackle box with these inexpensive carving tools.

At the time, when that was all we had, it's amazing how well that they did the job and I'm talking about a full decade of carving! I'd have to agree with the others here in that a one-time investment in a good quality set of carving tools such as "Swiss Made" brand palm tools are a super thrifty investment when you consider good steel, tough as can be, and kid tested in my woodshop program for 13 years used almost daily and still going strong.

Wood: If you want to go on a shoestring then you can easily forget that $30.00/foot basswood. Yeah it's nice if you have it or if you're into competetion carving, etc. but I didn't have any for nearly the first 30 years of my carving life and survived with great success! I'm now a scoutmaster and the local council just donated a HUGE (and I mean huge) chunk of basswood for our troop so I guess that we'll have to use it.

Just yesterday I finished a nice little totem pole that I carved from a dead poplar limb that fell during a wind storm. Greatest carving wood imaginable and it was free! I absolutely love carving found wood because it works great, I find some of the most interesting shapes, and it gives me just one more excuse to get out into the woods that I love. Searching the woods for good carving wood is just as enjoyable (and mind altering...uhh, therapeutic) as is the actual carving itself!

Good luck Big D from the Deep South and I greatly admire your ambition to finding ways to do more with less... a rare and great quality to have these days when kids are so strongly socialized to materialism.

[gene-messer]

What everyone has said is a big ditto on cost savings ..

The most important thing is not to buy too many tools when you first start off .. over time .. work into what you need ..

I carve only with a knife and a v tool .. thats all .. with figures ..

As was said earlier .. Try several types of carving to see which one you like best ( Figure , chip, relief, caricature, etc.. ) and then practice to see which tools works best for you ..
That way .. you dont have a shop full of tools you will never use ..

Then learn to sharpen .. sharpen , sharpen and in no time .. you will know what works best for you and stick with it for a while ..

But as was said earlier .. cheap tools usually only frustrate .. not encourage the new carver ..

Gene

[Lightningbolt]

I just can't seem to leave this thread alone and I know that there's a LOT more ideas out there if we all just "thunk" a little more.

Table/vise: About 20 years ago I built me a heavy duty carving/multi-purpose table from 2 X 4's. Just laminated them together by their wide edges and to the desired length for a very tough table top that I continue using today. For sturdy legs I laminated together two 2 X 4's then bolted them to the top from underneath and attached additional support to each side of the legs with 2 X 4's on each side.

This is a low profile table that I actually use in place of a coffee table in front of my living room sofa! Hey, they call it a living room so I actually like to "live" in mine! Just don't get any better than clicking on a movie, popping up some popcorn and doing some carving.

This has been one tough little project table and it didn't come close to costing the $400.00 to $1,000.00 that a lot of the exotic "catalog" tables cost. I also have a fairly recent issue of Wood Magazine that featured a similar low-cost heavy duty 2 X 4 type table so for those interested you can search their archives on that website.

I mostly carve smaller walking stick sized projects on this table so I also have a standard low-cost 3 1/2" Sears table vise mounted on it... yes, right in the living room if you're wondering. I just super glued some leather strips from one of my old belts to the steel vise grips and it does a great job holding my carvings down firmly while I carve. I recall someone reccomended using Gorilla Glue but my super glue is still holding. I posted some pictures of it to somebodys thread a year or two ago if you feel like searching the archives.

[susieq]

I would have to say.....go to yard sales.... really! You would not believe what you can find at these things. I have found some good power carving tools as well as really fine gouges , knives and chisles. Also, things like good bandsaws or lathes. and even carving wood. some folks take up a hobby only to lose interest and get rid of stuff cheap or someone dies and their relatives get rid of their stuff. In our area we find things fairly often. You never know what is at the next sale....... I have several Dremels that were found at sales, also the large Dremel they don't make anymore but it was equal to the big Foredome shaft tool. I have found German and Swiss gouges. My bandsaw came from a sale and it's a dandy. A 16 inch Mini Max made in Italy!! My husband and I used to attend the tool shows in Tampa at the fair grounds. This saw was $1200 or more at the show. We got it for way less than half of that. You will go to a lot of sales and find nothing. But once in a while you strike gold......