[Chahlie]

howdy all,

just decided to try carving...have loved to work with wood all my life... after a somewhat un-satisfying experience with match-i-techure I decided maybe carving would be more to my liking. To shorten this up some...the wife got me a Santa carving book and basic tools(carving knife, detail knife and a Flexcut #3--7/8 palm gouge)for X-mas. The book recommends Bass wood blanks as a carving medium...have searched long and hard here in Portland, Oregon and all I get is funny looks. Closest thing I could find was laminated poplar at the big box stores. Any suggestions.Also-honing/stroping, all the stuff in the specialty stores seems way over priced.

thanks in advance for any help,

Charlie
'let the chips fly!'

[Donna_T]

Welcome Chahlie,
You've picked a good hobby to explore. If you will stay with it for awhile, it will prove to be a very satisfying and challenging activity. Reading old posts throughout this site will give you opinions and good advice about every aspect of woodcarving and painting your projects. You got questions? them here and get answers from many carvers who have already experienced the problems and solved them.

First, I would encourage you to contact wood carving club in your area. Meeting with them will provided you with a network of information and help also. They may have classes for beginner carvers and they certainly can help with supplier information. A quick check of the club listings with the Colwood Electronics (woodburners) site shows the following one in Portland:

Western Woodcarvers Assoc
World Forestry Center
4033 SW Canyon Road
Portland OR 97221
Email: wilcarv@imagina.com

or
Larry Piper
Guild Of Oregon Woodworkers
P.O. Box 1866
Portland, OR 97207
(503) 665-0752

Most of us aren't lucky enough to have a wood carving supplier in our immediate area, so we shop by catalogue and mail order. In our state, there are retailers 2-3-4-5 hours away, but there are wood carving shows once or twice a year where the suppliers attend and sell their wares--blanks, books, tools, wood, etc. There's an especially knowledgable carver/supplier in you neck of the woods -- he posts here as Rick-in-Seattle -- he sells carving supplies and I'm sure someone can post his contact information.

Basswood is the best medium to start (and finish) carving--sooner or later you will try other woods for various projects and it's all a learning process. Good luck and don't be afraid to ask for help.

Donna T

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Charhlie... contact Don Wedll..has good basswood and very good prices.... http://members.tripod.com/~woodsource/index.html

As far as sharpening and honing supplies go, check one of the big discount houses or large sporting goods outfitters, in their sporting goods section (fishing and hunting). You'll find EZ-Lap diamond stones for around 8 bucks or less. Â*Same stones sell for over 20 in the carving stores. You can also find a small hand held ceramic stone sharpener for knives (pocket sized) with two crossed ceramic rods, that will hone your bench knife to razor sharp with just a couple strokes. Â*Some have one grit and some have two. Â*Either are around the same price ; 6 or 7 dollars. Â*Fiskars makes these and there are a couple other brands floating around. Â*

You can also find a pocket sized half round diamond steel rod in the fishing depts for under six bucks. These work great for touching up the inside of the sweep on gouges. At these same places, you may find a 5/16' dia ceramic rod that is great for a quick hone on gouges and knives. Â*Also around 6 or 7 bucks.

If you have a leather hobby shop around check for a strip of scrap belt leather. Usually can pick up a piece a foot long or so for under a buck. Â*Glue that to a piece of wood, and you have the same honing strop that sells for 20 bucks.

An Ace or True Value (probably any other) hardware store will supply you with a tube or stick of jeweler's rouge or tripoli polish compound for around five or six bucks. They also have carborundum sharpening stones for under 10 bucks.

I suppose once the hardware stores catch on that carvers are willing to pay twice what hunters and fishermen are, the prices will go up, but for now, 'same stuff, half price'!

Rick from Seattle is fer sure a good source. Both of supplies and of advice.

Al

Little Shavers (206)767-7421 ask for Rick

Hello Charlie. Woodcrafters in Portland, Just south of 205 and East of Martin Luther King 2 blocks has the basswood blanks. They also have a bin of basswood scrap that is more affordable for small pieces, and practice materials. I order my larger carving blocks from Itascawoodproducts.com. Woodcrafters has leather strops and stropping compound as well, along with a good price on heavy leather thumb guards. Fishermans Supply out in Delta Park has the best price on a metalic filet glove, which is a must to guard your wood holding hand. Use the thumb guard on the thumb on your carving hand. Woodcrafters has a large supply of sharpening devices, and youg guess is as good as anyone elses as to which system is best. Just avoid the perforated diamond sharpenming devices. Dick in Vancouver

you might want to go to Google and do a search for:

Wood Carving Tools (your state)

Wood carving suppliers (your state)

Wood carving clubs (your state)

Wood carving or craft events (your state)

craft shows or events (your state)

wood carvin tool suppliers ( this will give you lots of suppliers main site. Some might even have stores close enough for you to drive and a lot will have a catolog and be happy to send it to you

you will be surprised at all the suppliers and events you will find

[Chahlie]

Thanks for all the replys to my queries...it's hard to be a newbee at 51 years old...

There is a Woodcraft store about 5 blocks from my work...and I forgot all about Neighbors of Woodcraft down off MLK. will check it out this weekend. Also a friend at work suggested Cross-cut hardwoods out off Front Ave.


Chahlie
'let the chips fly!'

Well i am 52 and I am a newbie. I had not carved anything since I was a teenager untill this year. Since I am unable to work and it looks like i will not be able to return I needed something to do so I started carving. Each and every piece is better than the 1 before. Just keep doing what you are doing and carve and read and ask questions. The regular stores like Lowes and Home depot do not stock or sell any carving tools or basswood

Chahlie,
Being a newbie at 51 is nothing new in fact you may be a young starter carver a lot of us myself included didnt carve a thing until we were well into our 50s of better. I didnt start carving until a double total hip replacement forced my retirement when I was 55. I envy the young people that are starting wood carving now I can only imagine how good I could have been if I had started in my 20s or younger. So being 50 is certainly not a disadvantage, enjoy a new and great way to relax.
Colin