Greetings - also from South Carolina!

[HJM]

I'm also new to carving. I've only been doing it about 2 1/2 weeks and do not have a background in woodworking. Despite the limited time, I've greatly enjoyed myself. As a result of the amount of wood chips and sawdust I've generated since picking up the carving knives, I'm the envy of termites everywhere!

I'm in what we have jokingly referred to as my "leaf period." I'm not much at drawing but every time my pencil goes near the basswood, another leaf emerges - always different. I'm blaming it on a science workshop I helped with this summer that was all about leaves. They're still in my head and are currently escaping through the pencil. I'm trying to convince myself to go from there to Celtic knots. The two I've created were a lot of fun.

Most of my pieces are between 4" square and 1". I'm using a couple of Flexcut knives that I quite like. To be honest, I'm not quite sure if I should call what I'm doing "carving" or "whittling." I haven't figured out where one starts and the other stops. If anything, it looks like miniature beavers have invaded the room when I've been working for a couple of hours.

Having produced 24 pieces in the last couple of weeks, I decided to move from just regular finishing to being adventurous with wood dyes. They turned out great. When all the leaves fall off the trees this fall, I have a complete replacement set ready.

I want to do some smaller pieces for door knobs and jewelry. I've discovered the limitations of trying to chew out wood with the knives and am now having to look at small palm tools (I think). Any advice on which of the chisels/gouges/vtools, etc. are the most versatile for the beginner who will not likely be venturing past a 4" square would be appreciated. If you think I should go another direction to create semi-detailed designs on small chunks of wood, feel free to make me aware of the alternatives.

Columbia, SC is having a WoodFest tomorrow at the WoodZone store, so I'm hoping to expand my carving knowledge a bit while I'm there.

Many thanks for whatever suggestions you may have.
Jane

[Mark N. Akers]

Jane:
Be sure and say hey,our club will be their doing a demo.

[Joy]

Welcome, Jane to wonderful addiction of carving. Check out the archives for several discussions on tools for beginning carvers. I started with the beginner's Flexcut kit from Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers. I hear that Rick from Little Shavers sells a good beginner set. Then when you see what you need you can try out different brands till you find the ones you like best. Have fun.

[squbrigg]

Welcome to the wonderful world of carving! As a new carver , you have the whole world in front of you. Lots of great styles and woods to experiment with and new tools to buy! Leaves are a great exercise, both in a relief carving or carving in the round, with so many species to try. Have fun with it and the learning curve.

As for tools, Rick Ferry (Rick from Seattle)( www.Littleshavers.com ) sells a nice beginners set at a very reasonable price and most importantly, they come sharp as a razor, and include a strop to keep them that way. If you can, try some different shaped handles before you purchase any large amounts of tools, to see what shape fits you the best: plam, short, European or full length.

Bob