Does "hand carved" imply hand tools?

[arbarnhart]

This is an offshoot from the other discussion. I am curious to see what people think. The question is simple - if an item is described as "hand carved" does that imply hand tools (not power tools) to you?

[tgamble57]

To me I would think of hand carved as hand tools not power tools. See what others think.

[wade clark]

Personally I'd think it means carving done by hands. Whether you use power or exclusively hand tools, if it's carved by human hands it's hand carved. To me, the reference is to the hands, not the type of tool used.
Wade

[Kenny_S]

you have an opinion on this subject, I do, too.
Everyone has one.

In six months, this sunject will come up again and we will beat it to death again. Nothing changes.

[mjv]

I believe that hand carved implies only hand tools to most people who do not carve. To me handcarving employs both traditional tools and power tools. I carve mostly birds and fish. I still consider my carvings hand carved even with the use of handheld power tools.

[Hugh]

If it was carved by a replicating machine, it is machine carved. If it is carved by a hand held tool, knife, or a foredom, it is hand carved! And to quote Lilly Tomlin, ' AND THATS THE TRUTH"

[Goody]

Lets take the Christmas In July Thread. Last year and again this year I send out 25 roughouts from my machine. Ok, you get one.
You take it in your Hands and only using Hand tools you complete the Santa. You did not touch the Santa with a power tool. Did you hand carve the Santa? If I pick up one of my blanks and do the same thing is it Hand carved. Did the Lumber Jack fell the tree with an axe or a chainsaw? Was the block you have in your paws milled with a band saw or hand hewn?
You know it all boils down to creating a piece of art. I always say carve from your heart. Do what you feel is right. Get from Point start to point finish with whatever you enjoy. That carving, that little creation you finished was nothing more than a little seed that spent its life as a tree. It will spend eternity as your creation.

Theres a roughout from the wood of the tree that this blossom is on for the first person that names the tree.
Goody

[AlArchie]

Francine!

Looks like it might be a hawthorn

Al

[arbarnhart]

Originally Posted by mjv

I believe that hand carved implies only hand tools to most people who do not carve. To me handcarving employs both traditional tools and power tools. I carve mostly birds and fish. I still consider my carvings hand carved even with the use of handheld power tools.

Aye, thar be the rub...

If you sell, the majority of customers will be non carvers and I think you are correct that most of them think hand carved means no power tools. If they find out that isn't so, many will feel that they were misled.

I use power and hand tools and have struggled with this question when someone asks me if I carved something by hand. I certainly would sell it as such knowing that many potential customers would think otherwise.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

If I am a Power Carver and I mistakenly use a hand tool am I disqualified from competing in a Power Carving category?

If I am a Chain Saw carver and I mistakenly use a Handsaw would I be disqualified from participating in the Chain Sawn category?

How much carving time is being lost because of this seemingly endless and totally unimportant topic?

Who cares? Let's whittle!!