First View

[lio]

Hi friends,
Sitting in your theatre and wondering if I can learn to do some of the fabulous things I read about. Wish me luck. Firsttimer.

[kev.b]

firsttimer all i can suggest is you get some wood and put a blade to it (carefully). that is the ONLY way you will ever learn to carve anything. learn from your mistakes, and if it gets messed up- hey! its only a piece of wood.
Please be careful though

[Woody1961]

First timer, I agree with Kev. B. Jump right in. I first started carving when I was outside one day with nothing to do. I first picked up a stick and made one of those Jed Clampett carvings (a sharp stick). That didn't do much for me. So I picked up a bigger stick (about walking stick size) and started carving a head into the top.

Thankfully, I was already very good at sharpening my pocket knife. In my opinion there is nothing more important than a sharp tool. Tools that are dull, cause you have to use a lot more pressure, and that is dangerous. While there are a LOT of good tools out there that you can spend a LOT of money on, simple tools are the best place to start. There is a fellow carver here named Lynn Doughty, and he primarily uses an old Stanley fixed blade box cutter here is a link to his blog where you will be able to learn a LOT.

[Bob K.]

I agree with Kev and Woody...just jump in and get started! Get yourself a good sharp knife and start carving. That's the way most of us started out as many of us are self taught. Stay in tune to this forum and don't be afraid to ask questions. There is a wealth of information here from many excellent wood carvers and we are all more than happy to share what we know...many of us have been carving for over 30 or 40 years. So there is a lot of talent here on this forum. I, for one, would be happy to help you out! Like I said, just don't be afraid to ask!