Sawing Carving Blanks

Use a band saw to speed up your roughing out process.

Speed up the roughing-out process by cutting three views with your band saw

I draw the front, top, and side views of my design on the carving blank. This way, I make sure all of the major points in each view line up with each other. Many carvers only cut the front and side profile on a band saw. By cutting the top view as well, I remove more waste and speed up the roughing-out process.

If you cut the top view, your carving must be separate from the base, and your band saw must be large enough to accommodate the height of your project. Many band saw manufacturers make riser kits to provide increased cutting capacity. These kits usually add 6" to the maximum height of your carving blank. I use a 1/4" (6mm)- or 3⁄16" (5mm)-wide blade with four teeth per inch.