Beginner's Guide to Wood Carving

Woods

1. Basswood: Soft, easy to carve, with a fine grain. Ideal for beginners.
2. Pine: Soft and affordable, but can be tricky due to its uneven grain.
3. Butternut: Soft, with a coarse grain, easy to carve and good for detailed work.
4. Walnut: Harder wood, beautiful grain, suited for advanced carvers.
5. Oak: Hard and durable, with a pronounced grain. Requires sharp tools and experience.
6. Cherry: Medium hardness, carves smoothly, and finishes beautifully.
7. Mahogany: Medium to hard, known for its rich colour and smooth grain.
8. Maple: Very hard, with a fine grain. Challenging but rewarding for experienced carvers.

Butternut (a.k.a. white walnut): Soft, yellowish-grey wood with a coarse grain from the species Juglans cinerea, ranging in colour from light chestnut brown with darker zones in the heartwood to pale yellow or white in the sapwood. It polishes well and has been used for carving, furniture, and interior millwork.

Cherry wood: General term referring to wood of several species of the genus Prunus native to Asia, Europe, and North America. The close, even-grain wood is strong and smells like roses when freshly cut. It is brownish to light red but darkens on exposure. Cherry wood takes a high polish and is valued for instrument cases, furniture, veneers, cabinetry, turnery, and decorative items. It was formerly used for aeroplane propellers.

Mahogany: Refers to the wood of trees of the genus Swietenia, found in tropical climates, primarily in Mexico, Cuba, Central America, and the West Indies. It varies in colour from yellow to a rich red-brown and is valued in furniture-making and sculpture-carving because it is hard, fine-grained, and takes a high polish. Mahogany has a fine, straight grain that takes a high polish. It is dimensionally stable and does not shrink, warp, or swell. The durable, dark reddish-brown wood was imported to Europe in the 18th century where it became popular for furniture, panelling and veneer. Ammonia brings out a rich, red colour in mahogany wood. Mahogany is frequently attacked by pinhole borer beetles. Many kinds of wood of similar colours have also been called mahoganies, but usually do not have the rich colour or fine cutting characteristics of the true mahogany wood. However, the related African genus Khaya produces a similar wood. Mahogany was used by Chippendale, Hepplewhite, and the Adam brothers for high-quality furniture.

Maple: Wood of trees belonging to the genus Acer, light reddish brown, with small pores, distinct rings, and rays that show as fine dashes in quarter sawed wood. Maple wood is used for fine furniture, cabinetry, flooring, shoe lasts, and musical instruments.

Oak: Wood of trees belonging to the genus Quercus, of the beech family. It is a durable wood that has a distinctive coarse grain, used in cabinetry, flooring, panelling, musical instruments, ship interiors and mouldings, panel painting, and sculptures.

Pinewood: Wood from numerous trees of the genus Pinus. Pine is used largely in the construction and paper industries, although it is also a source of turpentine, resins, and oils, among other products.

Walnut: Wood of several trees belonging to the genus Juglans, ranging in colour from grey-brown to purple-brown, used in making cabinetwork, veneer, butts and rifle stocks.

Tools

1. Carving Knives: Basic tools for detail work and smooth cuts.
2. Gouges: Curved tools for scooping out wood, come in various shapes and sizes.
3. Chisels: Straight-edged tools, used with mallets for removing large wood chunks.
4. V-Tools: Used for making fine lines and decorative cuts.
5. Mallets: Used to strike chisels and gouges for controlled cuts.
6. Rasps and Files: For shaping and smoothing rough areas.
7. Carving Gloves: To protect hands from slips.
8. Sharpening Stones: Essential for keeping tools sharp.

Carving Knives: Large knives with sharp, curved, and often pointed blades used to carve or slice meat and similar food. May be accompanied by a carving fork.

Gouges: Sharpened both outside and inside; the larger outside bevel is used for hardwoods, and the smaller inside bevel for softwoods.

Skew chisel: A versatile carving tool that can be used to make markings for the outline, smooth out surfaces or make detailed cuts with the tip. Generally, the right-beveled skew is for right hand and a left-beveled skew is for left-hand users. As the skew gets thinner and smaller, it can do finer work.

Corner Chisel: Chisels having two cutting edges which meet at right angles; used to cut corners of mortises.

Mallet: Short-handled mallets with a wooden head used to strike a chisel or wedge in woodworking.

Rasp: A rasp is a coarse form of file used for coarsely shaping wood or other material. Typically a hand tool, it consists of a generally tapered rectangular, round, or half-round sectioned bar of case-hardened steel with distinct, individually cut teeth.

File: A tool used for smoothing and shaping wood. It typically consists of a hardened steel bar with a series of ridges or teeth cut into its surface. Files are primarily used for refining shapes, smoothing out rough surfaces, and removing small amounts of material. They are especially useful for final touches after the main carving work has been done with knives, gouges, or chisels. Files come in various shapes and sizes, each designed for specific tasks. Common types include flat files, round (rat-tail) files, half-round files, and triangular files. Each shape allows the carver to work on different contours and details of the wood piece.

Carving Gloves:  For protection against tool slips.

Sharpening stones or whetstones: used to sharpen the edges of steel tools such as knives through grinding and honing.

Safety

Wood carving, like any form of craft involving sharp tools and manual labour, requires adherence to certain safety precautions to prevent injuries and ensure a pleasant crafting experience. Basic safety precautions for woodcarving are the following. 

Prepare a First Aid Kit. Have a basic first aid kit accessible in your work area for quick response to any minor injuries.

Use proper tools. Be sure that all woodworking tools are equipped with proper guards to prevent accidents. Use the proper tools for particular project operations and avoid using defective ones. 

Always keep your carving tools sharp. If your tools are sharp enough, they should not need force to carve. Dull tools require more force to use, increasing the risk of slipping and causing an injury. Be careful when sharpening and handling tools so as not to hurt yourself. 

Protective gear and workspace. Safety Goggles: Protect your eyes from wood chips and dust. Safety Gloves: Protect your hands from cuts and splinters. Though gloves help avoid cuts, never think that if you have a carving glove you will never get cut. You should still carve safely; a stabbing cut will go right through that glove so you must use caution at all times. Dust mask: Some types of wood can cause allergic reactions or respiratory issues. Wear a dust mask if necessary. Ensure your workspace is well-lit to avoid mishaps. Work in a well-ventilated area, especially if using chemical finishes or if you are creating a lot of dust. Ensure your workspace is well-lit to avoid mishaps.

Secure your wood piece firmly to a stable surface to prevent it from moving while you carve. Use clamps or a vice to hold the wood in place. Bench Hooks are also useful. May be bought or made by yourself. Bench Hooks are important in putting your project in place when you are carving. This will also help you avoid cuts and wounds throughout the process.

Never cut toward yourself. Learn and practice the correct ways to hold and use each tool. Ensure that no part of your body is in the tool’s path. Your free hand should be opposite the side you are carving towards. Always carve or cut in a direction away from you, and keep your hands behind the tool. 

Always work by pushing the tools away from your body. Always carve away from your body. Never hold the piece in one hand and push the tool with the other. With gouges, always keep two hands on the tool or one hand on the gouge and the other on the mallet. To get into tight areas, turn your work. Maintain a comfortable and ergonomic posture while carving to avoid strain or injury.

If the tool falls, don't try to catch it. Never try to catch a falling chisel or knife, because you may cut yourself while grasping it. 

Use controlled, deliberate strokes. Avoid forcing the tool through the wood. Take your time and don't rush your carving, as this increases the risk of an accident. Pay attention to the path of the blade. The blade could slip and hit your hand or arm. Think before you cut! If you are new at carving and get into good habits it will minimize the chances of bad cuts in the future.

If children are involved in wood carving, they should be closely supervised and taught safety measures. Do not let minors carve alone. Assist them when carving and handling sharp tools to avoid any injuries.

Take regular breaks to avoid fatigue. Tiredness can lead to a lapse in concentration and accidents.