In August of 2007, I began to be interested in whittling. I picked up a couple of scrap pine blocks from the local Home Depot and began carving away at them with my pocket knife. A bit of reading online introduced me to basswood, a light, strong, softer hardwood that is popular among woodcarvers, so I hunted around a bit and discovered that the local Michael’s carried some.
“Mere” whittling has since given way to more general woodcarving, and I’ve obtained a very basic set of gouges and chisels, as well as a detail carving knife (which I use instead of my pocket knife, these days). Woodcarving is definitely a journey, for me. Here is where I’ll be posting some of the milestones along the way.
Completed Projects
[1] Three-link chain, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil, August 2007
[2] Spoons joined by chain, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil, August 2007
[3] Elephant, relief carving, basswood (experiment, the trunk broke off!), August 2007
[4] Santa, basswood with acrylic paint, September 2007
[5] Celtic knot, relief carving, basswood, September 2007
[6] Face, basswood with acrylic paint, September 2007
[7a] Love spoon, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil and paste wax, September 2007
[7b] Another shot of the love spoon
[8] Two balls in a cage, basswood, September 2007
[9] Lighthouse, basswood w/ acrylic and gloss, September 2007
[10] Miniature spoon, 4”, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil and paste wax, September 2007
[11] Captured ball in cage, basswood, September 2007
[12a] Love spoon, basswood? (perhaps butternut?) w/ boiled linseed oil and paste wax, 10.5 inches, October 2007
[12b] Another shot of the previous love spoon, carved for my brother who was on an LDS mission in British Columbia
[13] Miniature spoon, 4”, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil, original design, October 2007.
[14] The mirror of the previous spoon, this time without a leaf broken off! 4”, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil, October 2007. Carved for a friend from work (Sarah Hatter).
[15a] “Pigasus” love spoon, basswood w/ boiled linseed oil and pastewax. 11.5 inches, November 2007.
[15b] Another shot of the pigasus spoon, which was carved for my mother for her birthday. Inspired by Steinbeck’s “pigasus” monograph.
[16b] Another shot of the chain-and-captured-balls. This project took about a month to complete.
[17] Miniature spoon, 4”, black walnut w/ boiled linseed oil, original design, January 2008.
[18] Intarsia, 8” x 6”, black walnut, basswood, ash, hickory, and maple, finished with boiled linseed oil, January 2008.
[19] Relief carved logo for 37signals. 3” x 2” x 0.5”, pine, finished with boiled linseed oil and black acrylic paint. February 2008.
[20] Relief carved. 9” x 3”, maple, finished with boiled linseed oil, acrylic paint, and matte varnish. March 2008.
[21] An airplane I carved for my son, Nathaniel. Approx 4” x 4”, ash and black walnut, finished w/ walnut oil. May 2008.
[22] A spoon I carved for my daughter, Kaitrin. 10”, basswood w/ walnut oil. June 2008.
[23a] A stick I carved at the family reunion near Orofino, Idaho. It was about 18” long, possibly birch. June 2008. I gifted it to my niece, Riley Short.
[23b] A close-up of the handle of the stick shown in 23a.
[24a] A christmas house I carved for my sister, Nicole. Approx 6.5” x 4.5”, basswood. September 2008.
[24b] The house pictured in 24a, after painting (water-thinned acrylics).
[25] Relief carved version of Julie Clemons’ “Roots and Rocks”. approx 10” x 6”, basswood, acrylic paint. February 2009.
30 Oct 2007
For the curious, I recorded myself carving the second of the flower spoons (#14) pictured above:
In August of 2007, I began to be interested in whittling. I picked up a couple of scrap pine blocks from the local Home Depot and began carving away at them with my pocket knife. A bit of reading online introduced me to basswood, a light, strong, softer hardwood that is popular among woodcarvers, so I hunted around a bit and discovered that the local Michael’s carried some.
“Mere” whittling has since given way to more general woodcarving, and I’ve obtained a very basic set of gouges and chisels, as well as a detail carving knife (which I use instead of my pocket knife, these days). Woodcarving is definitely a journey, for me. Here is where I’ll be posting some of the milestones along the way.