I am just beginning to carve and haven't really had to use a stone yet. After some of the sites that I have visited, I got the impression that using a leather strop was all I had to do to sharpen a chisel unless there was an obvious nick in the blade. Am I correct in this or will I have to invest in the stones right away?
If you have brand new tools, you probably won't need to sharpen the gouges right away. However, I would not rely only on the leather strop for all sharpening. There are times when the edge of the gouge simply gets "dull" without necessarily having a nick or damaged edge. A leather strop can be used to touch up an edge, but if an edge needs to be really sharpened, then it would need to be brought back to the stone. I would recommend investing in a sharpening stone and slip stone soon after beginning to carve, if not at the same time. Eventually it will be needed.
that is a wonderful carving mary , thank you very much for doing it. also could you tell me what the 4 most used goudges that you use thanks again ernest owen
Hello Ernest,
Good question! Definitely the 6mm v-chisel would be one. Then the #3, 14mm, and the #3, 6mm is always useful in whatever carving. From that point, it really depends on what type of carving you are doing. If you are carving deeper and shaped carving, I would recommend a more curved gouges such as a #7, 14mm. or shallower carving a #5, 14mm. From there I would add #7 or #5, 6mm - again, depending on whether it is deeply shaped or not. Much can be carved with those minimal tools, but could get frustrating to carve more complex carvings. Have fun!
I really enjoyed this lesson and carving scenes like this country barn is something I want to do more. I have one problem. Where I live there is only one wood carving supply store and they have a somewhat limited stock of wood. Especially when it comes to widths. Your template for this lesson suggest a 10" wide piece of mahogany. The only thing they had in this width is basswood. Worked fine, however, next time I would like to use a richer grain wood like the mahogany you used. Can you recommend somewhere (online?) that is reputable and has a good selection of wood varieties?
Hello Mike,
I know there are online wood suppliers, but will need to do some research. Does anyone out there have any suggestions? Please comment if you do.
I have found one supplier, Wood Wind Hardwood. Very nice people but they do not appear to deal with smaller orders. I put in an order for two pieces, one cherry and one mahogany both 12"x8" and never heard back from them.
Hi Mike,
That is pretty typical. Your best bet is purchasing from an actual supplier to woodcarvers, as they are used to dealing with smaller orders.
I suggest making friends with a local furniture maker. They always have small scrap pieces that they won't be able to use, but are perfect for carving.
Hi Mary,
I am interested in doing a carved picture frame (likely with egg and dart or something like that). What wood selection would be sensible. I think it will be painted.
Any thoughts would be welcome.
It depends on several things. How much experience have you had in carving? I would not tackle oak if you are a beginner. Since a picture frame is not really structural, basswood is a good option - especially since it will be painted. Poplar has its frustrations (very stringy and spongy) and it would be a shame to use something with nice grain, as the grain won't show after painting. So I would recommend basswood.
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