Posts

Whittling Class for Kids

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Yesterday, I had the opportunity to teach a whittling class for a group of eight boys in the eight to twelve age range. When I was looking for ideas for projects they could work on, this whittling lesson post showed up in my news feed. I did a little research and found out that this little project goes by a number of names including  gee-haw and whammy diddle. In the class we went over safety, knife sharpening, wood grain and knife handling techniques. All of the boys were attentive and well behaved. They all did a good job whittling and left with a working gee-haw. Big thanks to Tom H for the idea.

Claddagh Box

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Doug Oliver sent these photos of a box that he recently completed. The exterior has a well done art deco design. On the bottom of the inside, he carved a relief of a  Claddagh design. Don't you think it makes a nice surprise when you open the box?

Whittling in the Woods

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I took this photo as I was carving a wood spirit with my  Carvin' Jack  while sitting in the beautiful woods of East Texas. I was enjoying perfect weather and a wonderfully scenic setting. Does it get any better than this?

Demystifying Wood Grain by Brandant Robinson

Brandant Robinson of the The Old Stump blog posted a primer on demystifying wood grain . It provides a good overview of a subject that I know a number of carvers struggle with. Have a look and let me know what you think and be sure to thank Brandant  for his efforts.

Baylor Armstrong Browning Library

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Doug Oliver sent along the following photos he took on a visit to the  Armstrong Browning Library on the Baylor University  campus. I think fine art in a place of learning can inspire the student. Thanks, Doug.

2011 North Texas Wood Carvers Guild Rhapsody in Wood Show

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This past weekend I had the pleasure of attending the 2011 Rhapsody in Wood Show & Sell put on by the  North Texas Wood Carvers Guild . I saw some great carvings, turnings, wood burnings and scroll saw work. The best part, however, was visiting with some very fine individuals. If you attended the show, let me know what you thought. If not, and you happen to be in the North Texas area on the first weekend of March 2012, I'd love to see you at the next Rhapsody in Wood show.

The Blacksmith Progress Photos

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Ricky Smith is one of my talented woodcarving students. He is currently working on a carving of a blacksmith. He provided some photos of his progress and I thought I'd share them with you all. I think these pictures show a nice progression through the rough out stage into starting the detail work. I'm eager to see it continue to develop and hopefully we will have more pictures of the blacksmith to share in the future.