TexasWoodcarving.com

I often get questions about my carving arm and where to get one. I do not remember the source of mine, but I have found that The Woodcraft Shop has a  laminated oak carving arm  for sale. If you are interested in making your own, Woodcarving Illustrated has a Building a Carving Arm article on their site. The article includes detailed plans. A secure way to hold your work as you carve is key to personal safety. Are you using a carving arm or something similar?

Here is the problem - a lot of trees are cut down in cities to make way for residential and commercial construction. I'm not going into the pros and cons of the new and remodel development market. However, the fact is that a number of well established trees are cut down to make way for it. This is where someone like Kyle Alty comes in. Kyle describes himself as an "Urban Lumberjack." Unlike a traditional lumberjack that may cultivate trees to cut down, Kyle finds those trees that are either already down or coming down to make way for construction. He is saving some beautiful wood for the creation of fine furniture and works of art. If you are looking for some beautiful wood with local heritage, I hope you will connect with an urban lumberjack like Kyle. You can visit his website at www.chasinthegrain.com .  If you know other urban lumberjacks, please let us know. Below are some sample of the wood Kyle has recovered. They are labeled with a hash tag that starts wit

I made a Judo cherry blossom relief for a black belt and referee/judge. It is carved out of basswood. It is sealed and glazed (shaded) with a water based stain. Let me know what you think.

Even though I completed the  Corporal Works of Mercy Relief a couple of years ago, I realized I had not yet posted the finished piece on the blog. In addition to posting it here, there is also a page  for the Corporal Works of Mercy Relief on the www.TexasWoodcarving.com site with a link to a study guide document I wrote to accompany the carving.

Here are some photos I took of the process of making a stylized dove brooch. First, I make a few sketches. You can see the last two in the photo below. Then I get a piece of basswood about the right size. The piece is thicker than required, so I quickly thin it down with a gouge. After thinning it down, I sketch the pattern directly on the wood and cut around the outline with a coping saw. With the rough outline cut, I put it on some non-slip netting to help hold it in place while carving. I use gouges to shape the carving. Now the rough gouge work is complete. You can now see the form of the head and body. The wings have a slightly concave shape with a raised edge. Since I want a smooth finish, I am working though progressively finer grits of  Abranet sand paper . I end with 600 grit. With the sanding completed, it is ready for finishing. I add my initials to the back with a wood burner. A pin will be added on the back, just above the initials, to

Ricky Smith carved the walnut wall plates for a pair of sconces. Here is a picture of one along with close ups of  the top and bottom.

Author and woodcarver Dale Arden put together this video documenting his journey creating an award winning carving. It was my pleasure to have the opportunity to provide some guidance along the way. Here are a couple of photos of the finished piece.