6
votes
Accepted
Is alder wood too hard to whittle?
No, it's not too hard.
For the beginner, Basswood and Butternut woods are the easiest to carve. Don't be confused about the hardwood and softwood definitions as they aren't literal interpretations ...
- 141
5
votes
How did they make spiral decorations and pearls on old frames?
It is true that a lot of work was hand carved, but many elements are made of what is called compo, the exact nature of which varies but is usually a resin, a whitening agent and glue. This material ...
- 151
4
votes
Accepted
What are possible sources of wood pieces from for making musical instruments?
The properties of the wood, especially its density will have a significant effect on the tone of the instrument but there is quite a wide variety used as well as various laminates.
Of critical ...
- 1,989
3
votes
Tracing/transfer words onto wooden surface?
I've done something similar with white transfer paper and it worked really well.
I'm sure you know regular carbon / transfer paper. There are options in white or yellow instead of black / blue. I ...
Elmy♦
- 13.5k
3
votes
How to carve a side texture of a book on a wooden box?
Depending on the size of your book and the size of the groves you want to add there are different tools you can use:
Wire brush
You can make the natural grain of the wood more defined by running a ...
Elmy♦
- 13.5k
3
votes
What are possible sources of wood pieces from for making musical instruments?
Anyone with a large enough tree is a potential source -- but you might have to do some more work (square it up to make a blank & dry it to the appropriate humidity to work it)
When my neighbor ...
- 241
3
votes
How did they make spiral decorations and pearls on old frames?
In many cases decorative elements such as spirals and pearls were hand-carved by skilled craftsmen.
The ornate spirals and pearls on gilded frames were often hand-carved using chisels and gouges.
...
- 145
3
votes
Accepted
How to repair wood carving
Some thoughts.
The big crack on the back looks like it might be amenable to replicating the adjacent area of the coils. Make a narrow silicone mold of the coils to the left of the crack. Then ...
- 11.5k
2
votes
How to Carve Tapered Recess into Wood
The short answer is: there are tools designed for that. Here are just two random examples:
Spoon carving knife
Curved carving gouge
The long answer is that tools alone aren't enough to produce this ...
Elmy♦
- 13.5k
2
votes
Accepted
How long to dry juniper before working with it?
Usually you should let green wood dry for 2 years before carving objects out of them or using it to build something. Depending on the local climate, the size of the wood block (or tree) and how you ...
Elmy♦
- 13.5k
2
votes
How to Carve Tapered Recess into Wood
Depending on how big the wood is you might be able to use some lino-cut tools or wood chisels to get a similar shape especially if you just want the middle part. This would work best on a softer wood ...
- 141
1
vote
Tracing/transfer words onto wooden surface?
The easiest way, if you can get your hands on the technology, would be projecting an image of the text onto the board. You can use a digital projector set up on table top since the target is small. ...
- 3,729
1
vote
Tracing/transfer words onto wooden surface?
You might be able to use a print and go over it with a perforation wheel that makes tiny holes in the lines and then draw chalk over top? Or Graphite paper instead of just transfer paper. It'll be ...
1
vote
How to carve a side texture of a book on a wooden box?
I'd suggest an U-shaped carving tool. V-shaped is harder to work with.
Here is 2 mm U-shaped carving tool and grooves it makes. This one costed me ca. 10$. It is also useful thing in household.
- 236
1
vote
How to Carve Tapered Recess into Wood
The piece looks like it was made from a single piece. The typical approach for this would be to turn it from a longer piece in a chuck, or on a face place, without centres and use a boring bar to cut ...
- 205
1
vote
Line cutting technique for wood blocks: japanese vs. western
The knife is more common in Japanese printmaking. I unfortunately can't find any sources comparing the two, but I hypothesize that one reason gauges are more common in Western printmaking is due to ...
- 316
1
vote
Does rust matter on my wood carving knives if I sharpen them?
Rust implies they are carbon steel. Although rust removes very little metal ,it will quickly dull a sharp edge. Many modern knifes are stainless steel ( 13 % chrome ) and resist rust well. If you use ...
- 1,245
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible