Such a Relief! Intro to Relief Carving
From ancient Egypt to medieval Europe to contemporary Japan, shallow carvings have often been used to add imagery and interest to trays, boxes, furniture, and other flat surfaces. Working on prepared panels, we'll use simple hand tools to create relief carvings with smooth contours, detailed texture, and implied depth. You can use a provided design, bring your own, or take inspiration from historic examples. Beginners will get comfortable with a range of versatile carving tools and techniques, while more experienced woodworkers will gain new options for embellishing their own larger work.
Class Tools and Supplies
Your materials fee will include:
-two chunks of wood for carving (basswood and cherry)
-use of shared carving and sharpening tools
-consumables such as wax, oil, sandpaper, scalpels, and paint
You should consider bringing:
-a sketchbook and pencil
-a comfortable x-acto style knife handle and a few disposable blades
-a dustmask with a side exhale valve if you wear glasses
-you are welcome to share the tools that I bring, but if you are serious about continuing to carve you may want to bring a few of your own chisels...
-two chunks of wood for carving (basswood and cherry)
-use of shared carving and sharpening tools
-consumables such as wax, oil, sandpaper, scalpels, and paint
You should consider bringing:
-a sketchbook and pencil
-a comfortable x-acto style knife handle and a few disposable blades
-a dustmask with a side exhale valve if you wear glasses
-you are welcome to share the tools that I bring, but if you are serious about continuing to carve you may want to bring a few of your own chisels...
Shopping for Chisels
Choosing the right tools is a very personal decision, based on considerations such as your hand size, scale, studio situation, and budget. Adjust my recommendations to fit your own situation. And if you already have tools similar to these, great! Bring them along!
SHAPES
As a basic starting point, I recommend getting three chisels:
-a C- or U-shape (aka “sweep” or “gouge”)
-a V-shape (“parting tool” or “veiner”)
-a flat blade with either a squared-off or angled (“skew”) cutting edge
SHAPES
As a basic starting point, I recommend getting three chisels:
-a C- or U-shape (aka “sweep” or “gouge”)
-a V-shape (“parting tool” or “veiner”)
-a flat blade with either a squared-off or angled (“skew”) cutting edge
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SIZES / STYLES
Almost any shape of tool will be available in many different sizes and handle styles. When choosing, keep in mind the size of the work you want to make, the size of your hands, and how much room you have for storing tools (handles can take up a lot of space!). BRANDS Of the many great options available, I think that the Flexcut brand offers the best balance of affordability and quality. Flexcut chisels are available either with fixed handles, or as interchangeable blades that snap into different handles; the snap-on blades take up less space so I can easily carry around one handle and 12 different blades in a small tool roll. Flexcut offers a variety of beginner kits; these are generally fine, but I were choosing my tools individually I'd get a handle and these blades (you can see them on the Tool Profile Chart pdf): SK317 45 deg. x 5/32" (4mm) Parting Tool SK407 #2 x 9/16" (15mm) Skew Double Bevel SK402 #8 x 3/8" (10mm) Sweep Another brand that I like is Dockyard; they sell sets of tiny microchisels that I use for carving details and for working with wax. SHARPENING There will be sharpening tools for you to use in class but if you plan to carve on your own some sort of sharpening system is essential. It's easy to keep Flexcuts and other small chisels sharp with the Flexcut SlipStrop. STORES I keep my eyes open for sales and have bought from many local and online sources, but Woodcraft.com is very reliable and offers a "birthday club" discount. |
My tool roll with one handle and many blades; note that I store them point down.
A boxed beginners set with fixed handles.
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MY RULES OF CHISEL OWNERSHIP
1. Don't buy more than you need; start with 2-3 and grow your collection as appropriate.
2. Don't waste your money on cheap tools.
3. Treat your tolls with care: keep the ends capped or covered, never let a cutting edge touch another piece of metal!
OTHER TOOLS
Other hand tools I may introduce in class include: razor saw, adze, draw knife, drill, crooked knife, or mallet. Don’t run out and buy these, but feel free to bring any that you already have and I can explain how and when to use them.
1. Don't buy more than you need; start with 2-3 and grow your collection as appropriate.
2. Don't waste your money on cheap tools.
3. Treat your tolls with care: keep the ends capped or covered, never let a cutting edge touch another piece of metal!
OTHER TOOLS
Other hand tools I may introduce in class include: razor saw, adze, draw knife, drill, crooked knife, or mallet. Don’t run out and buy these, but feel free to bring any that you already have and I can explain how and when to use them.