Types of wood carving

Wood carving is one of those pastimes that connects us with our primitive ancestors. It's an excellent way of forgetting the troubles and trials of today and reverting to 'simpler' times while indulging our creative side.

It doesn't matter what your skill level is, anyone can pick up a knife and create something beautiful or functional (maybe both!) by carving a log or block of wood.

It isn't just about the end product either: watching the shapes or patterns gradually emerge from the wood is a great way to relieve stress, so it's actually good for your health!

And the more you do this, the better you get at it!

However, there's more to this skill than hacking away until you achieve your intended design. There are different methods and approaches, each with its own skills and wood carving tools.

Want to know more about the different types of wood carving?

Then let's get started!

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/selective-focus-photography-of-mask-sculpture-999283/

A Quick History Lesson

Humans have enjoyed a close connection with wood stretching back thousands of years. Almost as soon as we learned to make tools, at first from flint, followed by various metals, we started shaping this wonderfully versatile material to make weapons, utensils and art.

And, speaking of art, some of the most important sculptures, culturally speaking, are made of wood, especially in Japan and Africa.

Over the centuries, humans became familiar with the qualities of each type of wood. Woodworking became a standard skill among human tribes, and this still exists in many cultures worldwide, reflected in their amazing art. Sadly, in the last century or so, we have forgotten these methods as we came to rely on mass-produced, disposable goods.

Although this capability has largely been lost to most of us, especially in the western world, traditional crafts have made a comeback as we now realise their value; folk art and heritage crafts are being appreciated in a new light, with a renewed interest in preserving these skills for future generations.

Here in the UK, we have some truly gifted professional carvers and many thousands of enthusiastic 'amateurs'!

So, what are the different types of wood carving, and what tools do they use to get the required results?

Relief Carving

Relief carving is one of the earliest wood carving methods ever recorded, as popular today as it was with ancient Greeks and Romans.

Essentially, shapes are carved into a flat panel of wood to give a 3D effect to objects against a level background. Wood is removed using a range of chisels or gouges to give the impression of depth. A mallet and chisel are often used to remove large amounts of wood before fine detail is added. Gouges are great for making curved cuts while chisels and mallets make it possible to get deeper cuts into hardwoods.

Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/man-holding-chisel-and-mallet-1486470/

Undercutting is ideal for adding impressive 3D effects that trick the eye. Smaller tools can be used to produce fine detail, resulting in some spectacularly impressive work.

Some wood carvers use tape or special paper to mark out the design. Although this isn't compulsory, many beginners may find it useful.

Details on the panel seem to project out towards the viewer, and it only takes a small difference in height to create this effect: a rise of only three-quarters of an inch is all it takes!

However, you can have low relief or high relief carving. The deeper the cuts, the more detail there is, and the greater the effect.

While each carver has their own personal favourite, both softwood and hardwood are used in relief carving.

Main Tools

• V or U-shaped gouge
• Spoon gouge
• Fishtail gouge
• Chisels
• Mallet

Best Woods For Relief Carving

• Lime (also known as Basswood or Linden)
• Black Cherry
• Black Walnut
• White Oak (or Stave Oak)
• English Oak

Chip Carving

Similar in many ways to relief carving, chip carving relies on flat panels that essentially retain the same dimensions. It's a highly effective method of creating amazing decorative items.

The chip carving method lends itself particularly well to symmetrical geometric designs. It's often employed to decorate plain objects such as coasters, keepsake boxes or a wooden cabinet.

Most chip carving experts use a cutting knife to remove excess wood and a stab knife, to remove chips of wood. This allows light and shadow to do some of the work in highlighting the beautiful patterns and small details.

The stab knife is a type of carving knife with a short blade, usually without a bevel. This gives the user more control over the blade. Still, it's vital that you hold the knife correctly to avoid injury!

When chip carving, your hand position should change according to the type of cut you are making, but the trick is to keep the blade at a 65° angle to the wood surface.

Main Tools

• Stab knife
• Cutting knife
• Sharpening stone or strop

Best woods for chip carving

• Lime/Basswood (although some experts disagree because it is a very soft wood! However, it's ideal for beginners)
• Cherry
• Black walnut
• Sugar maple

Mango Wood Carved Door Cabinet

Treen Carving

Although the term is unfamiliar to many people, the word 'treen' is Old English, meaning 'of a tree.'

It is sometimes used to describe antique wooden items, mostly in reference to small household objects that are largely utilitarian rather than decorative art. These items mostly date from before the time of pewter and ceramic tableware, roughly from medieval times right up to the end of the 18th century. Wooden objects tend not to survive as well as other materials, so they are pretty rare and highly sought-after today.

However, treen carving has experienced a resurgence in the past few decades, as enthusiasts try their hand at producing all manner of beautiful things, particularly kitchen utensils and functional items.

Spoon Carving

The hobby of spoon carving has been given its own sub-heading here as it's so popular and falls under the category of treen carving. Technically, it's also a form of whittling, though, strictly speaking, whittling generally uses knives rather than gouges (see below).

Ideally, you should use wood with a fine grain and few open pores.

Main Tools

• Straight knife
• Hook knife or gouges
• Axe (optional, for removing waste wood quickly)

Best Woods For Treen carving

• Boxwood
• Beech
• Sycamore
• Willow
• Cherry
• Olive wood
• Birch
• Poplar
• Maple

Pine is good for beginners to practice on but isn't perhaps the best wood for the job.

High-quality wooden spoons are often made from olive wood, beech, or maple.

Source: https://pixabay.com/photos/spoon-folk-wooden-pattern-3602433/

Whittling

Though it's often regarded as a simpler method with simple tools, whittling doesn't necessarily produce any less pleasing results.

Whittling is one of those pastimes that appeal to people who enjoy sunny Sunday afternoons in the garden or sitting in a shed, listening to the cricket on the radio.

Okay, that's a bit specific, but you get the idea! It belongs to a better, vanished time. It's something that anyone can do, transforming a stick or block of wood into small objects using four basic cuts: push cut, stop cut, paring cut, and slicing cut.

While, again, there are similarities between this and other types of wood carving, whittling only involves a knife. Carbon steel is favoured among whittlers as it keeps its edge better and needs minimal sharpening.

Many enthusiasts shell out hundreds of pounds for a serious set of whittling knives, but it isn't necessary, especially if this is an occasional hobby. A simple wood carving knife will do the trick for the odd Sunday afternoon carving job!

Softwoods are the primary material for whittling, and the idea is to remove very small pieces until you achieve the desired shape.

Main Tools

• Whittling knives (or even a decent pocket knife)
• Strop or sharpening stone
• Protective glove(s)

Best Woods For Whittling

• Silver Birch
• Lime
• Sycamore
• Willow
• Alder
• Balsa

Source: https://stock.adobe.com/uk/contributor/207887675/fotostudio-gerth

Flat-Plane Carving

Sometimes called Scandinavian flat-plane carving, this is a unique style that gives a distinctive look to each piece. Although the name might suggest a similar effect as relief carving, this technique is geared towards creating small effigies (usually humans, wizards, gnomes etc.) rather than decorated wood panels.

This method is virtually unknown in the UK, though many carving enthusiasts have probably been doing this for years without even realising it!

In a sense, it's a form of whittling as it uses some of the same methods, though it's a more minimalist approach with fewer and simpler cuts. There's usually no rounding or sanding, and each cut is proudly displayed in the carvings. The key is to make large flat cuts and make each one count. This results in a beautifully crafted item with multiple facets that gives the piece a wonderful character.

To add to this, many carvers use watercolours or watered down acrylic paints to bring the figures to life.

Main Tools

• Straight-edge fixed-blade knife (most purists will leave it at this!)
• Protective glove/thumb guard
• Gouges
• Scroll saw/band saw

Best Woods For Flat-Plane Carving

• Pine
• Fruit woods

Chainsaw Carving

This method is obviously more modern, though it still relies on some traditional skills but on a larger scale.

Obviously, a chainsaw is involved, very often used to remove large blocks of waste wood, before smaller tools (like an angle grinder) are employed to add fine details.

It goes without saying that chainsaw carving poses the biggest risk out of all the different types of wood carving. Chainsaw carvers use their entire body rather than just their hands. It's physically demanding work requiring immense focus, determination, skill, and caution.

Wear safety goggles (or a protective mask), respirator, earplugs or ear defenders, and safety boots when using a chainsaw, and always ensure that you have a clearly marked barrier around your working area to stop curious onlookers from wandering within the danger zone!

Generally speaking, softwoods are preferred for chainsaw carving as the blades can move freely without becoming clogged up, and there is usually less kickback. However, watch out for knots if you use pine!

Main Tools

• Chainsaw with special blades (surprisingly enough!)
• Power supply (for other power tools)
• Angle grinder
• Chisel
• Mallet

Best Woods For Chainsaw Carving

• Oak
• Sycamore
• Pine
• Spruce
• Sweet Chestnut
• Larch
• Cedar

Pyrography

Although not strictly carving, pyrography is a very popular wood-based pastime that often goes hand-in-hand with wood carving.

This method (known as pokerwork in Victorian times as a hot poker was used to burn the wood) uses heat to score a pattern into a flat surface.

These days, a range of tools are available for the job, and these are essentially soldering irons. Some cost a few pounds while others are a few hundred, but they generally do the same job.

Many have different tips that produce a variety of effects. Check out pyrography pages online, as there are some astonishingly brilliant pieces out there!

Main Tools

• Pyrography pen (or a poker, or even a magnifying glass!)
• Wet towel (for removing burnt wood fibres from the tip)
• Lots of patience (seriously)

Best Woods For pyrography

• Maple
• Poplar
• Beech
• Birch

Light-coloured woods are best, but avoid anything with open grain and high sap content. Pine can be used, but you don't get the best results, and you'll know about it when you hit a pocket of resin! Never use Yew as it emits poisonous fumes when burned.

Source: https://www.publicdomainpictures.net/en/view-image.php?image=173870&picture=pyrography-decorations

A Word About Wood

It's true; most passionate wood carvers soon become wood-nerds!

To the layman, wood is wood. However, different types of wood has its own qualities that make it better suited for particular methods of wood carving.

Now, it's not essential to learn the name of all the wood types and which projects they're best for, but it helps to have a basic knowledge.

For example, you might benefit from knowing that red oak is an absolute pain to work with. It will mash up your chisel blades and other wood carving tools in no time, and injuries from slippage are common. Also, it's almost impossible to work it without a mallet. Finally, it's no good for a functional piece that will have regular contact with water because it is pretty porous.

Lime (or basswood) is perfect for many woodworking jobs as it is a softwood that's readily available, affordable, sustainable, stable and easy to work with.

At the other end of the scale, you'll find mahogany, which is pretty expensive and not always easy to get hold of.

Source: https://unsplash.com/photos/FgP27oU8LWw

A Few Safety Notes

It goes without saying that the main concern about any type of carving is safety.

You'll be using some pretty sharp tools here, so it's essential to follow some basic rules:

• Hold the carving tools correctly.
• Where practically possible, cuts should be made away from the body.
• Never hold the piece in one hand and carve with the other!
• When using a gouge keep both hands on the tool, or one on the gouge and the other holding a chisel.
• Make small cuts with a whittling or carving knife - don't be impatient!
• Protective gloves or a thumb guard are highly recommended, especially on your free hand.
• Always clamp your work! Trying to hold the piece of wood still while carving is asking for trouble.
• Keep your knives, gouges and chisels sharp. Sharp tools require less pressure and can be controlled easily. Dull blades need more force and won't bite the wood properly, increasing the chance that you'll slip and cause yourself injury.

Starting Your Wood Carving Adventure

By now, you'll have a fairly good idea about the dos and don'ts of wood carving.

Before you rush out and buy your first set of carving knives and tools and throw yourself into an elaborate carving project, take some time to speak with some accomplished woodcarving experts, either at craft events or online. They're usually happy to share advice and are generally a friendly bunch!

You'll have a wealth of experience at your disposal, and it might just save you time, money, and possibly a visit to A&E. They'll also advise you as to the best wood carving tools to buy, depending on which technique you are aiming to follow and how serious you are about the endeavour.

Finally, do take heed of the safety tips, take your time (there's no rush!), whether you're chip carving, chainsaw carving, or whatever.

Above all - have some fun and enjoy yourself. Now, go and get carving!

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