Safety when hand Carving

Common sense can save you from injuries.

When hand carving one must consider the fact that, the tools you're using are very sharp.

I once took a class where a young person slipped with the carving tool and had to have stitches. This could have been avoided if the student had had on a carving glove. In the same class, a person placed their carving across their leg and was fortunate enough to not have a severe problem from the cut they received on their leg.

Remember there are several things you can do to protect yourself. One of the most important things to remember when carving hand is to keep your tools sharp. If your tools are dull, you are more likely to slip and cut yourself. Learn to not aim the tools at yourself as you carve and never hold it over your leg as you carve. Place the carving a holding device or lay on the table.

I personally wear a leather apron that covers me from my chest to my thighs and I have purchased a carving glove that will protect me against most cuts. Some people prefer to wrap their fingertips as they work, but I feel that will leave a big unprotected area, if you're tool slips. As a beginner, you might want to consider to what extent you're going to take your carving experience and purchase a wood holding device. There are many devices available that will hold many weights and sizes of carving wood, and it may save you from a serious injury.



Since you are only wearing one carving glove place the tools so that your fingers on your unprotected hand will not strike a sharp tool as you pick them up from your work area. When carving if you drop a tool Never try to catch the tool as it falls even if it will run the test on a hard surface like the tool fall to the floor.

When teaching classes. I usually do not take students under the age of 16 unless their parents stay with them during the class. Children love to carve and do very well, but it is best to have extra supervision when working with kids in large groups.

Hello today I will discuss using cotton wood bark for carving wood spirits.

I have carved many types of wood over the years and have found that I really prefer carving cotton wood bark when carving the wood spirit
If carving with cotton wood bark you should consider there are several types of cottonwood. I have found that plains cotton wood and black cottonwood has the best thickness for my carvings. You will be looking for a thick wide piece of bark.

You can purchase bark or search for your own by checking out online sales or local carving suppliers. If you collect the wood yourself, find a tree that is down and has been dead for a long period of time. You will want the bark dry, which is the best condition for carving.

When you purchase or find your own bark, you must wash the wood if it has dirt on the surface or in the cracks. If you do not wash and remove the dirt, you will dull or ruin your tools. Keep your bark outside and in a shaded dry area that is off the ground. Remember many bugs and spiders can come home with you if you are collecting the bark yourself.

You should check the bark from a side view to see if it has cracks. If it has cracks near the surface, you need to consider the placement of the carving in regards to the proximity of the crack. You can lose portions of your carving, usually the nose, when you have a hidden crack. I have glued many noses that have blown off when carving by placing a drop of glue under the nose and simply clamping the nose back into place. I wait for the glue to dry and start again.

Some of the cracks and crevices are a great addition to the carving. The bark simply talks to you when you pick up the bark and screams at you saying carve me. You can actually see the face you want to carve jumping from the bark. You can see where you want the beard to go and how the face should fade into the surface of the bark. Many of my carvings are on pieces of bark or wood that has a hole or knots that have been used to form the mouth.

I have found that the carving looks much better if I do not have bark that has been cut at ninety degrees across the top and bottom. I will twist, hit and stomp the bark to get the bark to break in a natural crevice. Using a hand planer on the back of the bark works well to make the bark rest flat on a wall. If planing on using the planer you should consider planing the bark before you have carved the Wood Spirit so as not to knock off part of the face as you plane the wood.
 Below is a picture of a piece of cotton wood bark being used to carve wood spirit.  This particular piece is being used for the profile wood spirit.

We now have the Internet where we can search and find wood, which makes it much easier for wood carvers