The Woodcarver's Tools
My collection of wood-carving tools
I have been woodcarving by hand for over 40 years. It's becoming a lost art and that is unfortunate. Over the years I have amassed an extremely large collection of carving tools. There is a tool for every application, whether it be a large carving or small, rugged or delicate, nature-themed or abstract, etc. There are certain carving tools I use to "rough in" the carving, and certain ones to do the "finish" carving. When one of my handles wears out or breaks, I turn a new one on my lathe. When the blades dull, I sharpen them myself. I have a relationship, so to speak, with my carving tools, and that imparts a spirit, a life into my carving that a mass-produced machine made carving cannot provide.
As you can see in the video below, I am ambidextrous. Being able to carve with my right hand and my left hand interchangeably helps make the carving go quickly and smoothly, as I don't have to keep running around the piece I am working on to get the best angle. I simply switch hands!
It may seem old school to be hand carving furniture, doors, etc, in an age of CNC computer operated carving machines, but I wouldn't do it any other way. Sure, you can go online and order pre-carved designs in various sizes and designs, in three or four different types of wood. You can have them quickly, and glue them onto your surface and be done with it. But these machine-made shapes are inanimate. Look at that carved lion's face, or those carved birds in a catalog of mass produced carvings - the carvings are lifeless, simplistic, and made almost as if there was not a thought as to what the animal or birds really look like. Even repetitive designs have subtle variations when done by hand. But when done by machine, they are simply cookie-cutter shapes.
When a piece is hand carved, the carving is actually a part of the piece of furniture or entryway, the design is carved right into to wood. Hand carving has nuances, slight variations, that give life to the work, something a mass-produced item cannot possibly provide. Hand carving brings beauty and something special to a piece because the woodcarver's hand and tool come together to produce a unique design.
Close up of hand carving on the Cherry Tree Entryway. The handle is carved right into the door, it's a part of the door.
Close up of the Cherry Tree carved entryway after the finish is applied.
Hand carving is not an easy task. I have several mallets, a few pictured above, that I utilize when I am doing a massive carving job, when my hand isn't enough to guide the blades through the wood. Some days I spend hours hammering the carving tool with the mallet to create my art. It's hard work, and many evenings my arms are aching. But that is how my heart and soul end up in that carving, how the life and spirit emerge, because I have put all my energy into it.
Mass-produced, machine-made applied carvings made be cheaper and quicker to obtain, but a piece that is hand-carved is a thing of beauty. In this day of instant gratification, I like to think I am helping to slow things down a bit, taking you back to a simpler time, when waiting for something made it all the more special.
