| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| YarnyJen |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 06:51:52 AM
I have two boys, ages 11 and 6. The older one has wanted to carve something out of wood for a long time. I'm pretty sure I have not allowed him to do this for two reasons: he might cut himself and I don't want to have the battle of having him clean up his own mess. He is already quite skilled with an X-acto knife and craft paper. He is very artistic and handy. If I were to get him starting on carving, where do I begin?
Blog at http://www.girlwomanmom.blogspot.com |
| 8 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| farmmilkmama |
Posted - Aug 24 2011 : 09:25:01 AM
Glad you posted about this Jenny, my boys (7 and 8) would love to get into this too. Karen - what great information! Magnolia - I remember doing soap carvings as well. :)
--* FarmMilkMama *--
Farmgirl Sister #1086
Be yourself.
Everyone else is already taken.
-Oscar Wilde
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| YarnyJen |
Posted - Aug 24 2011 : 08:16:12 AM
Thanks, everyone, for the helpful information! I know he is going to enjoy this very much.
Blog at http://www.girlwomanmom.blogspot.com |
| Lady Woodworker |
Posted - Aug 24 2011 : 07:50:16 AM
Hi Jenny,
I have a lot of experience with woodcarving and while there are some very good suggestions posted here already I thought I'd mention that WoodCraft Stores usually offer short-term classes in subjects like carving for beginners. They also sell some pretty good carving tools. Not sure if they will take on kids that young though...
Rockler Stores are similar but I don't think they are quite as broad in scope as WoodCraft where classes are concerned. I could be wrong about this.
I see you are in Geneva, IL. I know that there are at least two or three WoodCraft stores in the greater Chicago area. Likely there are some Rockler Stores there as well.
I remember teaching at a WoodCraft near Elgin or Arlington Heights some years ago. Maybe it was Libertyville...
Visiting a WoodCraft Store with your boys will help a lot. People there are eager to help--even if they don't make a sale. Same with Rockler.
Wood carving need not be a terribly expensive pursuit. In fact, where woodworking is concerned, it is one of the least expensive paths.
If your boys want to do chip carving or whittling, that's hardly any investment at all. Just a knife or two, some sharpening stones and the basics. If they want to carve signs or do relief work, that will require more gouges -- this collection can grow large but need not be purchased all at once.
Your boys will need at least a few gouges and some chisels and a mallet to begin. They'll need to learn to sharpen those gouges properly and they'll need a set of sharpening stones to do it. Lessons are in order for both safety and good form. Very important.
Additionally, they should have a sturdy bench with a good vise to hold their work--but a sturdy and rough work tabletop (something that doesn't wiggle--something they could cut into or blemish) anywhere in the house or garage (wherever there is good light) and some clamps will do the trick for many applications.
If you want to contact me directly and further discuss their specific interests, I'm happy to help you.
Also, a note of caution. There are some carving tools that will be useful and some that will not be.
My concern is that a well-meaning sales person will think that your boys, because they are still small, should have short-handled gouges.
These usually come in enticing sets of four, six, or eight and they look just great for a beginner.
I have yet to try a set of these that are not complete junk.
The steel is very important to getting good results. Even small hands can get around a longer tool. Don't buy cheap carving tools. That will only frustrate and discourage your boys.
Good tools last and are a joy to own for life.
I hope this helps you.
All the best to you and your young carvers,
Karen
PS I'll browse my book collection and recommend some good carving books that you can get from the library.
Farmgirl Sister # 2419 |
| embchicken |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 6:29:38 PM
http://www.woodcarvers.org/faq.htm http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Soap-Carving
These are just two helpful web pages I found. Hope they help!
~ Elaine
Farmgirl sister #2822
"Find yourself a cup of tea; the teapot is behind you. Now tell me about hundreds of things." ~Saki
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 11:32:19 AM
Very true Alee, if the project you are doing requires a sharp knife it is VERY important that it actually is sharp, that's the first thing we learned in girl scouts, for safety. However, with the soap it didn't need to be "sharp" since it was kind of soft.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| Alee |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 09:46:22 AM
I think it depends on the child. My sister has let her son do carving for a long time with a properly sharpened knife (dull knives that are supposed to be sharp are more likely to cut you than a sharp knife). He is 13 now and I seem to remember him starting carving about 5 or more years ago. My other nephew who is now 8 has a really large knife collection and he too does carving.
My dad bought me my first pocket knife when I was about 6-8 and I could only use it under his direct supervision, but it sure made me thrilled that my dad trusted me with a pocket knife. Lots of instruction was given on proper knife handling and such and I was told that my first infraction with knife safety would be my last. That sure stuck with me and I was very very respectful with it. I also had lots of fun trying to carve and making my own "Indian Bow" and "Indian spear" LOL Thanks for brining back some wonderful memories!
Alee
Farmgirl Sister #8
www.farmgirlalee.blogspot.com
www.allergyjourneys.blogspot.com
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| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 09:17:40 AM
oh and next we did tiles (soft type tiles that were fairly thick), we etched them with a design with a exacto knife (that was also elementary school) and we made print things, I can't remember what they were called, but when we were done etching our design we used a roller with ink and then pressed the image on to something else....kind of like a "stamp".
Sorry this stuff was nearly 30 years ago to me, so I'm only remembering tidbits here and there of it! lol
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
| MagnoliaWhisper |
Posted - Aug 21 2011 : 09:14:39 AM
I think we started at about that age in 5th or 6th grade here in school, with soap, and it seems like a butter knife.......I can't remember, surely they didn't have us bring sharp knives to elementary school though? hmm, I do remember it was for sure soap, and needed to be specific kinds, I believe irish spring was one of the kinds on the list.
http://www.heathersprairie.blogspot.com |
