Wood carving for beginners: types, tools and materials, 80 sketches, master classes and video lessons - try yourself!

Wood carving is an amazingly beautiful and very popular type of hand-made wood processing these days. The carved interior details captivate with their magnificent appearance and reflect rich national traditions.

Creative people who are simply itching to do something very interesting and useful should pay attention to wood carving. Girls and women may think that this is only a man's activity. And they will be wrong, because there are no fewer women woodcarvers than men.

Tatyana Boeva ​​from Kamchatka

About wood carving for beginners

To decorate the internal and external space, various types of carvings and techniques for realizing the plan can be used. If you are interested in this type of needlework, then you must understand that you need to master the methods and techniques of wood processing, acquire the necessary tools and improve carving skills.

In the modern world of smartphones and tablets, a wooden stand decorated with wood carvings looks very original.

Skillfully executed carvings in the form of simple and ornate patterns and ornaments seem to enliven the world and endow it with sophistication, charm, emphasizing the taste of the owner of luxury items and the talent of the craftsman.

Panel

Cutting boards

Wooden icons

The works of the best carvers decorate the temples. Pay attention to the photo of the iconostasis of the upper Church of the Holy Image of the Savior, which is located in Moscow, in the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Fili.

Modern masters with delicate taste create real masterpieces.

And thanks to finishing technologies and protection of the finished product from the destructive effects of mold and insects, these wood carvings have served people for hundreds of years.

Pay attention to the magnificent carved pieces of furniture:

Stylish doors:

Delightful handmade figurines:

Very often, connoisseurs collect handmade carved items. Wonderful chess that is worthy of any collection.

Perhaps, over time, your wood carving masterpieces will be carefully preserved by collectors or decorate temples.

Types of wood carving

Of all the types of wood carving, openwork or through wood carving is very interesting, which is characterized by some transparency, in which only the image remains, without a background. An example is an applied carving - this is an ornament that is attached to a finished background after production by a craftsman.

Geometric wood is a type of carving in which a pattern is formed using a variety of simple geometric shapes (a rhombus is often used).

Oriental wood carving is distinguished by its whimsical forms. Egypt is the cradle of the oriental type of wood carving.

Relief wood carving. In this technique, the image is located above the background or at the same level with it. These are carved panels of various shapes with three-dimensional images.

Carving in the Baroque style is a flat-relief carving, but distinguished by an abundance of carved and molded decorations, various colors, curls, leaves, figures of people in unnatural poses, and fabulous fantastic animals.

Kudrinskaya carving originated in the village of Kudrino. Well-known products in this type of carving are boxes, vases, dishes, ladles, and home decor items. The main element is a floral ornament: rosettes, curls and twigs.

Three-dimensional (sculptural) carving is excellent for making sculptures, animal and human figures, and toys. Bogorodskaya carving is a subtype of three-dimensional carving. This is the main industry of the village of Bogorodskoye in the Moscow region. The famous Bogorodsk toys are figurines of animals and people made of linden and alder.

Scandinavian carvings were most often used to decorate wooden Scandinavian churches. Wood carvers decorated the inside and outside of church buildings with images of Gods and various animals.

Contour carving is the simplest and most unique type of carving. On a flat background, the master cuts out grooves - grooves, forming a pattern. Carved landscapes - images of landscapes on wood.

All these types of carvings are quite conventional. Each master chooses the most suitable one, taking into account work experience, quality of wood and creative inspiration.

What can be decorated with carvings?

The simplest staircase is transformed, decorated with carved balusters. Balusters are curly posts in the form of columns, a stylish and noble decoration of the staircase. Wooden balusters look organically with a spiral wooden staircase.

Bas-relief. Another name is "low relief". This is a sculptural image on a plane. Most often these are figures of people and animals .

Shaped cutting of wooden and plywood surfaces

Shaped cutting of wooden and plywood surfaces has a number of features depending on the properties of the material, its thickness and size. Standard plywood sheet dimensions are 1525 x 1525 mm, 2440 x 1220 mm, 3000 x 1500 mm, thickness can vary in the range of 3-40 mm. We offer only high-quality raw materials for the manufacture of finished products - FK and FSF, grades 1\2, 2\2, Ш2. The materials used are free from knots and irregularities, and careful double-sided grinding guarantees the production of aesthetic and attractive products.

High-quality modern CNC cutting machines and a sufficient amount of material in stock allow us to fulfill orders of any volume and complexity. We carry out figure cutting of plywood in a short time; a small volume of the order is transferred to the buyer on the day of the request. At the customer's request, we paint finished products with any shade from the RAL CLASSIC palette.

Choosing tools for wood carving

As in every business, wood carving has its own secrets and nuances, which allow one to reveal the beauty of wood in a wonderful ornament. It is necessary to select special tools for wood carving and stock up on the necessary blanks and sketches for wood carving, which will be embodied in the form of drawings, borders, lace or genre scenes.

Basic tools

Very high demands are placed on the quality of carving tools. Of course, skill plays an important role, but well-selected and sharpened tools will help bring your idea to life. Experienced carvers will tell about its quality at first glance at a tool, but beginners get lost in the store because of the huge selection.

The basic set for wood carving includes:

• several knives and chisels;
• needle files;
• hacksaws for metal;
• vice;
• sandpaper;
• drill with several types of drills;
• bars.

Knives should be made only from high quality steel. It is better to purchase them in specialized stores for creativity. Although at the initial stage, just sharply sharpened knives will do. An excellent start would be knives, Narex, Kogatana, etc.

It is not necessary to choose an expensive foreign-made instrument, because domestic instruments can be of the same good quality, but much cheaper

As your skill grows, you may need a set of tools, a milling machine, a drill, etc.

Chisels for carving

Sometimes, instead of a chisel, a sharpened screwdriver or file is used for wood carving.

A flat chisel is a long rod with a flat cutting edge at the end. Very often it is used for primary wood processing.

A semicircular chisel is one of the most important tools for work. They differ somewhat in the degree of roundness, that is, they are medium, round and sloping.

There is also a V -shaped version of chisels . It can be useful for geometric wood carving, which we will introduce you to below.

Beginners need only a small wood carving set of good quality to immediately get used to the correct movements and pressure.

In this video, the wonderful master A. Yuryev shared with us which tools to choose for carving.

How to protect yourself from injury when carving wood

Any tool of a master carver can be compared to a straight razor, therefore, when working with it, you must strictly follow safety precautions. The material must be positioned so that you can work freely with a knife or chisel, eliminating the possibility of the sharp edge hitting your hands.

The work place should be comfortable and clean. All unnecessary tools at the moment should be carefully folded, because they are very sharp and can cause injury.

Materials for work

Each type of wood for carving has its pros and cons. Soft wood is easy to work with, but there can also be a lot of defects. These are aspen, linden, birch. This wood is best for beginners.

Oak, boxwood, mahogany are more expensive and complex wood. It is hard and durable, so it is difficult to carve from such wood. Very often there are troubles when working with such types of wood. Either the instrument or the craftsman may be harmed.

An experienced carver can easily work with a variety of woods, including juniper. Well, for beginners it is better to use inexpensive materials - spruce, pine, pear or birch.

Whatever tools are chosen for wood carving, safety precautions must be strictly observed!

Laser cutting of wood, plywood, chipboard, MDF

Geometric carving technology

Geometric wood carving is considered the simplest and is perfect for beginners. To create the intended design, you need to have a small set of wood carving tools and clearly follow the design. In geometric wood carving, symmetry and repetition are of utmost importance. This achieves a wonderful play of light and shadow.

Cutting boards using this technique and wooden panels look wonderful in the kitchen.

Geometric carving consists of sequential cutting out of simple geometric shapes: rectangles, triangles, squares, rhombuses. But the result is a wonderful ornament that looks different in different lighting.

The sequence of performing any wood carving is as follows:

• First, a wooden blank is made (board, deck, blank).
• Next is rough leveling of the surface of the workpiece, during which all defects and roughness are removed.
• Then a decorative relief is formed using special cutters.
• After the main carving is completed, the finishing process is grinding, impregnation, painting, varnishing.

You cannot work with a workpiece on your knees! The master must have a table to work on.

Master class “Geometric wood carving on a cutting board”

Tools . You will need 2 knives for wood carving: a triangular jamb knife and a feather knife, a ruler, a compass, a pencil.

A triangle jamb knife is necessary for cutting triangular shapes of various configurations, as well as for cutting long straight lines. A pen knife is used to cut long lines such as a petal or groove. Carving knives should be sharp and comfortable.

First stage. We make a sketch of the pattern on the board. It can be applied using a compass and ruler. Or you can print out carving patterns taken from the Internet and use carbon paper to transfer them to a prepared cutting board.

Second phase . Cut out the petals. We use a pen knife.

While working, the thumb is pressed firmly against the board, and the index finger lightly touches the wood. This will help regulate the depth of the knife into the surface and the angle of inclination. And your thumb will help you move the blade smoothly. First, we cut in one direction at an angle, then we turn the board over and cut on the other side.

If the shavings curl like a rope, the knife is good and sharp. It must be periodically sharpened with a piece of leather with GOI paste.

Third stage . We cut out the triangles with a blunt knife. Using the heel, at an angle of 45 degrees, we cut the knife into the wood, not reaching the edges of the pattern on three sides. The slots should meet on all sides in the shape of a pyramid. The sliver falls out and forms a beautiful triangle.

Fourth stage. What we couldn’t cut, carefully clean it so that the edges are frequent and even. Using the same principle, we cut out grooves and triangles around the perimeter of the board.

Fifth stage . We sand everything with sandpaper and treat it with natural impregnation. All! The work is done. We decorate the kitchen with a useful and beautiful cutting board with wood carvings.

Original

Which machine is suitable for plywood crafts?

To make crafts from plywood, it is recommended to choose a small-sized unit. Since the manufacturers themselves provide for the use of small desktop machines by ordinary consumers. These laser machines are usually very easy to use and have an affordable price. At the same time, the quality of cutting and engraving remains at a high level. Mini-machines can produce products in small and medium volumes.

However, all laser cutting machines differ in power, productivity and the range of operations performed. Therefore, the user needs to select the equipment according to his needs. For example, if a person needs a machine to produce the same type of product with engraving in small quantities, then it is better for him to choose a medium-power machine with an engraving function.

The production of plywood crafts on a laser machine is carried out according to the following scheme:

1. A sheet of plywood is placed on the working surface of the machine and fixed for processing.
2. The machine is connected to the computer and the necessary software is installed.
3. A graphic editor creates a pattern or processes a scanned image.
   

   Reference. Adobe Illustrator, CorelDraw, ArchiCAD, AutoCad programs can be used as editors for creating models of plywood crafts.

4. The machine is set up for cutting. At the same time, the intensity and speed of passage of the laser on different parts of the working surface are indicated. Also, using the software, coordinates are set for moving the carriage with the laser along two perpendicular guides - the X and Y axes.
5. After setting all the necessary parameters, the entire plywood cutting process is carried out automatically.

Wood carving designs

To perform wood carving, photographs, drawings and sketches are simply necessary. A large pattern for wood carving is used for large-scale products: for the facades of houses, interior decoration with carvings of churches, windows.

For interior items and furniture, carvers use small patterns that are carefully worked out by the craftsman.

YOU WILL NEED IT

We offer you an archive of 80 wood carving designs. Choose, print, create.