[MR] Need wood carving recommendations

[Gina Shelley]

You can get wood to carve from a craft store. Make sure you get tools for carving. Right materials, right tools. Otherwise, you get a poor result and probably a bloody injury. 
 
My sister attempted to carve a chunk of scrap two by four with an exacto knife. Result: exacto knife in one side of thumb and out other, uncarved wood, mind-changing about new hobby, and an astonishing amount of blood everywhere. 
 
Not cool. 
 
I did manage to carve th upright posts on my vardo, which were made of two by fours, with a "Whitlin' Jack" carving knife I picked up from Pennsic. I only cut myself badly once, and for me, that's a good track record. I was carving with the grain of the wood, so it wasn't hard...what I was doing was Romany-style "chamfering", which is the cutwork you see on "gypsy" wagons. 
 
But you know what I really wish I'd used? A Dremel. I really wanted the hand-carved look, and I got it and it looks great, but the Dremel would have cut the work time in half and probably been easier. And less bloody. 
 
I have a stool I  want to chamfer, and I will probably use the Dremel on it, even though I just got laid off and now have plenty of time on my hands. ;-)
 
Dulcy
> > Good afternoon!> > I'm hoping there's someone out there who can point me to a few things> relating to wood carving. I'm an utter and complete novice but I want to> learn. I want to carve three-dimensional items (such as dogs, horses, etc.> as medieval children's toys and small implements (for display, not for> children to actually play with)....> > so I am in need of recommendations for carving tools and what type of wood> would be best suited for such an endeavor (as well as any clue where I might> find such wood).> > > > -- > Gina MacNeill> AKA Lady Rhiannon of Berra, CP> List Moderator of the Atlantianweavers Yahoogroup> > Under no circumstances will I ever purchase anything offered to me> as the result of an unsolicited e-mail message. Nor will I forward> chain letters, petitions, mass mailings, or virus warnings to large> numbers of others. This is my contribution to the survival of the> online community.> ========================================================================> The Merry Rose Tavern at Cheapside> List Info: http://merryrose.atlantia.sca.org/> Submissions: Atlantia at atlantia.sca.org> Subscriptions: http://seahorse.atlantia.sca.org/mailman/listinfo/atlantia
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