A very inexpensive, in fact a free tool to aid in the carving process is the very common business card. Every carver has one that bears the carver’s name, address and phone number or has another carver’s business card. In fact any business card will do as a measuring and straight edge tool. The standard business card measures two inches wide by three and a half inches long. These known measurement quantities can give approximate measurements when laid against a carving project. Let’s say for example the carver wants to measure a piece of wood and does not have a tape rule but does have a business card. Laying the card against the project and marking off in the increments of the known measurements of the business card, the carver can come to an approximate measurement. Three widths of the card would equal six inches; two lengths would make seven inches; and one width and one length would make five and a half inches; and so forth and so forth.

The business card can also serve as a “straight edge” for drawing a straight line as well as it can serve as a “square” for drawing right angles or a ninety degree angle. The card can also be folded to make a “forty five degree angle” by folding one of the corners of the two inch wide part of the card towards the center edge of the three and a half length of the card.

Another use of the business card comes into play if the carver has a pocket knife which has a blade that sits deep between the liners of the knife making it difficult to get a thumb nail into the nail groove to pull the blade open. To solve the problem, take the ever faithful business card; fold it in half, sliding the folded card between the liners of the pocket knife making sure the blade slides within the fold. Pinch the sides of the folded business card as close to the blade as possible and gently pull upwards on the folded card which will allow the blade that is cradled in the fold of the business card to come into the open position.

And of course the business card can always be used to draw a carving idea or jot down a note to remind oneself to carve more because the more one carves the more one becomes a carver who measures up to one’s dreams.