Norb Hartman recently gifted me with a personalized love spoon that has a “WOOD BEE” at its top who has a carving knife in each of its hands as can be seen in the photos above that frame a picture of Norb. Read the rest of this entry »
Dave Stetson, carver, instructor and author, is one of the founding members of the Caricature Carvers of America whose style of caricature carving bares his own signature of movement and animation. Such a style does not happen without a lifelong pursuit of the art of imbuing life into a carving by continuous study, observation, experimentation and imagination. Three of his carvings in the WOOD BEE CARVER’s collection will serve as a visual tutorial to begin seeing animation in the various angles of the pose and posture of a caricature figure. By visually studying each carving in the series of photographs one can begin to see how to emulate similar animation in one’s own carvings. (Click on photos to enlarge.) Read the rest of this entry »
The WOOD BEE CARVER is primarily a knife carver who has developed a style of carving called “Whittle-Carving” to imply carving using only a knife. The most efficient use of a carving knife is to utilize a slicing cut as often as possible. A slicing cut is similar to slicing bread, slicing steak or the action of the guillotine’s skewed blade slicing as it slides down the track of the guillotine. The cutting edge of a knife is made up of very small cutting teeth similar to teeth on a hand saw and it is these teeth when used in the slicing action that separates the wood fibers for a clean cut. Using the knife blade with a wedge cut crushes fibers before the edge cuts the fibers resulting in a fuzzy and cloudy surface. A slicing cut creates a clean and slick surface. The scimitar blade shape with its curved cutting edge slices in both the push and pull stroke. It can also make slicing cuts upside down and sideways as well as right side up. The concave shape of the back of the scimitar blade allows for reaching into tight areas where another blade shape would be impaired. Read the rest of this entry »
17
Feb
BLOCK HEADS
Block Heads are heads carved into a square block of wood that is used as a block to house the blade of a carving knife for a commemorative knife presentation. The block began as a three inch square block of basswood. The top of the block or the end grain portion of the block is the location for the insertion of the knife blade. This part of the block was decorated with free hand chip carving design. The one knife used for carving the four faces and the chip carving is a knife made from a commercial band saw blade. The blade with its scimitar blade shape has a slight flex that aids in some of the deep relief slicing cuts. Read the rest of this entry »
Rich, Holli and Skylar Smithson own and manufacture HELVIE KNIVES that have become very popular and well respected within the carving community. They make a wide range of carving knives with various handle material and shapes along with blade shapes and sizes. In their Signature Series they make several knives with blades designed by the WOOD BEE CARVER. Rich does the wood burning art work on the handles which gives a very distinctive look to excellent carving knives.
HELVIE KNIVES announces additions to the Series # 3 of the Signature Knives with two additional blade shapes to join the original # 3 detail blade.. Series # 3 – 1 is a detail version of the larger Series # 1 Signature knife. Series # 3 – 2 is a detail version of the larger series # 2 Signature knife with a scimitar blade shape. Read the rest of this entry »
30
Jan
TRILOGY OF THREE
Three Hobbits, Three Gnome Wizards and Three Spud Characters make up this Trilogy of Three carving exercises. Every carving project is a learning project. What is learned in carving the first subject guides the creative subconscious in carving the second and then the first and second combine to create the third project. While all three are very similar, yet each one is a little different from the other two. Read the rest of this entry »
22
Jan
MISSING CARVING RETURNED
The carving pictured to the left came up missing at a recent woodcarving show by a “sleight of hand” purchase of a “display only” carving. After having posted its being missing on this blog (now deleted) and on Woodcarving Illustrated Forum and Facebook, the person in possession of the carving telephoned and then returned the carving by mail. Without going into a lot of detail, suffice it to say that the carving is safely home.
Whittle Doodles carved by the WOOD BEE CARVER as examples of what can be carved using only a knife carving free hand designs. Whittle Doodles are never for sale other that being donated for woodcarving shows and club’s silent auctions, raffles and fund raising activities. The one in the photos received a blue ribbon at the 2009 CCA Competition and is a less than two inch square block. It is “priceless” to the artist who is happy to have it back home. Read the rest of this entry »