My First Carving

[Todd Willhoit]

Hi all,
Pictured below is my first attempt at carving. I needed something for my in-law's anniversary and remembered an old article in FWW about letter carving. I thought a plaque would make a nice gift. I used some 4" x 22" reclaimed mahogany that I had on hand and finished it with three coats of Minwax tung oil. Considering my lack of experience, I think it turned out pretty good. It definitely has more character than the stamped "wood" wall plaques that can be found in so many stores.

I bought a Pfeil 14mm #7 chisel to help with the curves, but I wound up using an old 3/8" and 1/4" bevel chisel for most of the work. The edges were chamfered with a router.

Mike Henderson recommended Honduran as opposed to African mahogany for carving. I am not a mahogany expert. Can anyone tell me which type this is?

Todd

[Doug Mason]

Hey--that's pretty neat! It seems as though lettering would be difficlut--but perhaps it is just time-consuming. Not sure about the wood.

[Todd Willhoit]

Doug,
Thanks for the compliment. I haven't done any other carving with which to compare the level of difficulty, however I did find it difficult to get nice edges on the curved parts, especially with the small letters. Another chisel shape may have been helpful. In any case, I like the result and I learned a few things.

[Ed Nelson978]

Great job on the lettering! I used bench chisels for the majority of my attempt at lettering too. They obviously work!

The African Mahogany is more prone to splinter. Doesn't look like that was much of a problem for you!

[Todd Willhoit]

I've been working on a few more of these letter carvings. Using bench chisels for the curved letters was a pain on the first plaque, and it isn't getting any better. I'm having a tough time getting crisp lines and a consistent curve. I basically skew the chisel and slice along the line, hoping the chisel doesn't slip. That, and it is SLOW going. There must be a better way.

How would you guys do this? Flexicut? More Pfeil$$$? For reference, the large letters are 2 1/2" tall, and the small ones are 3/4" tall.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[Mike Pounders]

I would probably use a v gouge and/or knife, if I were doing it. I'd try a v-tool (1/4"?) that had a side as wide as the side on the letter, but would probably carve each side of the letter in separate passes, rather than both sides in one pass. Chipcarvers primarily use a knife for different styles of lettering. Strop your tools often and take small cuts, being sure to turn your work as needed when the grain changes. I am upgrading the tools I use the most to full-size Pfeil, as I can afford it, but I still use my Flexcut palm tools regularly. Try the Flexcut if you are not wanting to invest heavily to justify the cost of more expensive tools (if they are sharp, they both cut).

[Todd Willhoit]

Thanks Mike. I sharpened (Norton 8000 waterstone) the chisels the other day and it was a huge improvement. I don't have a strop or compound. Is there a brand or type that you recommend?

I figured out the turning the wood bit to follow the grain. The mahogany tears out easily, so that is a must. It would probably be a good idea if I would search YouTube for some carving videos.

I looked at the Flexcut and Power Grip at Woodcraft and wasn't sure if the stamped steel would flex too much. I looked at the Pfeils too, but I am afraid that I will buy the wrong one and have to get another. The only one I have is a 7/14. A 5/8 would probably be better. I will definitely look at a v-tool...economy or otherwise.

[Bill Dieckman]

Very nice. Very good work. I aspire to eventually branch into letter carving.

[Mike Pounders]

I like the Flexcut Gold complound, but jeweler's rouge and others really work about the same. You can use just a piece of wood or leather glued to wood... some people even use cardboard for a manual strop. You want a nice slick mirror finish. The Flexcut palm tools are not as "flexi" as you might think. You might find a sample video at Chris Pye's web site http://www.woodcarvingworkshops.tv/home . I know he has some books on lettering.

If you want some great tools at about $20-$28 each, look at Drake http://www.drakeknives.com/products.htm he will sharpen them free for a lifetime and they are beautiful, well-made, and razor-sharp when delivered. I have a 90 degree 5/8" soft bottom V tool that I love! Good people to deal with also.

[Matt Evans]

very nice looking!

I'd say that that is African Mahogany, but could be wrong. The african stuff has a very "spicy" smell to it, if that helps at all. Its a bear (or a lion) as far as carving goes, but it can be done. Here is a African Mahogany carving I did for a customer a while back for comparison, though with no finish it might be hard to tell.

P1060244.jpg

The trick with woods like this is to keep your chisels really sharp. Strop, strop some more, then strop again. If you can shave with it, it is a good beginning, but may not be as sharp as it needs to be yet. I am terrible at explaining the sharpening process though. Also, cutting perpendicular to the grain works best, rather than following it. Take fewer, more controlled, fluid cuts, and the facets will be hardly noticeable.

I have had pretty good experiences with Lamp brand tools and woodcarversupply Japanese forged chisels and gouges.

The Japanese ones work very well, and are inexpensive, but will need replaced sooner than a full sized chisel. The Lamp brand chisels are a poor mans pfiel, but work very well.

If you work on your sharpening technique, I would say older gouges are going to be your best bet. That "great big pile of junk in auction format" turns up a nice chisel/gouge haul every once in a while. Flea markets are pretty good for them too.

[randall rosenthal]

search for a sharpening thread in this forum. personally i like jewelers rouge and a cotton wheel on a bench grinder. i'm lazy and this is easy.

[Bob Easton]

I've been working on a few more of these letter carvings. Using bench chisels for the curved letters was a pain on the first plaque, and it isn't getting any better. I'm having a tough time getting crisp lines and a consistent curve. I basically skew the chisel and slice along the line, hoping the chisel doesn't slip. That, and it is SLOW going. There must be a better way.

How would you guys do this? Flexicut? More Pfeil$$$? For reference, the large letters are 2 1/2" tall, and the small ones are 3/4" tall.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

You did really well Todd! Doing incised lettering with only straight bench chisels is quite a challenge.

One notable carver, Chris Pye, has done lettering for years and wrote a book about it quite awhile back. (Getting a copy from Amazon took about 3 months.) His technique does all the straight parts with flat chisels, as large as can be used depending on letter size.

For curved components, he uses gouges with sweeps that closely match the curvature. For example, a #5 sweep about 1.5 inches wide might be about right for the outside wall of an "O." A #4, about the same width would likely be right for the inside wall. The curved gouges are used much the same as you have been working, with the leading corner lifted, but at not nearly as acute an angle. Less risk of sliding out of the trench you're cutting. The curvature of the tool really makes the work easier.

You can get a sense of the technique with a "teaser" video on YouTube.
Which is promoting a Rob Cosman / Chris Pye DVD.

There's a little more about this on my blog.

This one turned out well. Have fun doing some more.

[Michael Short]

One heck of a first attempt. Great job.

[Todd Willhoit]

Thanks guys for all of the nice comments and advice. Based on that advice, I've been visiting (as my wife likes to put it) some new chisels at Woodcraft. I also found some scrap leather from an old office chair that should work nicely for a DIY strop. These were in the works so I finished them with the tools on-hand. Good tools or not, it is still satisfying to see one completed.

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