Woodcarving Skills

[fvigo]

I am considering building a longrifle sometime in the distant future. I have no experience carving and thought of taking a local wood carving class to learn to carve. The carving done in the school prepares you for traditional (I guess) carvings not rifle stocks. One project is to carve a whale, another a leaf, and finally an statue of a monk.

Does anyone think it is worthwile to take such a class? Would the skills transfer to what's necessary to carve astock out of a blank?

Thanks

 

[LRB]

I do not think this would help. I would suggest that you look for articles by John Bivins. Get this book, "GUNSMITHING TIPS AND PROJECTS". Good articles by Bivins in this. Bivins was one of the best. I learned how from his writings years ago in the "RIFLE" magazine.

 

[vradin]

Does anyone think it is worthwile to take such a class? Would the skills transfer to what's necessary to carve astock out of a blank?

Sounds like the class focus is on 3-D carving, and :imo: rifle stock work is more related to relief carving. You WILL (or should) learn important skills like knife, chisel, and gouge control, tool selection and use, sharpening, and how to read grain direction. Not all skills used in 3-D carving will be useful for stock work, but the majority, especially detail and embellishment, will transfer nicely.

If you've never done any carving at all, having an instructor you can get answers from while you have the tool in hand is great.

Another advantage to a class- very often you can get discounts at local woodcrafters stores to buy tools. I saved somewhere around 60% on tools when I took a woodturning class.

vic

 

[Zonie]

I think ole Vic is on to something there. Discounts are always good to have!

I know next to nothing about wood carving but I would think the hands on approach will let you get the feel of how the tools should feel when they are working right, and how they feel when they are working wrong.

Not only that, but who knows, you might find a skill you didn't know you had?

 

[the skrat]

i agree with vic and zonie take that class i practice a little bit of carving mostly relief last winter a local carver offered a beginners course a mushroom and a mailbox he let me sit in on the course even though i pacticed relief carving well i listened to the instructor and picked up a lot of usefull hints my point is there is a lot of differant types of carving but a lot of the info can be applied from one to another and if theres one thing you need to learn in any type of carving its how to sharpen your tools! well good luck and i hope you take that class.

curly maple