Some photos I took while making a few small gifts last week. I am quite in love with the process of woodcarving, right down to making my home made finish, which we use for all our wood care and which Steven seems to plow through in the wood shop, to my satisfaction.
In the simplest of steps – it starts with cutting a blank, then carving it into the desired shape, sanding through a series of grits, wetting to raise the grain, sanding, wetting, sanding, wetting (etc foreverrrrr), and finally the excitement of oiling and seeing the true colors of the wood shine through.
I like to keep a few wood projects at hand so I can pick something up whenever I have a few minutes, or the inspiration strikes.
Out of curiosity, if you were to learn one new skill this year, what would it be?
Heather
When you cut your blank, do you use a saw? All of your work is so beautiful Abby! Im absolutely in love with my purse!
abby
Yes, I use a bandsaw. Thank you Heather! Super happy to know you love your purse!
knitty34
My new skill for this year will definitely be leatherwork in general, but specifically I want to practice and learn how to do perfect edges. Definitely need more practice at that!
abby
It does take some practice, and sweat and muscle! I am still trying to find the perfect process for “perfect” edges too. I saw a really inspiring image on Pinterest last year, of the most flawless, perfectly smooth edges on a leather knife sheath. I followed the link to a forum where the guy shared his process of using different grits of sandpaper and a rag. It was amazing. Really inspiring and quite a labor of love.
paula
I am interested in learning carving–I recently used a chisel to hand finish an edge of a wood countertop. I love the result but really enjoyed the process. I think it’s a sign I would enjoy some sort of wood carving.