Craft Articles

When you first enter the wonderful world of wood carving, you may feel a little overwhelmed by all the new names for tools, techniques, measurements etcetera. How large is a board-foot? What is the difference between AD wood and KD wood? How can I tell a butt chisel from a framing chisel? To make it easier for prospective wood carving enthusiasts, we have compiled a short list of a few words commonly used within the hobby. 

• Board-foot
The term board-foot is only used in Canada and the United States. If you order one board-foot of wood, you will get a volume that equals 1 feet x 1 feet x 1 inch. This is the same as 144 in³ or 1⁄12 ft³. For those more familiar with the metric system, one board-foot equals 2.360 litres (0.002360 cubic metres). Wood ordered using this form of measurement is typically rough lumber that has not been dried or planed. If you instead order planed lumber, the term board-feet will refer to the nominal thickness and width of your lumber. The calculation will be based on the size prior to drying and planning, but the length will be measured after planning. Keep in mind that softwood and hardwood react very dissimilar to drying and planning.   

• AD wood
AD stands for Air Dried. Air dried wood has been left to dry over a long period of time. The moisture content will usually drop to 12-18 percent over time. 

• KD wood
KD stands for Kiln Dried. Kiln dried wood is not left to dry naturally; it is instead heated by a gas or solar fired kiln. This expedites the drying process. Once of the main difference between air dried and kiln dried wood is that kiln dried wood has a lower moisture content. Kiln dried wood will usually have a moisture content no higher than 6-12 percent, while air dried wood can consist of up to 18 percent moisture.

• Chisels
A chisel is a tool used for carving or cutting hard materials. It is commonly used by wood carvers, but you can also purchase chisels adapted for stone or metal work. A chisel is characterized by its cutting edge. When you use your chisel for wood carving, you push the chisel into the wood in order to make a cut. Some woodcarvers use a mallet or a hammer to force the chisel. You can find small hand chisels for detail work as well as large chisels capable of removing big sections of wood. As the wood carving techniques developed, more and more specialised chisels were invented. Today, you can for instance use butt chisels, corner chisels, framing chisels, mortise chisels, paring chisels and skew chisels. The butt chisel is a very short chisel used for shaping joints, while the corning chisel is ideal for cleaning out corners and square holes. The cutting edge of a corning chisel is shaped like an L and the tool is somewhat similar to a punch. A framing chisel is similar to a butt chisel, but the blade is longer and more flexible. The framing chisel is often used together with a mallet or hammer. A mortise chisel has a thick and rigid blade and features a straight cutting edge with square sides. If you want to clean grooves or reach into tight spots, the paring chisel can be a good choice since it has a very long blade. If you instead need to trim and finish your item, the skew chisel with its 60 degree cutting angle is to be preferred.

Traditional wood carving techniques utilizes a hand-held cutting tool when sculpturing wooden figures, ornaments, mouldings or similar. Today, many craftsmen prefer to use power tools even when carrying out traditional wood carving techniques. There exists a wide range of different traditional wood carving techniques, including whittling, chip carving and relief carving.

Whittling is a wood carving technique where shapes are carved out of raw wood using a knife. The term whittling is sometimes confused with general wood carving, but when you whittle you use no other tools than a knife. Other wood carving techniques can on the other hand utilize not only knifes, but chisels, gouges, mallets etcetera. If you want to try whittling, the preferred type of knife is a small, light-bladed one. Many whittlers all over the world use ordinary pocket knifes, but you can also purchase advanced whittling knives. A specialized whittling knife will typically have a larger and more comfortable handle than a standard pocket knife and is therefore easier to use.

Chip carving is a time-honoured wood carving technique where knives are used to take out small triangular chips of wood from the surface of the carved item. When you perform chip carving, you will work with to planes: the surface of the wood and the spot beneath the surface where the cuts intersect. By varying the size and position of the triangles, chip carvers can create very beautiful and unique decorative patterns. 

The most commonly used relief carving technique involves fixing the wood in a workbench. You can for instance use a clamp or a carvers screw to secure the wood. Most craftsmen will then prefer to sketch out the main lines onto the wood, but it is of course possible to work free-hand as well. If you wish to create a highly elaborate pattern, it can be a good idea to prepare the pattern on paper first and then trace it to the wood. Proceed by grounding out the space between the lines using a gouge. A gouge is similar to a chisel, but the edge is curved or angled in cross-section instead of being flat. After the grounding, an upstanding pattern will remain for you to work on. During relief carving, it is common to go over the same part several times before the item is ready. This can be compared to the chip carving technique described above, where the items tend to be finished in one sweep rather than being gradually shaped into the desired form.

Basket weaving is an ancient craft that has been carried out since prehistoric times. Radiocarbon dating performed on some of the oldest preserved baskets from upper Egypt confirmed their age to be at least 10,000 (possibly 12,000) years. This makes them older than the oldest known remains of pottery. There are also several preserved baskets from the Middle East that exceeds 7,000 years in age.

A problem with baskets is however that they are more inclined to decompose and vanish compared to pottery, metalwork and similar. Baskets are usually created from roots, stems and similar natural materials that are easily broken down as they age. A lot of the baskets that were created by ancient craftsmen have therefore vanished and can never be found in archaeological excavations. We do however sometimes find basket imprints on fragments of clay pots, since certain types of clay pots have been traditionally created by packing clay on the walls of a basket and then burning it. 

Baskets can be formed out of a wide range of different unspun vegetable fibres. A popular classification divides handmade baskets into four basic types: coiled baskets, plaited baskets, twined baskets and wicker/splint baskets. Wicker and splint basketry typically use willow, oak, ash, cane, and similar wood types. Reed is also popular.

Coiled baskets are often made out of grasses and rushes. Rushes are a form of grassy plants that grow in wet regions. When you make a traditional coiled basket, you stitch a bundle of rods or strands into a spiralling round or oval form. Over the years, a wide range of different stitch types and embellishments has evolved.

Plaited baskets utilize palm fibres, yucca and similar materials that are wide and ribbon-like. The same material is usually chosen for stakes as well as for weavers. Hardwood, such as ash or maple, is often chosen for the splints. When you create this form of basket, you wove the fibres together at right angles in diagonal or horizontal and vertical orientation.  

Twined baskets are traditionally made out of tree bark and/or roots. At least two flexible weaving elements cross each other as they are pulled through a set of sturdy, radial spokes in the basket. The two flexible elements encircle a sturdy base element, the technique is called pairing. If you instead prefer to use three or more elements, the technique is called waling.

These basic methods can be varied endlessly and each basket maker can develop his or her own embellishments, designs etcetera as well as experiment with different materials and material combinations.  

Wood burning is the art of decorating wood using a heated object that forms burn marks in the wood. Wood burning is one branch of pyrography. Pyrography means “fire writing” and involves burning designs on a wide range of materials, such as wood, leather or gourd. Today, most wood burning craftsmen use a solid-point tool or a hot wire tool. Before these tools were invented, traditional wood burning were carried out using a piece of metal placed in a fire or a magnifying lens that could focus the sun’s rays and thereby scorch the wood. We know that the tradition of wood burning is very old and has been practised by the Egyptian civilizations as well as by several African tribes. Pyrography is also a time-honoured craft in central Europe and many regions of South American. 

The most commonly used wood types are birch, beech, sycamore and similar hardwoods. These woods consist of find non-obtrusive grain and the pale colour provides a strong contrast against the burn marks. There are however many craftsmen that use other types of wood, e.g. oak and pine.

Solid-point wood burning machines typically come with a broad collection of tip shapes, while wire-point machines make it possible to shape the wire into unique outlines.  You can vary the type of tool tip, the temperature and the application method to create different effects on the wood. Wood burning can therefore create a great variety of tones and shades, from mild sepia shadows to bold, dark burn marks. Some craftsmen combine wood burning with painting or other forms of tinting.

Alfred Smart is an important name in the history of wood burning since he developed a technique were hot water-based paint is applied to the wood. Benzoline fumes are pushed through a heated platinum pencil and this method makes it possible to form tints and shades that can not be created using traditional wood burning techniques. Alfred Smart was an architect living in Melbourne during the late 19th century.

Wood burning can be as easy as adding your name to a key ring or as advanced as creating intricate pieces of art using multiple techniques. Beginner wood burners often prefer to create a faint pencil sketch on the wood before they proceed. If you want to learn more about wood burning, there are several books and guidelines written on the subject. You can also purchase videos or visit one of the many websites dedicated to wood burning.

Marquetry is the craft of forming decorative patterns by covering a structure with veneer. Veneer is thin slices of wood; typically smaller than 1/8 inch in thickness. Marquetry evolved out of a much older craft known as inlay, where parts of a material are cut out and the space filled with sections cut out from a different material. Even though these two crafts differ quite a lot from each other, professional marquetry-makers were often referred to as inlayers during the 18th century. Marquetry designs that consist of a simple geometric pattern are often referred to as parquetry, since they resemble the pattern of parquet flooring.

The marquetry technique developed among Flemish cabinet-makers during the early part of the 17th century. It was based on Florentine inlaying methods known as opere di commessi were solid marble slabs were combined with fitted marbles, jaspers and semi-precious stones. This form of inlaying was known as pietra dura in England. The newly invented marquetry technique grew popular and rapidly spread from Antwerp and other Flemish towns to France where Versailles and other prominent royal residences were decorated by marquetry makers. Jean Henri Riesener is one of the most celebrated marquetry makers ever and has created such impressive pieces of furniture as the 1769 Bureau du Roi for the new Cabinet du Roi at the Palace of Versailles. Other notable marquetry makers are Pierre Golle and his son-in-law, André-Charles Boulle.

Most marquetry makers use wood veneer, but ivory, mother-of-pearl and turtle-shell have also been highly popular. Today, the use of ivory and turtle-shell is limited since elephants and turtles are endangered animals. Fine metals can also be included, as well as pewter and brass. During the 18th century, the use of coloured straw was quite popular, and several spa resorts gained a reputation for their straw based marquetry.

The most basic form of marquetry makes use of no more than two sheets of veneer. The sheets are temporarily glued together and the marquetry maker will then cut them into pieces using a fine saw. This creates two panels identical in shape but contrasting in colour. In French, this technique is referred to as partie et contre-partie (part and counterpart).

Most hobby marquetry makers use a knife to create their marquetry. If you want to try marquetry, it is a good idea to obtain a good and suitable knife since this will make the work much easier. In addition to the knife, most hobby marquetry makers use clear adhesive tape, glue and sand-paper/wire wool. It is actually better to purchase cheap low-quality tape since this sort of tape tends to be less sticky than high-quality tape. Sealing the work using French polish or normal varnish is popular.