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The Carvers SIG generally meets on the second Thursday of the month either at the Shed or at a member's home. Meeting details are included in the monthly Newsletter. (See Newsletters page)
* Carvers SIG * Resources * Demonstrations * Beginning * Tools * Woods * Internet Purchasing * Links * Galleries
The Woodcraft Guild of the ACT, unlike most woodwork clubs in Australia caters for many different areas of woodwork. We have some 11 different SIG's(Special Interest Group) and this makes for some interesting times as well as for the overwhelmingly positive times. Members are encouraged to participate in as many SIG's as they wish in order to contribute to and learn about the different disciplines, tools & techniques.
Anyone with an interest in carving is most welcome to attend a Carving SIG meeting as a visitor on an obligation free basis. If you feel you'd like to join us on a permanent basis, you will need to join the Guild, and may then attend Carving SIG meetings on a regular basis. More information on membership can be found at membership information . You can find out a lot about the Guild on this website and also in the Newsletter.
Carving is perhaps the oldest and the simplest of the woodworking crafts. To get started, all you really need is a sharp knife and a suitable piece of wood. The two most common problems confronting carvers are blunt tools, and unsuitable wood for carving.
The second problem is getting suitable wood to carve. Most Australian timbers are hard to very hard, and are unnecessarily challenging for beginners. Australian icons like Red Gum, Jarrah and Mulga, really require power tools to rough-out the carving. The best approach for the beginner is to learn to properly use simple hand tools on suitable wood before moving onto power tools. Many carver's shun the use of power tools but that is another story.
Lists of suitable carving tools and carving woods ar provided below. Sharpening Courses for various tools, including carving tools are held from time to time. Details are on the Workshops page.
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CARVING TOOLS
If you live in Canberra you may be lucky enough to buy some carving tools second-hand, but most carvers have to buy new tools. There is not a great range available over the counter locally which means that Carvers will either have to go interstate, or use the internet or mail order to purchase tools.
Chris Pye, the contemporary English carver, recommends a basic Pfeil set as follows:
(The first number is the sweep, the second the size of the sweep in millimeters)
The following is a list of Australian woodwork companies which sell carving tools.
Carba-Tec (Head Office and warehouse)
40 Harris Rd, Coorparoo, Qld.
Ph: (07)3397-2577.
They have branches in Canberra, Sydney, Perth, and Melbourne
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/
The Wood Works Book & Tool Co,
8 Railway Road, Meadowbank, NSW
Ph:(02) 9807 7244,
http://www.thewoodworks.com.au/
Mik International,
27 Magill Road, Stepney SA.
Ph: (08) 8363 4666.
(Mik are the Pfeil importers)
http://www.mik.com.au/
The Woodsmith
(The Rock Complex)
Factory 1, 35 Lusher Road
Croydon. Victoria 3136
(03) 9722 9663
http://www.thewoodsmith.com.au/
Part of the charm and appeal of wood is that no two pieces of wood from the same tree have quite the same carving properties. Usually seasoned wood is the preferred choice of carvers though it will be harder to carve than green wood. With green wood there is always the danger that the carving will split as the wood dries.
The woods listed below are some of the more common woods used for carving in the Canberra area. We are particularly privileged here in Canberra to have access to both native and exotic trees which are part of our urban forest and our garden plantings. Also, many Tree Surgeons are happy to provide useful lumps of felled trees to woodworkers rather than to reduce these beautiful works of nature to a pile of woodchips.
Camphor Laurel (Cinnamomum campora)
Camphor Laurel is a native of China and Japan and grows wild in Northern NSW and Qld. It is classified as a weed in Australia. It has a powerful camphor smell, which some people find irritating, and makes it unsuitable for food serving utensils. It has a dry density of about 550 kg per cubic meter, the grain can vary from interlocked to straight and can be extremely irregular. The texture is moderately fine to even, and the grain can be very pronounced. The further north that it is grown in Australia the greater the colour intensity. Colour highlights can be from a light tan through to light brown with dark green streaks. The base colour is a light fawn.
Huon Pine (Dacrydium franklinii)
Huon Pine is found in South Western Tasmania. It carves very well. It is usually straight grained with a very fine and even texture and the colour of clotted cream. The bird's eye pattern is much sought after by Cabinet Makers and turners and perhaps should be more highly valued by carvers. It has a dry density of about 520 kg per cubic meter.
Jelutong (Dyera constulata)
Found in Malaya and Singapore, and has a dry density of about 400 kg per cubic meter. It is an excellent wood on which to learn the fundamentals of carving as the texture is fine and even. If it is very dry, sharp tools are essential to prevent it crumbling and tearing-out.
Lime (Tilia vulgaris)
Lime is a large European hardwood, which has a dry density of about 550 kg per cubic meter. It is straight grained, pale yellowish in appearance and carves well. The texture is fine and even. Lime is the traditional wood of choice for European and English carvers, and most of the medieval carving in churches are carved out of Lime.
Northern Basswood (Tilia americana)
Northern Basswood is related to Lime, but is lighter having a dry density of about 417 kg per cubic meter. It is a North American native timber that is now farmed commercially. The texture is fine and even. It carves well, and is the traditional carving wood of the USA.
Silver Birch (Betula pendula)
Silver Birch is found in the British Isles and Europe. It is also a common garden and public park tree in Canberra. It's texture is fine and even, and it has a dry density of about 600 kg per cubic meter. It carves well, and is often carved successfully when wet. It has pronounced grain patterns which can be quite spectacular, particularly in spoons and bowls.
White Beech (Gmelina leichhardtii)
White Beech is found in NSW, Qld and PNG, and has a dry density of about 500 kg per cubic meter. It carves reasonably well though doesn't hold really fine detail and is slightly greasy in nature. It typically has interlocked grain, but the texture is medium and even.
BUYING VIA THE INTERNET
A word of caution about buying from overseas via the internet. Australian Government charges and freight for air or surface shipments are varied from time to time therefore it is wise to check current charges before placing orders. See the Links page elsewhere on this website for links to Australian Customs, Australian Quarantine & Export Service & currency converter sites.
SOME USEFUL CARVING LINKS
Chris Pye, Woodcarver
http://www-woodcarving.com/
Chris Pye is an English woodcarver and teacher. His site has a wealth of information about woodcarving, including a series of free downoadable books on woodcarving.
WoodCarving Illustrated
http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/
Website of "Woodcarving Illustrated", USA, which has articles, links, patterns and a bulletin board for wood carvers.
Carving Magazine
http://www.carvingmagazine.com/
Website of "Carving Magazine", USA, which has articles, links, patterns and a bulletin board for wood carvers.
The Carvers Companion
http://carverscompanion.com/
Free online carvers magazine.
Manufacturers websites
Pfeil Tools
http://http://www.pfeiltools.ch/
Henry Taylor
http://www.henrytaylortools.co.uk/
Ashley Isles
http://turningtools.co.uk/ashleyiles/index.html
FlexCut
http://www.flexcut.com/shop/customer/home.php
Denny
http://frontiernet.net/~yxz/dennyknife/
Stubai Direct (USA)
http://www.stubaidirect.com/index.htm
Australian Vendors
Mik International
http://www.mik.com.au/
Mik International, import and sells Pheil carving tools, as well as selling general woodworking tools, located in Adelaide.
Timbecon.
http://www.timbecon.com.au/
Timbercon, sells carving and general woodworking tools, located in Perth.
Carba-Tec
http://www.carbatec.com.au/store/
Carba-TEC Canberra, located in Fyshwick, sells carving and general woodworking tools.
The Woodsmith
http://www.thewoodsmith.com.au/
Sells a wide range of timber including turning and carving blanks, as well as turning and carving tools, located in Melbourne.
Trend Timbers
http://www.thewoodsmith.com.au/
Sells a wide range of timber including turning and carving blanks, located in Sydney.
USA Vendors
Smokey Mountain Woodcarvers
http://www.woodcarvers.com/index.htm
Sells basswood carving blanks (can be cut to any size), and has a good range of carving tools, accessories, books and craft supplies, including Denny, Flexcut Lyons and Helvie. Will ship Basswood overseas. Located in USA.
Lee Valley & Veritas
http://www.leevalley.com/home/Main.aspx
Sells some carving tools, and a large range of general woodworking tools, located in Canada.
Diefenbacher Tools
http://www.diefenbacher.com/Introduction.htm
Sells general woodworking and carving tools, located in USA.
Tools For working Wood
http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com
Sells general woodworking and carving tools, located in USA.
Mountain Heritage Crafters
http://www.mhc-online.com/
Sells mostly craft and carving equipment, located in USA.
Woodcarving Store
http://www.woodcarvingstore.com/
Sells mostly craft and carving equipment, located in Canada.
Dan's Whetstone Company
http://www.danswhetstone.com
Manufactures and sells a wide variety of Arkansas oilstones, including translucent stones, located in USA.
Stubaidirect
http://www.stubaidirect.com/index.htm
Stubai's USA distributor's website.
Fox Chapel Publishing
http://www.foxchapelpublishing.com/
Publishes and sells a large range of books on all aspects of woodworking.