Wood carving is a fun activity, both for personal and professional purposes. One can easily create beautiful and important items from a piece of timber. However, they must be able to invest in skills, tools, and ample time to make the best carves. The following are some major techniques of wood carving.

Chip Carving

Professional wood carvers use knives and chisels to remove small chips on the surface of the wood, hence the name chip carving. In the beginning, chip carving was mainly performed on metals but with time, professionals have realized how smooth wood can be when carved in this manner. In the modern world, this type of carving is also now as spoon carving. The process is freestyle but some people follow geometrical figures. The best wood for chip carving is mahogany, pine, basswood, and butternut.

Lovespoon

In most cases, lovespoon carves are given as a symbol of a romantic intention. The decoration of the spoon resembles the love symbol whose intention is to depict the skills of the woodcarver. The spoons have been used since ancient times to derive the message of love from the carver.

Relief Carving

With a flat panel, specific figures are carved and only project slightly on the surface, unlike other figures that stand on their own. There can be high and medium relief carves depending on how much the projection is. The procedure involves making a figure appear as if it’s emerging from the wood. However, one must have a basic idea before carving. The master plan is put down on paper before transferring it to the wood. Professionals possess skills such as the ability to manipulate their tools and maintain grip to bring out their desires results. They must also master the skill of tool sharpening since blunt tools are a big barrier to wood carving.

Whittling

This is simply shaping items from raw wood. Mostly, it is a pass-time activity where the carver uses a knife to shave slivers from the wood. A pocket knife can work great in this. However, there are other special knives for whittling. Such knives come with thick handles for easier gripping and maximized control. Today, with technological advances,the CNC woodcarving machine comes in handy when making figures. It comes with a router and the router combines with other programs to produce the desires design. CNC machines are ideal for prototyping in engineering, art, product development, and other hobbies.

Treen 

This kind of carving includes handmade household items. Things like bowls, wooden plates, spoons, shoe horns, chopping boards, and more are in this category. Before metalware and plastics, treen carves played a very big role both in the household and agricultural sector. When making treen carves, the professional must carefully consider the type of wood they use. This is why collectors and decorators have upgraded the decorative forms and functionality of these items.

Conclusion

Wood carving is a skill from many years ago that many people are practicing to date. In this sector, there is a different technique that professionals use to produce what they need. Such techniques include chip carving, relief, lovespoon, whittling, and treen carving.