There are millions of people all over the world that have discovered the joys of working with wood. From beginner to expert there are wood crafts available for just about everyone to try. One of the coolest things about working with wood is that there are several different wood crafting techniques you can try and master. Let’s take a look at just a few of the different wood crafting techniques out there.
Wood Working
Wood working is the art or craft that mainly focuses on making or constructing something out of wood. The type of wood you use will differ depending on what type of project you build; from benches to intricate pieces of furniture you can literally build anything you want. There are a couple of different ways you can get involved with wood working.
• DIY or Do it yourself. Some people just have a knack for working with wood and are extremely self motivated. These are the type of people that can take on a project with instructions and from start to finish construct something on their own.
• Wood Work classes. The rest of us that aren’t so skilled and talented can attend wood working classes to figure out how things are put together, what tools to use, etc. The community may offer some of these and you can also look on the internet to find some great courses.
Wood Carving
Wood carving is another technique you can use when working with wood. It is a form of working with wood by means of a cutting tool. You can create abstract forms, sculptures, and ornamentation wood projects. You can create some fascinating pieces of wood work and art using wood carving. Generally speaking the wood carver will begin by choosing a piece of wood (depending on what your project is will depend on the type of wood you use). Hardwoods are more difficult to shape but are stronger and will usually last longer while soft woods are easier to carver but less resistant to damage. This is a wood crafting technique that takes years to master, and a lot of patience.
There are several different methods and styles of wood carving that you can use:
• Chip carving
• Relief Carving
• Scandinavian flat plane
• Caricature carving
• Love spoon
• Treen
• Whittling
Basic wood carving tools
If you’re looking into starting wood carving there are some basic tools you will need to purchase. Here is a short list of some basic wood carving tools:
• Carving knife that is used to pare, cut, and smooth out the wood
• The gouge is a tool with a curved edge that is used to hollow, round, and sweep curves.
• The chisel is used for cutting lines and cleaning flat surfaces.
• The V tool is used for parting and emphasizing lines
• The veiner is a specialized gouge with a U shaped cutting edge
• Sharpening equipment is also used to help keep your tools working right
Wood Burning or Pyrography
Pyrography is the art of decorating wood by burning marks into the object. It is also known as pokerwork or wood burning. The word pyrography actually means “writing with fire” and is the traditional art of using a heated tip to burn designs into natural materials like wood. You can create several different natural tones and shades when using a wood burning technique which can create soft subtle tones to bold and dramatic designs.
Wood burning also requires specific tools to get started. The basic tool need for pyrography is a pen. The older wood burning pens were like soldering irons and came in one unit; they were also heavy and hard to handle. Today however the wood burning pen is much lighter. Most of the wood burning is done with a wood burning pen; however there are several different types you can buy today for different results. You can buy several different tips and pens to achieve different results.
This was just a brief look at a few different wood crafting techniques you can look for and really get into. There are others out there to look into if none of these catch your fancy.