The Weekend Crafter: Woodcarving: 20 Great Projects for Beginners & Weekend Carvers

Wood carving is fun, any way you cut it! This woodworking book full of quick and easy projects is perfect for anyone looking for new hobbies.
 
Whether your interest lies in chip, incised, pierced, relief, sculptural, or architectural carving—or if you’d just like to learn how to whittle your weekend away—here’s what you need to gain self-confidence in the craft. From a review of tools and techniques to advice on sanding and finishing to an array of quick and wonderful projects with step-by-step instructions, this guide has everything a beginner needs to get started. Start by following the tips on selecting knives, gouges, saws, power tools, and specialty cutting equipment. Master the major cuts and see how to transfer patterns or templates to the wood. Then, start carving! A trout key chain makes a wonderful gift for a fisherman—or carve several and create a miniature mobile. Carve a beautiful weed pot from driftwood, an old beam, or a limb. Or try a stretching cat on a block, a miniature mask, a love spoon, a roly-poly Santa, and more!
 
Whether you are new to woodworking, or are just searching for quick, weekend-friendly whittling projects, The Weekend Crafter ®: Woodcarving is the essential guide to woodcraft for all levels.  


 

John Hillyer was a woodcarving instructor from Asheville, North Carolina, where he taught at the John C. Campbell Folk School, the Folk Art Center, and local community colleges. In addition to his popular wood carving book The Weekend Crafter ®: Woodcarving, he also cowrote The Mountains-to-Sea Trail: Western North Carolina’s Majestic Rival to the Appalachian Trail. He died in 2007 at the age of 81.