I miss my wood teacher from middle school, thank you mrs babich for the things you taught me in carving also and thank you mary may for refreshing my memory. Much love
I know Im randomly asking but does any of you know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account?? I was dumb lost the account password. I love any assistance you can give me!
@Jerry Lachlan thanks so much for your reply. I found the site through google and I'm in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Hobby yes, are you a wood worker? I'm 63, I learned long ago hobbies are sometimes fruitless, now I'm not degrading hobbies by any means, but carving requires a good eye to see the finished product before you even begin to lay a tool to the woods surface, think of it the way a painter would think, and see the way they see, they simply either put shapes together, or, just remove what doesn't need to be there. This way if you try your hand at wood carving and aren't that successful, you can remember to see in your minds eye the how to's and not become discouraged. That way if you don't really want to carve, you won't have laid out that much cash. Best to you.
Hello there from Greece, #stayinginside. I watched your video after I was given my first tool kid and make my very first olive leave on pallet wood. I appreciate your spirit you explained everything. Stay safe!
Hi Mary, Since you started my journey in relief carving about a year ago, I now and then have to come back for a visit. It has become one of my great loves, second only to music (outside my family of course). I have done much practicing this year and have collected a nice selection of Pfeil chisels. I finally needed a case to carry them in, so I built one. It's my latest video. I then realized that a carving chisel case needs a carving on it lol! So I carved my Bird Logo on it, my first keeper carving. And it's all because of you. Your love for the craft is so infectious! I have spent many happy hours "making chips" because of you. I love you Mary May!!
I found this by searching something to carve into a live, mature, no bark, holly tree, something other than the primitive heart and initials! This has been SO enjoyable watching and learning a potential new hobby!
This is a great starter video. My friend wants to get started in woodcarving, and I recommended this (and Mary May) as the best place for an adult to start.
Exceptional teaching style, ive been working with wood for quite some time and Mary is really describing the intricacies of how the tools create varying effects. Top class
I am starting my first ever wood carving project soon so I just waned to say thanks this helped give me a bit of insight into the procedure behind this style of work.
I know that the information says you are a professional but your level of skill is quite amazing and something wonderful for the rest of us to aspire to. Thanks for the video.
wood carving is always such a amazing and peaceful hobby,it just depend on if you can do things with your hands and mind,in my case I started doing this hobby since I can remember,making my own balsa wood cars and boats;thanks for sharing your videos...
...Toate gandurile bune din Romania, - pentru tine Mary si deopotriva pentru sotul tau..!! Te urmaresc cu deosebit interes si trebuie sa-ti confirm ca tu Mary, ai un talent pedagogic iesit din comun.. Stii sa explici foarte analitic si acest mod, este exact ce trebuie pentru incepatori..! Eu sunt unul din aceea si chiar daca am putin peste 80, - am speranta certa ca, privind atent la modul tau de a preda, voi face la randul meu pasi, pentru a-mi petrece timpul placut, incercand, pe viitor, pe cat voi putea de bine, sa ..."sculptez" si eu..!! ... - Doua rugaminti, de profan in materie: - ce dimensiuni are piesa in lucru din acest video (= lemnul) si respectiv, ce fel de lemn este: ..tei, cumva..?!- - care este setul de dalti strict necesar unui incepator 100% ? Cu multumiri anticipate, Stima si respect pentru talentul si munca dumneavoastra absolut deosebite ..!
This is really helpful. I guess I'm ready to start on my final plate for wood carving now. Looking forward to watch other videos from your channel for more techniques. Regards from the Philippines!
Mary,I have watched several of your videos and it's a pleasure to watch a master in action. I was wondering as I watched you carve several different flowers. Have you ever carved an Edelweiss? The flower has many strong emotional feelings for the people of Switzerland, Austria and Germany. Although I'm none of the above, for complicated reasons, I have a few emotional feelings for the flower myself. I can almost vision it carved and I get goosebumps thinking about.Don
that is neat how you do that when I was young many years ago I worked with leather some it has alot of same types of cuts it looks like when your shaping with gouge thx enjoyed that
This is a really cool video. Do you have a video about a decent chisel set or brand of chisels that would be appropriate for someone just learning the ins and outs of chiseling wood?
Impressive. I barely mustered enough patience to watch the video, I could never even attempt such a project, nor do I think j would want to, but a interesting watch! Thanks for the lesson!
nice, what kinds of wood species would you advise to work with as to not be fighting hard grain sections like in pine? I've been wanting to try wood carving for a while as I build rustic furniture and that would be a nice unique touch to my pieces
you made it look very easy lol but nevertheless thanks for the video on how to begging carving a flower this is going to be a fun experience and a great Xmas gift for my wife Thanx once again
Hi Mary, I just started carving wood in Charleston and have access to lots of free wood from where I work. I have been experimenting with live oak and sycamore (just because we have some lying around outside right now) but both are very hard and difficult to carve. I'd like to find some softer woods that i can push a chisel through with my hand - like i see you do here on basswood. Any suggestions?
Basswood is a good one to start with, but you won't find anything in Charleston. There are not many local woods that are good to carve. The next wood that I like is mahogany, and then walnut. Again, not very available here. Some people like poplar, but it is too spongy for me. Oak is definitely not something you want to start out with, unless you want to be a frustrated carver! So, the bottom line is, really good carving wood will need to be located from specialty hardwood suppliers, or have the wood shipped in.
What size and thickness and width is the plank of wood you are using let me know please as I am a beginner can you let me know as soon as you can please thanks
Great teaching there. I am very fond of relief carving. I love wood working a lot and have bought fa small set of carving tools. I have made a hand-made dovetailed jewel box for my fiancee. I love working with pine as it is very soft and fun to use with sharp tools. I started to love carving while making a flower on top of it. I have a simple question for you. What can be done for the remaining part surrounding the initial carving especially the part you have taken out in first place?its quite rough and uneven. Please give me a tip on this. :)
Quite often, I leave this area with tool marks to off-set the design. If you don't want this, take a flatter gouge (like a #3, 14mm and smooth over the rough tool marks and blend it into the surface of the wood. You can also lower the entire background flat. This is a lot of work, though, and can often be difficult to get a very flat surface.
I just bought i gouge/chisels set today. Should i buy a sharpener ? If so, can i use a knife sharpener, one of the small, long ones, that looks like a tube ?
Mary, please tell me where I can purchase the V type chisel you used to trace the pattern? I want one that is good but not expensive. Thanking you in advance for your response.
Excellent technique. Thank you for posting. Are there woods you avoid - I assume some carve better than others - what woods do you recommend? Thanks. L. Bland
+L B Thanks! I don't like carving in wood like pine or poplar. They can become very spongy and require extremely sharp tools. Soft woods don't necessarily mean easier carving.
I'm a good artist on paper so I do have an artistic eye I'm taking up wood carving similar to things that you do I would love to accomplish I wish I personally knew somebody like you so they could be my mentor if I have any questions I hope you don't mind
Any advice for someone that can only use 1 hand but wants to do hand carvings. I am wanting to ad hand carved initials into jewelry boxes that I make for my great nieces
Do you have a link to your donut carving video? Can't seem to find it from searching your videos. Just attempted this and I'm quite please with the first attempt! Thanks
how do you make the wood look like butter? it looks amazing. my lime wood splits when i carve it sometimes causing a bit of a problem. i find using a mallet really helps to actually get my gouge around the carving but increases my chance of making the wood split as i work it. trying to find a medium is tough
Zahra S Mary May Thanks guys. I actually did one lesson with an expert (£65!). The differences between sharp and non sharp is SO much more of a deal than you might think. I actually did a version of the above flower and it will forever be my first carving :) keeping it forever
A good set of tools to start with is as follows: 6mm v-chisel, #3, 6mm #3, 14mm, #5, 14mm, #7, 6mm #7, 14mm. I would recommend starting with soft wood like basswood or butternut. Have fun!
I waited too long to take up carving...can't hardly see and my hands are rather arthritic. I was wondering ....I can get a magnification glass and maybe use an electric high speed carver I've seen. They all seem to hang doen....im sure u know of them....Have u used these? What are your opinions on this. Those things can be pricy but hand fatigue is a concern. Before I dive into it I was thinking I would ask around. Dremel makes one but I have seen a lot of complaints about vibration and hand fatigue concerning them. What I want to make are simple carvings for my house woodwork. I believe they are referred to as rosettes...they go in corners of trim on windows and doors. Just wondering what your thoughts are on this.
Sislertx There are several magnification glasses out there which are quite successful in making close-up work clearer. I don't know the brands, but maybe check woodcarving supply companies. Dremels or Foredoms can be helpful in your situation, but I really don't like the dust. I would caution you to not use them for more than 1/2 hour at a time, as vibration can cause hand issues. Foredom is faster and better than Dremel, but can be quite a bit more expensive.
Mary May And don't forget to wear a mask. Our woodshop teacher spent so much time inhailing particulate that he developed emphizima (spelling?) So I always wear a mask when I'm kicking up dust.
Carving looks so difficult sometimes, but you've done an excellent demonstration. If I ever actually buckle down and buy some gouges/chisels I'll come back to this video for sure.
I have heard that carving can strengthen and ease pain in hands just by using different muscles. I would try several different carving techniques to see what is less tiring or painful. Try using a long-handled gouge where both of your hands are on the gouge (like I show on this video). Try using a small palm gouge or carving knife (be careful here, as it is easier to cut yourself). Then try an inexpensive dremel. Any kind of machine will cause vibration and dust, but as long as you take breaks a lot and wear a mask, you should be fine. Have fun!
I want to make a cross on a small cabinet I am making to display a small hart urn. The urn is my mother who recently passed away so I want to do the work myself. I bought a cheap set of tools at harbor freight and the tip are cut at such an angle I would almost have to keep the handle straight up to carve. Could you tell me why they are like that and a solution for a beginner with good art abilities to do this with a set I could afford, not a $300 set. Thank you very much for the video.
I wouldn't even attempt to carve with the tools you bought - it will only end in frustration. First of all, if you ever do get them sharp, they will become dull again very quickly. There is a set of carving gouges that are Chinese made called Master Carver from Woodcarvers Supply. They average $10/tool, and not so pretty, but hold a good edge once they are sharpened. But I would encourage you to eventually invest in some good quality tools. Put aside about $250 to $300 and buy a professional set and you won't be sorry. It will really make carving much more enjoyable. It's worth it!
