Relief carving: from basic skills to confident technique

In modern interiors, crafts such as wood carving have increasingly begun to attract the attention of ordinary people. Every now and then on specialized design sites you can find stunning examples of such beauty in interior design.

This expressive technique is used to decorate furniture and other items. The result is products that not only captivate with their extravagance and magnificent appearance, but also have undeniable artistic value.

We analyze the creation of geometric wood carvings

Knives for geometric carving:
To learn how to carve wood using the presented technique, you can take courses from an experienced master or master the material yourself - using videos and looking at photographs. For those who chose the latter, below is a step-by-step guide. In addition, many sources offer to download albums with sketches and photos of wood carvings.

Where to start learning wood carving for beginners?

For beginners, the first thing you need to do is learn how to hold a knife in your hand correctly. You can master this technique by practicing cutting grooves on a wooden block. You should not skip this step and move on to ornaments, since without initial training the products will not turn out straight.

First cut: making a groove along the grain of the wood.

To learn to understand sketches and carvings by looking at photos and drawings, you need to understand how the most basic techniques are performed.

You need to take a cutting knife and a small block of soft wood. Linden is good for this: it is quite soft and pliable.

It is important to determine the direction of the fiber. After this, hold the cutter in your fist at the bottom of the handle, at an obtuse angle towards you

The obtuse angle of the cutter is called the heel. The knife should be tilted slightly to the right. To obtain an even line, the heel should be close to the tree, but not sink into it. The hand must move clearly; it is important to feel if it deviates from a straight line to the side.

This first cut in the tree is called a notch. After completing it, you need to turn the board 180 degrees and trim - exactly the same line with the knife tilted to the right at a distance of 2-3 millimeters from the first. In addition, notches must also be made at the beginning and end of the future furrow. If done correctly, the pruning and notching will touch inside the tree and the cutting will fall out of the groove without any extra effort. If it doesn’t work the first time, you need to insert the knife into the existing slots and deepen them a little.

Cutting a furrow across the grain of the wood.

The wood is slightly less pliable across the grain, so cutting is done in much the same way as along the grain, with the only difference: the heel of the cutter should be raised and not above the wood itself. This will make cutting through the rock easier, but you need to be more careful that the knife does not move to the sides of a straight line.

Making a “mesh” and “squares” pattern on a wooden piece.

The grid, or squares, is the next element in mastering geometric carving. To make this simple ornament, you must first cut strips along the fibers at the same width from each other, then make grooves across the fibers. This is how you get this simple pattern. You can also make a grid not along and across the bar, but diagonally. In this case, you need to be even more careful about the firmness of your hand and the straightness of the lines being cut. If you get an extra cut, it will not be noticeable at all during the process, but in the future, that is, during staining or painting, it will definitely make itself felt.

Scheme for the “mesh” and “squares” techniques.

Carving triangles on wood: how to do it correctly.

Triangles are a common design on household items such as cutting boards, photo frames and jewelry boxes. Triangles, as a rule, are cut in this way: lines are drawn from the vertices of the triangle to its center, along which a cut is made. To do this, the toe, that is, the sharp part of the knife, is inserted deep into the material, and the heel touches, but is not inserted, into the vertex of the triangle. This is done from each of the vertices. This way, the center of the triangle will be the deepest point in the pattern. Next, you need to tilt the cutter to the right and cut from right to left and towards you.

It is important to cut the next edge not from left to right, but by turning the block over. The hand performs the same movement as with the first face

After mastering the simplest triangles, you can also try to make triangles with an offset center or with rounded sides

In this case, the cutting technique remains the same, it is only important to follow the movement of your hand along the marked lines. This technique is a little more complicated, but with a little practice you can easily repeat a drawing of any complexity.

Then we move on to the preparatory stage

How to prepare the base and begin work

For the most part, wood carving for beginners is a rather difficult job that requires certain knowledge and skills. In order to do everything correctly, it is important to be able to use the necessary tools. Processing of the base begins with work on preparing the wood for carving. First you need to plan it, and if the background is made of light-colored wood, then this is all done using a plane. And for a dark compositional background, the workpiece is tinted. In order to obtain a shiny wood surface with a paint and varnish material, in this case, use black color, and after drying, polish it with a polish.

When using all kinds of dyes, for example, ink, tempera, watercolor, mordant and other similar dyes, the surface will remain matte or it will be covered with a light paint and varnish material and polished. To secure the workpiece, it is necessary to clamp it in the workbench. To do this, use machine clamps or holders (plates that will grip and hold the workpiece). Flat-relief wood carving makes it possible to create plant patterns, as well as bas-relief of a bird, animal or person.

When carving on the surface of wood, designs must be selected from specialized magazines, books or even albums. To make the ornament correctly, it is transferred using carbon paper or tracing paper.

It’s better to start with transparent paper, which you need to draw into small squares. Their dimensions will depend on the size of the original pattern.

If you need to increase it, then use a pantograph. Carved ornaments can be enlarged 2-4 times. so that the carving on the surface of the wood, the sketches of which are transferred to the surface of the workpiece, is made correctly, and also choose ¼ or ½ of the pattern, fold the tracing paper horizontally and, if necessary, sometimes even vertically. Afterwards, the selected sketches are transferred to it or the outline is outlined.

On one side, 50% of the image is obtained, folded and it turns out solid. It can be transferred to a wooden blank using any of the available methods. The main thing is that all loose parts from the slotted threads are placed in a place with an unusual texture. And for the rest, elements for framing are placed, and the patterned contours must coincide with the fiber direction.

Execution technique

The main tool is a knife, which must be clamped in your fist, with the blade facing you. Applying a certain force, they are passed along the ornament. In relation to the board, the knife is located slightly at an angle, and this is how the cut is made. After this, trimming is required. To do this, you need to hold the knife in the same position, but your hand will be tilted in a different direction. By applying force, you need to trim the already made contour.

In this case, a triangular straw is obtained, and the roundings are made only at one angle of the chisel. In this case, the radius changes if necessary, and will also depend on the width of the tool blade.

This clearly works to separate the straws. It must immediately separate from the workpiece. Otherwise, everything needs to be done again, but you will have to cut much deeper. To cut a contour type groove, the tool must be held with both hands. If necessary, it is important to cut out circles with a knife.

For curls, use a semicircular chisel. It needs to be deepened 0.3-0.4 cm into the wood and the brush must be turned, scrolling everything around the axis. This is done until the lines begin to close. This is a very interesting activity, and the main thing is to figure out what’s what, then everything will work out. For the most part, artistic wood carving, photos of which can be found in books, magazines and other products, is a beautiful and ancient craft. At the moment, everything is being revived and there are many excellent, modern masters of the craft.

Wood carving tools

1. Bogorodsky knife. Used to create sculptural techniques.
2. Knife-jamb (has a sharpening of 20°). Used for flat-relief, flat-relief, openwork, and relief designs.
3. Knife-cutter. Additional item. Required to perform many types of equipment.
4. Straight chisel (has a sharpening angle of 18-20°). It is considered an additional subject when performing various technologies.
5. Semicircular chisel. One of the main devices that is needed to perform any type of activity. There are chisels of sloping, medium and steep types.
6. Cranberry chisel. This tool has a curved blade. Thanks to this bend, the handle will not touch the work surface when working.
7. Ceramic chisel. Looks like a cool semi-circular shaped instrument. It has a part width of 2-3 mm. Used for cutting out thin veins. The cut will be sized according to the dimensions of the instruments.
8. Angles or Geismus (has a sharpening angle of 50-70°). Used to create a V-shaped neckline and to perform various elements of contouring techniques.
9. Stichel. This tool has an angular bend of 15°. The handle looks quite often like a mushroom. Used for sampling various veins when making engravings.
10. Klepiki. They have different dimensions, but they always have only one of three types of sharpening: sword, leaf and nail. The first two types have names: sheet rivets and sword rivets. They are used in flat-relief and volumetric versions to remove the background in hard-to-reach places.
11. Chisel-nail. It differs from ordinary rivets only in the type of sharpening. It looks like a fingernail to them. Its purpose is to perform work in difficult places and create parts for staple technology.
12. Spoonmen. A good type of this tool is a spoon knife, which has a sharpened ring with an attached rod. This item is used for cleaning large spaces in the depths and for processing internal surfaces when creating dishes.
13. Punches and embossings are steel rods that have an ornament at the working end. Required for embossing backgrounds in flat-relief and relief designs.

Introduction

Wooden art products are household items that organically combine beauty and utility. These include decorations of wooden houses - carved platbands, valances, ridges on the roofs; decorative elements in the interior - mosaic parquet floors, carved decorations of doors, ceilings, wall panels, etc.; furniture and lamps; household utensils - dishes, cutting boards; wooden toys and souvenirs (turned, carved, painted); clothing decorations, etc.

Artistic products made of wood, in addition to expressive proportions, color, shape, often have some kind of decoration: an ornament or a revealed texture of the material. Contemporary artists of decorative and applied arts - folk, professional, amateur - in search of forms and means of artistic expression rely on the centuries-old traditions of national and world art.

Artistic woodworking is one of the oldest crafts mastered by man. In our country, especially in Russia, wooden architecture, interior decoration, furniture, and various household items made of wood belong to one of the most important types of art and occupy a significant place in the national culture of the people.

Woodworking workshops produced various products decorated with carvings, which were dominated by a floral pattern consisting of shoots with leaves of complex shapes, flowers and bunches of grapes. Carved decorations were made on solid wood and overlaid using the technique of flat-relief and high-relief carving. For finishing, gilding and painting with tempera, oil and glue paints, as well as natural dyes (stains), wax mastic, and resin varnishes were used.

Existing types of wood carving are conventionally divided into the following main groups: flat-notched, or recessed; flat-relief; embossed; slotted, or openwork; sculptural, or volumetric; house (ship)

Flat grooved carving is characterized by the fact that its background is the flat surface of the product or workpiece being decorated, and the pattern is formed by variously shaped recesses - recesses. The lowest points of the relief are located below the level of the surface being decorated, and the highest points are at its level. Depending on the shape of the recesses and the nature of the pattern, flat carvings can be geometric or contour.

Geometric carving is one of the most ancient types of wood carving. It is made in the form of two-, three- and tetrahedral recesses, forming a pattern of geometric shapes on the surface - triangles, squares, circles. Sometimes they are supplemented with bracket recesses.

Geometric carving differs from other types of carving in a wide variety of techniques for decorating a wooden surface. At the same time, this carving is not complicated in execution and does not require, as with relief carving, special knowledge of the theory of design or a complex set of tools. Its advantage is also the shallow depth of the carved design, which does not interfere with the composition of the product itself.

Contour carving is characterized by shallow, thin dihedral grooves running along the entire contour of the design. Unlike geometric carving, contour carving uses mainly figurative motifs: leaves, flowers, figures of animals, birds, etc. An image made with contour carving is similar to an engraved drawing: its cutting lines are rigid, and there is almost no play of chiaroscuro.

Contour carving is most often used in combination with other types of carving - geometric, flat-relief, and also with painting. As an independent type, this carving is used to make decorative panels on wood.

When performing contour carvings, not only a joint knife is used, but also various chisels. The technique of contour carving requires a lot of attention from the performer, fluency in the instrument and high artistic taste.

Flat-relief carving has several varieties: carving with oval contours (oval, or oblique); carving with cushion background; carving with a selected (selected) background. What they have in common is a low conventional relief located in one plane at the level of the surface being decorated. Flat-relief carving is, as it were, a transitional type from Contour to relief carving.

The so-called Abramtsevo-Kudrin carving, which arose at the end of the 19th century, played a large role in the development of flat-relief carving. in the Abramtsevo estate near Moscow, where a wood carving workshop was organized. Many craftsmen who worked and studied in Abramtsevo lived in the neighboring village of Kudrino, so the carving was called Abramtsevo-Kudrino. The traditions of the old masters are still preserved in the works of the carvers of the Khotkovo factory of artistic products made of wood and bone. A sample of the Abramtsevo-Kudrin carving is shown in Fig. 1

Rice. 1 Sample of Abramtsevo-Kudrin carving

Relief carving is done by trimming a flat ornament left on a recessed background and working out shapes on the surface of this ornament. Relief carving has almost no flat surface. The shapes of the ornament are revealed by relief of different heights.

There are bas-relief carvings - carvings with low relief and high-relief carvings - with higher relief, more clearly expressed and having a richer play of chiaroscuro.

Relief carving is highly expressive and decorative. In the past, it was widely used to decorate interiors - wall panels, portals, doors and furniture. Currently, relief carvings are used to decorate the interiors of public buildings in the form of wall panels, as well as in the manufacture of modern stylized furniture: on the backs of chairs, in the form of applied decorative elements on cabinet furniture (Fig. 2).

Fig.2 Relief carvings on modern stylized furniture

A carved thread is a thread in which the background has been removed. Carved carving is performed both in the technique of flat-relief carving (with a flat ornament) and in the technique of relief carving.

Antique Russian furniture was decorated with flat carved carvings. In Fig. 109 shows a chair made of pine wood with flat slotted and contour carvings (late 17th century). In cabinets and screens, bright fabric was placed under such carvings as a background.

The background in the slotted thread is removed with a chisel or saw. In the latter case, the thread is called kerf. Since this operation can be mechanized, saw threads are used in the serial production of furniture.

Carved carving with a relief ornament is called openwork. It was widely used to decorate furniture in the Baroque and Rococo styles at the end of the 17th-18th centuries. (Fig. PO). The execution of such carving requires high skill.

Sometimes the slotted carvings are glued to a wooden base. In this case, it is called an invoice or sticker.

Sculptural, or volumetric, carving is characterized by the fact that in it the relief image is partially or completely separated from the background, turning into a sculpture. Unlike the one-sided image of an object in flat-relief and relief carvings, in volumetric carvings the object is depicted comprehensively.

Sculptural carving was used to decorate interiors and furniture of classical styles. The legs of chairs and armchairs were often made in the form of animal paws, and the armrests of the chairs were decorated with figures of fantastic animals and birds. Figure 3 shows a Russian-made chair from the early 19th century, decorated with sculptural carvings.

Fig 3 Armchair made in Russia in the 17th century. with contour and slotted thread

This type of carving also includes modern easel sculpture made of wood. Many famous artists-sculptors created and are creating their works from wood: S. D. Erzya, V. I. Mukhina, S. T. Konenkov, V. A. Vatagin and others.

Three-dimensional carving also includes miniature wooden sculptures and carved toys. The toy makers of the city of Zagorsk and the village of Bogorodskoye gained particular fame. The peculiarity of Bogorodsk carving is the patterned elaboration of the surface of the product, imitating the skin of an animal or the plumage of birds.

House carving is large-scale, done mainly on softwood wood using an ax, saw and chisels and is used to decorate wooden buildings. Although house carving was already developed in the 16th century, examples dating back to the 19th century have reached us. Wooden buildings decorated with carvings have been preserved mainly in the north of our country and in the Volga region.

It is believed that carved decorations on residential buildings were transferred from wooden ships, which is why house carving is also called ship carving. According to the nature and technique of execution, house carvings can be relief, slotted (openwork) and volumetric. Blind relief carvings - carvings with an uncut (blank) background and a high relief pattern - decorated the pediments of houses and window frames. The carving motifs were most often floral ornaments, where the leaves curl in steep counter spirals, they are connected and at the same time separated by flower rosettes. Among the leaves and flowers, images of mermaids, lions, and the Phoenix bird were often inserted.

Carved, or sawed, house carvings appeared in the middle of the 19th century. It was done with a jigsaw. Openwork valances decorated the pediments of houses, window frames, railings, and framed entrances.

An example of volumetric house carving is the so-called “okhlupen” - a figurative image of the head and upper part of the body of a horse, deer, or large bird, which was cut out from a whole rhizome with an ax and placed on the roof ridge above the pediment, and previously decorated the bow of the ship.

Various types of wood are used for wood carving. The choice of one species or another depends on the purpose and shape of the item being decorated and the type of carving. Of the soft hardwoods, linden is most often used, on which flat-notched and flat-relief carvings are especially good. Due to its low hardness, linden is used only for the manufacture of small household items - boxes, frames, shelves, as well as carved toys and dishes. Alder wood is suitable for various types of work, however, due to the small size of the trunks, the frequent bending of the fibers and rot in the core, and also due to the small reserves, it is used less often than linden and only for the manufacture of small products. Dishes are made from aspen and poplar wood, and souvenirs are also decorated with carvings. The use of these species is limited by heart rot, which is often found in growing trees.

An excellent material for carving is birch wood. It is harder than linden and alder and is more difficult to cut, but the quality of the carving is better - the relief is clearer and cleaner. You can make applied carved decorations and small details from birch. From hardwood, oak, beech, walnut, elm, pear, and maple wood are used for carving.

Oak has long been used for large decorative carvings and for the manufacture of carved furniture. Oak carving is complex and labor-intensive, but very expressive and decorative. Beech wood is close to oak in hardness, but chips more when carved. It is used mainly for small carvings and applied carvings.

Walnut wood is the best material for carving work. It is used in the production of highly artistic carvings of small forms, easel sculpture, and also in furniture.

Small souvenir items decorated with carvings, applied carved decorations for furniture, and miniature wooden sculptures are made from pear and maple wood.

Coniferous wood used for carving is pine, spruce, cedar, and yew. Decorations for window frames, cornices, house walls, and gates (house carvings) have long been carved from pine. This carving is large, so the unevenness in the density and color of the layers of early and late pine wood does not make it difficult to perform and perceive the carving. The resinous nature of pine ensures the durability of carved house decorations.

Spruce is softer than pine and cuts easier, but it has more knots and often has very hard knots that cause tool breakage. In addition, spruce has little resin and is less durable than pine, so it is less often used for carving.

Cedar wood cuts very well, has a beautiful texture and color, and is used in the furniture industry. It can be used to make beautiful products decorated with carvings. Even more valuable is yew wood. It has great uniformity, beautiful color, is durable, lends itself well to carving, turning, and finishes well. Limited reserves of this wood allow it to be used only for the manufacture of small artistic products.

Of the foreign species used for carving, varieties of mahogany are used: mahogany and makore. In terms of hardness, they are close to walnut, but they cut worse, causing chips. These rocks are used for the manufacture of applied carvings and models for the production of plastic applied decorations imitating carvings.

For carving, it is necessary to select high-quality wood that does not have such defects as bent fibers, curling, overgrowth, knots, cracks, wormholes and rot. Only in large house carvings are small healthy fused knots allowed on pine.

Wood for carving is harvested from October to January, when the movement of sap in the trunk stops and the danger of wood cracking and damage by fungi and insects is reduced.

Ridges intended for volumetric carving (toys, small sculptures) are cleared of bark and split into pieces along a radius. The workpieces are dried to a moisture content of 8-10%.

Boards intended for carving are dried to a moisture content of (8 + 2)%, making sure that cracks and warping do not form. Wetter wood cuts easier, but the surface finish of the thread is poorer. In addition, in the future such wood can shrink and crack. Wood that is too dry is difficult to cut and is more likely to chip.

The cut of the board is of great importance - tangential or radial. It is more difficult to cut on a tangential cut, but the carving is more expressive and beautiful. Radial cut boards are easier to cut and less susceptible to warping, so when making large parts, such boards should be given preference.

Docks intended for carving work are first cut into blanks on circular saws, then cut to size on jointing and thicknessing machines.

Wide blanks are obtained by gluing individual bars or planks. In this case, it is necessary to select wood plots so that the cut and direction of the layers are the same. An incorrectly glued workpiece made of bars with opposite directions of wood layers makes the work of the carver more difficult, reduces the artistic value of the carving, and when painted with water-based dyes, it can give a different tone across the bars. The glued workpiece is planed according to the surface on a surface planer or well aligned and cleaned manually with a double plane.

Before carving, the surface of the workpiece is leveled by scraping. Do not sand the surface with sandpaper, as abrasive grains can get into the pores of the wood, which will quickly dull the tool.

It is more convenient to carve furniture parts before assembling them into a product, so the parts must first be carefully adjusted and processed.

To work, carvers need a dry, bright room with an air temperature of 18-20 ° C and a humidity of 60%. The walls and ceiling of the room should be painted in light colors.

The equipment of the carver's workplace depends on the nature of the carving work being performed. When making small items - boxes, spoons, small carved panels, small decorative sculptures and toys - carving can be done on a regular table while sitting on a chair. Large-sized products - sculptures, carved furniture parts, large panels - are made on a workbench for carvers. Workbenches are available for one or two workstations. The workbench cover, 700–900 mm wide and 1000–1300 mm long per carver, is usually made from pine boards 60–70 mm thick. The height of the workbench is designed for standing work and should be at the level of the carver’s elbows, i.e. 1100-1200 mm. For sitting work, use a stool with a height of 650-750 mm. The legs of the stool should be at a height of 200-300 mm so that it is comfortable to place your feet on them.

Rice. 4 .

Securing a workpiece for carving on a workbench.

a) Using a screw clamp

b) Using an overhead holder.

Workbenches are placed so that the light falls from the front and left. The best lighting is natural without direct sunlight. With artificial lighting, the light should come from two or three points so that there are no sharp shadows on the workpiece (thread).

To secure parts or products to a workbench, use a workbench screw box (Fig. 4, a), clamps, as well as wooden holder blocks (Fig. 4, b), made of soft wood, such as linden, in the form of bars or staples of various shapes , which allow you to secure the workpiece from the ends or corners anywhere on the workbench cover and quickly change the position of the workpiece.

The workshop should have one carpentry workbench for preparing material for carving, as well as a sharpening machine and a table for sharpening and dressing tools.

Chisels and chisels of various shapes are used for wood carving. Straight chisels (Fig. 5, a) with a blade width of 3-30 mm are used mainly for cleaning the background in relief carvings, sometimes in contour carvings.

Semicircular chisels with a blade width of 3-25 mm, depending on the radius of curvature, are divided into flat - with a large radius of curvature (Fig. 5, 6), medium (Fig. 5, c) and steep with a small radius of curvature (Fig. 5, d ). This is the main tool for performing all types of carving, except geometric, where these chisels are used only for cutting semicircular holes.

Cranberry chisels (Fig. 5, e) are distinguished by a short blade 2-15 mm wide and a long neck curved near the blade. The shape of the canvas may be different. They are used when making high-relief carvings for cutting in hard-to-reach places.

Corner chisels (Fig. 5, e) with a blade width of 5-15 mm are used when selecting narrow lines - grooves. In cross section, the chisel forms an angle of 50-70°. They can be made in the form of a cranberry or with a straight neck.

Rice. 5 Carving chisels

Ceramic chisels (Fig. 5, g) with a blade width of 2-3 mm are close in shape to steep semicircular chisels, but their profile is deeper. Cerasics are used for cutting narrow veins.

Chisels-jambs (Fig. 5, h), also called cutters, come in two types. Long joints are made from straight chisels cut at an angle of 60-70°. Short joints (web length 40-50 mm) are made somewhat wider. The jamb is the main tool for making geometric carvings.

The quality of a cutting tool depends primarily on the material from which it is made and on the correct hardening of the tool. A well-made chisel should be easy and quick to sharpen. The chisel blade must be durable and should not quickly become dull, bend or crumble under the blows of the mallet.

The shape and size of the handle (handle) of the chisel are of no small importance. The most convenient are handles that have an oval or oval-faceted cross-section. A chisel with such a handle is stable in the hand and does not roll over the top of a table or workbench. The end of the handle is oval for ease of pressing on it with the palm of your hand. The length of the chisel handles is 105-130 mm, diameter 22-28 mm.

A new or used chisel is first sharpened on a sharpening machine to obtain a point angle of about 20° and a smooth, flat bevel. Hold the handle of the chisel with your right hand (the end of the handle rests on the palm), and with the fingers of your left hand, not far from the blade, press the chisel to the sharpening wheel. To make sure that the angle of inclination of the chisel to the surface of the circle corresponds to the required one, you need to check the width of the resulting chamfer: it should be approximately 2.5 times the thickness of the blade. To ensure that the angle of the chisel does not change and the chamfer is flat, the elbow of the right hand is pressed towards you. To wear the circle evenly, move the chisel blade slightly from right to left and back. When the correct chamfer is obtained and a thin strip of burr appears along the entire blade, sharpening on the sharpener is stopped and the chisel is sharpened on a fine-grained whetstone.

The chisel is taken by the handle with the right hand, and with the fingers of the left hand closer to the blade, it is pressed against the block so that the chamfer fits tightly to the surface of the block (Fig. 6, a, b). Sharpen the chisel with smooth movements back and forth along the entire length of the block, trying to keep your right hand at the same height, otherwise the chamfer will turn out not flat, but oval.

The chisel is sharpened from the chamfer side until the burr becomes very thin. Then the chisel is turned over, pressed tightly against the block and sharpened from the front side with two or three movements (Fig. 6, b). Then they sharpen again in the first position until the burr falls off.

After sharpening on a fine-grained whetstone, the chisel is straightened (finished) on a whetstone using the same techniques, only the chisel is turned over more often and the chisel is straightened for the same length of time in both the first and second positions.

When sharpening on a block, narrow straight chisels are moved in different directions so that grooves do not form on the surface of the block. These chisels are adjusted with a whetstone in the air.

The cutting part of the jamb (Fig. 6, d) consists of two chamfers: the first 6 flat and wide and the second 5 narrow. The sharpening angle 7 formed by the second chamfers should be equal to 20°. The sharpening angle of 1 blade should be 60-70°.

Rice. 6 Sharpening the cutter

The jamb is sharpened on a sharpener in the same way as a straight chisel, until the first chamfers and burrs appear. After obtaining the first chamfers, they proceed to sharpening the jamb on a fine-grained whetstone (Fig. 6, e).

The joint is taken by the ribs, and the index finger is placed on the chamfer. Apply the joint to the block at an angle of about 10° from the horizontal plane and sharpen it with very light pressure, turning it over after two or three movements, until the burr flies off and second chamfers appear. Then they edit the joint on the whetstone using the same techniques, only they turn it over more often.

Semicircular chisels are processed on a sharpener, sharpened on a whetstone and straightened on a whetstone. During sharpening on a sharpener, the semicircular chisel is slowly turned from side to side and moved along the sharpener from left to right and back. The same is done when sharpening it on a whetstone. A groove gradually forms in the block, corresponding to the profile of the chisel, which ensures the correct chamfer. On the inside, chisels are sharpened with rounded bars on a table or suspended (Fig. 6, e). Semicircular chisels are used only by weight.

Sharpening and straightening other types of chisels is not fundamentally different from sharpening and straightening semicircular chisels, but requires more attention and accuracy. Small chisels (cerasics, angles, cranberries) are sharpened only on fine-grained whetstones. For each chisel profile, you need to have appropriately shaped bars and whetstones.

The sharpness of the tool is checked when cutting soft wood layer by layer. If the cut is smooth and shiny and there are no signs of nicks or burrs on it, the tool is considered ready for use.

When sharpening chisels on a sharpening machine, you must follow safety regulations.

Chisels are stored in a workbench drawer, where a nest should be made for each tool, or in a cabinet in special slots on slats attached to the wall. It is convenient to store chisels in a roll of thick canvas, placing them with their handles alternately in different directions. In case of long-term storage, the chisel blades are lubricated with a thin layer of machine oil.

In addition to the main cutting tool, the carver must also have auxiliary tools: marking tools, tools for drilling, sawing.

In some cases, to process the background, punches (chases) are used, which are metal rods with notches in the form of a grid, dots, and stars at one end. They are used for embossing the background mainly in Kudrin carving.

In addition, the carver may need carpentry tools when preparing parts for threading: a plane, jointer, scraper, etc.

Wood carving has always been an indispensable element of Russian wooden architecture. The development of this decorative and applied art was facilitated by the ease of processing and availability of material, the presence of skilled craftsmen and rich traditions. The most famous were the carvers of the Russian North, the Urals, Siberia, the Volga region, Kostroma, Vladimir and other regions.

How many beautiful examples of wooden architecture and artistic creativity our ancestors left us! Many museums in our country contain products of ancient craftsmen who, using a saw, an ax and a chisel, created unique works of architecture and carved decor.

The construction of new cities and villages, churches and monasteries, fortifications, and the development of shipping required a large number of wood processing specialists. Entire teams of carpenters, joiners, and carvers went from city to city, from village to village, creating amazing works of architecture with their labor and talent, decorating homes and everyday life with original carved items. And to this day, like fairy-tale towers, ancient temples, princely chambers and simple huts stand in carved patterns.

The talent of the Russian people, their inherent sense of beauty and harmony made it possible to create deeply original works and contributed to the rise and flourishing of the high art of folk architecture and house carving.

The origins of wood carving can be traced back to ancient times, when images of neo-celestial bodies, animals and birds were of a cult nature.

In recent years, the demand for highly artistic furniture has been growing and its production has been expanding. In the design and production of such furniture, three main directions can be noted. The first direction is the creation of furniture in a folk, peasant style from solid wood, mainly coniferous species, using carved and turned elements. The second direction is furniture in the so-called retro style, in the forms and decor of which the features of classical styles (Baroque, classicism, etc.) are manifested. The third is a design direction, when furniture is designed in an unconventional, often sharp, unusual way, using new forms and designs (addressed mainly to young people).

The demand for artistic wood products, especially furniture, is constantly growing and has not yet been fully satisfied. Some enterprises have mastered the serial production of furniture sets with developed architectural and artistic forms, with decorative elements in the form of applied carvings, turned parts, and mosaics. Highly qualified specialists are involved in their implementation.

Some folk craft enterprises, which produce mainly small souvenir items, are mastering the production of small pieces of artistic furniture. The network of cooperative workshops is expanding, specializing in the production of individual samples or sets of furniture, including in folk style or in the style of past eras.

Today it is necessary to pay maximum attention to the preservation of this type of craft, to organize extracurricular clubs at school or separate woodcarving clubs, where masters of their craft will pass on their knowledge and secrets to future generations.
Tags: Types of wood carving, organization of the workplace during work and materials Abstract Literature

Stages of work

When the sketch is transferred to the base, the most interesting process begins - the actual processing of the wood.

If you are working using the through-thread technique, the first step is to make starting holes in each element. This is usually done using an electric drill. A saw is then inserted into the holes and part of the wood is sawed out. Next, the edges are aligned and the decoration begins.

Flat-relief and volumetric carvings are performed a little differently.

First, the contours of future patterns are made with a knife. Next, the cutter cuts through the deepest central part. All other recesses are formed from it.

Small details are made using a chisel.

Deep relief is made with a chisel with a curved blade. Upon completion of the work, all edges are processed to eliminate roughness and chips.

Creative people who want to occupy themselves with a very interesting and useful activity should pay attention to wood carving for beginners. Recently, this type of creativity has become increasingly popular, although some time ago it was almost completely forgotten

Before you engage in such an activity, you need to understand that this type of work can be quite dangerous, so it cannot be recommended for children who have not yet learned to handle sharp objects. And adults who are going to engage in wood carving should understand for themselves all the rules for using tools. For wood carving, not only conventional, but also electrical devices can be used. They require careful adherence to safety precautions.

While experienced virtuoso masters only need one glance at an instrument to determine its quality, beginners are often lost in all the variety presented in stores. Experts assure that in this case, the most expensive option is not always the best, since brand promotion, advertising, transportation from other countries, and so on play an important role. Those who engage in wood carving on a professional basis know that domestic tools can be of simply excellent quality, but cost three times less than their foreign counterparts.

In addition, a master’s kit may contain a lot of other tools. They may be needed for complex work. For beginners, the very minimum, but of good quality, will be enough so that the hands immediately get used to the correct movements. Experts recommend that beginning craftsmen stock up on a set of a dozen tools and gradually improve their skills and replenish their arsenal.

Wood carving is an ancient and popular type of artistic wood processing. Folk craftsmen knew a lot about making wood products, they had a great sense of its properties, the unusual aesthetics of texture, the pliability of the material, and practicality. Craftsmen gave their products functional forms with amazing artistic imagery, and sought to combine beautiful decor with everyday and household needs.

Types of thread:

- flat or recessed;

- flat-relief; - relief; - slotted or openwork; - sculptural or volumetric; - house (ship) These types of carvings are also subject to classification according to the nature of the design and execution technique.

Flat grooved thread . For such carvings, a flat surface serves as the background; it decorates the product or workpiece, and the design is created through various recesses - recesses. According to the shape of the recesses and the nature of the pattern, flat carving can be: - contour , in this technique various meshes, veins, and details of large parts of compositions are made. Used in home decoration, furniture, dishes.

-geometric (trihedral-notched), the main elements are tetrahedral, trihedral, dihedral and polyhedral notches with straight or curved sides.

- stapled - a type of geometric, the pattern is made with a semicircular or flat chisel with rounded edges.

Flat-relief carving is often used in house carvings and in the manufacture of various souvenirs. This carving is characterized by selecting or deepening the background around the ornament to a depth of 5-7 mm. In this case, the ornament must be the same height, which distinguishes it from other types of carving. Usually the composition is created using simple drawings: plant leaves, images of animals, geometric shapes.

In flat-relief carving, the planes of the ornament can be: concave; straight; convex.

Also in flat-relief carving the background can be different: ridged, selected, worked and slotted, and undercut. And although the design is applied to a flat workpiece, due to the processing of the background it turns out to be convex.

Types of background. Ovalized (a). The simplest type of flat-relief carving. It is similar to contour carving, since the outline of the design consists of slightly oval, dihedral recesses.

Pillow (b). The background is never flat. The drawing on the side of the contour is steeply rounded, and on the side of the background it is more flattened, the shape of the background resembles pads.

Selected (in). A carving with a selected background is performed in the same way as a carving with an oval contour, but the background is selected to a certain depth. The background can be made smooth, caulked or filled with profile slots.

Matched (g). They are performed similarly to carvings with an oval background, but the background around the ornament is chosen at a certain angle of inclination to the plane.

Undercut (d). A carving with an undercut background resembles a carving with a selected background, the only difference being that the background goes under the ornament.

Varieties of flat-relief carving.

Openwork (slotted) carving.
The background of the pattern is selected entirely by through sawing or drilling. This technique is used to make platbands, shutters, cornices, anemones, fenders, and piers in wooden huts. Overlay thread .
A type of openwork carving, this is an openwork carving attached to a wooden plane. Relief carving - the design stands out noticeably against the general background. There are practically no flat surfaces in such carvings. The pattern contains dots of varying heights and shapes. Using the technique of relief carving, furniture and walls are decorated, and picturesque panels are made.

Blind relief carving is a carving with an uncut (blank) background, a high relief pattern, and almost no flat surface.

Relief carving is divided into : bas-relief, high-relief and counter-relief. Bas -relief carving is a carving with low relief; in such a carving, a convex image protrudes above the background surface by no more than half its thickness

High relief carving is a carving with high relief, in which the convex image protrudes above the background surface by more than half of its volume

Counter-relief carving. These are carvings on gingerbread boards. One of the most ancient forms of wood carving. Boards dating from the 12th and 13th centuries have survived to this day. Wooden molds of gingerbread boards were used to make festive oven-baked gingerbread cookies. A gingerbread mold is a board made of hardwood with a processed relief cut into it, the so-called counter-relief. A craftsman working on a gingerbread board must be fluent in notched carving techniques.

There are five types of gingerbread boards: figured, piece, typesetting, honorary, city.

Slotted carving - carving with background removal. Using sawing, curved parts are obtained, intended for elements of house carvings, souvenirs, and furniture.

The slotted thread is divided into contour, through, openwork and overhead.

Contour thread - the edges of the workpieces are processed with open slots.

Through thread, in this technique the slots are made closed inside the workpiece. These are furniture elements, details of cornices, various souvenirs.

Openwork carving is a through carving with additional processing of the pattern by rounding or flat carving. Not to be confused with flat-relief openwork carving.

Overlay threads include slotted thread elements glued to a flat surface. Used to decorate furniture and in house carvings.

Sculptural carving is a three-dimensional easel or decorative sculpture made of natural wood. Three-dimensional carving is widely used in churches, where they decorate altars, carve images of saints, and carve crosses. Sculptural wood carving was widely used for decorating interiors and furniture in the classical style. The legs of chairs and armchairs were often made in the shape of animal paws, and the armrests of the chairs were decorated with figures of fantastic animals and birds.

Carved table in Romanesque style

This technique is used to make both small children's toys and large ones - taller than human height, easel or decorative sculptures. The processing of the entire surface inherent in sculpture and all-round visibility require careful, well-thought-out detailing and skills in performing contour, geometric, flat-relief and relief carvings.

House carving

Wood carvings have been used to decorate houses for more than five centuries. This carving represents the decoration of the exterior of the house by carving various shapes and ornaments on wooden elements. Almost all protruding and overhead elements of the house facades were decorated with carvings. At first, house carvings served as a talisman against evil dark forces, as well as to attract powerful light forces. A whole system of symbols was developed to protect the peasant house and household members, but over time it lost its protective functions. More and more artistic elements began to appear in motifs and ornaments. All types of carving are used in house carving: flat-relief, flat-relief, relief, slotted and sculpted.

Wood used for carving

The starting material is different types of wood. Linden became the most popular. It most successfully combines the technical characteristics necessary for specialists. It is soft, has a dense, smooth surface, is easy to process, can be stained, sanded, and varnished. When properly prepared, it will not warp or crack.

Other thin-layer trees are used: maple, apple, rowan, alder, walnut, poplar. Oak is also taken as a basis, but it is quite durable and requires not only dexterity, but also brute male strength. Some people use resinous softwoods, but they have a lot of disadvantages. Selected trunks are prepared at least a couple of years before use. They are thoroughly sanded, leaving rings of bark (10-15 cm each) only at the ends. The ends are carefully treated with a clay solution and paint - this way the appearance of cracks is prevented. Drying is carried out under sheds, in sheds with good ventilation. Subsequently, all this stuff is dissolved into boards and chopping blocks.

How to select and prepare wood for carving

You can start practicing making carved relief surfaces on ready-made boards. Shelves from old racks are suitable, parts that can be bought for next to nothing in any carpentry shop or sawmill. Linden wood is considered the most suitable for carving. Among the advantages of this breed, craftsmen note its uniform density, slight shrinkage during drying and rapid drying, in addition, the ability to cut in relief both along the fibers and across them.

Before work, the material must be dried. The tree is harvested from November to February, when there is little juice in it. If the master buys a ready-made workpiece, then you need to clarify whether it has been dried. If you do it yourself, the process looks like this. First, the trunk is cleared of branches and bark, then cut into pieces.

Then the wood for carving is boiled in a container with salt added for 4 hours. This will remove juices and speed up the drying process. Then the blanks are lowered into the basement, where they are placed upright on the concrete floor. This will draw out excess moisture, after which the wood is laid in a ventilated area under a canopy for drying. A moisture content of 12-10% is considered normal. Without special equipment, the content can be found out like this. A piece 3 cm long and 15 cm wide is cut from the end (the excess is removed).

The fragment is weighed and then dried for 5 hours at a temperature of +100°C in the oven. Then they weigh it again and make calculations. To do this, the resulting difference is divided by 150 and multiplied by 100. The result will show the existing humidity.

Wood carving for beginners from experienced wood carvers

Now let’s take a closer look at the master class for beginners on geometric carving. We will make an interesting side on a pine board that has been pre-primed. It is not necessary to do this, but it is advisable if you do not want sloppy breaks to form during the work process.

Stages of wood carving work

So, first, let's prepare the necessary tools and equipment. After this you can start working.

Illustration	Description of action
	To do this, we make 2 cm markings along the entire length of the board from the side and the end, using a regular ruler.
	We take a cut-out flag, install it inside the marking at a slope, as shown in the photo, and make a shallow slot along the entire length.
	We do the same thing only from the end side.
We take another flag and remove the corner, but not all the way, but a little more than half the square.
We turn the board on its side and also make cuts at an angle, removing parts of the wood completely. The result is diamond-shaped notches.
	We take a semicircular tool and make cuts from the side noses to the center of the marking, as shown in the photo. To avoid leaving any middle residue when carving, try using a larger diameter cutter.
	Alternatively, these unsightly residues can be quickly removed with a flag by simply chipping them off.
	We turn it over to the end part and do the same. There is no need to press. We work gently and carefully. If you have a good tool, the wood will be easy to process.
Berm a flat corner and make a very careful bevel inward. We make a rotating element on the end side in a similar way.
	To prevent such defects from appearing, you can use a beveled corner when working. Or after that they can simply carefully remove the resulting imperfections.
	We take a straight flag and clean up the pattern along the contour.
	When the pattern is finished, take fine-grained sandpaper and clean it.

The master will talk in more detail about cutting such a pattern in the video below.

Watch this video on YouTube

Wood cutting is certainly a complex craft that requires care and precision. But nothing is impossible. With due diligence, you can become a real master of this matter.

Materials for work and types of threads

To begin with, we invite you to consider which wood species can be used for such an unusual and at the same time unique activity. For those who are just starting out, it is worth using softwoods.

There are the following types of wood:

• Soft - pine, linden and aspen.
• Hard - walnut, beech, ash or oak.
• The hardest are yew, acacia and hornbeam.

In order to engage in triangular-notched carving, you must acquire:

• A ruler and a blunt knife.
• Eraser and compass.
• A chisel (semicircular and round, 2 cm wide) and a pencil.
• Strubnina for clamping a wooden workpiece.
• Planer and electric jigsaw.
• Spiral and feather drills, hacksaw.
• Electric drill and files.

There are these types of carvings:

1. Flat-relief - it involves placing the background and pattern in a single plane. Pargori and Abramtsevo-Kudrin carving are its varieties.
2. Saw - to some extent is a continuation of the first, because the image is cut out using an electric jigsaw and the decoration is a mesh.
3. Slotted - it is used for flat elements, and certain background areas are completely removed.

Flat-relief carving has two subtypes:

• A carving that has an oval contour - with unusual effects of light shadows resulting from a combination of a steeper rounding (from the side of the pattern) and a hollow one from the background.
• With a selected or cushion background - practically the same as with a contour, but the only difference is that the background is not flat, but in certain cases is located directly below the ornament. The pattern is complexly applied to the plane, and the background in this case is made using embossing.

Preparing for work

For the first lesson, you need a board measuring 170 by 110 mm and 2 cm thick. Sketches for this work will be given below. The surface of the board must be sanded with sandpaper. Now, using a ruler and a simple pencil, draw out the entire surface of the tree in 5 cm cells.

Then we draw all the figures, as shown in the figure below. There were 7 figures in total: pegs, diamonds, a twist, a pyramid, stars, squares and a rosette. From these figures you can then create new patterns. A photograph that shows what compositions can be made from just elements, and how the composition looks after processing and painting the wood.

Geometric carving master class

As mentioned above, geometric carving is considered one of the simplest, so it is ideal for teaching beginners. A minimum set of tools is required for work. During the cutting process, only precision matters. The elements of the drawing must have clear symmetry. The images themselves consist of repeating zones that form a single elegant composition.

Technology and sequence of geometric carving

The design using the geometric carving technique is based on various simple shapes: circles, triangles, squares, rectangles, trapezoids and rhombuses, which are complemented by straight and broken lines. Contrary to the misconceptions of ordinary people, the finished compositions are devoid of angularity and roughness. The play of light and shadow emphasizes the relief of the image. Geometric carvings have no subjects, as such. It conveys the mood and clearly demonstrates the author's skill. The finished product can amaze with the complexity and subtlety of the work, and sometimes adheres to the principles of laconicism, which does not in any way affect its perception. Very often, the composition is based on traditional Russian ornaments, which were previously considered “amulets” against evil forces. The process of working in the technique of geometric carving is conventionally divided into stages:

• Preparatory. It includes the production of a blank (blank) and rough leveling of its surface, that is, the removal of defects, chips, and relief elements.
• Working on a composition using knives.
• The final stage. Final processing of the workpiece: grinding, impregnation with special compounds, coating with varnish or paint.

After drying, the carved craft can be used for its intended purpose.

Required Tools

To work in the technique of geometric carving, you will need a minimum set of tools:

• Pencil, compass and ruler (pattern) for drawing up an accurate drawing.
• Two types of knives: “jamb” and “feather” (a type of Bogorodsk knives).

The first type of knife is used for cutting straight lines that form angular geometric shapes, and the second is used for “grooves” with soft curves.

Sketching a pattern

Craftsmen who have a “full hand” apply patterns directly to the workpiece using a pencil, a compass, and a ruler. For beginners, it is better to first draw a sketch on paper or use ready-made drawings that can be easily found on the World Wide Web. The patterns are printed, then applied to the blank and traced along the contour using carbon paper. When the design is completely transferred to the workpiece, you can begin cutting out the composition.

Cutting out patterns

You need to start with soft details (circles, petals, smooth lines). For work, use a pen knife. It is held in the hand between the palm and the index finger. The thumb is set aside and leaned against the workpiece. It will serve as a support. The bent index finger will become the regulator of the force of pressure on the instrument and its angle of inclination. The depth of the “groove” will depend on this. Remember that you need to cut on your own. First, one part of the composition is processed (on the left or right depending on the leading hand), and then the blank is turned over and the second part of the pattern continues to be cut out.

Now the joint knife comes into play to work on the triangular elements. This instrument is held differently. It is held between the index finger and thumb, like a pencil, but at the very end of the handle, closer to the blade. The “heel” of the knife is forcefully driven into the workpiece at an angle of 45 degrees, but not at the very edge of the figure, but with a slight indentation. It must be done so that the recess has “flat” edges. “Grooves” with such a relief look more beautiful. The edges of the triangles must meet. Using the same algorithm, the remaining elements of the design are cut out. The used pieces of wood should be in the shape of pyramids, then the work will be done correctly.

Grinding and impregnation of the finished product

To smooth out the roughness of the edges of the “grooves,” the surface of the craft should be lightly sanded with sandpaper. Then the product is impregnated with a special composition. Some varnish their crafts, but most craftsmen prefer the process of waxing (wax mastic) or coating the surface with oil. In this case, the craft will acquire a light, natural shine. Usually flaxseed, dandelion, peppermint, and seven-herb oils are used. These same compounds are excellent for impregnating dishes. The craft is thickly lubricated with the product, after which the oil is “rubbed” into the wood. The product should now dry. It is best to put it outside to dry in the sun. Some people place the products near the battery or use a hairdryer to speed up the process.

What can you get by carving wood?

The main design, which is made using the technique of flat-relief carving or another variety of it, is a carving ornament. It can be a simple geometric pattern or vegetation, stylization.

An example of a box made with relief carvings

More experienced masters include images of animals, birds, and people in their works. There are both traditional folk stories and compositions on modern themes. It all depends on the skill of the author and his ability to transfer the image to the board.

Openwork or through technique

When creating openwork images, complete removal of wood from the center of the product is used. This drawing has no background. This type of thread technology is called through. It can be simple and openwork. With openwork design, the decor is made of different heights.

Recently, this type of needlework, such as designer wood carving, has become especially popular. Artistic wood carving “Tatyanka”, wood carving “Russian” is a fascinating form of leisure and an excellent hobby that does not require serious material costs. Different types of artistic wood carving are suitable for both adults and children of high school age.

Carving in the “Tatyanka” style is often practiced by schoolchildren (both boys and girls) in clubs and art classes, as well as adults who are not indifferent to beauty. Tools required for work

can be purchased in stores that sell everything for wood carving and creativity.

There are many different styles of wood carving around the world. Many of them require the purchase of rare types of wood and expensive tools, as well as many years of painstaking training in technology. Of all the types of tenderloin, the type “tatyanka” stands out because it does not require long training. The operating technique is very simple. Everything you need for work can be found at home or bought in specialized stores. So, before starting work, the master of artistic carving “Tatyanka” must first prepare

:

In order to better understand the technology of working with wood, it is recommended to watch a training video or attend a master class by experienced carvers. You can also find out all the details about the Tatyanka carving technique by visiting art exhibitions of domestic masters of decorative and applied arts. As a rule, during each woodcarving exhibition, creative meetings are held with the artists-authors of the works, during which you can get answers to all your questions.

Wood carving school: how to become a real master of Tatyanka carving

In order to understand and comprehend all the intricacies of working with such an interesting and noble material as wood, it takes time. Nevertheless, mastering the “tatyanka” carving technique is quite simple, the main thing is

– patience, attentiveness, ardent desire and a creative approach to business. For beginners, soft woods are recommended because they are easier to work with. The color of the wood can be any.

The finished work can be treated with a special varnish (stain) or painted. But still, the work that completely preserves all the richness of the natural world

wood colors.

In order for the finished work to last as long as possible, all famous carving masters pre-treat wooden blanks with a water-repellent and antifungal composition. If these rules are neglected, the work may suffer greatly in the future due to improper storage conditions. It is also necessary to ensure that the material intended for work is not initially damaged. For example, you should not use wood that is covered with mold or damaged by bugs to make a product.

How to create masterpieces of wood carving: practical recommendations

In order to master the technique of wood carving and create real hand-made masterpieces using this technique, you must take into account the following practical recommendations

:

Using the wood carving technique, you can make original gifts for family and friends. The main thing is to show your imagination and carefully study the natural texture of a piece of wood before starting work. This will help you approach your work creatively and most fully convey the beauty of the tree. Woodworking is an excellent hobby that develops

imagination, spatial thinking and fine motor skills, as well as artistic taste. Visiting exhibitions and master classes will help you experience beauty more fully and delve deeper into the specifics of working with wood.

The presented wood carving lessons will introduce beginners to this craft so that you can create objects from natural materials with your own hands.

Carving techniques

Currently, wood carving is divided into several types:

• Openwork;
• Geometric;
• Flat-relief;
• Embossed;
• Sculptural;
• Invoice.

Below we will take a closer look at all these types.

The photo shows an example of decorating a facade with openwork carvings

Openwork

Openwork or, as I also call it, sawn carving began to be widely used in the 19th century. Moreover, it was popular both in village houses and city apartments.

It is used to decorate the following building elements:

• Entrances
• Nalychnikov,
• Gables of houses, etc.

This technique is based on sawing shaped holes. Wood carving looks very impressive and resembles wooden lace.

As for the drawing, it can contain various motifs:

• Relief carving;
• Ornamental and decorative patterns;
• Geometric images reminiscent of patterns in lace and folk embroidery.

Nowadays, openwork carving enjoys a certain popularity when decorating country houses, gazebos, etc.

Wood carving hammer

To make sawing threads, a simple tool is usually used:

• Rotary for making holes - it should be noted that for holes with a diameter of more than 10 mm, special flat drills - perks - are used.
• Saw for cutting parts along the outer contour - special circular (rotary) saws are used. The width of their canvas is in the range of 4-15 mm. Narrow blades are used to obtain sharp curves, and wide blades are used to cut smooth shapes.

A distinctive feature of a bow saw for carving is that the blade can be rotated in different directions. Thanks to this, you can make cuts in different directions without changing the position of the saw machine.

Trigger saw

• Saw for cutting out internal openings - for these purposes, hacksaw saws with narrow wedge-shaped blades are used. Such saws are called trigger saws. The thickness of their canvases is one and a half millimeters, the width at the handle is in the range of 20-40 mm, the length is in the range of 320-530 mm.

Advice! You can make a hammer with your own hands from an old hacksaw blade one and a half millimeters thick. To do this, it needs to be cut in the shape of a sharp elongated wedge.

To perform sawing threads, as a rule, boards with a thickness of one and a half to two millimeters are used.

They can be made from the following types of wood:

• Alders;
• Pines;
• Aspens:
• Birches.

It should be noted that not all blanks are suitable for these purposes. The boards must be well dried and free of cracks.

Note! When cutting wood with any tool, the instructions for working with it and safety regulations must be strictly followed. Otherwise, injuries are simply inevitable.

Geometric artistic wood carving

Geometric

It is one of the most ancient types of wood carving. Its principle is based on the fact that patterns consisting of a combination of geometric shapes are applied to wood. These can be straight or arcuate elements.

Geometric hand carving of wood is carried out with the following tools:

• Semicircular chisels;
• With a knife and a joint.

This type of carving is popular due to its simplicity. In addition, it requires a minimal set of tools. Unlike openwork, geometric carving does not require knowledge of the theory of design, but at the same time allows you to get a spectacular result.

Another feature of this technique is the shallow depth of the pattern. The latter can consist of a number of elements, such as rhombuses, squares, trapezoids, etc. Thanks to such an abundance of figures, you can create rich compositions based on the play of chiaroscuro.

Flat relief pattern

Flat-relief

Flat-relief wood carving is also a very ancient technique, which is still popular today. The basis of its pattern is a flat relief.

This means that the design, usually floral, is applied by deepening the background. At the same time, it itself remains level with the surface of the board. The background depth can be 5-10 mm.

To make the image more soft and lively, the edges of the pattern are rolled up or slightly rounded. I must say that this technique is not complicated, but the process of selecting the background itself is quite lengthy. Therefore, in our time, such wood carving is most often performed with a milling cutter, and manually.

When selecting a background by hand, a chasing technique is usually used to smooth out the unevenness resulting from hand carving.

In addition, using embossing you can apply different depths:

• Grooves;
• Cells;
• Grooves, etc.

Small incisors are usually used for these purposes.

Relief carving

Embossed

Relief wood carving differs from flat-relief carving in that it involves processing not only the outline of the ornament, but also the entire rest of the surface. In this case, the contour can rise by 6-8 mm.

This technique is more complex. To carry it out, a set of chisels and wood knives are used to select wood and apply a pattern.

Some craftsmen also use a burr machine, which allows grinding and polishing in hard-to-reach places during the finishing process of the part. These devices are especially often used when working with hard wood.

Example of contour thread

Contour

Contour wood carving is the opposite of relief carving, as it is performed by deepening the outline of the design. It must be said that this technique is rarely used on its own. As a rule, it is combined with relief or geometric carvings.

With its help, all kinds of meshes, veins, and some details of animals and birds are made. As a rule, the design is applied with a blunt knife or a small chisel. In most cases, one knife is enough for the job.

An example of a three-dimensional wooden figurine

Volumetric

Volumetric wood carving is also called sculptural. It is also widespread along with openwork and relief. Unlike all of the above techniques, volumetric carving involves processing the workpiece from several or even all sides.

In architecture, this technique is used in the manufacture of wooden columns, carved balusters and other parts. The legs of expensive furniture are often finished in this way. This carving is called sculptural because it allows you to make figures.

A variety of tools are used for this technique, but the main ones are chisels and jamb knives. It should also be noted that similar wood processing in production is performed on machines with numerical software. As a rule, 3D wood carving made on a machine is something between classic volumetric and relief.

Advice! In specialized stores you can find sets of carving tools that can be used for different techniques. Their price is usually quite affordable and depends on the number of items in the set.

Invoice

Finally, let’s get acquainted with such a technique as applied wood carving. Its principle is based on the production of small parts using the slotted and relief method, which are subsequently glued or nailed to any surface.

Overlay carved part

The main advantage of this technique is that the pattern looks clearer compared to blind carvings. However, the work of making parts to have an attractive appearance must be done as cleanly as possible.

Note! When making applied parts, experts do not recommend chamfering from the back side, otherwise it will appear that the pattern is torn off from the main background.

Here, perhaps, are all the most common wood carving techniques.

DIY making

There is no need to purchase such equipment in retail establishments. It is not difficult to make a mechanical wedge with your own hands. Before starting work, it is recommended to first make a drawing. You can sketch it yourself, or find it on special websites. There you can also get acquainted with the detailed manufacturing technology of the structure.

Necessary materials

To construct weims with your own hands, a special load-bearing beam is used as a base. It must certainly be highly durable. In addition, you will need a profile pipe; you can use a rectangular or square one. It is also possible to use a metal corner or channel as a basis. This, of course, will make the structure heavier, but will give it additional strength. Such a clamp can also be made of wood, but the gluing of parts on it will not be sufficiently reliable and of high quality. Therefore, it is preferable to assemble this structure from metal parts.

As for materials and equipment for such work, you will need the following.

1. Profile pipe.
2. Channel or metal corner.
3. Fastening elements.
4. Wooden spacers.
5. Square.
6. Level.
7. Welding machine.

As a result, the finished structure, made by hand, should be durable and withstand serious loads. Otherwise, the product may become deformed or even break during operation. It is advisable that the clamps be secured in such a way that they can move freely. This will allow you to use a home-made clamp, even for fairly large parts.

Step-by-step instruction

First of all, you need to make a base. Profiled pipes are used for this. They must be at least 1 m long. Sometimes it may be necessary to use a pipe bender. Then the parts are assembled using bolts. They need to be connected by welding. In cases where the assembly is carried out on metal corners, the channel must be fixed, and the spaces between them must be equal.

The short corner together with the edge of the channel are installed perpendicularly between the long parts. It would be a good idea to place shims about 10mm thick under the nuts. After this, connections are processed. For this purpose, a welding machine is required. Only the joint between the corner and the channel should be left untreated, otherwise a seam will appear that will interfere with gluing.

For clamps, you can use ordinary metal rods. Their diameter should be approximately 5 cm. Holes (1 cm) must be drilled in the end. Then insert ball bearings into them. This is done to reduce friction, which will extend the life of the structure.

Holes are also drilled to secure the clamps. Their diameter should be 10 mm. Pins are inserted into them. They will make it possible to change the position of the wooden element during processing. For additional stability and strength, it is recommended to weld special stops to the structure from below.

In the process of creating a carpentry frame with your own hands, you must strictly monitor the position of the parts. They must be installed exactly in parallel. A building level is used for clarification.

In addition, it is also important to ensure that there is no distortion of the metal during welding.

Electrical tools

When you start making workpieces yourself, you will need a band saw. A huge selection of blades will allow you to make the most difficult cuts with ease, far surpassing anything that can be done with a bow saw. An openwork saw will help to process the inner surface, but not every tree can handle it. Belt and disc sanders are good for both finishing and removing bark. Many carvers use rotary tools with a wide range of heads to machine parts such as feathers. There are hand-held grinders and small high-speed cutters. There are also at least four types of electric chisels with a reciprocating motion, allowing arthritic people and people with tennis elbow to enjoy carving.

Features of relief carving

Experts note that flat-relief carving and other types of similar wood processing have a number of features. The technology makes it impossible to polish wood. Therefore, craftsmen limit themselves only to finishing and polishing large elements of the design.

Sketches are made on a 1:1 scale to make it convenient to transfer the drawing to the surface. To do this, it is better to use graph paper and tracing paper, which will make transferring the image easier.

Self-made sketch for relief carving

When making a relief image, the outline is first cut and then processed, giving convexity to the design. When making sketches, you need to remember this. Note that slotted processing is formed from flat-relief processing. To do this, you need to remove the existing background, leaving only the convex pattern.

Types and areas of application of taps

Internal thread cutting can be done manually or using various types of machines (drilling, lathe, etc.). The working tools that perform the main work of cutting internal threads are machine-hand or machine taps.

Taps are divided into different types depending on a number of parameters. The following principles for classifying taps are generally accepted.

1. According to the method of rotation, a distinction is made between machine-manual and machine taps, with the help of which internal threads are cut. Machine-hand taps equipped with a square shank are used in conjunction with a special device with two handles (this is the so-called tap holder). With the help of such a device, the tap is rotated and cuts the thread. Thread cutting with a machine tap is carried out on metal-cutting machines of various types, in the chuck of which such a tool is fixed.
2. Based on the method by which internal threads are cut, a distinction is made between universal (through) taps and complete taps. The working part of the former is divided into several sections, each of which differs from the others in its geometric parameters. The section of the working part that first begins to interact with the surface being processed performs rough processing, the second - intermediate, and the third, located closer to the shank - finishing. Cutting threads with complete taps requires the use of several tools. So, if a set consists of three taps, then the first of them is intended for roughing, the second for intermediate, and the third for finishing. As a rule, a set of taps for cutting threads of a certain diameter includes three tools, but in some cases, when products made of particularly hard material are processed, sets consisting of five tools can be used.
3. Based on the type of hole on the inner surface of which it is necessary to cut a thread, taps for through and blind holes are distinguished. A tool for processing through holes is characterized by an elongated conical tip (approach), which smoothly passes into the working part. Universal type taps most often have this design. The process of cutting internal threads in blind holes is carried out using taps, the conical tip of which is cut off and performs the function of a simple milling cutter. This design of the tap allows it to cut threads to the full depth of a blind hole. To cut a thread of this type, as a rule, a set of taps is used, driven manually using a wrench.
4. According to the design of the working part, taps can have straight, helical or shortened chip removal grooves. It should be borne in mind that taps with grooves of various types can be used for cutting threads in products made of relatively soft materials - carbon, low-alloy steel alloys, etc. If threads need to be cut in parts made of very hard or viscous materials (stainless, heat-resistant steels, etc.), then for these purposes taps are used, the cutting elements of which are arranged in a checkerboard pattern.

A good tap is made of high-quality tool steel, looks neat and has smoothly machined turns and grooves.
Taps are usually used for cutting metric threads, but there are tools that can be used to cut pipe and inch internal threads. In addition, taps also differ in the shape of their working surface, which can be cylindrical or conical.

Let’s just look at the option with an oval background (outline)

To perform this type of carving, grooves are cut along the contour of the sketch, which are then ovalized (rounded) both from the background and from the ornament side.

First, make cuts with a blunt knife along the contour. On curves, cuts are made using semicircular chisels of suitable width.

The background of the picture is also removed with a knife or a straight chisel, maintaining a 30-degree inclination of the cut to the plane of the workpiece.

On the side of the image of the ornament, the contour should be steeper, on the background side it should be sloping, this will allow the pattern to look more convex.
After finishing the rounding, you can use cutters to sand the product with fine sandpaper. With a selected background.
The difference between a carving with a selected background and a flat-relief carving with an oval background is that the background around the ornament is removed with one inclination angle to the workpiece plane selected for the entire product (30-45°) and is not further processed (rounded) with a cutting tool and not sanding.
With pillow background.
Cushion carving is a type of carving with an oval outline.
The only difference is that the background does not remain flat and may be lower than the plane of the product’s ornament. Raising the ornament above the background has its advantages, but also its disadvantages. Cutting the entire background to the same height takes quite a lot of time, especially with large volumes. In addition, this work requires skill and accuracy so as not to damage the product. With a selected and trimmed background.
This type differs from others in that depressions are created around the main picture, which is why the image seems to rise above the background to a different height (usually within 5-7mm), turning out to be deeper and more interesting in appearance.

It is very difficult to see and feel the difference between different types of carving. Often many types are combined in one product, because of this it is not worth giving clear definitions and starting any disputes on this basis.

Features and scope of application

The original and unusual ornamental pattern of a geometric notch is obtained by creating dihedral, trihedral and tetrahedral notches in wood, which are folded into geometric elements.

Despite the fact that this type of carving is considered the simplest, for many years the price of products decorated with its help has been quite high, and it has received a special place among other types of crafts.

The only limitation in the areas of application of geometric carving can be the author’s imagination, his sense of proportion and taste.

Today there is a large number of furniture decorated in this way, here are just a few:

• buffets;
• cabinets;
• cradle;
• shelves;
• coffee tables;
• the Bureau;
• chests of drawers

Geometric wood carving patterns created by professionals can be found not only in the private homes of collectors and craft connoisseurs, but also in various museums - for example, in the Catherine Palace in Pushkin or in the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.

How to choose wood

To train your skill and learn to work with wood, you should start with small parts and elements, this will give you the opportunity to get the basis of the craft. To get a better feel for the wood, it is better to perform the very first drawing on soft wood:

After gaining experience, you can start making patterns on more expensive materials without fear of ruining them. Hardwoods are considered the most valuable. For example, to produce expensive and unique furniture, tree species native to Russia such as beech, oak and pear are often used.

The first has a fairly soft structure, but the wood has attractive aesthetic characteristics; the last two representatives are more hard. By the way, from many points of view, the characteristics of hazel are the most sought after, so in furniture stores that sell antiques you can find products made from it.

How the material is procured

To perform the work correctly, the material must first be prepared. The selected boards are interspersed and stacked over the next 2-3 years.

The main condition is the correct choice of place for drying; for example, the attic is considered optimal. Please note that sudden changes in temperature, cold and humidity can greatly affect the subsequent quality of the material, so it should be protected from their influence. Periodically rearrange the boards on different sides; in addition, you need to shift the blanks from wall to wall.

Sometimes synthetic or natural dyes are applied to the material. It is best to use the latter, then the appearance of the finished work looks natural and attractive.

The easiest way is toning with a solution of potassium permanganate. Apply the prepared dye to the material in several layers, each of which must dry before applying the next. When used correctly, the wood can be given a mahogany-like appearance.

Required Tools

Most geometric carving work is done using a jamb. When using this tool correctly, the maximum depth should be at its top, the minimum at the base.

In addition to the joint, to work on wood you will need:

• various types of chisels;
• mallet.

When decorating furniture with geometric carvings or making a large panel, it is more convenient to use a workbench with a lid. It should not be lower than 1200 mm in height, and within 70-80 mm in width.