BEGINNER WOODCARVING | 5 Basic Things you need to get started!

[@seiren.9392]

Six years of obsessively carving away at pencils during class with craft knives will finally be honed and perfected into a worthy skill

[@sambarker404]

Also I have found that the occasional cut is a great teacher!

[@brinkleysfield]

Great video. I have found that if you fold about a 1/4 inch over on the cut off end of the tape then next time the end is easy to find.

[@tjkoker]

I just went online and purchased the Flexcut 3 knife set. I already have the saw and multiple chisel set. Now I just need to develop the eye and talent. God help me! Thanks for the video. I am surprised that you don't have at least 600K views. The video is fantastic. Cheers.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

The eye will come easy with practise, great to hear you're getting into it! Cheers

[@mattkelly1277]

In Australia Jelutong wood from South East Asia is readily available.

[@chrisc5611]

Great vid, wish I had seen this when I first began! I have probably way too many tools and the last one I ever bought was a plain chisel, which I love to use. You should definitely do more of these! There aren't enough beginner carving vids out there in my opinion and you explain things in a much clearer way than most carving youtubers do. I'm sure many carvers would appreciate some advice on things like sharpening or finishing.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Thanks! Will definitely be talking about my sharpening setup and finishing process soon!

[@reghinaterletchi9249]

Thank you for this video! Cutting away wood seems like a great form of meditation and I've been wanting to do it for months now, I'm just too lazy to buy the tools and actual wood. Well, now that I know exactly what I need I'm definitely more willing to get started.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

That's great! I certainly find it meditative

[@woodworkingcar2934]

Well I love the ending

[@sambarker404]

Carving is now my go to past time when I get time off. I've been doing it for a few years but still find videos like this really helpful as I still class myself as a beginner. Thank you for the links and the great content.

[@renx99]

I agree completely with this list. Great low cost list for getting started.

[@aarond6229]

The editing in these videos is great. Keep it up.

[@VeggieGamer]

Just a message to anyone else just starting out with wood carving, today my knifes arrived and I decided to get a pair of no-cut gloves instead of just one... And I am really glad I did XD On my first project ever today I court myself 3 times wondering why the knife wasn't cutting only to realise I had it backwards and my thumb pushing down on the blade! O_o Then again, I am a moron so that probably won't happen to anyone else. XD Awesome list for beginners, btw! You are the only one I have seen so far that suggest a chisel and I think I will definitely invest in one! :)

[@usernamemykel]

DUH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You surely are a cutup!!

[@VeggieGamer]

@@usernamemykel That's not all I am, believe me!

[@usernamemykel]

@@VeggieGamer ; )

[@j453]

Thank you so much! Very informative and helpful!

[@robknott1687]

so happy to see more carving videos popping up great videos!

[@steveshepherd333]

Really interesting, very helpful, totally engaging …. Thanks, Steve U.K. 🌳👍🏻🙏

[@grahamcairns2249]

I would have put a strop before a saw.... great list though!

[@vikypiky9293]

Good tips, i never used a chisel but i´m gonna try it!!

[@tsotnedadiani7407]

best tips ever

[@amirhosseinmaghsodi5265]

Thaank you

[@alfalfa20002000]

Great video! I'm wondering what kind of vise you use to hold your work? and how do you sharpen your tools?

[@riverwing7497]

Should I get the kevler glove or steel glove?

[@dennisgeswein2680]

I already do bigger wood working but want a hobby I can do while watching TV hanging out with the spouse thanks for the information.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

No problem! That's a great idea.

[@D2017_]

I tried whittling inthe living room. The wife wasn't happy. Too big of a mess.

[@thebuddha400]

Nice video!

[@mountainviewturning5319]

Great video 👍 nice tips

[@D2017_]

I need to get a small saw. I just carve into a larger block of wood with a cheap pocket knife until I get to the size I need.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Yes! Cutting your waste out in big chunks saves a lot of time. The closer you can get to your template with a saw before using a knife or chisel the better

[@D2017_]

@@SymanWoodcarving Yeah, but u should see the callouses on my thumbs haha!

[@aliaspinky7149]

Thank you so much!

[@simlee22ever]

Thank you

[@creaturecarvings4946]

Very well done video!

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Thanks Katja!

[@curiousgeorge555]

good

[@glasshalffull8625]

If you go to a wood supply store, you can get rough sawn boards that are a lot cheaper than boards that are planed. After all, you’re going to be carving away most of the surface, so who pay for it to be planed.

[@trafimsitnikoff910]

I can’t find a stockist for the friction guard tape - has it got another name?

[@usernamemykel]

Cohesive bandage - same as #M Vetwrap - see my post above.

[@shenlun]

for us antipodeans what easily accessible woods do you suggest ? Bunnings does not stock basswood

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Best to do a google in your local area for speciality hardwood suppliers and timber yards, and places that supply woodturners, exotic timber suppliers. Get in touch with any local carving clubs and see what woods they're using - when you say Bunnings, are you Aus or NZ?

[@trafimsitnikoff910]

Kahikatea seems to be a soft wood. I enjoy pohutukawa at the moment as it is a bit harder and easy to find

[@SlothAndKami]

Unfortunately it seems that the flexcut knives are out of stock but I do have one of those scalpel/razor knife things from my model tool kit. I always wanted to try wood carving, I think the low barrier to entry definitely helps. Might go pick up some wood this weekend and give it a shot. Any beginner designs you would recommend? Edit: forgot to check the Amazon links, looks like they're still on there :P

[@SymanWoodcarving]

I'm going to be doing some beginner projects soon, another channel to check out for good carving stuff is Doug Linker, who does more traditional caricature carving.

[@kahlimist]

Hey man, what wood would you use back in Aus/NZ? I'm in QLD and would love to get started but Basswood isn't easily sourced round these parts. 'Australian White Beech' and 'Jelutong' are woods I see named for Australians but any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm even considering buying a few blocks of basswood just to get started but I don't really want to be shipping wood all the way around the world when there's so much right here. Doesn't seem fair, or sustainable.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

I get what you mean - I could help with NZ but I don't really know for Aus sorry. I would look online for local carvers and carving clubs and see what they're using as a good start

[@rodney73991]

you should do bobble head looking jack sparrow with hold giant coin. copy coin first movie got skull Aztec gold. Spanish or British coin on back. hat similar to put on hat like did detetive pickachew . and coin pop off hand run string through ware it like necklace.

[@mariaocampo2479]

No filter mask?

[@melanieleavitt6783]

Good vid. Thanks! But what about a clamp? I've struggled to rough out basic shapes with a saw or even detail work with knife/chisel whilst lacking a clamp (especially for smaller pieces). What kind/size clamp might be versatile and useful, or does it matter?

[@SymanWoodcarving]

The only time I might use a clamp is when sawing - otherwise I hold it free hand. I just have a small C clamp, but mostly I use a wooden bench hook (I show this in my van video) it's a simple jig that helps keep the wood steady

[@glasshalffull8625]

If you are working on a flat backed project, there are these non-skid shelf liners type things that marine stores sell as placemats. I’ve also see videos that show gluing the project to a larger board with a piece of newspaper in between and then breaking the joint when the project is done.

[@sinnev5648]

What about finishes? I see you use different things. How important is it? and what does different finishes do?

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Finishing is very important, as is the preparation of the wood for finish - I'm going to be covering this in another video sometime soon!

[@sinnev5648]

@@SymanWoodcarving Great! I'm looking forward to that video!

[@davidvitale9338]

I have had very bad luck getting basswood from Amazon. The blocks are very hard and not pleasant to carve.

[@benzies6449]

Would a utility knife work for a beginning knife

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Perhaps, however the issue with a utility knife is that the width of the blade makes carving difficult

[@benzies6449]

@@SymanWoodcarving ok thanks

[@D2017_]

@@benzies6449 if you have a hobby lobby next to you they've got some cheap ones. I think I paid $4 for a beginner carving knife when I first started.

[@daryldawe3943]

This is a great video I really glad I stumbled on to your channel!

[@usernamemykel]

One of the world's greatest wood caricature carvers ONLY uses a Stanley utility knife - Dave Stetson of Scottsdale, Arizona, USA - founded Caricature Carvers of America. Another very respected fellow, Kevin Coates (he's on YT) uses mostly a broken old fishing knife. He likes to use Eastern White Pine, BTW.

[@tiagotiagot]

How about going at it with just a dremel?

[@SymanWoodcarving]

A dremel is definitely an option! It's not my favourite thing to use due to the mess and noise, and I find I'm much more accurate with a sharp hand tool. Using a powertool can really spped things up but when it comes to getting nice clean surfaces and precise lines it can be easy to make mistakes!

[@boomerzoomerfigureitout3806]

whetstones

[@SymanWoodcarving]

I'll be sure to be covering sharpening in a video to come soon!

[@geoffreyboyling615]

This is an interesting and useful video that is spoiled by the irritating and distracting background music!

[@LEKProductions]

Hard to hear what he's saying when he's talking about the wood type, as he says it too fast every time he says it. Sounds like Besswood (beswood?), but all I find is meat slicers when I look, lol. Lyndonwood brings up nothing related either. Wish he'd put the name up on screen, so we know the spelling.

[@robw95]

Basswood (also called Linden wood)

[@figueredoruley8050]

I did something like this a month ago with plans from Woodglut.

[@matthewperkins5735]

Thank you