Carving

Amy Umbel argues fancy sloyd knives and expensive gouges are all well and good, but the perfect knife for any carver—especially a beginner—is the one you will actually use. Time, practice, and love for the craft are more important than any tool.

A round block, two bench dogs, and a bench-dog screw clamp make an adaptable mount for carving.

Mary May shares her pattern and her step-by-step technique for carving his classic furniture decoration.

Drawing helps you practice the leaf before putting a gouge to wood

Moving ever closer to completion of the Queen Anne chair, Dan finesses the shape of the transition blocks to give the chair a lighter look.

Dan takes one last look at the legs before completing the shaping and scraping.

Dan continues the shaping of the legs, creating the classic curves we've come to love in Queen Anne furniture.

Dan begins the processes of making the cabriole leg look like a cabriole leg.

Linden wood and Oleksander's sharp-as-can-be gouges make for some satisfying, albeit scary carving.

Dan finishes the shaping of the cabriole leg as the chair starts to come to life.