Course Schedules

• Continuing Course – to completion (from 80 to 120 hours)
• Overview Course – 40 or 80 hours

Course Description

This course in carving is designed to familiarize the student with the structure of wood and the preferred methods of cutting it with chisels and gouges. These edge tools are driven with a wooden mallet.

The project we make in this course is an oval or free form bowl. The bowl is cut from a solid piece of large dimension timber.

The bowl is made in several stages:

1. The shape is drawn to full size.
2. The foot is hollowed and finished. The foot is made with a gouge, a chisel and a scraper.
3. The section of the bowl is drawn full size along a centre line, so that depth may be determined.
4. The bowl is hollowed with a gouge and a scraper. The scraper may have to be specifically made to suit the contour. A temporary finish coating is applied.
5. The outside surface of the bowl is made with a bandsaw, a plane, a spokeshave and a scraper.

Course Content

• Measurement and lay-out
• Making a full size drawing
• Selecting timbers for carving
• Use of the bench and the vise
• Clamping and holding work for carving
• Safety in the workshop
• Cutting long grain
• Cutting end grain
• Dealing with knots
• Shrinkage in wood and methods of control
• Dealing with cracks and shakes
• Use of the drill press and peripheral speeds
• Choice of suitable tools
• Sharpening and grinding gouges and chisels
• Sharpening edge tools
• How to make a scraper
• How to make a depth gauge
• Use of gouges and chisels
• Use of spokeshaves
• Use of scrapers
• Use of sealers and finishes
• Use of the bench plane
• Use of the band saw
• Use of the table saw
• Use of the drill press
• Use of the thickness planer
• Procedures for clamping and gluing
• Preparing wood to accept a finish coating
• Exploring various types of finish coatings
• Exploring various options for developing the appearance and ultimate shape of the bowl
• Exploring various options for decorating the bowl

The cost of all materials (wood, glue, abrasive paper, finish coatings, hardware
and fastenings etc.) is the responsibility of the student.