Wood Carving

art · crafts · sculpture · woodworking

Carving with knives. The simplest form of wood carving uses just one knife held in your hand to carefully cut away pieces of wood. You hold the wood still with one hand and guide the knife with the other to shape it into whatever you imagine.

Chisels and mallets. For bigger projects, carvers use chisels (flat or curved metal tools) and a wooden mallet. You place the chisel against the wood and tap the mallet to remove larger chunks more precisely than a knife can.

From tiny to huge. Wood carvings can be as small as a figurine that fits in your palm or as large as decorative wooden panels on buildings. Carvers might create standalone sculptures or add fancy carved details to furniture and frames.

All handmade skill. Unlike machines that carve wood the same way every time, each hand-carved piece is unique because a person's hands and eyes guide every cut. This takes practice and patience to master.

Ancient art form. People have been carving wood for thousands of years to make tools, decorations, and religious statues. It's one of the oldest forms of sculpture that humans created.