Sketch of a bee for woodcarving. Wood carving for beginners: the secrets of craftsmanship from experienced craftsmen

Consider what wood carving stencils are, how they can be used and what they are. Today, this ancient craft captivates many, but it is a rather complicated and painstaking task, which requires not only talent, but also artistic skills. If everything necessary for this case is acquired and it is known how to work with each of the tools, then they are determined with a drawing.

Stencil pattern for drawing a picture on a tree

But it is not always possible to choose and draw the right one. In this case, they acquire stencils for woodcarving, which help the novice master to do everything correctly.

Consider what a stencil is. This is a device that helps to apply a pattern or identical characters to the surface. For example, they occupy a special place in this niche, since they are produced specifically so that the master can perform complex work designed for and external walls.

Stencils for wood carving with a jigsaw exist for the following interior items:

• pilaster;
• towels
• brackets;
• and etc.

These are specialized templates, it is on them that three-dimensional ornaments and patterns are created. They greatly facilitate the task of changing appearance interior. After all, you don’t have to look for a stencil, but you can simply download it or order it through worldwide network. And then create your masterpiece.

How to choose and where to find a stencil

Exists a large number of various templates for: from simple ornaments to an animal, bird, person or a whole picture. When making a choice, you must remember the following rules:

• if they are held in their hands for the first time, they do not acquire the template of an old painting or engraving, since it is quite difficult to work on it and it is possible to spoil the source material;
• for a certain type of thread, there are stencils;
• in order to perform the work accurately, all lines on the source material are transferred accurately.

And nowadays it is available through digital libraries who publish full editions. Therefore, you can look into these rare publications and "take inspiration" from there. An artist, decorator, designer or wood carver will appreciate such a source of information, as it makes it possible to understand and feel not only the past era, but also the spirit of that time. After all, it was then that everything was made by hand, and objects were decorated with bizarre patterns.

Before choosing a pattern, compare the dimensions of the workpiece and the image. For a correct and good reading, the following points must be remembered:

• if the product is large, then do not choose an openwork or small ornament;
• a large drawing is not suitable for a small one;
• proportions must be observed.

All this applies not only to the floral pattern, but also to the image of an animal, bird and ethnic ornament.

Interested in wood carving for beginners, as a rule, people who do not have art education. For them, this art is a hobby. Due to the fact that the knowledge of most of these carvers is scattered, we will try to streamline them. There is nothing difficult in woodcarving itself. In Russia, this type of creativity has always been the main one. Even in the processing of stone, at first they used techniques that had long been accustomed to.

Drawing a pattern on a wooden blank

Today, this art form is of genuine interest, despite the fact that many of the skills are already being lost.

Generally speaking, wood carving can be attributed to plastic art. Traditionally, relief and are distinguished. A novice carver should first master the techniques of creating a relief.

This technique has several thread options:

The list doesn't end there. There is still a lot left behind. From the names you can understand how this or that technique of performance differs. Classification is often complicated by the fact that our country is large. In different regions, the names of the same technique may differ. However, the essence does not change, so we outline the general methods of work.

All novice carvers get acquainted with geometric carving. She is simple but beautiful. This type of thread is divided into three types:

• contour;
• trihedral-notched;
• nail or staple.

For execution you will need:

• linden board;
• joint knife;
• Ruler and pencil.

Drawings in the form of a geometric pattern are applied to the board. The carver can come up with his own or copy what he likes. You do not need to immediately take on complex elements if there are no skills and the hand is not strong enough.

The board must be smooth. Such a surface is achieved by planing. Under no circumstances should the surface be sanded with sandpaper. If abrasive particles remain in the fibers, they will not make the thread clean and neat. In addition, the cutting edge of the knife will dull faster.

For beginner carvers, it is recommended to choose hardwood for making geometric ornaments.

They allow you to draw straight lines with a knife. Creating straight lines on boards conifers much more difficult. So, the tip of the knife cuts into the surface vertically. Depth - 1.5-2 mm. Then the entire line is cut, the knife is pulled towards us. In this case, the blade is tilted at an angle of 40°. Movements should be smooth. Note that you need to start carving the line and finish with the tip of the knife.


Having made one line or notch, we make the next one. Only now the slope of the blade should be in the opposite direction. The chips will separate, and a geometric recess will appear on the board. If the edges are sharp and the surface is shiny, then everything was done correctly. Gradually cut out the entire element, and then the entire ornament.

It must be remembered that the knife goes easier along the fibers. When cutting through the transverse fibers, more effort has to be applied. The hand can slip, and here you need to know the rules:

• work safety;
• organization of the working space;
• instrument preparation.

Workplace of the cutter

Work with sharp tools should be carried out behind a workbench that meets all the requirements for stability and strength. If it is not possible to make such a workbench, you can limit yourself to a countertop. It can be of any size, but the height should not be higher than the level of the carver's belt.

The countertop should always be smooth and clean. Often during work, the knife slips and hits the table. Chips form and need to be removed. Professionals always monitor the condition of the surface of the workbench. They do not recommend hammering nails, chopping with an axe, or throwing a sharp tool onto a workbench, as these can damage the countertop. The board on which the ornament is cut out is carefully fixed with clamps. Work on your knees, on an unstable table or stool should be excluded.

The woodcarving work table should be well lit. You can install it near the window. However, there is little daylight.

If there is only one light source, dull dark shadows appear that prevent the carving from being clean. Therefore, 2-3 more lamps are installed above the table.

They should illuminate the work from different angles, especially if it is dark outside. Lamps should be installed above the carver's eyes. During work, the eyes are stressed. This is noticed even by experienced craftsmen. A novice carver gets tired faster, and high-quality lighting makes working conditions comfortable and safe.

Tool Requirements

Contemporary open wide opportunities for artists. In wood processing, they are used with success. But we will consider a tool for manual work.

After all, getting the skill to work with such a tool is more important and more difficult.

In the arsenal of the master is always:

• saw;
• hand drill or brace;
• plane;
• chisels are semicircular and flat;
• knives of different sizes;
• small axe.

Many manufacturers have already taken care of the carvers and create a variety of sets. It is impossible to unequivocally assess their quality and usefulness. There are disputes about this. We only note that not a single professional master has such a set. All tools are purchased separately and finished by hand.

To work with wood, any saw with large teeth will do. It can be a hacksaw, a bow saw or a jigsaw. It is good if there are saws of different sizes and types. A beginner should monitor the condition of the canvas. It should always be well stretched and sharpened. In addition, do not forget about the wiring.

A planer is an indispensable tool when working with wood. For a novice master, one medium-sized planer is sufficient. Sometimes this tool is called a plow, which reflects its function. Experts attribute the planer to one of the varieties of plow. In the future, you can purchase jointers and scrapers, with the help of which the surface of the tree is perfectly leveled.

The main tool for carving is considered a chisel. This is true. The carver should have a set of chisels of different thicknesses and shapes. Experience shows that at first it is enough to have 3 flat chisels:

• wide;
• average;
• narrow.

The same can be said about semicircular chisels.

The most important point is the correct sharpening and condition cutting edge. Chisels need to be sharpened frequently. Sometimes it is recommended to do this before starting work, but most often the chisels are prepared in advance. Do not use blunt tools. This is dangerous. An unsharpened chisel breaks more often, and you can get serious injury.

The carving in this case will be ugly, and the work will go long and hard. To sharpen chisels, you can use a grinder, sandpaper and a piece of genuine leather with polishing paste to finish the blade.

From carved wood and plywood, you can make so many decor items and useful little things, which is stupid to limit the scope of the work. In fact, it can be absolutely everything that your imagination has enough for: caskets, covers for decorative and collectible books, lampshades, panels, shutters, furniture elements, platbands, cornices ... But the most attractive thing about creating exclusive works is that everyone can do them willing, if he makes a certain amount of effort.

Slotted wood carving: photos, drawings and sketches

The main key to success in creating interesting gizmos with slotted carvings is the choice of pattern. It is he who conveys the general concept and sets the aesthetic tone for the entire product.

The easiest way for beginners is to make geometric patterns, as in the photo.

Carved drawings of floral and animalistic themes are classic ornaments for any application.

Inscriptions - modern version application of carving on wood and plywood. At the same time, you are unlikely to be able to find drawings and sketches on the net - they will have to be compiled purely individually for personal requirements for sizes, fonts, words.

Stencils for slotted threads

However, unlike cut-out inscriptions on plywood, drawings with plant, animal and fantasy themes can be found on the net. So feel free to choose your favorite stencils in the album, and there will be enough ideas for creativity for a long time!

The simplest sketches are suitable both for training at the very beginning of the manufacturing process, and can become separate elements. complex design. For example, this is how carved houses are decorated.

More complex templates will require some skill and patience, but the result is worth it. Such pictures can serve as an independent product, even a gift.

Whole compositions with an idea and meaning usually serve either as a separate work or form the basis of the work.

Tools for slotted carving: jigsaw or router

However, the choice of drawing is only a third of success. Another important aspect, which must be considered before proceeding with the work itself. Namely, the choice of a tool that will be used for carving wood or plywood.

Equipment depends on:

• how thin the thread will turn out;
• the complexity of the pictures;
• cutting speed;
• accuracy of work.

Therefore, it is important to evaluate all the pros, cons, capabilities and limitations of each of the traditional sawing tools:

Jigsaw - a device for curly cutting out parts. It is quite laborious to work with a hand tool, but it allows you to very accurately cut out according to the drawing. The power tool allows you to quickly produce figured products from plywood, but requires caution.

A milling cutter is a tool that makes flat relief slotted carvings look thinner and more complete. It is with its help that it turns out to round the edges, remove chips, make gaps, and carry out the most difficult cutting.

Theoretically, a milling cutter can perform the same work as a jigsaw, and even more, but in fact such handling of the tool is fraught with its rapid failure, frequent replacement of the frieze.

Materials for slotted threads

In most cases, plywood is chosen for this type of work - it is uniformly thin, has a pleasant color and structure, and does not lead to further use or storage, unlike solid wood. It is the choice of material that becomes the third pillar of successful work.

The modern market abounds different types materials, so it's easy to get confused. For such work, you should choose:

• plywood FK - harmless to humans and the environment, durable, easy to cut, practical;
• FB plywood is also safe for humans, but resistant to aggressive environments, since it undergoes special processing and receives protective covering, because of which it can cost an order of magnitude more.

Note! Under no circumstances should you choose internal works plywood of the FSF class - it is processed with carcinogenic preservatives and is acceptable for use only on fresh air- they are perfectly lined with a bathhouse or a house outside.

Photo of carved wooden houses

For Russia, slotted carving is of particular importance as a decoration for building facades. Since ancient times, ornaments carved on birch bark and other similar materials have been decorating huts, baths, churches, which is colorfully demonstrated by photographs.

Wood milling video with a manual router

If you just decided to try your hand at figure slotted thread, it would be useful to watch a video with a master class. It will help to better understand how drawings are created, and how such house beauty appears.

Making your home memorable and beautiful is the dream of any owner. If the house is no longer new, it is not so easy. One of the possibilities is carved platbands. They even turn an ordinary “box” into a masterpiece.

Trim material

Carved platbands are made mainly from coniferous wood. The best option is pine, it is normally cut, inexpensive, and durable due to the high resin content. In principle, you can use any other coniferous board, but it is better not to try with a spruce board: it is too fibrous, it cannot be cut even with the sharpest tool.

You can also make carved architraves from hardwoods - linden (the softest), poplar, maple, oak, cherry, etc. But with each breed you need to be able to work, fill your hand and there is no guarantee that something digestible will turn out, and hardwood is expensive. Therefore, platbands are made on windows more often all the same from pine. You just need to pay attention to the quality characteristics.

Carved platbands on the windows - a way to make your home unique

If there is wood or a board that has lain for 3 years or more, you can use it: it is already dry for sure, only processing and calibration will be required. If there is no woodworking equipment at home (thickness gauge and circular saw), you will need a cutting board. Under carved platbands, wood of the first or highest grade is suitable. This means that there should be no knots, chips, resin pockets on the board. Take wood chamber drying, with a moisture content of not more than 8-12%. This is not for sale in the markets; you need to look for it at sawmills and hardware stores.

Why chamber drying? Because it is dried in a special chamber, quickly removing moisture. At the same time, part of the boards cracks, bends - these go to rejection, the rest are sold. If you make carved architraves from chamber-dried wood, they will definitely not be warped and they will not crack.

Tools

To make carved platbands with your own hands, you will need the following minimum set:

• drill with a set of drills;
• electric jigsaw with a soft start and a bunch of different saws for wood;
• chisels;
• sandpaper with grains of different sizes;
• petal disk from sandpaper for wood on a drill.

To reduce the time it takes to create carved patterns and polishing, it is better to have a router and grinder.

One by one or in bulk?

Carved platbands usually consist of repeating elements. At least two vertical slats on each window are made the same. And since several windows are usually designed, a lot of identical elements are required. If you are going to make platbands slotted, naturally there is a desire to cut several pieces at the same time, folding the boards in a pile and somehow fixing them.

The desire is understandable, but difficult to implement, and the benefits over time are not as great as it seems. The first difficulty is that home craftsmen usually have jigsaws of not too much power. To cut through several boards, you have to move the file more slowly along the intended pattern. On straight lines, the speed is still tolerable, on curves - low. And, the smaller the bending radius, the slower you have to move the file. If you work with one board, there are no such problems. So in terms of time, the gain, if any, is quite small.

One more moment. Even thick, good, expensive files are rejected with a large thickness of the workpiece. So, when cutting several boards at the same time, the quality of the cut on the bottom (or two) remains a big question.

The procedure for manufacturing a platband with a slotted thread

We transfer the desired drawing using a template to the board (where to get it, how to enlarge it, how to make a template, read below). If necessary, we correct, draw the details well. Next, we describe the procedure step by step.

We remove wood in the slots of the pattern

Since the carving will be looked at from afar, some inaccuracies are not fatal, but it is still worth striving for the ideal.

Making a curved edge

Some platbands have a smooth edge. Then we skip this step. If the edge is curly, you will still have to work with a jigsaw.

If the cut is difficult, not very attractive places may remain. It's not scary, then we will process them where necessary - with chisels, the same jigsaw, emery. When you are satisfied with the result, you can move on.

Finalization

Owners of wooden houses probably know everything about how to process wood. But, just in case, we repeat once again the general rules.

The choice of paints and varnishes is very wide. Suitable for any outdoor use. But keep in mind that opaque paints will have to be updated periodically - once a year for sure. And that means - to remove the old paint, primer, paint again. The situation is simpler with oils for wood - they do not leave a film on the surface of the wood, but are absorbed into the fibers. It is also necessary to update the coating, but just clean it of dust and cover with a new layer. And the processing frequency is less. Cons of oil for wood - higher price, fewer colors.

How to enlarge a template

Simple carved platbands can be made without templates. A few examples will be in the video - it shows how to draw, how to cut. But not everyone can draw more or less complex patterns on their own. It takes skill and talent. The easiest way is to find a diagram, print it in the right size, transfer it to cardboard and cut it out. You will get a template that you can circle.

The second way: draw from a photograph. Not all schemes can be found. Some, especially antique window frames, you will not find anywhere else. If there is at least some drawing ability, they can be copied.

Even such an ornament can be copied ... if you have the skill

You may have questions about how to increase the size of the found scheme or template. There are three options:

• With the help of any graphic editor. The simplest - Paint - is available on any computer running Windows (the "Image" tab, the "Resize image" line, select "centimeters" and put the desired length (height) in the box. The resulting file can be printed. If the printer is small, it may be necessary to split into several pages.They should then be glued together and, according to the resulting drawing, make a template.
• With a photocopy. Copiers have a zoom function.
• Taking graph paper, transfer the drawing to the desired scale. To do this, we divide the original image into squares with a side of 0.5 or 1 cm (you can print it on a sheet in a cage). Then we transfer the lines to graph paper, increasing them in the desired proportion.

The first two methods are faster. But when scaling, the picture may turn out to be fuzzy and blurry. It can be corrected by hand, it can be drawn in some editor, for example, CorelDRAW. See the video for how to do this. Just an example of drawing a diagram for a thread.

Related videos

Schemes, patterns, patterns

The style is completely different...

Volumetric, contour and geometric wood carving are one of the most ancient methods of decorating a wide variety of products. By and large, nothing is needed for work, except for a wooden blank and enough sharp knife: with proper skill, you can get a carved platband, a beautiful toy or any other product.

Of course, you will get masterpieces only after many years of practice. But you can start mastering carving from the very simple details: just study this article and understand the basics.

Thread types

Despite the fact that the simplest tools are used in working with a tree, and the processing techniques are not difficult, the result can be very different. Depending on the appearance of the treated surface, the following types of threads are distinguished:

1. contour thread- perhaps the simplest (outwardly, not in terms of execution technique). The pattern is applied to a flat surface with shallow lines, forming the contours of the pattern.
2. Geometric carving- the most common due to ease of development. Unlike contour, patterns are formed not by lines, but by a combination of geometric shapes, most often wedge-shaped notches.

1. Flat serrated thread - the technology of applying an ornament or pattern on a flat board. At the same time, recesses are cut out on a flat background, which form the pattern we need.

A variation of this technique is also considered a through thread, in which not only recesses, but also holes are formed in the workpiece.

1. sculptural carving(volumetric) - the most difficult technique. A chock, branch or root is taken as a blank, after which the part is given the desired shape. Here it is important not only the skill of the carver, but also how competently the wood is selected.

Of course, this classification is very arbitrary, but it gives an idea of ​​where you can strive to improve your skills.

What do you need to work?

Carver's tools

To make wooden toys, carved frames, architraves and other decorative objects, the craftsman needs the right tools. In addition to the usual carpentry (saw, drill, file), you need to use special tools:

Illustration	Tool	Purpose
	joint knife	A versatile tool that is used for both geometric woodcarving and sculptural work.
	Chisels	The most extensive group of tools used to form recesses. Depending on the shape of the edge, the following varieties are distinguished: flat; semicircular; corner; bracketed.
	Cranberries	Special chisels with a curved working part. With their help, a relief carving with a strong deepening is performed.
	Spoon cutters	As the name suggests, special tools for making wooden spoons. special shape blades (ring or semi-ring with one-sided sharpening) allows you to effectively select large volumes of wood.

Price professional tools high enough for cutting. And yet, a novice master should not save money: it is better to purchase several knives and chisels of decent quality. Then the first experience will not be spoiled, and it will be possible to focus on mastering the techniques and techniques of carving.

Choice of wood

Artistic carving requires the formation of a fairly clear relief. And for this you need not only suitable tools, but also the appropriate material. Not every wood is suitable for carving, and if you are just starting to master the technique, then you need to be very meticulous in choosing:

1. Linden - perfect option for a beginner. The material is soft and homogeneous, therefore it is better to master the most complex patterns for woodcarving on linden.
2. Alder (red and black)- also very a good option, albeit denser. Ideally cut, almost does not warp when dried. The main downside is hard to find!

1. Birch- firmer and more resilient, but at the same time quite suitable for learning the basics of carving. When dried, it can be deformed, therefore, small products are usually cut from birch.
2. Oak- a great option, but only for an experienced master. The relief is perfect, but you need a very sharp tool and a confident hand.

1. Pear- wood with high density and good uniformity. The structure of the material allows you to make the thinnest products.

From a tree of these species, it is first necessary to cut blanks, dry them, and, if necessary, process them rough. Only after that, drawings and sketches are applied to them, according to which carving is carried out.

Techniques and techniques for geometric carving

In fact, all work on a carved detail comes down to three operations:

1. Training- selection and roughing of the workpiece, transferring the pattern.
2. Actually carving- drawing a relief pattern.
3. Finishing- elimination of defects, grinding, varnishing, etc.

Instructions for performing basic threading operations are shown in the table:

Illustration	Stage of work
	Drawing drawing. We transfer the contours of the pattern to the workpiece of the desired size for processing. You can build a drawing yourself, using a ruler and a compass, or you can use ready-made sketches for woodcarving. In the second case, we print the sketch and transfer it to the base, making punctures with an awl at the intersection points of the lines.
	Cutting contours. Based on the drawing, we cut with a cutter contour lines. At the same time, we observe the depth and direction of cutting.
	Cutting out triangular elements. After the basic cutting, we move on to the main part of the work. We cut each triangle into a wedge on both sides. After that, we cut out the third side, removing a piece of wood.
	Cut out other elements. After all the triangles are selected, we move on to other details of the thread - bevels, planes, arcs, etc. We cut them, trying not to damage the already processed area.
	Clear cut. After completing the main operations with a sharp cutter, we process problem areas, removing defects and forming even, clear lines. We carefully grind the planes, trying not to remove the relief.
	Staining / varnishing We process the product with stain or varnish, or apply decorative impregnation with a tinting effect.

Conclusion

By no means do I want to say that woodcarving is easy. To achieve results, you need to study and practice, preferably under the guidance of a mentor. But the tips and videos in this article will help you take the first steps, and in the comments you can get answers to all your questions.