Wood carving

widely practiced but survives much less well than the other main materials such as stone and bronze, as it is vulnerable to decay, insect damage, and fire. It there- fore forms an important hidden element in the art his- tory of many cultures.[1] Outdoor wood sculptures do not last long in most parts of the world, so that we have lit- tle idea how the totem pole tradition developed. Many of the most important sculptures of China and Japan in particular are in wood, and the great majority of African sculpture and that of Oceania and other regions. Wood is light and can take very fine detail so it is highly suit- able for masks and other sculpture intended to be worn or carried. It is also much easier to work than stone. Some of the finest extant examples of early European wood carving are from the Middle Ages in Germany, Russia, Italy and France, where the typical themes of that era were Christian iconography. In England, many com- plete examples remain from the 16th and 17th century, Carved wooden cranes where oak was the preferred medium.

1 Methods and styles

• Chip carving

• Relief carving

• Scandinavian flat-plane

• Caricature carving

• Lovespoon

• Treen

• Whittling

Finely carved wooden door in the Great Mosque of Kairouan, Tunisia. 2 Techniques

Wood carving is a form of working wood by means of a 2.1 Tools cutting tool (knife) in one hand or a chisel by two hands or with one hand on a chisel and one hand on a mallet, re- • Carving knives sulting in a wooden figure or figurine, or in the sculptural ornamentation of a wooden object. The phrase may also • Carving knife, used to round a corner of a piece of refer to the finished product, from individual sculptures wood to hand-worked mouldings composing part of a tracery. The making of sculpture in wood has been extremely • V-Tool, used to part lines and cut V-shaped channels

1 2 2 TECHNIQUES

• the chisel: large and small, whose straight cutting edge is used for lines and cleaning up flat surfaces.

• the V-tool: used for parting, and in certain classes of flat work for emphasizing lines.

• the veiner: a specialized deep gouge with a U- shaped cutting edge.

• sharpening equipment, such as various stones and a strop: necessary for maintaining edges.

A selection of woodcarving hand tools: 3 fishtail gouges, a v- A special screw for fixing work to the workbench, and a parting tool, 4 straight gouges, 3 spoon gouges, and a carvers mallet, complete the carvers kit, though other tools, both mallet specialized and adapted, are often used, such as a router for bringing grounds to a uniform level, bent gouges and bent chisels for cutting hollows too deep for the ordinary tool.

2.2 Wood

2.2.1 Selection

The nature of the wood being carved limits the scope of the carver in that wood is not equally strong in all di- rections: it is an anisotropic material. The direction in which wood is strongest is called "grain" (grain may be straight, interlocked, wavy or fiddleback, etc.). It is smart Desay Madu Jhya (window) in Kathmandu, Nepal is a specimen to arrange the more delicate parts of a design along the of traditional Nepalese wood carving. grain instead of across it, and the more slender stalks or leaf-points should not be too much separated from their adjacent surroundings. The failure to appreciate these primary rules may constantly be seen in damaged work, when it will be noticed that, whereas tendrils, tips of birds beaks, etc., arranged across the grain have been broken away, similar details designed more in harmony with the growth of the wood and not too deeply undercut remain intact. Probably the two most common woods used for carv- ing are basswood (aka tilia or lime) and tupelo, both are hardwoods that are relatively easy to work with. Chestnut, butternut, oak, American walnut, mahogany and teak are also very good woods; while for fine work Italian walnut, Detail of the Last Supper from Tilman Riemenschneider's Altar sycamore maple, apple, pear, box or plum, are usually of the Holy Blood, 1501-05, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria chosen. Decoration that is to be painted and of not too delicate a nature is often carved in pine.

2.1.1 Basic tool set 2.2.2 Sculpture • the carving knife: a specialized knife used to pare, cut, and smooth wood. A wood carver begins a new carving by selecting a chunk of wood the approximate size and shape of the figure he • the gouge: a tool with a curved cutting edge used or she wishes to create or, if the carving is to be large, in a variety of forms and sizes for carving hollows, several pieces of wood may be laminated together to cre- rounds and sweeping curves. ate the required size. The type of wood is important. Hardwoods are more difficult to shape but have greater • the coping saw: a small saw that is used to cut off luster and longevity. Softer woods may be easier to carve chunks of wood at once. but are more prone to damage. Any wood can be carved 3

tools such as “rasps,” which are flat-bladed tools with a surface of pointed teeth. “Rifflers” are similar to rasps, but smaller, usually double ended, and of various shapes for working in folds or crevasses. The finer polishing is done with abrasive paper. Large grained paper with a rougher surface is used first, with the sculptor then us- ing finer grained paper that can make the surface of the sculpture slick to the touch. After the carving and finishing is completed, the artist may seal & color the wood with a variety of natural oils, such as walnut or linseed oil which protects the wood from dirt and moisture. Oil also imparts a sheen to the wood which, by reflecting light, helps the observer 'read' the form. Carvers seldom use gloss varnish as it creates too shiny a surface, which reflects so much light it can confuse the form; carvers refer to this as 'the toffee ap- ple effect'. Objects made of wood are frequently finished with a layer of wax, which protects the wood and gives a soft lustrous sheen. A wax finish is comparatively fragile though and only suitable for indoor carvings.

3 Traditions

Mambila figure, Nigeria The making of decoys and fish carving are two of the artistic traditions that use wood carvings. but they all have different qualities and characteristics. The choice will depend on the requirements of carving being done: for example a detailed figure would need a 4 See also wood with a fine grain and very little figure as strong fig- • ure can interfere with 'reading' fine detail. List of woodcarvers Once the sculptor has selected their wood, he or she be- • Chainsaw carving gins a general shaping process using gouges of various • sizes. The gouge is a curved blade that can remove large History of wood carving portions of wood smoothly. For harder woods, the sculp- • Wood as a medium tor may use gouges sharpened with stronger bevels, about 35 degrees, and a mallet similar to a stone carver’s. The • Woodcut terms gouge and chisel are open to confusion. Correctly, a gouge is a tool with a curved cross section and a chisel • Woodturning is a tool with a flat cross section. However, professional • Woodworking carvers tend to refer to them all as 'chisels’. Smaller sculp- tures may require the wood carver to use a knife, and • Woodcarved Catholic saints in the Parish Church of larger pieces might require the use of a saw. No mat- Ortisei, northern Italy ter what wood is selected or tool used, the wood sculptor must always carve either across or with the grain of the • National Wood Carvers Association wood, never against the grain. • Woodcarving events: Once the general shape is made, the carver may use a va- riety of tools for creating details. For example, a “veiner” • Woodfest Wales or “fluter” can be used to make deep gouges into the sur- face, or a “v-tool” for making fine lines or decorative cuts. Once the finer details have been added, the wood carver 5 Gallery finishes the surface. The method chosen depends on the required quality of surface finish. The texture left by shal- • A wooden Bodhisattva from the Song Dynasty low gouges gives 'life' to the carving’s surface and many (960–1279) carvers prefer this 'tooled' finish. If a completely smooth surface is required general smoothing can be done with • Another Song-Dynasty Bodhisattva 4 7 EXTERNAL LINKS

• From Africa • Tilman Riemenschneider's Saint Barbara from Germany • in Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria • Yombe-sculpture, 19th century • in Festac Town, Lagos, Nigeria • Carved gallant genre scene with figurines from Val Gardena, 18th century • Sculpture by Medina Ayllón, Spain • Carving of a duck by a Florida artist • Carving of unicorn by G&H Studios, Somerset, England • c. 1940s, hobo by Carl Johan Trygg • The eponymous carving on the Urnes stave church is an example of the Urnes style, Norway • A dragon’s head from the Oseberg ship • Carvings for sale on a beach

6 References

[1] See for example Martin Robertson, A shorter history of Greek art, p. 9, Cambridge University Press, 1981, ISBN 0-521-28084-2, ISBN 978-0-521-28084-6 Google books

[2] “12 top tips for using a V-tool”. WoodworkersInsti- tute.com. 14 May 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2013.

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cam- bridge University Press. • This article incorporates public domain mate- rial from websites or documents of the National Archives and Records Administration.

7 External links

• Chinese Wood Carving • Woodcarving Magazine • Sharpening, Honing and Polishing Gouges and Other Carving Tools by R.M Mottola • The British Woodcarvers Association • Maori Wood Carving • Sculptures and exotic wood lamps 5

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text

• Wood carving Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood%20carving?oldid=641362935 Contributors: SimonP, Michael Hardy, Menchi, Raven in Orbit, Michael Reiter, Dysprosia, Jake Nelson, Jni, Altenmann, Peruvianllama, D3, Andycjp, DavidBrooks, Jokestress, Burschik, Mud, Reflex Reaction, KNewman, Femto, Phidauex, Apyule, SpeedyGonsales, Jjron, Anthony Appleyard, Duff, Dan100, Luigizanasi, Mahanga, Stemonitis, Gergiev, Mandarax, Sparkit, AllanHainey, Loggie, RexNL, Gurch, Chobot, YurikBot, RussBot, Alifazal, Pseu- domonas, Magicmonster, Yzb, Jpbowen, Baskholm, DeadEyeArrow, Scope creep, Zzuuzz, Vdegroot, Wikiwawawa, BorgQueen, Dori- Smith, Kingboyk, SmackBot, Brya, Aksi great, Kaiserb, Bluebot, Totalsuper, Gyrobo, KaiserbBot, Sommers, Makemi, Richsage, Just plain Bill, Spiritia, Eliyak, Heather, SilkTork, Iridescent, Eastlaw, Thermos, CmdrObot, Aska v3, CBM, Bddmagic, Pdaoud, Ukbec- cie, Optimist on the run, Rlk89, PamD, Mombas, Epbr123, Dogaroon, Rajesh dangi, Trevyn, A3RO, Woodwork, Yibo0121, Joan-of-arc, Shabicht, Woodart, Modernist, JAnDbot, Husond, MER-C, PhilKnight, Cynwolfe, Connormah, Maryilang, Novickas, ArmadilloFromHell, CommonsDelinker, Mange01, Johnbod, FruitMonkey, Aboutmovies, Nbkblr, KylieTastic, Idioma-bot, VolkovBot, Juangonzalez64, ABF, LabFox, Revizionist, Slysplace, Madhero88, Andy Dingley, KjellG, Finnrind, PericlesofAthens, Pitoutom, BotMultichill, VAwebteam, Yerpo, Fratrep, ImageRemovalBot, Sfan00 IMG, ClueBot, The Thing That Should Not Be, Podzemnik, VQuakr, Mild Bill Hiccup, Cd- suggs, Kikos, BarretB, TobiasGoache, XLinkBot, Addbot, Some jerk on the Internet, Mhconline, Moroderen, OlEnglish, Jarble, Luckas- bot, Themfromspace, Crispmuncher, Rubinbot, Rjanag, Galoubet, ArthurBot, LilHelpa, Pkravchenko, Gauravsrf, Xqbot, TheAMmollusc, Walkingoaktree, ChildofMidnight, DSisyphBot, Anna Frodesiak, J04n, Thewoodworker0077, Bjudt, RibotBOT, Readwolf67, Mantokun, Noxoff, Xophist, Aerolin55, Calmer Waters, Smdjkd001, Oracleofottawa, Faukina, NerdyScienceDude, EmausBot, Walkingoaktree33, Jjperson, BluSch, Annonnimus, Uray1130, Erianna, MarcS222, Sunshine4921, ClueBot NG, Htbhwp, Lorieandkeith, CherryX, Luo- cougar, MendicantBiased, Adityamadhav83, Asif n wasim, Asif flare, Wardkane, PTJoshua, Patrug, Jacopo188, Saparavind, Minsbot, Khoubi, EuroCarGT, Beenakuliyal, Sourabh-nayantara, SteenthIWbot, Josophie, Lukeorz, Tpzobl, ☼, Trackteur, Sarazhang21, Issradar and Anonymous: 139

8.2 Images

• File:Carving_tools_2.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Carving_tools_2.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Aerolin55 • File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Desay_madu_jhya.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/76/Desay_madu_jhya.jpg License: GFDL Con- tributors: Own work Original artist: Kamal Ratna Tuladhar • File:Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/48/Folder_Hexagonal_Icon.svg License: Cc-by- sa-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Marquetry_Mezuzah.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Marquetry_Mezuzah.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: originally posted to Flickr as Marquetry Mezuzah Original artist: Kenneth Freeman • File:PD-icon.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/62/PD-icon.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:People_icon.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/People_icon.svg License: CC0 Contributors: Open- Clipart Original artist: OpenClipart • File:Porta_-_Gran_Mesquita_de_Kairuan.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/85/Porta_-_Gran_ Mesquita_de_Kairuan.jpg License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: Own work (foto personal) Original artist: Jaume Ollé • File:Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber_2011_St_Jakob_002.JPG Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/ Rothenburg_ob_der_Tauber_2011_St_Jakob_002.JPG License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Tilman2007 • File:Statuette_Mambia_Nigéria.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Statuette_Mambia_Nig%C3% A9ria.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Siren-Com • File:WPVA-khamsa.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/WPVA-khamsa.svg License: CC BY 3.0 Con- tributors: Vectorized version of Image:WPVA-khamsa.png by User:Sparkit Original artist: • first version Fluff • File:Woodcarvings_of_cranes.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/Woodcarvings_of_cranes.jpg Li- cense: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?

8.3 Content license

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