Figures made of wood. Tips for beginners

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:46

Skillful hands can work wonders. Those who have not yet taken the first steps in this direction, but really want to try it, are invited to start with simpler options. Simple wooden figurines will help you get the basic skills of handling such an interesting and malleable type of material.

Preparatory stage

Before you cut a figure out of wood, you should decide on its appearance. Ideas may vary. Sometimes the image arises after reading an interesting book, going to a movie or an exhibition, and a large amount of information can lead to the creation of one's own original idea. The option of completely copying the works already created by the masters is also taken into account.

An idea requires a sketch. It can be embodied on paper in the form of simple sketches. It is recommended to take into account the dimensions and clearly outline the details. This will greatly simplify the process and allow you to make it phased. Already experienced craftsmen start work with direct processing of wood, a product with simple forms requires minimal detail and is much easier to perform.

Selection of material

Bin accordance with the plan, a tree for work should also be selected. The final result completely depends on its quality, so immediately exclude materials with loose structures and give preference to the following options:

• linden is one of the best options for beginners, figurines made of wood of this breed are easier to make, thanks to the soft structure of the material, it can be easily processed, often used for small plastic arts and ornaments;
• aspen - similar in basic characteristics to linden, another good option for making small figurines;
• pine - can peel, but if you place its growth rings correctly, the product will look especially impressive;
• maple - has a good density, it is a little more difficult to process such wood, but miniature animal figures are especially good from it, chess is often made from this wood;
• oak - especially good, dense wood is difficult to process, but high-quality polished and varnished looks attractive, products made from this material are expensive.

All these types of wood are soft in processing, they will not dull the tool and allow you to make a product of any shape. The main thing to consider when choosing a material is its quality, it must be whole, dry, not damaged by rot and bugs.

Required tool

Before you cut a figure out of wood, you need to choose a quality tool. This material atIf desired, it can be processed with a regular penknife. But it is much easier and more pleasant to work with a number of specialized devices.

• The cutter is the main tool for all jobs, featuring a beveled short blade (36 degrees) and used for initial rough cutting.
• The joint helps to form the desired type of ornament, suitable for working on planes, the blade is usually beveled 60 degrees.
• Chisels - there are several options here, they can be angular, semicircular and flat, they allow you to process wooden figures with high quality, creating a deep relief on them.
• Riveters are an essential tool for hard-to-reach places, featuring a sharp end that allows you to work out even the smallest details.

In addition to the basic set, you should stock up on a grinder, rasps, gimlets, a drill with a number of nozzles and a saw. All these tools will greatly facilitate the work and allow you to realize even the most intricate idea.

Workflow

Having prepared everything you need, you can start such a responsible task as woodcarving. We begin to make figures by making a rough blank, with a pencil, outline the main parts of the future product, cut off the excess, leaving only a small amount of wood around the edges. Experienced craftsmen do not remove all the excess at once, it is more convenient to keep the figure in the right position with them.

1. In the resulting simple figure we make small cuts, this is a basting for subsequent work(trunk, limbs, head).
2. Using the cutter, we begin to form the necessary parts of the blanks, smoothly cutting off the corners and each time removing the chips thinner.
3. We form all the small details with additional cutters, achieving complete similarity with the sketch.
4. Starting fine carving, drawing the contours of future elements, working through all the recesses with high quality. The smaller the wooden figures, the more difficult it will be to work out small details on them, so for the initial work it is worth choosing larger and simpler sketches.

Pay special attention to the processing stage, the durability of the finished product will depend on it. Carefully sand the craft with fine sandpaper, trying not to lubricate the relief, apply stain or other wood treatment. The figurine is varnished on top to protect it from moisture.