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My first whittling project. Easy project suggestions?

5995 Views 8 Replies 7 Participants Last post by mpounders, Jun 2, 2016

emeraldgnome

Discussion Starter · May 14, 2016 (Edited by Moderator)

Hey everyone. I am a newbie on here and to all things wood carving. I've had many knives ever since I was in elementary school, because my parents were cool, but I've never done any whittling other than carving points on the ends of twigs. Anyway, two days ago, out of the blue, I decided to carve something out of a twig in hopes that it would turn out well enough to pass for a friend's birthday present. I finished it in a few hours on wednesday using an X-acto craft knife, and today I stained, oiled, and buffed it with a cloth. My folks said it looks good. Though, I'm looking for an unbiased opinion. It's an owl pendant for a necklace.
I would also like to know if anyone has some good suggestions for some more beginner whittling projects. yesterday I carved a wood spirit into a pencil, but I'm itching to do something bigger.

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Lingy

· #2 · May 14, 2016

Hi, I'm a newbie too! Love the owl pendant think you did a great job!!!!

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jonmakesthings

· #3 · May 15, 2016

Looks good. Try some flower carvings, they're simple and good practice.
If you get into carving more, or even general woodworking, a nice carving set would be valuable. You'd be amazed how much smoother and easier your work gets using quality carving tools than even a brand new xacto.
Not saying it'll make you a better carver, or not having a set makes you worse, but it makes a difference. It can be a bit of an investment but there's some good deals out there.

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ClaudeF

· #4 · May 15, 2016 (Edited by Moderator)

Nice looking owl!

Something relatively easy for a new carver: https://www.etsy.com/listing/202892865/handmade-santa-and-elf-christmas-tree?ref=shop_home_active_12

Carved from a piece of wood 25mm x 25mm x100mm There are several other smaller carvings in my ETSY shop that you can copy and carve. I made photos from front and side views of most pieces so the photos can be used by other carvers as patterns.

Claude

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emeraldgnome

Discussion Starter · #5 · May 15, 2016

Thanks, everyone! I appreciate all of your feedback and will definitely be trying most of these projects y'all have suggested. The xacto has been decent for dipping my foot in the pool, so to speak, but I think I will upgrade to some carving-specific tools as soon as I can.

This is the finished necklace: