The best ways to prepare wood for carving

How do you prepare wood for carving? This question comes up all the time on wood carving forums, and it’s one of the most important steps in the entire process.

In this beginner’s guide to wood carving preparations, we’ll cover everything you need to know about picking out your wood, then sanding and finishing it to make it ready for carving—no prior knowledge is required!

When you finish reading our guide, you should better understand what goes into woodcarving preparations—which will help you get more out of your project.

1. Prepping Wood for Woodcarving

Wood carving involves working with different woods, so you’ll need to know how each one is prepared for carving. Wood can be carved in many ways and with different tools including chisels and chainsaws.

 2. Learn about selecting a block of wood and then preparing it for carving.

Start by picking up a wood that feels good in your hands. Once you select a piece that feels right, choose an area free from knots to begin carving.

You’ll also want to choose the wood that has a straight grain and is in good condition (meaning not warped or cracked).

When choosing the best wood for your carving, look closely at it: If you notice any cracks or knots anywhere on its surface, don’t choose it—your carving will likely crack along those lines when you remove it from the block. The last thing you want is an imperfect piece of art!

Knowing what kind of wood you’re working with will influence which carving tools you should use to carve your wood into works of art.

To take your carving projects seriously, purchase a woodcarving tool kit. Check out these common woodcarving steps to get you started:

3. Find out what tools you’ll need before learning how to shape your raw material into something amazing.

Before you get started, you’ll need some basic tools, such as woodcarving chisels; fine-grain sandpaper; and a drill or electric hand sander with round sanding discs.

What is the common tool in used in carving?

There are lots of different types of woodcarving tools so don’t feel like you have to buy everything at once; it’s better to pick up a few tools and then see how they work for you first before buying more.

There are many different kinds of wood carving tools, but these are three of the most common:

• Knives –

Knives are some of the oldest wood carving tools. While they aren’t used much by modern woodcarvers, knives were once quite popular with hobbyists and professional carvers.

It helps to know a few basic cutting techniques if you’re using knives in your work since they have their own rules and methods.

We’ve put together a list of the best woodcarving knives to help you start carving with a knife.

• Chisels –

Chisels come in various shapes and sizes, from small hand chisels resembling pencils to giant broad chisels weighing over 50 pounds.

Different types of wood carving require different types of chisels based on their hardness level – softer woods need smaller chisels while harder woods need larger ones – so keep that in mind when buying or choosing a tool.

To help you avoid confusion when selecting a suitable chisel, we’ve compiled a list of the best woodcarving chisels to get you started.

• Gouges –

A gouge is any wood carving tool with a concave shape at its tip. A gouge consists of a handle and a blade (or shank). For safety reasons, you’ll want to get good quality gouges, especially if you’re just starting, because poorly made gouges can break easily.

We created a special guide that covers everything related to woodcarving gouges so that you can fully understand everything about them. To get started, read our Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Woodcarving Gouges.

 Safety measures to take when using the woodcarving tools

As with all woodworking projects involving power tools or hand tools, make sure all safety measures are taken:

• Wear protective clothing at all times—including goggles to protect your eyes—and keep long hair tied back. Also, follow the manufacturer’s guidelines when using your tools.

We know what we’re doing here, but if you aren’t familiar with power tools yet, ask someone who is to assist you during the wood preparation steps. Remember, safety first!

4. Keep the moisture Content in the Wood low

Wood is mostly made up of cellulose, a sugar-based compound that absorbs water. To properly carve wood, you must let it dry out for a long time—anywhere from 2 weeks up to 2 months.

The most common way woodcarvers make sure their boards are ready for carving is by placing them in a kiln and allowing them plenty of time to dry out.

This may be impractical for many woodworkers. An alternative solution might be to place wet wood in your basement or garage where it will still get lots of air but won’t freeze.

You should also take care not to leave your board near heaters or other sources of high humidity during its drying period.

Because temperature affects how quickly wood dries, you may want to check on it periodically; depending on factors like temperature and airflow, it could take anywhere from two days up to two weeks for your wood to reach optimum moisture content. Once it does, though, all you need to do is sand off any remaining bits of bark or rough edges before starting your project.

5. Clean the wood debris

The best way to prepare wood for carving is by using a wire brush attachment to help remove loose bits from its surface.

Then take off any remaining splinters or sharp edges using a hammer and coarse grit sandpaper before smoothing out texture irregularities using coarse grit paper as well.

However, never sand wood without wearing proper eye protection. Remember that you shouldn’t sand over previously carved areas to avoid undoing previous work!

And even though woodcarving may seem intimidating at first, once you get going and experience firsthand how easy it is to carve, we think you’ll agree: It’s easier than it looks.

Once your wood is prepped and ready for use, start small —maybe carve something simple like a bowl or spoon —before moving on to something more complex (like a sculpture) once you feel more confident.

Use sandpaper to clean off any rough spots on your woodblock, rounding off sharp corners as needed

 6. Sanding Down the Wood

Sanding is a crucial step in preparing your wood for carving. It evens out an object’s surface and makes it smooth so it can be painted without brush strokes.

Be careful not to overdo it; you can always sand down too much and may find yourself starting from scratch. It’s also important to note that different types of wood require different levels of sanding.

The type of sandpaper you use for sanding also depends on the project you’re working on—it can be coarse or very fine, depending on how smooth your final product needs to be.

7. Treatments Before Carving

You’ll need some supplies to protect your wood and make it easier to carve. Here are a few basic items you should use as part of your carving preparations:

•  Safety Equipment;
• General Tools;
• Wood Treatments;
• Types of Wood; and Mapping Out Your Design.

In addition to getting your wood ready for carving, you should make a few additional preparations before you start chiseling.

To begin with, if you’re not working with kiln-dried lumber, dry it slowly over several weeks until it feels no heavier than an egg. If you’re planning on applying a finish after your carving is done, now’s also a good time to do so. Have fun! Good luck carving! Good luck! And happy woodcarving!

Check out planning without a planer

Conclusions: preparing wood for carving

Overall, wood carving is a relaxing hobby that may provide hours of fun. It also offers plenty of opportunities to explore fine motor skills while honing artistic abilities.

The next time you find yourself gazing at a tree trunk or fence post, start thinking about creative things you can carve out of it! You never know what might happen when wood meets woodcarver.

What will you create? Which wood species will you try first? And who knows… Maybe someone else will see your creation and order something custom-made from you. Whatever happens, we wish you luck on your woodcarving journey.