Charles Marshall Sayers - The Book of Wood Carving: Technique, Designs and Projects

CORRECT POSITION OF HANDS IN HOLDING TOOLS

LEFT hand with thumb pointing upward on handle, and the lower part well down to point of tool.

Right hand with forefinger and thumb pointing downward, and end of handle snuggled partly into the palm.

The forefinger should not be on handle, but alongside, and all fingers should be around handle or blade, firmly but freely. The heel of the left hand should rest on the wood.

While the position of the hand is the same on the different tools, it will be found in using the parting tool that if the tool is elevated to an angle, that would cause the tool to cut deeper, as the stroke is made. Then to counteract that by a slight uplift of the fingers of the left hand, the result will be to eliminate friction of metal behind the cutting edge, thus saving effort, and lessening any roughing tendency on curves. With the gouges, on the contrary, the pressure on the tool burnishes the wood, leaving a desirable clean-cut sheen to the work.

The student should avoid stooping over. Rather slump the trunk on hips, and head on shoulders, left leg advanced and both knees bent. It will be found that the feet and legs play an important part, and the body should be balanced at all times. Generally the body weight is back of all cuts, keeping the arm, at any angle, a part of the body rather than working independently. Careless posture means rapidly tiring muscles, and consequently poor work.

The use of a mallet should be avoided at first, having a tendency to make cramped work. Later, on hard woods, it is quite permissable, and almost necessary at times. When cutting with the assistance of the mallet, the tool should be held fairly loosely. This lessens the chance of breaking the cutting edge should the mallet glance off the handle of the tool, or hard grain be encountered.

Cultivating the use of both hands is of great advantage, as one can change to cut the grain, without having to move the work on hand.

Position of Tools on Bench

Have the tools on bench with points toward work. This seems to be awkward for the beginner, but a little practice shows the advantage. Pick a tool up with the left hand. ready to use. Lay it down with the same hand. This lessens the danger of cuts, and increases the speed of selection and handling.

Tools

FOR preparatory work, I limit my students to four tools, consisting of:

London Style

1 straight parting tool	No. 39
(or or of same number)
1 straight gouge	No. 5
1 straight gouge	1 No. 3
(or of same number)
1 straight gouge	No. 7

Later, for relief carving, it will be advantageous to have a straight gouge, No. 3 (see Design No. 8).

English tools, Henry Taylors Acorn Professional Line, are recommended as being the finest steel. Their shapes are a development of hundreds of years of craftsmanship and expert workmanship, the balance and temper being of correct quality for the purpose of each tool. These tools can be purchased through dealers, such as many of the better art-supply shops. Request that these tools be ground sharp. If there is difficulty in obtaining them, contact Pentalic Corp., 132 W 22nd Street, New York, New York 10013. You can ask for a quotation or for their price list catalog. If, for some reason, you must substitute, use tools of the same shape as those shown, or as similar as possible. Good steel, such as is used in Taylor tools, is an absolute necessity. Keep in mind that to try to save money on wood carving tools is to waste it. Should you purchase a set of tools, know the quality you are buying, as you can pay dearly for both inferior steel and packaging. The Henry Taylor Acorn Sets, though somewhat smaller than Taylor Professional tools, are the same quality.

No. 39, STRAIGHT PARTING TOOL

No. 5, STRAIGHT GOUGE

1 No. 3, STRAIGHT GOUGE

No. 7, STRAIGHT GOUGE

One of the most important things in wood carving is the correct sharpening of tools, and I think it is better to give full instruction at this time on the care and upkeep.

A piece of leather belting is very suitable for stropping; one edge can be shaped to take the inside of the parting tool, and another rounded for the inside of the smaller gouges.