Tom Hindes

Note: This book assumes you have access to a scroll saw: before carving most of the patterns, you must first trace the pattern onto your wood and then cut it out using a scroll saw. (Given the size of the carvings, a band saw won't work well). Also note that this book is about carving scrap lumber rather than sticks collected in the wilderness.

If you have access to a scroll saw and scrap lumber, this is a good book for beginners. There are helpful directions which explain how to move from block of wood to carved elephant, for example. The author provides suggested steps such as: round and narrow the trunk, add stop cuts around the ears, etc. I did find the book to be a bit redundant after a while.

Once I had carved an elephant, I understood the process necessary to carve a bear or fox instead; I didn't actually need the directions for these later pieces, and I could make my own pattern from a profile photograph of the animal I was carving.… (mer)