Wood carving is working wood with cutting tools such as chisels and gouges to create a decorative or figurative form in it. It is a craft used for ornament, relief, sculpture and fine detailing in and on buildings. Unlike turning or routing, the material is cut away by hand.
Application in construction
- Interior — staircases, balusters, panelling, and door and fireplace surrounds
- Furniture and church work — pulpits, choir stalls, altars and panels
- Facades — corbels, brackets (in wood), finials and decorated bargeboards
- Restoration — reproducing or reworking existing ornament on listed buildings
Technique and choice of wood
- Relief carving — the pattern stands out from a background surface; shallow (bas-relief) or deep (haut-relief)
- Pierced work — where the background is fully removed, as in tracery
- Sculpture — free-standing, carved in the solid mass
For carving you preferably choose soft, even and not too fibrous wood, such as lime (basswood), which is often used because it shows little grain and works finely. The gouges must be razor-sharp; blunt tools tear the fibre instead of cutting it cleanly. Work with the grain as much as possible to prevent breakout.
Related terms
- Wood
- Ornament
- Relief
- Gouge
- Chisel
- Mouldings
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