Dateline: 19 April 2014
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It has been more than 20 years since I carved letters in wood. I figured out back then that I didn't need any special (or expensive) chisels for simple letter carving. A basic utility knife with a sharp blade will do the job just fine. If you have an interest in letter carving, I encourage you to give it a try. It's a little tedious but not hard to do. The lettering above is part of a gift I made from my grandson's 2nd birthday. I carved it on the kitchen table one day while he was taking his nap upstairs. I'll show you the finished product in the next Deliberate Agrarian Snippet.
When I was a teenager I used a utility blade to carve a piece of wood into a little lion. It looked pretty good, but about half-way through I sliced half-way through one of my fingers when I slipped.
ReplyDeleteThe amount of blood was incredible. Happened right as the family was sitting down to dinner. My dad shook his head and told me I might want to reconsider my carving tools.
Of course, many years later, I know it wasn't the tool's fault. I've cut myself on machetes, bow saws, kitchen knives, safety scissors, plastic bowls, socks... heck, I accidentally severed an artery with one of your clothespins the other day...
David,
ReplyDeleteYou have an amazing ability to make me LOL.
I'm glad you are okay (?) after all of those accidents.
If I remember correctly, we're supposed to have a clothespin fight in your backyard someday. How about after that we compare past scars? That's always fun. Then we can smoke one of your homegrown, hand rolled faux Cuban cigars, but I'll probably get dizzy and sick because I don't smoke cigars.
I'm going to be more careful now about putting my socks on.
I wish I had something humorous to share (having read the previous comments), but suffice to say that I forwarded this post to my 15 yo son and hope he's careful... :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea for a little extra homestead income! If someone wanted to make simple signs, they might sell well at a farmer's market or flea market. Signs for the home, like "Welcome" or "Bless This House", "The Kimball's", etc.
ReplyDeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteLearning to carve letters in wood is a great project for a 15 year old boy.
Brenda,
That was once my intention but I only made name signs for gifts. There isn't a doubt in my mind that carving simple signs could be a nice little business, especially if the lettering could be gold leafed, which I've never learned.
@ Herrick
ReplyDeleteSounds perfect.
"you are okay (?)"
ReplyDelete(snicker)