Figures made of wood. Tips for Beginners

Skillful hands can work miracles. Those who have not yet taken the first steps in this direction, but really want to try, are encouraged to start with simpler options. Uncomplicated figures of wood will help to acquire the initial skills of handling such an interesting and pliable kind of material.

Preparatory stage

Before you cut a tree from a tree, you shoulddetermine its appearance. Ideas can be different. Sometimes the image arises after reading an interesting book, going to a film or an exhibition, and a large amount of information can lead to the creation of an original idea of its own. The option of full copying of works already created by masters is taken into account.

The idea requires a sketch. It can be implemented on paper in the form of simple sketches. It is recommended to consider the dimensions and clearly outline the details. This will greatly simplify the process and will make it step-by-step. Already experienced masters begin work with the direct processing of wood, a product with simple forms requires minimal detail and is much simpler.

Selection of material

In accordance with the idea, it is necessary to select andwood for work. From its quality depends entirely on the final result, so immediately exclude materials with loose structures and give preference to the following options:

linden - one of the best options for beginnersmasters, figurines made of wood of this breed are easier to make, thanks to the soft structure of the material, can be perfectly processed, often used for small plastics and ornaments;
aspen - similar in basic characteristics to a linden, another good option for making small figures;
pine - can be laminated, but if you arrange its annual rings correctly, the product will look especially impressive;
maple - it differs in good density, it is a little more difficult to process such wood, but miniature animals' figures are made of it very well; wood of this breed is often made of chess;
oak - especially good, dense wood is difficult to process, but it is highly polished and lacquered looks attractive, products from this material are of high value.

All these tree species are soft in processing, they are notthe instrument will be blunt and will allow to produce a product of any shape. The main thing that should be considered when choosing a material is its quality, it must be whole, dry, not damaged by rot and beetles.

Required Tools

Before you cut a tree from a figurine,it is necessary to choose a quality tool. This material, if desired, can also be processed with a conventional penknife. But it is much easier and more pleasant to work with a number of specialized devices.

The cutter is the main tool for all work, it features a chamfered short blade (36 degrees) and is used for initial rough machining.
The jamb helps to form the desired kind of ornament, suitable for work on planes, the blade is usually beveled by 60 degrees.
Chisels - there are several options, they can be corner, semicircular and flat, allow you to qualitatively process figurines from wood, creating a deeper relief on them.
Klepiki - an important tool for hard-to-reach places, has a sharp ending, allowing you to work even the smallest details.

In addition to the basic set, it is necessary to stock upgrinding machine, rasp, drill, drill with a number of nozzles and a saw. All these tools will greatly facilitate the work and will make it possible to realize even the most intricate idea.

The working process

Having prepared everything you need, you can proceedsuch a responsible occupation as woodcarving. Figures begin to make from the manufacture of rough workpiece, using a pencil, mark the main parts of the future product, trim the excess, leaving only a small stock of wood at the edges. Experienced masters do not remove all surplus at once, with them it is more convenient to keep the figure in the right position.

In the resulting simple figure, we make small cuts, this is a note for subsequent work (trunk, limbs, head).
Using the cutter, we begin to form the necessary parts of the blanks, smoothly cutting off the corners and each time removing the shavings all thinner.
Additional incisors form all the small details, achieving complete resemblance to the sketch.
Proceed to a fine thread, apply contoursfuture elements, qualitatively we study all depressions. The smaller the figures from the tree, the more difficult it will be to work on small details, so for the initial work it is necessary to select larger and simple sketches.

Pay special attention to the processing phase, namelyfrom it will depend on the durability of the finished product. Carefully polish the craft with fine sandpaper, trying not to lubricate the relief, apply stain or other wood treatment. On top of the figure is covered with a varnish, protecting it from moisture.