Not bad but you could do better | The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving: With Project Patterns for Line...

OK For What I needed | The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving: With Project Patterns for Line Carving, Relief Carving, Carving in ... | Charles Beiderman, William Johnston

books:


	• The Beginner's Handbook of Woodcarving: With Project Patterns for Line Carving, Relief Carving, Carving in ... Charles Beiderman, William Johnston Dover Publications, 1988 - 192 pages average customer review:based on 9 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

Very basic shapes

Like many beginning woodcarving books this book describes the basic cuts you need to practice and it gives some information on wood types. Beyond that, the only reason to purchase this book is if you need the patterns in them.

Being new to wood carving I like the price of the book and I thought I would give it a try. Once I saw the patterns though, I changed my mind and bought another book. This is just a matter of taste but the cutesy mouse and the fisherman weren't what I wanted to carve and I feel that you really need to find carvings that interest you (especially while you are learning) to prevent boredom. Once again, if the patterns on the cover look interesting to you, then by all means get this book (if you are a complete beginner).

for more information click here

Not bad but you could do better

If you need an overview of woodcarving and were not very picky about the need for step by step assistance, this book would work for you. It does go over the basic cuts and offers text on a variety of topics in wood carving, i.e. types of woodcarving, tools, materials, painting, etc. It provides a number of patterns, many of them fairly cheesy and probably would not appeal to most starting out. There is a nice selection of bird patterns, but not much pictoral instructions on how to carve them. You would probably be better off with a different beginner's book with more appealing projects and then find books on specific woodcarving interests from there.

for more information click here

OK For What I needed

The biggest negative to this book is the lack of color illustrations. This disappointed me. It would hace been nice, in the chapter on birds, to show how color is applied, and what finishes to use.

After reading this, I realized this book is just about carving wood. Wood is wood. You can stain it, paint it, using oils or anything else that sticks to wood. This not about canvas, or glass. The authors use a conversational style, which I liked.

The initial publication was in 1983, before digital photography. The publisher is Dover, and they have a reputation for good books at a low price.

for more information click here

Good low cost beginners book.

If I had to pick just one book to get started carving wood this one would be in the running.

A book that will get you started in a hobby for under $8.00? That's almost unheard of. It's true in this case. If you want to learn how to carve there is plenty here to build your skills.

This book gives you projects to get started carving wood right now. Plus, it gives the tools and methods to design your own projects. I really can't ask more of a beginners book than that.

The projects are explained in clear language. The pictures are well done and there's plenty of them.

Most importantly, this book has plenty of patterns and designs to get you started. Yes, there are a few campy and cartoonish patterns, but there are also patterns based on National Wildlife Federation stamps, wild animals, Abe Lincoln, dogs, birds, etc.

I found it useful to see the level of detail for the various patterns in order to design my own projects. There is also a section that talks about pattern making.

I'm giving four stars rather than five because after almost 30 years it could stand a new edition with some updates for the computer age and new resources. All in all though this is a solid book and a steal at $8.00.

for more information click here

Detailed instructions and illustrations for carving animals, flowers, figures, and more. Includes tips on tools, techniques, painting, finishing, and even exhibiting. Excellent for both novices and veteran carvers.

reviews: page 1, 2