Carve: A Simple Guide to Whittling

by Melanie Abrantes

Whittle a beautiful spoon, comb, pair of dice, and more with this fresh introduction to a folksy craft.   Carve modernizes a mindful hobby that people have turned to for generations to help them slow down, relax, and connect with the outdoors. Choose from a dozen projects with bespoke details, all are designed to be useful at home or while camping. And because these objects are small, they require only a few hours and a tool or two to complete. You'll also learn how to choose the right knife and wood, helpful information on techniques and safety, and tips for refining, personalizing and maintaining your piece. Whether you're headed to the woods or just to the porch, this pocket-sized guide will have you carving your own unique designs in no time.

Genres: Crafts, Nonfiction, Reference, Woodwork

128 pages, Hardcover

Published August 22, 2017

Reviews

[Diane Estrella · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great little book for beginner whittlers.

I love that the book is a small size and hardcover. The photos included are clear, beautiful, and helpful. The author comes across clearly with her instructions and passion for this art form. She emphasizes that whittling is both just as rewarding as it can be dangerous. The book includes easy, intermediate, and hard projects and also includes some simple patterns in the back that you can follow. If you're looking for a new hobby or something to do with your fidgety hands, this may be the very thing for you!

I received this book from the publisher but was not required to leave a review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

[Marissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a beautifully designed pocket-sized book that, I suspect, will make whittling feel quite accessible to people with little experience in woodcraft or even craft in general. It’s nice to be able to make that jump from “I like beautiful things” to “wait— I can MAKE beautiful things!!” and this book does a nice job of encouraging that. Projects are pretty basic—accessible & suitable for beginners, with beautiful photos and simple instructions. I’m a beginning whittler and I found it helpful!

[Coriander · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for now, which may change as I start to work on some of the projects in the book!

This was recommended to me by a program at my local library that builds a curriculum for you based on your preferences (of media, number of sources, level etc) and a skill you want to learn. I submitted a request for beginning woodcarving (decorative, not furniture) and this was one of the sources the librarian suggested. Definitely a good entry point! It describes tools, basic cuts, and then gives templates and some instructions (of what cuts to use where, etc) for small projects.

The pictures look good, though because of the way in which I was reading the e-book edition when the author said 'pattern on this page' with a hyperlink it was not always clear to me that a link was being inserted, which caused me some confusion. It's a fast and understandable read, though I can't say I'm 100% confident on how to do the types of cuts based on what was described. We'll see about that lol. The tools she describes are perhaps not the easiest to find in the US as she prefers Japanese-based tools, so not the type I've seen before in the hardware store. She describes why she likes them better than western-style tools and I am intrigued, especially about using a gouge instead of a whittling hook.

The e-book does link to PDFs of the project templates, which is a relief for me :D

[Pandaduh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another good book that would make for a nice gift. Christmas is coming up and this is a tiny little thing, barely bigger than my hand. It was made portable–easy to take with you on camping trips. The cover is quite a lot of fun too–the lettering is “carved” into the “wood.”

I chose to pick up this book because I noticed another reviewer point out it was written by a woman. Before then, I had passed over it without a second glance, figuring it to be some Ron Swanson-esque manual that wouldn’t hold my interest. But no! This is written by an art teacher. A hobbiest. A handcrafter.

Read the rest of my review: https://blackandwhitepandaduh.wordpre...

[Mandy Bookstagram · Rating 4 out of 5]

Choose from handful of traditional whittling projects that teach you step-by-step. This book contains beautiful photos, easy instructions, and require just a few hours a few tools to achieve results. Author Melanie Abrantes walks readers through the steps to choosing the best wood and tools, provides helpful information on techniques and safety, as well as tips for personalizing and maintaining your pieces with staining, burning, monogramming, and more. This is the ultimate introduction to chiseling small objects and utensils--and to carving out a little peace and quiet for yourself.

https://wordpress.com/post/thewandere...

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I believe I read about this book because of its design and it was a beautiful book. Nice photographs, layout, even coloring. I only read the intro pages and tips for beginning carving (selecting tools and wood) while the rest was step-by-step instructions for carving actual objects, which I do not plan to do — at least any time soon. So ... would I become a successful carver if I followed those steps? Who knows. I’m rating the book based on its aesthetic appeal and ease of viewing and quality of information.

[Phil Greaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

I quite liked this book. I don't think I'm the demographic, really - it seems angled at introducing carving to a new audience, not an old one of which I'm a part - and the style grated a little, shot like a magazine, arranged like an Orvis catalogue. But there are some good projects here and I appreciated the difficulty ratings: it is indeed hard to carve a spoon. It's made me think about using that Japanese knife too, instead of my Mora and Old Timer: perhaps I can be part of a new demographic after all?

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding! What a beautiful little book this is. Even if you have no desire to carve or whittle wood, this is still an enjoyable book. The writing is almost all how-to instructions, but the intructions are clear and illustrated with gorgeous photographs of the carving process and the finished work. Abrantes is an artist and it shows. I'm sure this book will inspire folks who never thought about carving to pick up a knife and block of wood.

[Jessica Kurnas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to get anyone started on wood carving/whittling. Abrantes will tell you what you need to get started and will teach you the cuts professional woodworkers use to create a work of art or a practical tool. She also includes some projects to help get you started with woodworking, if you don't naturally just jump right in. I found it all to be useful - and it's a little book that you can pack if you are going somewhere that day.

[Gooshe · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wooden spatula for stirring a favorite stew, a simple tray for holding keys, an elegant comb for brushing your hair... the possibilities of things you can make with a knife and a piece of wood are endless. You can master the art of whittling even if you've never held a knife before.

[Maria Ware · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely wonderful book for beginners in wood carving, very detailed. Tells you all the tools you need and explains things perfectly. Has really nice patterns and pictures to go by. If you are just starting to whittle this book will help you tremendously!

[Via Bella · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a scout leader, I teach whittling to kids. But this book takes it further and gives you some amazing ideas. I can't wait to try some of them out!
Read my full review here: http://viabella-thebeautifullife.blog...

[Daniel Siebern · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about the basics of whittling; definitely affords some inspiration and motivation to carry the few tools necessary to begin making fun little projects. Would have liked to see some more intermediate or unique projects, but overall a great introduction to the art.

[Nancy Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

good beginner book

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silas was facinated by this book as he just learned how to use a pen knife
the projects in here are a bit more than basic - in that they require more tools than just a pen knife.

[Joli Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE LOVE LOVE...Melanie Abrantes makes whittling approachable and aesthetically delicious!

[Elizabeth Humphreys · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this! I am happy to own a copy and have this on my bookcase and as a reference as I take a wooden spoon carving class soon!

[Sherry Griffin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book. I enjoyed the details throughout. Especially the patterns at the end. Simple stuff to do to get a feel for wood carving.

[Andrew Farley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book for those who are new to whittling.
The first 34 pages are filled with techniques and information to set you up for success in your projects. After that, Carve guides you through tutorials for a dozen projects from simple to complex. Each project has multiple, beautiful photos to help you know you are on the right track. More importantly the writing sets the reader at ease with detailed explanations. I really enjoyed the TIPS sprinkled throughout the projects. These tips often provided guidance where I would otherwise have gone astray.
If you enjoy woodworking, or just loathe having idle hands, this is a good book/hobby for you.
I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for this review.

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

CANNOT WAIT TO TRYYYYYYY