My Story

I've been whittling or carving things out of wood since I was a kid. I am pretty much self-taught, at least until very recently. Most of my learning came from trial and error, with a lot of error! Ruined carvings, cut fingers and sloppy results were the typical result of my efforts. Fast forward to maybe 6 years ago. I am a Scoutmaster for a local Boy Scout troop and every year we go off to summer camp for a week. I started using that time to teach the boys carving and impress them with assorted carved neckerchief slides, wooden chains and ball-in-a-box carvings. When camp was over, I'd return home and put away my tools for another year. Trust me, that's not the way to become a better carver.
Last year, I started carving, as much as possible, every Sunday. I did get better, but only a little. Only in the past year, with study, daily practice and a focus on what I want to be as a carver, have I been able to show real improvement and reach the next plateau. I'm not an expert and I'm certainly not a beginner. That middle ground, the "intermediate carver" is where I fit in. It's a big group of us and there's a wide variety of skill levels within that category. I have found the internet a great source of knowledge. There are some really great blogs and lots of helpful videos. I will point you to the ones that helped me most and share what I am learning as I go. The Sunday Carver is here to help the intermediate carver become a better intermediate carver. Few of us will ever get to call ourselves experts or master carvers, but we should be able to have a great time reaching for that star.