A Guide To The Art Of Woodworking

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Woodworking is a primitive craft that can be traced back as far as the Neanderthals. It continued to travel through history and has roots in the Neolithic period and into the advanced civilizations of Egypt and China. Although the modern craft of woodworking has evolved, the basic goal of the craft has not changed. Woodworking is the process of transforming a rough piece of wood into a final, finished and polished piece. This may be strictly utilitarian such as a mixing bowl or a chair, or a work of art such as sculpture or jewelry.

Wood generally falls into three wide categories: Hardwood, softwood, and synthetic or man-made wood. They each have their purpose. The best wood for the job depends on the project you are doing, your skill level, and to some extent your personal taste. But woodworking is more than just cutting, sanding, and nailing planks together. Some of the major categories of woodworking include carving, turning, and burning.

Carving

Wood carving is the craft of removing pieces of wood from the blank to create a finished product. This can be a practical item for home use such as a kitchen bowl, or legs or a chair. Wood carving is also practiced for purely artistic purposes. Wood carvers use both hand and power tools in their work. The various methods of carving include chip carving, relief carving, treen, and whittling.

Chip carving is typically done on two planes to create intricate geometric patterns in the wood. In a relief, the carver creates a raised picture off of the flat wood surface. The relief can then be stained or painted to further enhance the image. Treen is a type of folk art that produces useful household items from wood. Items can include wood boxes, tea caddies, and furniture. Whittling is the art of trimming away wood with a knife to carve a pattern.

Turning

In woodturning, the crafts person removes, or trims away thin slivers from a blank on a lathe. By adjusting the lathe and the wood, they can create many unique and beautiful patterns.

The items that are created by turning wood are usually round or cylindrical in shape and can include bowls, pens, and furniture legs.

Burning

When we think of burning wood, it brings up images of a bonfire at summer camp. But the art of wood burning is a branding process called pyrography. It is used to create decorative patterns in the surface of the wood. A skilled wood burner can create beautifully intricate patterns in a variety of tones and textures. Although the term is called burning, it is not typically done with an open flame, but a type of hot iron to sear or brand the wood. Some artists opt to paint or stain the wood after burning the surface to bring out its beautiful luster.

For industrial woodworkers, a CNC router can reduce waste, frequency of errors and the time the finished product takes to get to market. An industrial CNC router also gives more flexibility to the manufacturing process. For the budget conscious, late-model used CNC routers are a good solution.