These are merely helpful hints that I have picked up or gleaned somewhere along the way to becoming a better woodcarver.

It has taken me a few years to decide to buy a Ram, which is a high speed detailer. I really like this hand piece since it only weighs about seven ounces and turns about 45,000 rpm. It is a micromotor similar to the Moto-Craft, but the venting is in the back and there is no vibration or wobble in the piece. It is a little hard on bearings, and a bit pricey, but since I plan to carve several hundred more birds it is well worth what I paid for it.

After four or five years of using the Ram, and replacing bearings on annual basis, I once again upgraded. My spouse asked how long I was going to continue to replace bearings and wasn't it about time to step up and buy the best on the market. I did some research and it came down to two machines: either a Gesswein or an NSK. The are both excellent tools pretty close to $1000 or close to it. After I had done adequate research and specifications, I conducted a poll of wildfowl carvers whose work I respect. It was an NSK hands down. Even though they are both great machines. I bought mine from Larry Yudis, The Woodcraft Shop in Bettendorf, Iowa.

I think I paid $695., which to me was an excellent price.

The above information shows how to convert a two dimensional pattern to a three dimensional piece. The article is from an article by C. E. Blanchard in Reference Guide, Songbirds, Wildfowl Carving and Collecting.

Learn to visualize what you want to see as the final outcome. As I carve carve primarily birds, it took me awhile to see the various subtleties that every bird possesses. Not every bird, even in the same species, has the same number of feathers. Even the length of the feathers and size of the feet are different. Learn to see the differences in coloration from the various seasons as well as to be able to differentiate by color, the sex of the bird. The more you know about the object you are carving, the easier it is to see the final outcome of your piece.

Practice is the key to growth as a carver. Carve often enough that you develop your own style and technique. Carve enough different pieces that you can see improvement in each new piece that you do.

Repetition- Carve enough of the same thing over and over, ad nauseum to witness your own improvements. In order to portray what you are carving; whether they be lips, noses, hair, fur, feathers; practice until you have it look the way you want it to look.

You don't need very many tools to get started. I would suggest buying a good knife that can keep a razor sharp edge. A few gouges, either bench style or palm size and a v-parting tool. Learn how to sharpen properly using a stone and strop. There are many techniques to sharpen properly, and I won't go into that at this time. As time passes you can always buy additional tools. I know of many would be carvers that spent a good deal of money on tools that they didn't need or know how to use. I know of several folks who spent far too much on tools, and then lost interest and now the tools just sit.

When I began to use power to carve, I used both Dremel and a Sears flex shaft rotary tools. I then converted to a hand piece by Moto-Craft from England. I found the drawbacks to be:

· The chuck spins I couldn't grip the hand piece too closely without the chuck hitting my hand.

· It was a short hand piece and since I have large hands, the exhaust vents would heat up over time and burn the palm of my hand.

· After a period of time it developed a slight vibration which irritated me while I was carving.

It has taken me a few years to decide to buy a Ram, which is a high speed detailer. I really like this hand piece since it only weighs about seven ounces and turns about 45,000 rpm. It is a micromotor similar to the Moto-Craft, but the venting is in the back and there is no vibration or wobble in the piece. It is a little hard on bearings, and a bit pricey, but since I plan to carve several hundred more birds it is well worth what I paid for it.

Reference material cannot be stressed enough, there is no such thing as too much. When starting a new carving it is a good idea to know what it will or should look like. Several photos of many types of poses can be obtained from a number of places. The internet is a great source of information. There are individuals and companies which sell photo packets. There is nothing quite as helpful as a good study skin or taxidermy piece regarding feather layout and coloration. For example, when it came time to paint "The Gift"-a bluebird pair for competition in the Pacific Flyway in Sacramento, I had 40-50 color photos of Bluebirds taped to the wall as references.

For me, I like to carve the head of a piece first. I set the eyes and detail the head. It is amazing to me to see a piece come to life when the eyes are set. I have carved pieces and something didn't quite seem right; kind of hard to explain. Once I can see the bird come to life in the block, the rest of the bird will follow. 

Competition is also a great way to learn and improve one's own carving skills. I have always made it a practice to ask any judge to critique my piece regardless of how good or how poor it is. That is one of the methods I use to improve my carving ability, style and presentation.

I am aware of carvers out there who chase the ribbon count. For me, if someone likes one of my carvings, great; if it happens to win a ribbon that's ok too. I would rather carve an appealing piece without regard for the aspects of competition.

Learn to carve to satisfy yourself first. Chances are that any judge is not taking your piece home with him.

Learn to put a fair value on your time and your work. I think that I am entitled to a fair price and a fair wage for the time I spend on a piece. If I was to be satisfied with minimum wage, I would be a greeter for Walmart or flip burgers in a fast food place.

There are some retiree carvers who sell their work for less, because they don't need the money, since they are on Social Security or retirement pension. All that really does, is lower the value of other's work. It is important to maintain a value in the market place, so as not to impact others.

There will eventually be a bird which is the transformation, when everything you have learned will come together. It may be the 15th or the 50th bird. The transformation came for me in 2005, as a result of an article by Keith Mueller entitled, "Creative Vitality", which posted on the Bird Carvers' Online. The article and the follow up discussions dealt with style, creativity and form. Prior to this point, many of my birds carvings looked like birds on a stick. The transformation for me took place when I could see the bird as it would appear in its natural environment. Hopefully my works in the future will be more natural and life like in appearance.