Power Carving Basics

Getting started power carving? Here are a few main things to consider

By Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

Selecting the Right Power Carving Equipment

Follow these wisdoms to build your dream kit

By Dave Hamilton, Jack Kochan, Frank Russell, and Chuck Solomon

Choosing Power Carving Bits

Make smart purchases with a basic understanding of the cutters available

By Dave Hamilton and Chuck Solomon

Tools for Removing Wood Quickly

We test-drive the hardiest “toys” on the market

By Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

Introduction to Reciprocating Carvers

Blend an edged-tool texture with the speed of a power carver

By Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

Power Carving Safety

Anticipate potential dangers for a safer shop experience

By Dave Hamilton, Jack Kochan, Frank Russell, and Chuck Solomon

Dust Collection Roundup

Consider these options for keeping your woodshop—and lungs—free of dust

By Jon Deck

Cleaning and Maintaining Bits

Prolong the life of burrs with these quick hacks

By Frank Russell

Woodburning Tips

Learn why pyrography is a key skill to add to your arsenal

By Staff of Woodcarving Illustrated

Airbrushing on the Cheap

You could have two-thirds of an airbrush setup hiding in your workshop!

By Jon Deck

Micromotors: A Master Class

Get your hands on some tips and techniques for micromotor power carving

By Kristin LeVier

Carolina Wren

Carve a bird so lifelike it’ll make you do a double take

By B. David Duncan

Smoking Garden Gnome

This spunky character comes with a pipe and a whole lot of personality

By Edgar Shrum

Crescent Moon Wand

Make a little magic for the fantasy fan in your life

By Tamara Seevers

Three-Point Ribbon

Create a classic wooden whimsy with just a rotary tool and a knife

By Garth Burgon

Hardwood Mouse

Transform colorful scraps into a cute little rodent on a bed of leaves

By Paul Purnell

Ice Skate Ornament

Add an unexpected embellishment to an easy holiday ornament

By Keoma McCaffrey

Tiny T. Rex

This king of lizards will be a hit with dino lovers of all ages

By Brian Altison

Realistic Bear Head

Make this handsome beast without endless hours of fur texturing   

By Lori Andrews

Carving the Female Face

Master the technique of sculpting a human portrait

By Chris Howard

Power-Carved Pirate Ship

Indulge your inner pirate by making a miniature Jolly Roger

By Benjamin Tyler

Realistic Tropical Fish

Hone your fish-carving skills on a vibrant reef dweller

By James Spencer

Golden Eagle Walking Stick

Dress up a functional cane with this glorious raptor

By Paul Purnell

Autumn Jewelry

Sculpt a lovely array of wearable acorns and leaves

By Keoma McCaffrey

Making a Rustic Measuring Cup

Power carve a kitchen staple from salvaged wood

By David Drake

Rolling Pin Santa

Use a reciprocating carver to give old utensils a new face

By Randy George

Great Horned Owl

Let the chips fly where they may with this striking
chainsaw sculpture

By Michael Robinson

Getting Started

Transfer the patterns for the bird and base to the blanks. Use a piece of carbon or graphite paper. Cut the bird side view first using a band saw. Tape the pieces back together with clear packaging tape, and then cut out the top view. Separate and discard the scrap pieces from the cutout. Then cut the base.

Sketch a centerline starting at the beak, moving up and over the crown of the head to the tip of the tail. Draw the main landmarks, such as the head, beak, wings, and feet. Refer to the pattern, using a measuring scale or calipers for accuracy.

Step 1

Rough-shape the bird. Using a cone-shaped carbide-point bit, follow the lines you just made, thinning the neck and back areas to distinguish the wings and head from the torso. Switch to a tapered ruby bit. Round the head, moving from the beak to the crown. The crown should be noticeably smaller in circumference than the neck area. Make a small valley on either side of the head where the eyes will go, moving back from the brows to the nape of the neck until the valleys almost meet. Thin and round the tail.

Step 2

Separate the wing parts. Use the same bit. Contour the head, cheeks, and beak. Add round wells for the eyes. Sand the entire bird with 220-grit sandpaper or 240-grit Abranet®.

Step 3

Draw feathers onto the wing parts and tail. Refer to the pattern. Then lay a cylinder-shaped blue ceramic stone on its side and cut individual feathers into each wing and on the top and bottom of the tail.

Step 4

Fill out the feather texture. Lay a tapered cylinder-shaped white ceramic stone on its side and carve individual feathers on the cheeks, breast area, sides, and back of the bird. With the same stone, round each feather, and then carve the barbs. Add feather splits.

Step 5

Draw and carve the individual head feathers. Use a narrow, pointed ruby bit. Start at the beak and increase the feather size as you work toward the back.

Step 6

Round off and break the sharp corners of each feather. Use a sanding stick with a band of 220-grit sandpaper. Texture the head feathers with the tapered cylinder-shaped white ceramic stone.

Step 7

Burn the wing and tail feather texture. Use a bent shader tip in a woodburner. Don’t forget to add in the feather quills during this step.

Step 8

Burn in the barbs. Use the point of a skew tip. Add feather splits where desired. Note: To keep the burner tip clean and sharp, lay a piece of sandpaper on a flat surface. Then lay the burner tip at a sharp angle and run it across the sandpaper to remove any grit or grime.

Step 9

Set in the eyes. Make sure that the eye sockets are big enough to accommodate 3/16″ (5mm)-dia. brown eyes. The eyes should sit far enough into the socket that when looking at the bird’s head from above, you see just a bit of each one. Using a dental tool, place some epoxy putty in the eye sockets to hold the eyes in place. Then form a small ribbon of epoxy and place it around the eyes to form the eye rings. Work the epoxy around the eyes and blend it into the wood as feathers.

Step 10

Shape the feet. Note: Wear eye protection when performing this step. Cut six pieces of 1/32″ (1mm)-dia. brass rod into 1″ (2.5cm) lengths. Bend a radius on one end of each piece to form a nail shape, and then pound the nail flat. Hold the straight end of the brass rod with small locking pliers. Grind the nail to shape using a ball-shaped fluted carbide cutter bit. Bend the toes to shape after grinding.

Step 11

Attach the feet. Drill six holes 1/16″ (2mm) in diameter by 9/32″ (7mm) deep in the bottom of the bird; refer to the pattern. Cut 1/16″ (2mm)-deep grooves from the outer body to the holes. Place a small amount of cyanoacrylate (CA) glue on the toe shafts and insert the toes into the holes. Drill a 3/16″ (5mm)-deep hole in the bottom center of the bird to accommodate a 1/8″ (3mm)-dia. wood dowel.

Step 12

Draw the bark lines. Sketch a circle 1/4″ (6mm) in from the edge. Add spokes at regular intervals going out toward the edge, and then carve along these lines using the tapered ruby bit. Make random vertical cuts all around the outside of the base to simulate bark texture. Drill a 3/16″ (5mm)-deep hole in the center of the base for the wood dowel.

Step 13

Define the rings. Cut around the inside and outside of each bark section with the pointed ruby bit. Add growth rings fanning out from the central dowel hole. Use the same bit.

Step 14

Shape the bark pieces. Break sharp corners and remove rough edges in and around each bark section with a piece of 240-grit Abranet or 220-grit sandpaper. Slightly round the top of each bark section.

Step 15

Add more bark details. Burnish the sections of bark using a ball stylus. The bark should look rough and bumpy. Then glue the dowel in place.

Step 16

Spray the bird and base with clear satin finish. The project will be easier to finish if mounted on a paint stick. Paint the bird, referring often to the Paint Notes on page X. (I use a #6 round brush to apply base coats and a 1/8″ (3mm) angular shading brush for drybrushing and detailing.) Once done, shade all feathers and feather splits by adding just a slight touch of black to the basecoat colors and apply around the bottom of each feather. Scrape the excess paint from the glass eyes with a knife. Do not use sandpaper. Let the paint dry, and then attach the bird to the dowel with cyanoacrylate (CA) glue.

Paint Notes

Cap, bib, beak: Mars black

Breast, cheeks, rump, highlights to feather-edges and toes: titanium white

Side flanks: raw sienna, titanium white (blend into the white areas of the breast and rump with a watery brush)

Back and shoulder area: raw umber, ultramarine blue, titanium white (mix to a brownish grey)

Top of wings, tail: burnt umber, Payne’s gray, ultramarine blue, titanium white (mix to a dark grey)

Toes: burnt umber, Payne’s gray, small amount of titanium white

Base (first coat): yellow oxide, titanium white

Base (second coat): watered-down Payne’s gray and burnt umber (use to darken growth rings and cracks)

Base highlights: drybrush titanium white

Underside of tail and wings: neutral gray

MATERIALS

• Tupelo, 1 3/4″ (4.4cm) thick: 1 3/4″ x 3 1/4″ (4.4cm x 8.3cm)

• Tupelo, 1/2″ (1.3cm) thick: 2 1/2″ (6.4cm) square

• Wood dowel: 1/8″ (3mm)-dia., 5/16″ (8mm) long

• Glass eyes: two, 5mm-dia. brown

• Brass rod: 1/32″ (1mm)-dia., 6″ (15.2cm) long

• Carbon or graphite paper

• Epoxy putty

• Finish: clear satin, such as Deft

• Acrylic paint (see Paint Notes above)

• Glue: cyanoacrylate (CA)

• Sandpaper: 220-grit or 240-grit Abranet

• Tape: clear packaging

TOOLS

• Drill with bits: assorted small

• Knife (optional)

• Band saw

• Graphite pencil

• Measuring scale or calipers

• Rotary tool

• Ruby bits: tapered, pointed

• Blue ceramic stone: cylinder

• Fluted carbide cutter: ball-shaped

• Carbide-point bit: cone-shaped

• White ceramic stone: tapered cylinder

• Stick with 220-grit sandpaper band

• Woodburner with nibs: skew, bent shader

• Ball stylus

• Locking pliers

• Dental tool

• Paintbrushes: #6 round, 1/8″ (3mm) angular shader

Butch Clark lives in rural Darke County, Ohio, with his wife, Janie. He began carving in 1992, specializing in realistic songbirds, and now teaches classes on songbirds and their habitat. Butch is a member and past president of the “Brukner Nature Carvers” woodcarving club in Troy, Ohio. He has won numerous awards at woodcarving shows throughout the Midwest and East Coast. Contact Butch at butch0547@embarqmail.com.

Controls are on the power hub, not the tool handle.

The Power Hub

The MakerX hub transfers the energy of a 20-volt lithium ion battery to any attached tool through a super flexible cord. The hub has an onboard power switch and variable speed control, negating the need for them to be incorporated into the individual tools. The kit we tested includes a rotary tool and an airbrush—but the hub can power additional MakerX tools, such as an angle grinder, heat gun, and burnisher. The WorX Power Share battery can provide up to three hours of power on a single charge, depending on the tool and how it’s being used.

Changing bits is easy with the integral spindle lock and the wrench supplied in the kit.

The rotary tool has excellent power, with speeds up to 35,000RPM.

The Rotary Tool

The handpiece has a comfortable ergonomic design with a soft-textured rubber grip. There’s plenty of power in the brushless motor, which allows for speeds from 5,000 to 35,000 RPM. We used several carving bits on pine and walnut blanks, and the tool performed well. The universal 1/8″ (3mm) collet holds any brand of rotary accessories.

The tool is not loud, but has a high-pitched whine, especially at faster speeds. It’s worth noting that the tool will shut off when pushed too hard. This is a design feature that surprised us at first—but it occurs so that the bit or blade will not kick back or become difficult to control. If this occurs, reset the system by turning the startup button on the hub off, and then turn on again. Once familiar with the tool, we were able to carve with minimal interruptions.

The compressor pump provides a stable base for the airbrush to stand upright.

The Airbrush

No noisy, bulky compressor or hose needed with the MakerX airbrush! The airbrush pen mounts directly onto a lightweight canister-type compressor that provdes 14-18 psi of air pressure. It also doubles as a comfortable handle for the brush, and solidly supports the unit upright when not in use. The pen itself is a high-quality tool that rivals those from well-known airbrush manufacturers.

Adjust paint flow with the knob on the end of the pen.

Conclusion

When you place all the elements of the system into the well-designed carry bag, you’ll truly appreciate the compact portability of the MakerX. The tote is lined with pockets to hold the tools safely and separately, with ample space left over for carving blanks, a water bottle, several bottles of paint, and an extra battery or two to keep you crafting on the go. The price is modest for the array of quality tools in the kit—not to mention the capability to power carve nearly anywhere you want.

Kit Contents

MakerX rotary tool

MakerX airbrush

Airbrush compressor

MakerX hub

20V battery

Battery charger

Accessory case

Storage bag

Steel brush (1)

Bristle brush (1)

Drum mandrel (1)

Cutting accessories (8)

Sanding accessories (12)

Polishing accessories (4)

Grinding accessories (5)

Engraving accessories (4)

Screw-on mandrel (1)

Threaded mandrel (1)

Drill bit: 1 1/8″ (29mm) (1)

Spanner wrench (1)

Dropper (1)

Cleaning brush (1)