Frank Egholm’s Tips and Tricks for Whittling
by Floris Books • 17 August 2018 • Crafts & Activities, Steiner-Waldorf Education • 0 Comments
Whittling is a wonderful hobby that’s had a big revival over the past 10 years, and it is the perfect outdoor hobby for adventurous children! Frank Egholm’s new book – Easy Wood Carving for Children – is packed with ideas to get the creative energy flowing, with clear step-by-step instructions for over 50 projects.
We asked author Frank Egholm for his top tips to get started with whittling.
1. Choose the right type of wood
There are lots of different kinds of wood. In general, freshly cut wood is easier to carve than seasoned wood, and you should ideally choose a straight grown piece of wood, without knots. Species like hazel, birch, chestnut and maple are all good for carving, but you can try whittling with whatever wood you can get your hands on!
2. Get a proper carving knife
Carving knives are specially designed to carve wood. While you can whittle with other types of knives like outdoor knives and pocket knives, the experience will be much better with a proper carving knife. The only other tool you might need is a saw.
3. Good practice makes for safe carving
A responsible adult should always be present when children are carving. Only carve when sitting with both feet firmly on the ground. Keep a fair distance from others. Always carve away from yourself. Hold your arms close to your body and take frequent breaks.
4. Choose the right project
If you have never whittled before there’s no reason to begin carving something very difficult. You first need to familiarise yourself with how to hold the knife and the wood, and learn the different techniques. Begin with something simple and make sure you are comfortable before moving on to more challenging projects!
5. Take your time
When you are whittling, you automatically start to relax. Both your mind and your body are occupied with the task. However, if you try to hurry you lose the enjoyment and you start to make mistakes.
6. Whittle together with others
While whittling is a very individual process in many ways, it can also be a great activity to do alongside others. It’s a great way to be sociable without too much expectation, as everyone will have their own little project to concentrate on. At the same time, you can inspire each other, come up with new ideas and help each other practice the best techniques.
Easy Wood Carving for Children is a short introduction to whittling; there are endless possibilities once you’ve mastered the basic techniques. One can whittle off the bark of a branch or create an intricately decorated piece of jewellery. It all starts with a knife, a piece of wood and your imagination.
Download our best practice safety guidelines for whittling with children
About the book
Looking for an outdoor hobby to engage your children and encourage them to be crafty and creative? Wood carving is not only easy to learn and fun to do, but almost everything you need to get started can be found for free – right outside your door!
Together you can craft a tumbling tower game, a racing car toy, a dolphin necklace or even a handy coat hook! With more than fifty activities at levels for beginners and up, children can create something useful, beautiful or fun (often all three!) out of wood.
Learning wood carving not only helps to improve children’s concentration, creativity and dexterity, it’s also invaluable in teaching them how to handle knives safely.
Adventurous children will be thrilled to learn woodland skills, while nature-loving parents will enjoy rediscovering the lost art of whittling with their kids.
