WOOD CARVING MERIT BADGE

2018

Presented by James Schultz as taught by Eagle Scout Jared Schultz

Hi...I’m Jared.

I am going to help guide you while you

earn your Woodcarving Merit Badge.

I love to carve...ever since my dad

bought me my first knife. It started out

with whittling sticks sharp but recently I

started carving real objects and loved it.

Carving Merit Badge is one of the top

merit badges earned by scouts today.

And no wonder...it is really a lot of fun.

So let’s get started. I will give you some

instruction, safety tips and then turn you

loose on carving your first project.

As you work on this badge, remember

you and only you are responsible for the

work and learning. So, let’s get started.

This is what the badge will

look like on your sash.

And if you really liked working

with wood and being creative,

or artistic and working with

your hands, you might want to

try some of these other merit

badges.

Woodworking

Pottery

Art

Basketry

Sculpture

Leatherwork

https://www.scoutshop.org/books/for-scouts/merit-badge-pamphlets.html

https://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Wood_Carving

If you haven’t already earned your First Aid Merit Badge, this would be

a great time to do that.

Knowing first aid is very important, because if

you work with cutting tools long enough, you will

cut yourself or maybe something even worse.

First aid is also required for all advancement

ranks, Eagle and for many many other merit

badges.

As we work on this merit badged together, I will

put all the requirements in yellow boxes. You should print up a work-

sheet and if you can, buy the merit badge pamphlet at a local scout

shop or order it on line. They are very helpful.

1. Do the following:

a. Explain to your coun-selor the hazards you are most likely to encounter while wood carving, and what you should do to antic-ipate, help prevent, mitigate, or lessen these hazards.

b. Show that you know first aid for injuries that could occur while wood carving, including minor cuts and scratches and splinters.

Hazard How to anticipate Prevent Mitigate

Sliver Look for splintering

wood

Wear Gloves

Mitigate means: to cause to be-come less harsh or hostile : mollify

Don’t carve when tired-

get a good night’s sleep

Focus while carv-

ing, knives aren’t

toys

Carve where you have

permission- not on

your parent’s kitchen

table

Safe is sharp, dull is

dangerous (skid off

wood into hand)

Keep tools clean and

kept in safe places

Carve on the table,

not your lap -carve

away from your

body and face

Don’t pass knives

over other people

Small stokes give

you more control

over the knife and

project -

don’t muscle if you

find yourself having

to cut a smaller

chunk or just get

different knife that

is more appropriate

for the cut

Make sure to have

good lighting and

sturdy sitting loca-

tion -plenty of

room, so not to

bump anyone -

Use clamps for con-

trol when cutting

smaller pieces

There are many ways to lessen

or prevent injuries while

woodcarving. Here are a few.

INJURY FIRST AID DEMONSTRATE

MINOR

CUTS

DEEP CUTS

SCRATCH-

ES

SPLINTERS

Review your Tenderfoot, Second

Class and First Class first aid require-

ments for the answers and how to

treat them

1. Do the following:

a. Earn the Totin' Chip recognition.

b. Discuss with your merit badge counselor your understanding of the Safety Checklist for Carving.

The Scout must show his Scout leader, or someone designated by his leader, that he understands his responsibility to do the following:

Read and understand woods tools use and safety rules from the Boy Scout Handbook.

1. Demonstrate proper handling, care, and use of the pocket knife, ax, and saw. 2. Use knife, ax, and saw as tools, not playthings. 3. Respect all safety rules to protect others. 4. Respect property. Cut living and dead trees only with permission and with good reason. Subscribe to the Outdoor Code.

The Scout's "Totin' Rights" can be taken from him if he fails in his re-sponsibility.

The safety checklist for carving is really

important to follow. It is your first step in

preventing injury to yourself and others.

On the following page, I will give it to

you. But it is your responsibility to under-

stand it and then explain it to your coun-

selor.

Of course….understanding and explaining

is good, but if you do not follow it your-

self, knowing the checklist is worthless.

Put it into action every time you pick up a

knife.

4. Do the following:

a. Explain to your counselor, orally or in writing, the care and use of five types of tools that you may use in a carving project.

b. Tell your counselor how to care for and use several types of sharp-ening devices, then demonstrate that you know how to use these de-vices.

My dad gave me a really neat

woodcarving tool kit that he

bought when he was a scout

over 50 years ago. It is in great

shape because he cared for it so

well. Now I need to do the

same. It has many kinds of

blades, sander, a hand planer

and other tools.

TOOL HOW TO CARE HOW TO USE

Mallet

Spoon gouges

Carving knife

V-tool

Coping saw

Chisel

http://hingstssignpost.blogspot.com/2014/09/woodcarving-tool-care.html

Google: How to use woodcarving tools:

https://www.woodcraft.com/blog_entries/tools-for-carving

https://woodandshop.com/wood-carving-tools-techniques/

http://www.fundamentalsofwoodworking.com/woodworking-resources/

Woodworking-Articles/woodcarving-basics

https://www.wonkeedonkeetools.co.uk/wood-carving-chisels/how-to-use-

woodcarving-chisels/

http://www.chippingaway.com/basics/understanding-woodcarving-tools/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu50jnWmYvE

As you get into woodcarving you

will find that it is much much

much more than carving a stick

with your jack knife. It is a real

ART!! And the best way to suc-

ceed is to have the right tools and

get some good instruction.

In this power point, I can’t do jus-

tice to the craft. But on the inter-

net there are many great videos

and articles on tools and how to

use them. I will list a couple

down below for you, but the best

would be for you to do your own

search.

And then there is always Christ-

mas and birthdays and an odd job

or two you can use to get money

to buy some quality tools for

yourself.

Elephants

from

Kenya

Elephant

scene from

Thailand

Makonde

from

Tanzania

Man from

Haiti

A few of the woodcarvings (art) we have

collected on trips.

Woodcarving tools for beginners:

https://www.mostcraft.com/best-wood-carving-

tools-beginners/

https://thebackyardgnome.com/basic-essential-

wood-carving-tools-for-beginners/

http://www.fundamentalsofwoodworking.com/

woodworking-resources/Woodworking-Articles/

basic-woodcarving-tools

Knives and Chisels

Chip-Carving Knife - Probably the first tool any carver starts with is a knife. Its primary use is for whittling and chip carving. The

blade is about 1 1/2" long, and has a handle designed to fit the hand. Like gouges, it should be made of high carbon steel that

will hold an edge for a long time.

Carpenter's Chisels - These chisels have a flat edge (#1 Sweep). They are not usually used for sculpture, because the edge of a

flat chisel tends to dig into the wood, twisting and plunging the tool deeper on one side than the carver may have desired. They

can give a crude, unschooled look that may be desirable on some types of sculpture .

U-Gouges - Gouges are the work horses of carving. U-gouges are designated by the width of the cutting edge (in inches or milli-

meters), the sweep, or amount of curvature of the edge (an arbitrarily assigned number), and the shape of the shaft (straight,

bent, spoon, and back bent). Gouges can be purchased: - in widths from 2mm (1/16") to 60 mm (2 3/8") - in sweeps from #2

(a barely perceptible curve) to #11 (a very deep, half round curve) - in straight, bent, spoon, and back-bent shapes

V-Gouges - V-gouges are designated by the width between the top edge tips and the angle of the vee bottom edge. Gouges can

be purchased:

- in widths from 2mm to 30mm - in 60° (#12 sweep) and 90° (#13 sweep)

Bent and Spoon Gouges - These specialty gouges are used to get into inaccessible spots on a carving that a straight gouge can't

reach.

Bent gouge: the entire length of the shaft is curved.

Spoon gouge: the final 1 1/2" of the shaft is deeply bent in a spoon shape.

Back bent gouges: a spoon gouge with the curve reversed so the cutting edge is convex instead of concave. These specialized

tools are seldom used, but when needed, are invaluable.

Skewed Chisel - A skewed chisel's cutting is angled back from the leading edge at a 45 degree angle. They come in straight, bent,

and spoon shapes and in varying widths. These are specialized tools and are seldom, if ever, used.

Palm Tools - Most of the above tool shapes can be purchased as smaller palm tools. A chip-carving knife and an assortment of

palm gouges are all that is needed for creating small carvings in basswood or other soft woods.

Mallet - The traditional mallet for carving is cylindrically shaped and made from a heavy, dense hardwood. I prefer using a rub-

ber mallet. While it doesn't have the driving power of a wood mallet, it is less noisy, easier on the chisel handles, and has some

spring that brings the head back up for the next swing.

How to sharpen Woodcarving Tools:

http://www.woodcarvers.com/sharpening-how-we-do-it/

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2008/01/15/how-to-sharpen-woodcarving

-tools

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z9VR1lK4WqM

Sharpening Supply Examples:

https://www.finewoodworking.com/2008/01/15/how-to-sharpen-woodcarving

-tools

https://www.sharpeningsupplies.com/?

gclid=Cj0KCQjwquTbBRCSARIsADzW88yFhtDQFdkvWPMTmnDwRwCbQkKie2og

Sharpening

Device

How to care for How to use: Demonstrate

Stones

Leather

Strops

Gouge

sharpening

stones

Abrasive

Files

There are many differ-

ent types of stones for

sharpening tools. Look

on line for some exam-

ples.

Check out YouTube:

“How to sharpen

woodcarving tools.”

3 Methods to Sharpen Wood Carving Knives

Here are three different ways that you can sharpen your wood carving knives:

1. Lay the blade close to flat, but at a slight angle on the stone and push the knife away from you as if you were try-ing to slice off a very thin layer of the stone.

2. Lay the blade close to flat, but at a slight angle on the stone and drag the knife toward you with the sharp side of the blade trailing.

3. Lay the blade close to flat, but at a slight angle on the stone and make

You can also use sanders and grinders es-

pecially if your blade has nicks and goug-

es in it and you need to straighten out the

cutting surface. But before you do any of

these, watch a video or two on YouTube

or you may just end up wrecking your

knife.

Improperly

beveled and

sharpened

Properly bev-

eled and sharp-

ened

Stropping

After your knife is as sharp as you possibly can get it using one of the methods above, get out a leather strop. A strop can be purchased (you can pay big bucks for one if you want), but you can easily make one. Here’s how I made mine. You can change the dimensions to suit your needs.

1. Find a piece of wood, approximately 1 1/2″ wide, 3/4″ thick, and 16″ long. 2. Leave 11 inches as is and carve a rounded handle with the other 5 inches. I put a handle

on one end of mine but you might rather have a handle on both ends. 3. Drill a hole in the end of the handle, put a piece of leather through it, and tie the ends

together with a knot. (This is mostly for looks.) 4. Get a piece of leather 1 1/2″ x 11″ from a shoe repair shop or a leather craft shop. Glue

it to the wood. You can also glue an old leather belt of the appropriate size, finished side down to the wood. I used 5-Minute, 2-Part Liquid Epoxy. It’s the kind that comes in a double barrel plastic tube that looks sort of like a big hypodermic needle without the needle. You can buy it at any department store.

Now get some sharpening compound. I have tried several kinds and like Herb’s Yellow-stone. It comes in a solid block 4″ long x 1″ x 1″ and is packed in a little cardboard box. It’s consistency is similar to chalk. Scrape some of the powder off with the back side of your knife and let it fall onto your leather strop. Coat the leather. (It doesn’t take much.) After you use it once the powder will get embedded into the leather and should last through several stroppings. You don’t have to put it on every time.

Strop your knife by laying it as flat as you can on the leather and, while holding a down-ward pressure on the knife, draw the knife toward you with the sharp edge trailing away from you. If you are using Yellowstone, your strop will turn black very quickly as you work your knife on it. This is the metal that is being cut from the knife, letting you know that the strop and the Yellowstone are doing their job. Your knife will be razor sharp and ready to use with just a little effort.

When your blade shows any sign of losing its sharpness, strop it again. Don’t wait until it becomes dull. Strop it often, and you will seldom—if ever—use the stones again.

5. Using a piece of scrap wood or a project on which you are working, show your merit badge counselor that you know how to do the fol-lowing:

a. Paring cut

b. Push cut and levering cut

c. "V" cut

d. Stop cut or score line

Knowing how to do different types of cuts

is important in woodcarving. It is a skill

you will need to master if you get serious

about carving. Watch this video for a

good introduction on some of the differ-

ent types of cuts: https://

www.youtube.com/watch?

v=E_pmEyON8MY,

Paring Cut: With sharp end of the knife facing you, make

small cuts by rotating just your wrists. This cut is mostly

used for details.

Push or Basic Cut: With sharp end of the knife facing

away from you, make small cuts by pushing with your

thumb.

Trace Line: Taking the tip of the knife and tracing a de-

tail line.

Stop Cut: Pushing the knife into your trace line.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqhP-8EdBJI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wu50jnWmYvE

The Four Basic Cuts of Woodcarving

Most carved pieces, with the exception of the more advanced pieces which require gouge cuts, can be completed with these four basic carv-ing cuts.

Basic Cut 1: Thumb (Paring) Cut

This cut is similar to the paring cut used to peel vegetables and will be used for most of your carving. This method of carving toward yourself is frowned upon in some circles because of safety concerns. However, the thumb pad protects you from the blade.

Basic Cut 2: Push-Away (Levering) Cut

There are times when you need to carve an area that a thumb cut can't reach. This cut, which is made by pushing the blade away from you will accomplish that goal.

Basic Cut 3: V-Cut, Using the Knife Point

When carving, you may need to make special cuts to show hair, fur, or distinct lines to distinguish particular features on the finished carving. This v-shaped cut is based on the thumb cut and push-away cuts.

Basic Cut 4: Stop Cut, Using the Knife Point

A stop cut is very similar to a v-cut. One side of the cut is straight; the other slopes in.

Note: Throughout this presentation, I have shone you lots of different tools.

But...to do the merit badge, all you really need is a good sharp knife and two

blocks of basswood. You can even buy woodcarving kits on line or at the scout

shop, whittle a really cool walking stick and a neckerchief slide. You do not

need to buy a whole lot of equipment or spend very much money at all.

6. Tell why different woods are used for different projects. Explain why you chose the type of wood you did for your projects in require-ments 6 and 7.

Wood Choice

There are two basic categories of wood: hard and soft. De-

ciding which one you want your Scouts to use depends on

their skill level. Soft would is your best choice for your first

time Scouts. When your Scouts advance in their carving

skills, you can move onto harder wood. The following

woods are popular soft choices:

Basswood: Basswood is soft and excellent for be-ginners. It can be found at most craft/hobby stores.

Pine: Pine

is also a

soft wood

but has a

bit of a

coarser

grain. Still

considered

a beginner

wood.

Butternut: Butternut is still a beginner

wood but a bit more difficult to carve. As

your Scouts get better, you may want to

upgrade them to Butternut before they

begin on a hard wood.

I got my basswood from a craft

store. The scout shop also sells

wood for small carving projects.

BASSWOOD Basswood is the most popular choice wood for beginners. This is a white wood grows throughout Europe and the Americas. It’s been used in woodworking for centuries. Basswood has almost no grain and is very soft, making it ideal for new woodworkers. It is also popular in lower cost mu-sical instruments, making up the bodies of some woodwinds, and electric basses and guitars. Basswood blanks can be found easily and are a great wood to start learning to carve on, since it is malleable and inexpensive.

ASPEN Aspen is another white wood that is quite popular among woodworkers. It’s stronger than bass-wood but is still quite soft, so it is fairly easy to use for carving. Aspen is readily available and inexpensive.

BUTTERNUT Butternut is another good wood for beginner wood carving. It is browner than basswood or as-pen and has a nice grain. It is related to walnut but is lighter in color and can be carved easier. Like black walnut, butternut polishes quite nicely, and is also a good choice for furniture. It is a much softer wood, so this wood is also friendly for beginners. Be prepared for wormholes when working with butternut.

BLACK WALNUT Black walnut is a popular choice. It is more expensive than basswood, aspen and basswood. It should be carved using sharp tools and a mallet for the best results. Walnut has a rich color and grain that has made it popular for a wide range of products, including furniture and gunstocks.

OAK Oak is also a popular wood for carving, with a range of features that make it almost ideal. It is a strong and sturdy wood. The grain of oak is very defined and is also a favorite woods used for making furniture.

The type of carving you do will influence the type of wood which is best to use. A power carver will often use different wood than a hand tool carver. With power you can more easily carve a hard wood and get great detail while the same hard wood might be very frustrating for a hand carver. So choose accordingly.

7. Plan your own or select a project from this (the Wood Carving) merit badge pamphlet and complete a simple carving in the round.

Boy Scout Carving Supplies

http://www.boyscoutstore.com/crafts-and-projects/wood-carving/wood-

carving-supplies/

IDEAS

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/137289488614744762/

www.whittlerbob.com

***http://boyscouting.info/index_files/Page266.html

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/344103227753508003/?lp=true

***http://www.e-scoutcraft.com/wood_carving/wood_carving.html

Short Course on Wood Carving

http://carverscompanion.com/Ezine/Vol1Issue2/NutsAndBolts/

NutsAndBolts.html

I’m carving a miniature duck decoy.

This part of the merit badge is really

fun….and can also be frustrating.

Remember, you are just learning and

it doesn’t have to be perfect. Start

with something simple. Maybe try

the Owl on the next two pages.

Have fun!!

9. Complete a simple low-relief OR a chip carving project.

To do my low-relief project of

the U.S.S Enterprise, I used the

stop cut (score line) a whole lot.

I first drew my picture out on a

piece of basswood, then I

scored the line with a deep stop

cut. Then all I had to do was

cut into the stop cut and re-

move everything that didn’t

look like a star ship.

This type of carving can become

very intricate like the example

below. Art Art Art!!!

CONGRATULATIONS...YOU HAVE COMPLETED YOUR MERIT BADGE

So what is next? How about inspiring another scout into doing his Woodcarv-

ing Merit Badge or maybe even the entire troop at a campout?

And about that Eagle Rank. Set yourself a SMART GOAL and then come up

with a workable plan. Use your vacation time to finish some required badges

or start your Eagle project. Get some other scouts together and work on badg-

es. It is a lot more fun that way...but remember you and only you are respon-

sible for your work and understanding.

Jared

Resources

Scouting Literature Deck of First Aid; Emergency First Aid pocket guide; Be Prepared First Aid Book; Woodwork merit badge pam-

phlet

Books Barton, Wayne. The Complete Guide to Chip Carving. Sterling, 2007. Beiderman, Charles, and William Johnston. The Begin-

ner’s Handbook of Woodcarving. Dover Publications, 1988. Butz, Richard. How to Carve Wood. Taunton Press, 1984. Ellenwood,

Everett. The Complete Book of Woodcarving: Everything You Need to Know to Master the Craft. Fox Chapel Publishing, 2008. En-

low, Harold L. Carving Faces Workbook: Learn to Carve Facial

Expressions and Characteristics With the Legendary Harold Enlow. Fox Chapel Publishing, 2011. Green, Larry. First Projects for

Wood Carvers: A Pictorial Introduction to Wood Carving. Schiffler, 1996. Hillyer, John. Woodcarving: 20 Great Projects for Begin-

ners and Weekend Carvers. Lark Books, 2002. Johnson, Skylar. How to Carve a Woodspirit in a Hiking Stick. Alpine Views Publishing,

2004. Lubkemann, Chris. The Little Book of Whittling. Fox Chapel Publishing, 2013. Pye, Chris. Chris Pye’s Woodcarving Course &

Reference Manual: A Beginner’s Guide to Traditional Techniques. Fox Chapel Publishing, 2010. ———. Woodcarving: Tools, Materi-

als & Equipment, vol. 1. Guild of Master Craftsman, 2002. Tangerman, Elmer. Carving Animals in Wood. Dover, 1995. ———.

Whittling and Woodcarving. Dover Publications, 1962.

Visit the Boy Scouts of America’s official retail website (with your parent’s permission) at http:// www.scoutstuff.org for a com-

plete listing of all merit badge pamphlets and other helpful Scouting materials and supplies.

64 WOOD CARVING

Resources.

64 WOOD CARVING

Tools and Supplies If you have trouble finding supplies, try some of the places below.

Bob Reitmeyer, whittler—wood craft supplies for Scouts Website: http://www.whittlerbob.com Moore Roughouts Toll-free tele-

phone: 800-825-2657 Website: http://www.roughouts.com Mountain Woodcarvers Inc. Toll-free telephone: 800-292-6788 Web-

site: http://www.mountainwood carvers.com Paul’s Supplies Telephone: 303-948-2767 Website: http://www.paulssupplies.com

Woodcraft Toll-free telephone: 800-225-1153 Website: http://www.woodcraft.com

Acknowledgments The Boy Scouts of America is indebted to the late Jeff Springer, a devoted Scouter and master wood-carver who

provided the Safety Checklist for Carving and the plans reproduced in this book. The Boy Scouts of America also thanks lifelong

Scouter Paul McClain of Boulder, Colorado, for his assistance, in particular with the section on chip carving. Thanks also to devoted

Scouter and master wood-carver David Oakley, Lincoln Park, Michigan, for his assistance and support. The BSA gratefully acknowl-

edges the assistance of the Circle Ten Council, Dallas, Texas, the Jayhawk Area Council, Topeka, Kansas, and longtime

Scouter George Bain, who has been carving and whittling for more than 30 years. The Boy Scouts of America is grateful to the men

and women serving on the Merit Badge Maintenance Task Force for the improvements made in updating this pamphlet. Photo and

Illustration Credits Dynamic Graphics Group— page 59 (background) Billy Humphries, Forest Resources Consultants Inc., Bug-

wood.org, courtesy—page 4 (inset) Shutterstock.com, courtesy—cover (woodcarving tools at right, ©Taigi); pages 15 (©battler),

16 (©hecke61), 17 (©ConstantinosZ), 18 (©AVN Photo Lab), 20 (tree, ©LilKar), 21 (tulip tree branch, ©anmo), 22 (black cherry

tree branch, ©Madlen), 24 (all, ©goldnetz), 25 (wood annual rings, ©KaKrue), 26 and 29 (back saw, ©RedDaxLuma), 51 (stick with

leather strap and bent wood handle, ©Claude Huot; squirrel, ©enchanged_ fairy), 53 (palette, ©Africa Studio), 54 (lermsak), and

62 (©noomcm) All other photos and illustrations not mentioned above are the property of or are protected by the Boy Scouts of

America. Gene Daniels—pages 4 (background), 58, and 60 John McDearmon—all illustrations on pages 19, 27, 35, 39, 45–46, and

50–53 Brian Payne—cover (frame, carving tools on left); pages 14 (both), 29 (chip carving knives), and 55–57 (all)