Being stuck at home is the best time to find a new hobby. To harness your creativity, you can use old, boring wood that you can find anywhere in your house. Read until the end of this article, and learn how to carve letters into wood. Hey! It’s time to turn that plain piece into a work of art.
Create Your Art!
Lettering is a special technique every woodcarver must know. But if you are a beginner, it’s still not too late to practice how to carve letters into wood. Below are steps you need to follow to produce your masterpiece:
1. Pick softwoods to have the smoothest letter carving experience. Pine and basswoods are great examples of this type.
2. Take advantage of your printer at home and print the word or letters that you want to carve on the wood. Choose the font and size that best fits your choice of wood.
3. Transfer the letters into the wood. Take a carbon paper, and tape your printed letters into it.
- Place your taped carbon paper and printed letter on top of the wood, and secure it using another tape. Make sure that the inked area of your carbon paper is facing down the wood.
- Trace the edges or the outlines of the letters using any pointed objects. Avoid rubbing your hand into the carbon paper. This is to prevent leaving unnecessary smudges into the wood.
- After the letter transfer, remove the carbon paper from the wood.
4. You can use a right-angled chisel to carve the letters if you do not have high-technology wood carving tools.
5. Push your chisel lightly on the outline or edges of the letters. Push and tilt the chisel forward as you go along. You can start by following a shallow cut on the wood. Carefully follow your desired outline.
6. To break smaller pieces of your wood, you can use the flat part of the chisel. This part works best for the edges of your letter and vertical cuts.
7. You can use a mallet if you feel like your hand isn’t the chisel’s best companion in cutting off the hard areas of the wood. While holding the chisel, use your other hand to hit it lightly with the mallet.
8. Keep carving until you see your desired result!
9. Use sandpaper to remove excess wood.
And that is how to carve letters into wood.
Be Proud of Your Art
Learning how to carve letters into wood with a chisel isn’t as hard as you thought it would be. After you create your piece, it can be perfect for display in your lovely home. You can use it as wall décor, something to display on your nightstand, or you can give it as a gift to your loved ones.
Time to Showcase Your Creativity
Now that you finally know how to carve letters into wood, it’s time to unleash your creative spirit! It takes a few careful strokes to make a plain boring wood into a special one. Know more wood carving tips here!