Woodland Whittling

Peter Benson, is the former Chairman of the British Woodcarvers Association, runs courses for carvers of all abilities throughout the UK. He has travelled widely in the United States to give seminars and talks and is in regular demand as a judge for carving competitions. His own work centres on miniature carvings, including fantastic Japanese netsuke. His books published by GMC Publications are: Art of Carving Netsuke, Woodland Whittling, the Whittling Handbook and Whittling Woodland Animals. He lives in Essex.

This rather charmingly titled book is a not-quite-pocket-sized compendium of projects which can be whittled wherever you please – from your back room to the woodland – just using a simple selection of tools to shape ordinary branch material. It starts with plenty of good advice about knives and sharpening, from Swiss army to carving to bushcraft knives. Try out which works best for you. There is, of course, essential safety advice, especially as safety is often a cause of concern for novices. Then  it should be carved dry or wet – the author is very much in favour of the latter for ease of working. Choose homegrown timbers such as silver birch, hazel, pear or lime. You may be lucky and find spalted beech, maple or jelutong, etc. There is plenty of choice. The meat of the book are  the 20 projects that give plenty of scope for learning and improving while creating some wonderful and useful items in the process. Starting with a plant label, we progress through woodfolk, toasting fork, ring-holder tree, kuksa, wren, monogrammed spoon, owl head for a walking stick and many more besides. Beautifully illustrated with many helpful technique photos, this is a must-have whittling tome to keep with you.