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Carving can be carried out on wood, rock, stone or even ice. It the practice of sculpting shapes with your chosen raw material. The most popular medium to work with is wood.

Popularity
Wood carving is probably the most popular of all carving mediums. A variety of tools can be used depending on the medium you are working with. Such items as chisels and knives and even chainsaws can be used.

Location
Carving can be carried out indoors, in a studio or even outdoors. Small carvings can easily be carried out indoors with no special area required, whereas larger projects may need to be performed outside. Why not try carving at a local evening class.

Age
Carving can be enjoyed by people of all ages and is hobby which will bring out the creative side of all who participate. It is generally thought that children of around 14 have the necessary hand-eye coordination and patience traits for carving.

Ability
A basic set of tools and the ability to use those tools adequately should be the starting point. The next consideration is the type of material you are intending to carve which should be carefully selected for its suitability for the project.

Description
Carving, in this case wood carving, is a method of working a piece of wood by means of a hand held cutting tool, resulting in a wooden figure or figurine or in ornamentation of a wooden object. Whittling is another name for carving where shapes are carved out of raw wood with a knife. Carving implies the use of chisels, gouges, and a mallet, while whittling implies only the use of a knife, but both are involving carving the wood to form a pleasing shape of pre-determined end product.

Dedication
First of all you need enthusiasm and patience. To get the most out of carving the potential carver should invest in a good quality set of tools - cheap tools tend to blunt easily. A carver should also learn to use the tools in a correct and safe manner. Remember, you will be using a sharp knife when wood carving and it needs to be handled properly. You should always take you time as it is not a speed hobby. The more time you take the more satisfying the results will be.

Closely Related Activities
whittling, sculpting

Cost
Basic tools and medium for carving

Level of Demand
The table below shows the maximum levels of demand that this activity requires. NOTE: These are not entry levels or levels of requirement and has nothing to do with ability.

Energy

Arms

Legs

Sight

Hearing

Speech

Learning

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