This is also a cheap way to build the basic motor skills and understand how to cut into the wood by hand as you aren’t making anything large and using a lot of wood.

Supplies Needed to Carve a Chess Set

In order to carve a complete chess set shown below you will need the following tools and supplies:

• 24 small blocks of basswood or dowel (1″ x 1″ x 2″)
• 8 larger blocks of basswood or dowel (1″ x 1″ x4″)
• A 16″ x 16″ sheet of wood for the board
• A sharp wood carving knife
• A leather strop to keep the knife honed
• paints or stains to color the chess pieces

Carving Pawns

If you are new to whittling or wood carving, I would start by making all of the pawns first before moving on to carving the rest of the chess set. This way you have an easy and repetitive process to practice so you can become more comfortable with the knife and wood.

To make all the pawns for a chess board, you will need to make 16 pawns, which will require 16 blocks of wood cut to 1″x1″x2″ or 16 1″ diameter dowels cut to 2″ in length.

Step 1

• Start off by taking your 1″x1″x2″ block of wood and turning it into a dowel or cutting your dowel to 2″ in length
• Then draw on your lines with a pencil as shown on the left

Step 2

• Start carving from the bottom line upwards and ending at the second line from the bottom.
• For best results, carve at a 25 to 35 degree angle. If you cut too steep, the center will be too thin and brittle.

Step 3

• Starting from the middle line and the top line, cut towards the middle of the two lines as evenly as possible.

Step 4

• Turn the top portion of the carving into a sphere by first creating an octahedron and cutting off the corners.
• When you are done, finish with the color stain or paint of your choice and repeat until all pieces have been made.

Pawn Video Instructions

Carving Rooks

Once you have finished carving pawns and mastered working with the wood, it’s time to move on to carving the rooks. These are just as simple as the pawns and will be quick to make.

To make all the rooks for a chess board, you will need to make 4 rooks, which will require 4 blocks of wood cut to 1″x1″x2″ or 4 1″ diameter dowels cut to 2″ in length.

Step 1

• Start off by taking your 1″x1″x2″ block of wood and turning it into a dowel or cutting your dowel to 2″ in length
• Then draw on your lines with a pencil as shown on the left.

Step 2

• Start carving from the line second from the bottom downwards and ending at the bottom.
• Try not to go down past the line or the base of the piece will be too thin. You can always stop before the line if needed.
• For best results, carve at a 25 to 35 degree angle. If you cut too steep, the center will be too thin and brittle.

Step 3

• Repeat the process in step 2 but go upwards as shown in the picture to the left.

Step 4

• Round out the sharp edges on the top piece and if you wish, hollow out the top a little with a hook knife.
• When you are done, finish with the color stain or paint of your choice and repeat until all pieces have been made.

Rook Video Instructions

Carving Knights

Now that you have gotten use to making some of the simpler carvings it’s time to move on to something a little more complicated, making the knights. These will require some shaping of the wood to get a simple horse shape.

To make all the knights for a chess board, you will need to make 4 knights, which will require 4 blocks of wood cut to 1″x1″x2″.

Step 1

• Make a sweeping cut on two opposing sides from about 1/2″ from the bottom as shown in the left.

Step 2

• Turning the pice sideways, make a stop cut under the back of the horses mane (on the left side of the picture shown) and under the horses face (on the right side of the picture shown). These do not need to be exact but at least make them consistent.
• Then make basic shapes on the top of the head to outline the top of the horses face and the back of the head.
• Leave enough wood to work on the ears later.

Step 3

• Start rounding the bottom of the knight to about 1″ in diameter and start smoothing out the horses face to add features
• Draw a line about 1/8″ from the bottom and 1/4″ from the first line.

Step 4

• Before carving the base of the knight, finish the horses face. This can be as simple or as complex as you like. You can use the picture on the left for reference or use the video below to get the final features.
• Just like with the pawns and rooks, carve from the bottom line inwards to create a cone up to the second line.

Knight Video Instructions

Carving Bishops

Now At this point, we are going to start making the larger and more intricate pieces of the chess set. While they look complicated, they have many of the same cut patterns you already made on the previous pieces you just made.

To make all the bishops for a chess board, you will need to make 4 bishops, which will require 4 blocks of wood cut to 1″x1″x4″ or a 1″ dowel cut to 4″ in length.

Step 1

• Start off by taking your 1″x1″x4″ block of wood and turning it into a dowel or cutting your dowel to 4″ in length
• Then draw on your lines with a pencil as shown on the left.

Step 2

• Make your first cuts towards the halfway mark from the lines directly above and below.
• Then make cuts from the second to bottom line to the third line as shown to the left.

Step 3

• Then start making the bottom half of the rounded top as shown to the left and making a flat shelf for it to sit on.

Step 4

• Continue rounding the top to an egg shape but leave enough wood at the top to create the little hat at the top as shown to the left.
• Add any extra details as desired.

Bishop Video Instructions

Carving Kings and Queens

Finally, it’s time to make the Kings and Queens! These will start off similar to each other but will differ with the crowns. While they look complicated, they have many of the same cut patterns you already made on the previous pieces you just made.

To make all the Kings and Queens for a chess board, you will need to make 2 Kings and 2 Queens, which will require 4 blocks of wood cut to 1″x1″x4″ or a 1″ dowel cut to 4″ inches in length

King and Queen Prep Step 1

• Both King and Queen will start of the same but the crowns will be different.
• Start by rounding your 1x1x4 inch wood block or cutting a 1 inch dowel to 4 inches in length
• Add the lines as shown in the picture

King and Queen Prep Step 2

• Start making the bottom skirt from the first line to the second line shown in the picture

King and Queen Prep Step 3

• Create the second skirt from the 3rd line to the 4th line as shown in the picture
• Then from the 2nd line from the top, carve towards the 3rd line form the top as shown in the picture

King and Queen Prep Step 4

• Round out the center block as shown in the picture

Finishing the Queen

• Now lets start adding the details for the Queens. You will need 2 of these per board.
• Start at the top line and make a cone as shown in the picture. do not carve to a point, but a round circle at the top.

• Start adding small details like rings on the top and a little ball as shown in the picture

Finishing the King

• The King is pretty straight forward, start by drawing a line in the middle of the top cylinder that you haven’t carved yet and then one more line 1/4″ above it.
• Cut a cone pointing downwards to the next line as shown.
• Then carve in the style of crown you desire, see the video below for extra details for how I carved mine.

King and Queen Video Instructions

Making the Chess Board

All you need to make your own chess board is a flat piece of wood, some paint or stain, and if you want to get fancy, a v-gouge or knife.

The Ideal square size is about 2.25 inches, but if you are making one for fun, make the squares about twice the size of the chess piece diameter and you should be good!

The chess board needs to be an 8 x 8 layout to fit all the chess pieces properly.

Here is what you will need to make the dog:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 4″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can using a larger block of wood if you want to, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Downloadable Template

Video Guide

Picture Reference

Follow the steps below to carve your own little fox!

– Step 1

Draw the fox template on to your 1 x 1 x 4 inch block of wood

– Step 2

Remove the sections below the lines on the right and left hand side. The left side will be the tail and the right will be the head.

– Step 3

Start to shape the back of the fox, this will help to refine the head and body. From here we will be working from the tail to the head.

– Step 4

Shape the tail and the butt of the fox

– Step 5

Smooth out the top of the body as well as shape the back of the head.

– Step 6

Remove the wood under the body as shown, but don’t separate the front two legs or the back two legs from each other just yet, that comes in step 9.

– Step 7

Roughly shape the front of the face, but don’t take off too much wood yet. This is just to start getting an idea for proportions.

– Step 8

After you get an idea for where the ears and nose will be, further refine them.

– Step 9

Finish shaping the face to the right proportions and then separate the legs. After this, smooth everything out and you are finished!

– Painting!

Painting your fox is really easy, I used watercolor for mine but you can also use acrylic paint. Start with the lighter colors first as the darker colors show through the lighter colors.

For the picture below, I used this water color set from Amazon with Chinese White, Orange, Burnt Sienna, and Flesh as highlights.

I have seen hand crafted, custom made pens easily sell between $50 and $200 for basic builds and some very high quality hand crafted pens sell for over $1000 to the right person!

Lets go over how you can make your own pens at home!

Gathering tools and materials (pictures in Required Materials folder)

The starting required tools for pen turning, aside from a lathe and lathe tools, are a pen kit, bushings, a drill bit, and a pen mandrel.  It is possible to do it without a mandrel, but vastly easier and will save a lot of time and headache. 

CA glue (super glue) will also be needed to attach the pen barrel to wood, as well as sand paper and some kind of wood finish.  Lastly, and most important of all, is the pen blank.  There are a few other tools I will mention that make life easier as we create.

Pen blanks are small pieces of wood, usually cut offs and scraps, that are turned into pen barrels.  They can be made from any wood (even punky or dry rot wood that has been stabilized), but harder woods are easy to sand. 

Softwoods will have tear outs if your lathe tools are not super sharp, but can work perfectly fine.  A nice figured cedar is excellent, or use a scrap cut off from a 2×4.

Other materials can make excellent pens, like the vast variety of resins or hard substances like antler, and even soft clay that is baked in the oven.  Most blanks are ¾ of an inch square by 5 inches long.  That’s large enough for just about any kit.

Pen kits are sold at many different online retailers, but I would suggest you buy good quality.  I get all of mine from Penn State Industries or Woodcraft locally.  The cheap sets I have purchased in the past had problems, and these two retailers will fix any problem you have with the kits. 

Quality kits aren’t that much more expensive either.  Regardless of the kit you purchase, make sure you get the correct matching bushing set.  Bushings will be your gauge on the diameter of the pen barrel as you turn and can differ from style of kit.  If you buy an assorted set of one style, often they will include a package of bushings. 

Also take note what size drill is required.  Most kits use a 7mm bit, but some thicker and fancier kits require an 8mm or larger.

Safety note: when turning always wear a face shield.  You are taking a small block of wood and shaving it down to a fraction of an inch thick.  A blank fracturing apart is possible.  Something simple like the Sellstrom Face Shield is cheap, gives enough room to breath and is less likely to fog up on you as it allows your breath to easily disperse. You can pick them up for cheap on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3x8L0GA

Furthermore, I would highly suggest wearing a respirator or at least a dust mask as it will help with most woods, but some, like cocobolo, are toxic.  It’s like inhaling pepper spray while you turn.  Other materials like polyester resin and especially horn or antler stink to high heaven and a respirator helps dramatically.

A good low profile respirator with replaceable filters is ideal as you can wear it behind a face shield. One of the best options available right now is the Elipse P100 Respirator on Amazon is a great option, you can pick one up for a good pirice here: https://amzn.to/3TTpr6C

Pen Blank Prep

Rulers and measuring tape are not required.  Line up the brass tube with your wood and mark it (fig 1a,b,c).  Give yourself a little wiggle room on either side. 

Next you will need to cut your blank.  Use whatever method you are comfortable with, such as a band saw, hand saw, etc.  You do not need to be precise, it’s ok to be sloppy.  I can’t cut a straight line with my band saw to save my life, but that doesn’t matter (fig 2a,b).

Drilling the hole through the blank can be done before sawing, but the longer the piece is, the easier it is to make a mistake.  To drill the hole, you can use a vise (fig 3) or a specially made pen vise from Penn State Industries (fig 4) with a drill press or a steady hand with a cordless drill. 

My preferred method is with pen jaws and drill chuck (fig 5a).  This gives me the straightest hole with the least worry (fig 5b).

With the hole drilled in both pieces (assuming your kit has two barrels in the pen), check to see if your brass tubes are smooth or roughed up.  Some come pre-scuffed.  If they are smooth, you will need to sand them with a 150 or 220 grit paper, so that the glue has something to cling on (fig 6).

Apply CA glue (superglue) to the brass barrel (I like to use the “thick” CA glue for this part), and then insert it into the blank, gently spinning the tube as it goes in (fig 7 and 8). 

This will insure an even coat to bond well with the blank.  The tube should be just below the wood on both sides of the blank (fig 9). If you have accelerator spray, you can spritz the CA glue to harden it faster.  Now is a good time to do more drilling and cutting off blanks while this one dries.

The last step of prep is to trim the blank to the tube.  Some people get a specific miniature saw for this, but it is easy to use a disc sander if you have one (fig 10). 

If your blank is too long, trim it shorter before sanding it flush.  My preferred method is to use a tool called a barrel trimmer.  You buy it as a kit to work on just about every size you’ll need.  Get the more expensive carbide version so that you don’t need to sharpen it (fig 11a, b, c).

Mounting

There are several different styles of pen mandrels on the market.  I have and use both a direct mount mandrel that uses a brass nut to tighten the stack together and a #2 MT that uses a tailstock center.  The later one is a little more expensive, but works much better in my option. 

After a lot of use, the brass nut gets annoyingly stiff to tighter or unscrew, and too much pressure can be accidentally applied to the mandrel, causing it to bend.

With either style, use several spare bushings (with mandrel kits, you get a few extra) to space yourself away from the head stock.  Put your first blank half, then any special bushings you need in the middle, and then the back bushing. 

Some kits will have odd sized bushing, but the instructions will always tell you the order.  If it matters to you, make sure your wood is aligned so that the grain matches, as it will be too late after we start turning.  I like to visualize the pen tip as the piece closest to the head stock.  Tighten your mount or tailstock and you are ready to make chips.

Shaping the Pen Blank

Start off with turning the blanks to round.  It is a good idea to have a design in mind and make a sketch of the profile before trying to make shapes, though freestyling it can produce interesting results at times.  As you turn the material down, take fairly light cuts. 

It your wood catches on your tool, you are either being too aggressive, or your bushings are not tight enough together.  Use any tool you prefer to get it to round, such as a roughing gouge or chisel.  My go-to is a thick scraper. 

I use a chisel to mark where I want to make dips or other figures, and for close up work on the ends.  Think of how the end user will hold the pen, and what will be comfortable.

Take it very slow around the bushings or when you are trying to get flush with the bushings.  You can easily take more material off but it is a lot harder to put material back on.  The bushings themselves will be scratched and beat up from time to time. 

They are consumables, and may need to be replaced every two dozen kits if you are sloppy.  If you make a mistake and trash the blank, don’t fret.  They sell packages of just the brass tubes at reasonable prices.  It’s wise to pick up one just in case.

Sand and Finish

Once you are finished shaping, turn your lathe to a low speed and get the tool rest out of the way.  Depending on how many tear outs you have and how sharp your turning tools are, you’ll want to start with a 100 to 220 grit sand paper. 

If your lathe is turning too fast, you will build up a lot of heat and wear out your paper faster.  I also like to use a sanding sponge. 

In between grits, stop the lathe and sand laterally so that you take off your sanding rings before moving on to the next grit.  If your pen blank is wood, I recommend going up to a 320 grit max, otherwise, you might lose the wood feel.  It’s the texture that sells it. 

At the last sanding grit I use, I will start to apply a finish and sand at the same time.  A drop of Doctor’s Woodshop Walnut Finishing, or actual walnut oil, on sand paper will act as a wood filler while you sand and leaves a nice subtle finish. 

I also use Doctor’s Woodshop Pens Plus as a friction finish to polish it up to a high gloss.  Both of these products are not very expensive and last a long time.  I’ve done about a hundred pens and used less than half a bottle.  It also works great on any bowls or spindles you turn. 

Regardless of finish, as a pen gets used lovingly over the years, the finish will ware.  I have found that these two keep the wood looking and feeling like smooth aged wood, and my daily use pen stays in a pocket with keys every day.

If you use any of the resins, or decide to do a CA glue finish on the wood (if it is fragile or full of holes, do this), take that sanding up to the max.  After 320, I start wet sanding with 600 grit, and then move on to a product called Micro Mesh that gets up to 12000 grit. 

The small pads are not expensive, and they last a long time.  The whole process is much more time consuming, but gets you the super smooth feel with no scratches at all.  Safety warning: if you use a CA glue to finish, make sure there is no cotton in your rag or paper towel as you apply the liquid.  Cotton reacts chemically, and produces a foul vapor that will sting your eyes something fierce, like onions on steroids.

Assembly (pictures in Assembly folder)

Final assembly of the pen should be done with care and patience.  You can use a bench vise (fig 12) or a pen press like the one from Penn State Industries (fig 13). 

While the vise is incredibly accurate, a pen press has the ability to take apart the pen should you make a mistake.  Assembly order should always be on the instructions that you get with your kit.

Start with pressing the pen tip into the first barrel, making sure you are using the correct side of your pen blank (fig 14). 

If using a bench vise, don’t let the steel come into contact with either the pen tip or the wood of the barrel to prevent damage.  Use a soft wood or scrap of leather as a buffer.  For a twist pen, the most common you will start out using, place the brass end into the front tube, and slowly press it in until the brass is no longer showing (fig 15). 

Take it out of the press and put the ink cartridge into the pen, screwing it in like you would when finished (fig 16). 

You are checking to see how far the pen extends and retracts.  It is critical that you take your time and then make small adjustments to the depth of the twist assembly.  Should you go too far, you will need to disassemble the whole thing (which is a pain, but possible with a pen press).

Press the back end cap and the clip to the rear pen barrel (fig 17). 

Slide the decorative ring over the installed ink cartridge and hand press the two halves together.  Line up the wood grain if you need to, and you are now finished.  Take a moment to admire what you created.

Pen Turing Idea Gallery and Examples

All pens and instructions were written and taken by my friend who wishes to stay anonymous and has given permission to share his skills on Carving Is Fun.

Here is what you will need to make the dog:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 3″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can using a larger block of wood if you want to, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Downloadable Template

Video Guide

Gnome Wood Carving Tutorial

Follow the steps below to carve your own little gnome!

– Step 1

Start by using the template above to create the reference lines shown in step 1.

These lines show the bottom of the hat and the top of the nose in the middle center, elbow location on the sides, and the bottom of the beard and top of the shoes on the bottom.

– Step 2

Start by defining the bottom of the nose, bottom of the beard and top of the shoes by using a stop cut.

Then, trim the sides inwards on the corners of the block from the bottom of the elbows to the feet and then use a stop cut to separate the top of the arms from the bottom of the hat.

– Step 3

Next, we need to draw the hat on the top. You can draw a curved hat like I did or do a straight pointed hat for an easier project.

– Step 4

Now remove the excess wood from the sides so you have a good reference for where the hat is.

If you did a curved hat, this curve requires extra technique in working with the wood grain.

Remember to work with the grain properly, so come in from the top of the hat to the middle and meet it half way from the bottom of the hat on the left hand side in the picture.

– Step 5

Now, we are going to further shape the hat to a point, If you wanted a ball at the tip of the hat, leave more wood to do so.

Then define the nose a bit more using some stop cuts.

Finally, outline the beard with a pencell as shown.

– Step 6

Using a V cut and/or stop cuts, define and shape the beard.

I like to add a little wedge near the bottom of the beard to make it look like it is sticking out a bit more.

– Step 7

Now, lets lower the shoulders a bit to create more definition between the face, the hat, and the arms.

– Step 8

Now, lets start working on the body details. We will add in reference marks with a pencil for the inside of the arms and hands going into the pockets.

You can choose to add hands if you wish but this increases the difficulty.

– Step 9

Using pyramid cuts and/or stop cuts create an inverted 3 sided pyramid to define the arms.

Then using stop cuts, separate the hands and create pockets.

Finally, further define the feet.

At this point, feel free to sand the gnome and paint it with acrylic paint!

Here is what you will need to make the bunny:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 2.5″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood (start with a 4x1x1 block and cut in half at 45 degrees for 2 bunnies per block)
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can using a larger block of wood if you want to, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Downloadable Template

The downloadable template link is below and gives measurements in both inches and metric:

Bunny Tutorial Template

Inches:

Metric

Video Guide

For the full video tutorial with step by step guides and pictures, check out my YouTube video below!

Bunny Picture Whittling and Wood Carving Guide

Follow the steps below to whittle your own little bunny! This is a simple project but make sure to give yourself extra time if this is your first time. Over time you will get faster and will be able to make an army of little bunnies!

– Step 1: Cut and trace outline

First, take a 1x1x4 inch block of basswood and cut it directly in half at a 45 degree angle. This will give you two bunnies per block of wood!

Then use the template above to make the lines on the block of wood for the ears, neck, arms, and feet.

– Step 2: Extend outline on the sides of the wood block

Then, extend the top line around the sides and back of the block, this will indicate where the ears will be.

– Step 3: Rough out the proportions

Start by roughly shaping and separating the proportions using the lines indicated as shown.

These don’t have to be as deep as I made them, they are purely there to roughly shape and separate the ears, head, torso, legs, and feet for better visual reference and separate out each section we will work on one by one.

– Step 4: The back of the head

From here, we will work from the top of the bunny down, starting with the back of the head.

Use the lines created to separate out the ears and further define the head

– Step 5: Refine the face

Next flip the carving over to the front and further shape and smooth the head and ears.

You can at this point cut in the ear hones by using a v-cut technique, where you cut into the wood from two opposing sides that meet in the middle. This gives you a divot with 2 quick strokes of the blade.

– Step 6: Add the arms and body

This is the more tedious part of the carving, so take it slow here.

You can use the pencil as well to help plan an outline where the arms and chest will be while you are carving.

Separate out the arms and leave some wood in the middle for the bunnies chest puff, also called its dewlap. It just makes it look that much cuter!

– Step 7: Add the legs

Then, simply round the lower body to match the shape of the top and cut out the feet.

You don’t need to add a lot of details here, just imagine the bunny is sitting on its feet which hides them. Basically, give the “suggestion” that there are feet.

– Step 8: Add the tail

Add a simple little tail on the back side by removing some excess wood and leaving a small diamond or round ball, which ever you prefer.

From here, feel free to sand the bunny, paint it, or just cover it in a simple wood finish to show to your friends and family!

Here is what you will need to make the Ghost:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 2″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can using a larger block of wood if you want to, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Video Guide

Step 1: Trace the Outline

The first step is to trace the outline and make reference marks on the piece of wood. You don’t need to be exact or perfect, but having them close to what is pictured will be fine.

Here are the reference points I drew starting from the bottom up:

• The line across the bottom third that looks like the belt is the center line that we will use as reference to prevent cutting against the grain.
• The curved lines on the sides represent the sides of the ghost
• The lines on the top third represent the tops of the arms
• the two vertical lines are the sides of the head.

Step 2: Cut Out Rough Details

To start, we are going the create the sides by making a sweeping cut following the lines we made on the sides to that center belt. We don’t want to cut past that center belt and start following the line back out of the wood or we risk splitting the wood. So cut in from both the top and bottoms to the line.

Then we want to block out the head. Make a series of stop cuts and start splitting the wood from the top down to the stop cuts as shown.

Finally, make a sweeping cut from the bottom front tip of the block to the top as shown.

Step 3: Take in the Sides

Now the rough shape is defined, lets start taking in the sides.

Using the same method to rough out the sides of the ghost, do the same sweeping cut towards the belt and make the waist more concave in shape.

Step 4: Define the Arms and Round the Body

From this point, it becomes pretty simple as most of the work is already done. To define the arms, just make a cut from the front and go back towards the arms and then come back in at a 90 degree angle to define the arms.

Then you just need to round out the head and smooth out the ghost.

Step 5: Add the Tail

From here, remove any chips and clean up your work a little. If something looks off just smooth out the area and try your best to balance everything out.

Feel free to add eyes and a mouth to your wood carving and add paint as desired.

For more whittling guides and information, check out my One Stop Whittling Resource Page for more details!

Here is what you will need to make the dog:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 2″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can using a larger block of wood if you want to, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Video Guide

Step 1: Trace the Outline

The first step is to trace the outline and make reference marks on the piece of wood. You don’t need to be exact or perfect, but having them close to what is pictured will be fine.

Here are the reference points I drew starting from the bottom up:

• Bottom line is the top of the back legs
• Two vertical lines in the middle is the body.
• Top vertical line is the bottom of the head.
• Single line in the middle of the head is the nose
• lines at the top and sides are the top of the head and ears.

Step 2: Cut Out Rough Details

We are going to start cutting from the top down doing the following:

• Use a push cut on the top of the back legs and slice from the bottom of the head to the push cut on the bottom legs defining the sides.
• Start cutting out the outlines of the head and ears.

Step 3: Define the Head and Body

Now we are going to start shaping out the outline of the head.

Use a series of push cuts from the front and cut down with the grain from the top until you define the top of the muzzle as shown.

Then, slim out the body and neck of the dog to define the bottom of the head and neck.

Step 4: Shape the Face and Front Legs

Now we start shaping the face, and front legs.

the easiest way to start the face is to cut out the sides of the face by making a push cut from the front on each side of the face and coming back in at a 90 degree angle and removing the wood. This will define the ears and the muzzle at the same time.

After you define the face, round it out for a more organic look.

Finaly you can make the nose. Cut off the front point to make a flat surface and make 2 press cuts in the middle of the muzzle front to make an X.

shave off the bottom and sides of the X you made, leaving just the top triangle and forming the nose.

The legs can be made in any matter you want, feel free to review the video above for more details.

Step 5: Add the Tail

The tail is super easy to make but also very easy to cut off if you rush it.

I like to start off by making a few push cuts to make the tail a more blocky shape, and then adding in detail with v-cuts and rounding the tail for a more natural look.

Step 6: Smooth Out

From here, remove any chips and clean up your work a little. If something looks off just smooth out the area and try your best to balance everything out.

Feel free to add eyes and a mouth to your wood carving, but you don’h have to. I like my wood carvings to look simplistic and find them to be more fun to make.

For more whittling guides and information, check out my One Stop Whittling Resource Page for more details!

Here is what you will need to make the cat:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 2″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can using a larger block of wood if you want to, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Video Guide

Step 1: Trace the Outline

The first step is to trace the outline and make reference marks on the piece of wood. You don’t need to be exact or perfect, but having them close to what is pictured will be fine.

Here are the reference points I drew starting from the bottom up:

• Bottom Center line is where the feet start
• Two lines on the sides about halfway up are referencing the tops of the back legs.
• Three lines 1/3 of the way from the top are representing the bottom of the head.
• Single line in the middle of the head is the nose
• lines at the top shaped like this ^-^ are the top of the head, side of the face and ears.

Step 2: Cut Out Rough Details

We are going to start cutting from the top down doing the following (see picture below for side profile):

• Use a push cut on the top sides of the block defining the sides of the cats face and the top of the ears.
• Make a slight sweeping cut from the top of the nose to the top of the head
• Create two angled v-cuts on the sides to define the bottom of the head and the top of the back legs. Use a slight sweep cut on the lower portion for the legs.
• Make a stop cut for the bottom of the head and use a sweep cut from the feet to the head to define the front.

Step 3: Define the Head

Now that we have out front defined, lets define the back of the head.

Make a slight sweep cut starting from the back of the block around the same level of the chin and bring the angle close to the ears.

We are leaving the back of the body for step 5 to add the tail. Make sure you don’t remove too much material off of the back or your tail might be small!

Step 4: Round The Front of the Body

At this point you have removed excess material from the front and back of the head, making it easier to add the ears. Start the ears by making v-cuts from the top and define each ear. Then remove the center triangular piece that is remaining by cutting across the grain (sharpen your knife beforehand if you need to)

From here, we start adding more organic angles to the cat. Start chipping away the blocky proportions and make them round and natural looking.

I like to do sweep cuts on the side of the face from the nose in to define the muzzle and make it stand out a bit more. Add details to the feet and angle in the bottoms of the rear legs slightly.

Step 5: Add the Tail

The tail is super easy to make but also very easy to cut off if you rush it.

I like to start off by making a few push cuts to make the tail a more blocky shape, and then adding in detail with v-cuts and rounding the tail for a more natural look.

Step 6: Smooth Out

From here, remove any chips and clean up your work a little. If something looks off (like the head in the picture above) just smooth out the area and try your best to balance everything out.

Feel free to add eyes and a mouth to your wood carving, but you don’h have to. I like my wood carvings to look simplistic and find them to be more fun to make.

For more whittling guides and information, check out my One Stop Whittling Resource Page for more details!

Here is what is needed to make the bunny:

• Sharp whittling knife
• 2″ x 1″ x 1″ block of wood
• Pencil
• Leather strop

If you want everything you will need in one kit to get started, I highly recommend this affordable set from BeaverCraft: https://amzn.to/3yDmJf7
The kit comes with everything you will need and is of much better quality than the cheap stuff you see everywhere else.

You can always use a larger block of wood if you wish, but it will take longer to whittle.

Before starting, make sure your whittling knife is nice and sharp. It is always a good idea to hone your knife with your leather strop before starting to whittle. If you feel like your knife is starting to dull out while whittling, strop each side 10 to 20 times and continue.

Video Guide

Step 1: Trace the Outline

The first step is to outline what you want the final wood carving to look like.

This doesn’t have to be perfect or turn out exactly as you drew it on the block. Drawing the outline is primarily to help you envision and plan how to cut the wood.

Make sure you are leaving enough room for the tail!

Step 2: Cut Out the Bunny

Next, cut off the excess wood with either a hacksaw or your whittling knife.

I personally like to work in a 2D perspective at this stage to help keep your outlines and prevent you from cutting away too much wood in the beginning. You don’t need to cut right on the line and a good practice is to cut just on the outside of the line you drew.

This gives you more room for error until it is time for detailed whittling in the next step.

Step 3: Add Details on One Side

At this point, start rounding the edges and adding 3 denominational details to one side.

I like to remove about 1/6″ off the sides around the head and front of the body while leaving nearly the full 1″ width around the rear legs (see step 5 picture for width reference).

Use several v-cuts to separate the ears and heads from the body for added detail and depth.

Make sure to taper the back of the bunny towards the tail and try not to cut off the tail.

Step 4: Mirror Details on the Other Side

Copy the same cuts you made on one side to the other side as closely as you can. This doesn’t have to be perfect at all and can be adjusted in the next step.

Step 5: Add Details on the Top

At this point, you can start separating the ears, finishing the details on the tail, and making the sides as close to the same proportions as possible.

This is also a good point to round out the sides as much as you can.

Step 6: Clean Up Cuts and Smooth Out

Finally, round off the ears, and make any minor detailed cuts to the head and ears to further define them from the body.

I like to round the body a little more from the bottom of the wood carving up so that the body has a more organic shape from the base up. Make sure you don’t remove too much wood and cut with and across the grain properly.

Feel free to add eyes, nose, and mouth to the face if you want. I personally like to keep the faces simplistic as I find they look better.

Make sure to sign the bottom of your work and find a great place to display your wood carving!

For more whittling guides and information, check out my One Stop Whittling Resource Page for more details!