# Grow your skills.



## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

Spring is on its way and the weather will be warmer and longer days offering a bit more time to get into our stick making. If there are some of you that want to do more decorative carving, carve wood spirits or get into carving topper? We have a number of stick makers here that are more than glad to be of help. We all started out with not knowing where to start. I wanted to encourage those of you looking to expand you skills to ask questions post pictures I will be more than glad to offer what help I can and I believe others here will do the same. Maybe I to help you find a carving club within driving distance. They can be a great place to learn also. There are a number of really good how to books with good pictures and direction. if your in the UK there are great walking stick clubs and guids.Here in the states we only have one or two such clubs. but there are usually sick makers in most of the carving clubs. If you have questions you can send me a pm also. We can make this forum a great place to learn and grow skills. but only if we have the interest to do that. So speak up if you want some help or are willing to help there is no such thing as knowing it all. I learn new things here all the time. 
Have a great day.

Randy

Here is a basic pattern that that works well for doing a bear on a stick


----------



## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

Thanks Randy.

The people here make this forum a great resource for anyone interested in stick making.

Right now I'm still concentrating on the basics but eventually I may try some decorative carving.

Rodney


----------



## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Excellant pattern by the by Randy. I use the copy U sent me. I adapted it to carve bear heads on sticks.


----------



## RandyL476 (Aug 24, 2014)

Carving is something I always wanted to try but didn't know where to get started, then I realized here awhile back when I was working on a huckleberry root knob cane I was having to take my utility knife and whittle the handle into shape so it will fit your hand this usually takes a few hours and a pile of wood chips at my feet then I sand it down smooth so this is a form of carving I was looking at carving as doing faces, animals, and other things I didn't think about what I was doing was a form of it.


----------



## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

I am sure most of us apperciate differnt patterns and have a wide range myself .As Randy said just ask and pretty sure the pattern your after could be found

I have quite a few water fowl patterns these are mostly life size but anyone can easily adjust size on the commputer


----------



## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

RandyL476 said:


> Carving is something I always wanted to try but didn't know where to get started, then I realized here awhile back when I was working on a huckleberry root knob cane I was having to take my utility knife and whittle the handle into shape so it will fit your hand this usually takes a few hours and a pile of wood chips at my feet then I sand it down smooth so this is a form of carving I was looking at carving as doing faces, animals, and other things I didn't think about what I was doing was a form of it.


Carving different grips or handles is a way to add to a stick. If you look at some of the sticks in my gallery pictures you can see I commit some time and effort to grips.


----------



## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

Even without any decorative work handles take the longest to make. I really don't think of my methods as carving. For me it's mostly files, rasps and sandpaper once the roughing out is done.

Rodney


----------



## elmsfordlt (Feb 1, 2017)

Thanks Randy, that bear pattern is nice.

Frank


----------



## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

It only takes a carving knife /rasps to carve most toppers the basic tool is the saw whether its a hand saw or powered , I think most people can easily master it


----------



## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

The idea for people toimprove there skills is ggod and we allcould benifet and learn from each other

Not only a skill base helps but a supply of patters on all aspects of stickmaking would help such as a dictionary of terms .

Although both and American terms and ideas vary from the UK a cross fertilisation of ideas would improve the site generally


----------



## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

I second that cobalt. We can learn a lot from each other.


----------

