The Swiss Army Knife Whittling Book, specially designed for children.

In clear, straightforward language, Sayers carefully guides the reader through the fundamentals — what tools and materials to use and how to use them. Still the finest book for the beginning student in wood sculpture.

Whether you're a woodcarver expanding your talents, a seasoned carver refining your skills, or a beginner newly introduced to this fulfilling craft, this is the only carving book you need. Brimming with expert instruction and 8 attractive step-by-step woodcarving projects, you'll learn all the classic carving styles and techniques along with the fundamentals of wood and tool selection, sharpening, creating a workspace, and finishing your completed work. Also included is a complete chapter on power carving.

Since the mid-1980s, whimsical, brightly colored wood carvings from the Mexican state of Oaxaca have found their way into gift shops and private homes across the United States and Europe, as Western consumers seek to connect with the authenticity and tradition represented by indigenous folk arts. Ironically, however, the Oaxacan wood carvings are not a traditional folk art. Invented in the mid-twentieth century by non-Indian Mexican artisans for the tourist market, their appeal flows as much from intercultural miscommunication as from their intrinsic artistic merit. In this beautifully illustrated book, Michael Chibnik offers the first in-depth look at the international trade in Oaxacan wood carvings, including their history, production, marketing, and cultural representations. Drawing on interviews he conducted in the carving communities and among wholesalers, retailers, and consumers, he follows the entire production and consumption cycle, from the harvesting of copal wood to the final purchase of the finished piece. Along the way, he describes how and why this "invented tradition" has been promoted as a "Zapotec Indian" craft and explores its similarities with other local crafts with longer histories. He also fully discusses the effects on local communities of participating in the global market, concluding that the trade in Oaxacan wood carvings is an almost paradigmatic case study of globalization.

The early-twentieth-century profusely illustrated reference on the traditional craft details woods and essential tools used and covers carving techniques and designs for specific projects

Includes how-to information.

· A valuable guide to learning how to wood carving whimsical figures and objects in tree bark · Provides a complete step-by-step project for carving a magical tree house · Offers expert advice on bark carving basics, tools, techniques, finishing tips, and other fundamental topics · Includes an inspirational gallery of completed works, including wood spirits, animals, tree houses, and more · Written by award-winning carver Rick Jensen and carver/photographer Jack A. Williams