Our author started letter carving for practical reasons, including its appropriate nature for apartment woodworking. The results were signs that ended up in his Canadian retreat.

Having had the run of a large, well-equipped shop for most of my life, I find woodworking in my San Francisco apartment challenging.

I have to contend with a nosy landlord, cranky neighbors and three flights of stairs. Prior to climbing those stairs every day, I had never considered taking up woodcarving - perhaps because I associated it with duck decoys, garden gnomes and other geriatric nonsense. However, this spring, needing to replace some old signs on a house in Nova Scotia, I thought of giving it a try. My ambition was modest: learn enough to carve good-looking name boards for friends and neighbors, for boats or whatever. I looked through the usual catalogs - and saw there was a multitude of carving tools on the market and I'd better get some advice.

Furthermore, buying a gouge, chisel or adze without being able to feel the heft and balance of the tool is chancy. So I called a professional woodcarver friend who invited me to his studio. We spent a couple of hours going over his collection of carving tools (over a thousand), "I need them all," he said "but some I may only use once or twice a year."

Not everyone has an opportunity to learn from a pro, so I thought I'd share some of my lessons and conclusions. First off, I was cautioned about taking the second-hand route. Even with familiar and respected trade names, I am told that it is asking for problems.

I decided that the faceted style of handles, usually octagonal, had a better feel than round handles (also they were less prone to roll off the bench and bite the dust - or my feet).

My friend also advised me to ignore sets and buy only the tools I needed to get started. So with his help, I made a list of essential tools and equipment - including a mallet and tool roll.

I went back to the catalogs, somewhat wiser, and decided, as a beginner, it would be prudent to buy pre-sharpened tools, already honed with the correct bevel. Suppressing my pro-British bias, I settled on the Lamp™ brand, made in Germany. I liked the octagonal, hornbeam handles, the honed and polished edges and having the size and "sweep" (degree of curvature of a gouge) stamped into both the handle and the steel shank.

While waiting for the tools to arrive, I practiced drawing letters directly on the wood with T-square and triangle ... with poor results. The letters looked awkward and mechanical, betraying my engineering background. My artist sister was amused by my efforts and observed that it took years of practice to draw well-proportioned letters in the various styles.

I then had the good fortune to come across a book called Arthur Baker's Historic Calligraphic Alphabets. It contains 33 complete alphabets, printed in black, two or more inches high, with no grid lines or other distractions. Here was a treasure trove indeed for the novice carver. Furthermore, the author granted permission to use up to 10 of the alphabets.

Part of Simon's preparation for learning letter carving was finding the best tools for the task. As is common to woodworking, he found that the right tools made all the difference.

I bought several other books (of marginal value), until I came across Letter Carving in Wood by Chris Pye. This is the best book I found: clear, detailed information combined with close-up photos and excellent sketches.

Eventually, one has to take the plunge, so I chose an alphabet and made several photocopies until I had enough letters. Then I cut them out and arranged them on a piece of cardboard, cut to the same size as the wooden name board.

I read and re-read the section on letter spacing (called color) and continued moving the letters around until the balance looked right. I then stuck the letters to the cardboard, photocopied a clean version, glued it with rubber cement to the wood, and began carving letters right through the paper. This not only saves layout time but provides a mask if you plan to paint the letters, as I usually do. When the paint is dry, the paper can be peeled off or sanded down.

A sharp edge on your carving tools is critical for successful letter carving.

I was gratified by this first effort, until my sister kindly pointed out the various errors in layout - an E too close to an F, a W cramped by the adjacent letters and a forlorn looking O, marooned in space. However, the third and fourth efforts met with qualified approval, and I felt I was making progress.

Getting a good edge on a carving tool - chisel or gouge - is half the battle and takes considerable practice. Written descriptions are of marginal value, but video can be a great teacher. It was my luck to stumble on such a video by master carver Ian Agrell. Agrell is a gifted teacher. His video on sharpening carving tools is a model of brevity and humor.

So, that's how I got started - a total expenditure of about $300. I like the work: it's quiet, relaxing, has endless applications and there is no need for any of the body protection woodworkers find indispensible these days. However, after a newly sharpened chisel (my only round one) rolled off the bench and skewered my foot, I did decide to always wear shoes when I carve!

Simon Watts is a boatbuilder and teacher who lives in San Francisco.

Eight Tips for Beginners Click to Enlarge We asked techniques editor Linda Haus to try her hand at letter carving. After several attempts she came up with the following eight tips: Use proper carving tools: knives, gouges, etc. Keep your tools sharp: hone them constantly as you carve. Use a proper cutting angle. Don't carve too deep. Print out your words/phrases. Enlarge your printout on a copier. (This keeps the spacing correct). Use a wood species that is easy to carve, (like basswood, butternut or alder) or close-grained softwoods. Don't lose the big picture: strive for consistency in depth of cut and cutting angle on each and every letter. Knife angle is the key to achieving uniform carved letters. About 65° is where you should start. Near perpendicular is most effective as you look at the side of the knife. Securing your stock is an important task. You also need to be able to spin the stock around easily: it allows you to easily pull the cut towards you. Click to Enlarge Use spray adhesive to attach your pre-printed letters to the wood. Carve pulling towards you. At the intersection of letter segments, end the transverse, ascending and descending forms in a uniform manner. Remove the paper and sand the surface smooth. If you're painting the carved area, leave the paper on. Click to Enlarge

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