Tiny Whittling

September 17, 2012
Just the word “whittling”’ conjures images of Jed Clampett whittlin’ on the porch in a Beverly Hillbillies rerun. But this is not your ol’ country boy DIY, as Tomashek, who runs the Web site Miniature Menagerie, takes a new generation through the basics of carving materials and on to more complicated projects, leading the novice through Ivory soap ducks to old ivory piano key creations. Along the way, he shows how to “cheat” on the hard stuff (like using a glued-on grapevine runner for a pig’s tail). The author, fond of polka-dotted animals, explains how to paint those spots, borrowing from aboriginal bark paintings, as well as showing how to make lines and gradations, and how to use scale in both painting and carving, with examples of what to expect from various wood grains. Color photos (350 of them) bring both tiny forest and barnyard to life, and detailed safety tips, plus drawing and sanding instructions right down to making Mr. Fox’s tricky tail round off a comprehensive book on a tiny subject.

December 1, 2012

Tomashek teaches novices the basics of carving wood by hand with this accessible introduction to whittling. The three simplest projects, a duck, a bear, and a rabbit, are carved from soap or vegetables with household paring knives, allowing beginners to get a feel for carving without investing money in wood or other supplies. The rest of the projects are presented in order of difficulty and range from beginner-friendly songbirds to more complex animals such as a cow and a hen. Step-by-step directions and full-color photographs of the finished animals are included. VERDICT There aren't many beginner whittling books around, and the fun projects and straightforward instructions make this a good purchase for woodworking collections.

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.