Getting Started in Green Wood

Just picked up your first whittling knife and not sure how to get started? We’ve got your back! This evolving collection of online learning materials will give you all you need to get going and continue improving in whittling, spoon carving and the wider world of woodwork…

Read below for our top tips on starting out at home – sourcing material, buying kit and those important first knife grips! And when you’re ready for the next step, our London based courses will help you master the best techniques, avoid bad habits and engage with the spirit and magic at the heart of this wonderful craft.

Check out our Whittling and Spoon Carving workshops.

Barn Profile Pic and spoon2

Quote MarksWhittling is the cornerstone of green woodwork

We see whittling as the perfect first step in woodwork. From the first moment you guide a knife through wood you begin to understand how the material behaves. All woodworking tools can be viewed as some form of knife – Axes, saws, chisels and planes are all edged blades with their own purpose, and when you learn to whittle, you’re already learning how these tools work! There are loads of reasons to love whittling. It’s an ancient folk craft, and as one of the very first ways humans worked with tools, it’s in our blood. But it’s also just fun! Peeling away shavings to make something beautiful is a soothing experience It’s also challenging yet immediately accessible. You can become a master spoon carver and never need anything more than a few basic tools and your favourite chair. If you want to learn to work GiftBox_3with wood, there’s no better place to start than carving with a knife. And that journey starts right here!

› Beginner’s Whittling Kit  

 

 

Your Learning Journey

How to get Started • Basic Tool Kit • Knife Grips • Sourcing Wood • How to Carve a Spoon • Step by Step Tutorials • Knife Sharpening • Membership • Workshops • Green Wood Culture

Learning Journey

Knife Grips – How to Carve

These are the core techniques in whittling & spoon carving. With just these grips there’s almost no limit to what you can make. Be Safe! Pay attention to where the knife is travelling & never carve towards any fingers or thumbs.

Click a knife grip to get a closer look.

Chest Lever GripChest Lever GripForehand GripForehand GripShin GripShin GripReinforced Pull StrokeReinforced Pull StrokeWrist GripWrist GripThumb PivotThumb PivotThumb PullThumb PullThumb PushThumb Push

Come on one of our Whittling Intro Workshops where Tom will show you the finer points to all of these techniques, in his celebrated ‘calm and encouraging’ teaching style!

Basic Tool Kit

If you want to get whittling, all you really need is a knife and a bit of wood. But a few key additions will open up all manner of possibilities. Here’s our run-down of the ultimate beginner’s kit list…

  • Straight Knife

  • Axe

  • Axe Block

  • Spoon Knife

  • Saw

  • Sharpening Kit

› Tool Buying Guide

Sourcing Wood

Finding your own wood is part of the fun. Don’t just go wondering off into the woods & lopping off branches though! Here’s our guide on what to look for and where to get it.

› How to source wood for carving and axe blocks

Join the Guild

Our physical membership lets you fully immerse yourself in the craft.

Become a member of The Green Wood Guild

London Member’s Workshop Gatherings

   Wood and tools supplied

   Learn directly from Barn the Spoon

✓   Step by step projects

   Spoon design tutorials

   Techniques explained

   Finer points of sharpening

   Build your own kit

£39 per month

Become a Member

Watch this space… Full online membership coming soon!

The Dance of The Axe and The Knife

For a bit of inspiration here’s Barn the Spoon, Green Wood Guild founding member and course tutor of our Spoon Carving Workshops, doing what he does best!

Step by Step Tutorials

Tutorial Downloads

›  Sharpening a Straight Knife

›  Sharpening a Spoon Knife

Introductory Workshops

Whittling Workshop (BRISTOL)

Whittling Workshop (BRISTOL)

2hr Classes | based @ Hamilton House

Our most popular workshop has come to Bristol – now enjoying an extended run due to popular demand!

This is our classic introduction to knife carving, hosted by Hamilton House. We are proud to teach all out whittling workshops with the “Mora 106” Sloyd Knife, the preferred carving knife for professionals and beginners alike.

A 2-hour session, covering a variety of safe knife grips and traditional techniques in the ancient skill of knife carving. At the end of this session you will have carved your very own spatula to take home and use, and will have the knowledge needed to go away and build on what you have learned in your own time.

This workshop is designed to be a wonderful experience on it’s own, but is also your gateway to the craft. Knowing how to carve safely and well with a knife is as rewarding as it is empowering. It helps broaden your understanding of wood as a material, gives a solid foundation for your skills in every aspect of traditional woodwork, and you’ll be amazed at how many scenarios in your day to day life that this comes in handy!

 

ALL COURSE BOOKINGS ARE NON REFUNDABLE

CLASS DATES CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED ONCE BOOKED

 

£35.00 in stock LEARN MORE Intro Day

Intro Day

Saturdays | 10am-6pm

A diverse introductory day consisting of 3 mini workshops – Knife Carving, Axe Carving & Wood Turning, together providing a well-rounded initiation into the core skills of green woodwork.

This course combines a series of 2-hour Intro Workshops into a single day of woodworking bliss!

This is perfect for those that would like to try their hand at everything, or want to lay a solid groundwork for the more in-depth workshops they’ve got their eye on. There isn’t a single course we teach that doesn’t involve at least one of these skills.

 

Wood Turning Intro – 10:00 – 12:00

A 2-hour session, covering the basics of turning on a treadle lathe. This mini workshop will immerse you into a craft as old as the hills as you make your own traditional potato masher. You will learn the rhythm of the lathe and how to use 3 chisels and gouges in a safe and effective way. This introductory class is a great way to get a taste for treadle lathe work and will give you a head start for the 6 week foundation class.

 

Whittling Intro – 13:30 – 15:30

Covering a variety of safe knife grips and traditional techniques in the ancient skill of knife carving. At the end of this session you will have carved your very own spatula to take home and use, and will have the knowledge needed to go away and build on what you have learned in your own time. The class also covers the basics of knife sharpening, teaches you how to find and source your own wood and then at the end you’ll be sent away with some wood to practice and your very own sharpening kit!

 

Axe Skills Intro – 16:00 – 18:00

A perfect introduction to the art of carving fresh wood with a razor sharp axe. An essential skill that underpins every aspect of the craft – used in everything from Bowl Carving to Furniture Making!

This 2-hour class centers around the simple project of making a tent peg, covering all the basic techniques from cleaving a round log into billets, right through to chopping, slicing and shaving your piece. You’ll learn how to use an axe safely, as well as getting some top technical tips in what is a deceptively delicate and precise process, giving you a foundation on which to build your skills in your own time.

 

ALL COURSE BOOKINGS ARE NON REFUNDABLE

CLASS DATES CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED ONCE BOOKED

 

£120.00 out of stock LEARN MORE Whittling Gift Box

Whittling Gift Box

The Whittling Gift Box is the perfect introduction to woodwork.

Each box contains the perfect Swedish made whittling Knife, which comes razor-sharp & protected in it’s own sheath, as well as a voucher for a place on one of our Whittling Intro Workshops.

Together these provide you with everything you need to know to carve safely, source your own materials and to sharpen your tools, and you’ll even go away with some wood so you can practice at home. All neatly bundled up so that it can be given straight as it is or gift wrapped yourself!

A chance for a friend or loved one to experience the satisfaction of carving wood and a first step into the world of fine woodcraft.

Our Whittling Intro Workshops provide safe & efficient techniques for knife carving, and a deeper appreciation of wood as a material. We take you through the 5 most useful  knife grips, as you craft your own cooking spatula and develop the skills to carve fresh  wood into any number of functional and beautiful items.

 

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*You MUST be 18 or over to buy this product. 

Vouchers can only be used once. Vouchers are valid for 6 moths from point of purchase. Once a course has been booked, the date cannot be changed. 

£48.00 in stock LEARN MORE Whittling Workshop

Whittling Workshop

Saturdays & Sundays | 2hr Classes

A 2-hour session, covering a variety of safe knife grips and traditional techniques in the ancient skill of knife carving. We are proud to teach all out whittling workshops with the “Mora 106” Sloyd Knife, the preferred carving knife for professionals and beginners alike.

At the end of this session you will have carved your very own spatula to take home and use, and will have the knowledge needed to go away and build on what you have learned in your own time. The class also covers the basics of knife sharpening, and teaches you how to find and source your own wood!

This workshop is designed to be a wonderful experience on it’s own, but is also your gateway to the craft. Knowing how to carve safely and well with a knife is as rewarding as it is empowering. It helps broaden your understanding of wood as a material, gives a solid foundation for your skills in every aspect of traditional woodwork, and you’ll be amazed at how many scenarios in your day to day life that this comes in handy!

 

ALL COURSE BOOKINGS ARE NON REFUNDABLE

CLASS DATES CANNOT BE TRANSFERRED ONCE BOOKED

 

£35.00 in stock LEARN MORE