Deer Tracks

Some of my earliest memories as a little girl was sitting on the stool next to my dad's work bench and watching him do wood crafts. I remember the smells of singed wood, the sound of the saw and the pounding of a mallet. I would sit in awe as he would take a solid block of wood and mold it into something beautiful.

I remember my dad teaching me the different types of wood carving tools and different techniques he used. Around age seven or eight, I was allowed to use a wood burner and the chisels. As I recall there were a few nights that my mom would sit up with me holding an ice pack to my hand as I would fight back the tears but those accidents were just apart of the learning process. I never wanted to complain because I love being out there working right beside my dad.

As years went by school friends and boys allowed very little time in the shop. Soon I started to forget most of what my dad had taught me. It wasn't until I was much older, that I regretted my time away.

One evening, my dad had been in the shop working on a cabinet end piece for my aunts new kitchen. I watched him of the course of several nights take a slab of oak and yet again mold it into something beautiful. I was reminded of my roots and yearned to go back to the days of being the little girl, working beside my dad. I asked him to teach me once again. And so he did....



I worked on an impression set of deer tracks first, using a Dremel, carving knives and files. The end result I was pretty pleased with. After mastering my first lesson, my dad gave me another challenge. He handed me a box of checkering tools. After a week of cussing... I decided I wasn't into checkering.

I then decided that we should just skip on to my third lesson, bas relief. I again used the deer tracks because they are extremely simple. On a practice piece of walnut I first used the Dremel to get my lay out. Then I used the chisel and mallet to chip away the outer edge. I wasn't as pleased with this piece. I could have cleaned it up a little better, looking over it I see several things I need to go back and do. As my dad always says, "Carving is easy, take a picture and then remove everything that doesn't fit. You can always take away but you can never put it back." I think tomorrow I will finish it...