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TECHNIQUES
32
Make an Old Knife New Again
By Terry Trier
Custom-grind an old folding knife into
your perfect carving knife
62
Learn to Paint: Using Latex Paint
By Betty Padden
For durable paint that is easy to blend, 
try latex house paint
82
Carving a Gourd
By Jim Widess and Ginger Summit
New book provides inspiration 
and instructions
19
Decorate your
bark house for any
holiday by adding
scenery and
accessories.
FEATURES
34
Carved Funeral Coaches
By Kathleen Ryan
Breathtaking designs 
honor the deceased
48
Born to Carve
By Toni Fitzgerald
Hailing from a family of carpenters, 
Michael Morris produces gorgeous 
cabinets and clocks
86
A Different Breed of Woodworker
By Kathleen Ryan
Allan Breed carves historically 
accurate reproduction furniture
FALL 2014 
n
ISSUE 68
in this 
issue
Carving Instructions
Learn to Paint: Using Latex Paint, pg. 62
Get instructions for carving the pumpkins.
Holiday Head Start
Find more free patterns for 
ornaments and decorations.
Article Extras
Low-Relief Animal Scenes, pg. 60
Get 
more gunstock patterns.
Spooky Halloween House, pg. 19
Enjoy 
a gallery of bark houses 
for all seasons.
Behind the Scenes
Open House & Woodworking Show, pg. 10
Enjoy lots more pictures of the 
show, plus 
see an exclusive video of the action.
➚
➚
➚
PROJECTS
19
Spooky Halloween House
By Bob Hershey
Adding scenery and a sky gives 
a bark house a whole new look
27
Hand-Carving a Camping Cup
By Rick Wiebe
Rustic cup is traditional, 
functional, and sensible
37
Carve a Welcoming Wood Spirit
By Millard Harrell
Learn how to carve a smiling face 
even when the mouth isn’t visible
44
Painting the Fisherman
By Susan Thornton
Use acrylic paints to breathe 
life into this angler caricature
50
Cranky Mornings Coffee Mug
By Bob Yancey
Create an amusing cup 
for any coffee drinker
54
Carving a Peach Pit Pig
By Kivel Weaver
Forget spitting seeds; use them 
to learn a 19th-century folk art
56
Plucky Pilgrims
By Lawrence Spinak
Versatile patterns can be 
flat pins or 3-D decorations
67
One Ornament for Two Holidays
By Glenn Stewart
Clever reversible ornament 
can be used for fall and 
winter seasons
88
Sweet Songbird Pin
By Rick Jensen
Practice relief-carving techniques as 
you make a folk-art feathered friend
www.
woodcarvingillustrated
.com/wci68
4
Editor’s Note
6
From Our Mailbag
8
Reader Gallery
10
News and Notes
12
Tips and Techniques
DEPARTMENTS
14
Product Reviews
90
Calendar of Events
94
Coming Features
95
Ad Directory & Classified Ads
96
Woodchips
60
Low-Relief Animal Scenes
By Lora S. Irish
Use these designs to carve 
gunstocks—or anything else!
72
See-Through Ornaments
By Bruce Nicholas
Pierce these chip-carved designs 
to add sparkles of light
75
Carving Father Winter
By Susan Hendrix
Classic Christmas figure is easy 
to carve and can be personalized—
perfect for holiday gift-giving
78
Sven the Happy Barkeep
By Floyd Rhadigan
Celebrate Oktoberfest by 
carving this cute caricature
PATTERNS
Head Start
Holiday
Head Start
Holiday
Head Start
Holiday
Woodcarving Illustrated 
|
FALL 2014
4
editor’s 
note
Identification Statement: Woodcarving Illustrated vol. 18, no. 3 
(Fall 2014) (ISSN#1096-2816) is published four times a year in the months of 
February, May, August, and November by Fox Chapel Publishing Co. Inc., 
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520. 
Periodical Postage paid at 
East Petersburg, PA, and additional mailing offices. 
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Woodcarving Illustrated, 
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520.
Woodcarving and the use of associated equipment can potentially result in health hazards and 
injuries. 
While we cannot impose safety standards in every article, we do ask that you make safety 
your number one priority. 
Protect your respiratory system, hearing, vision, and the rest of your body 
with the proper safety equipment and prudent precautions. 
Read manuals supplied with your tools. 
Be aware most accidents occur when you are tired or distracted. 
And when in doubt, seek advice from 
professionals on how to keep your tools sharp and maintained. 
Volume 18, Number 3 (Issue No. 68)
How-To Magazine for Carvers™
Internet: www.WoodcarvingIllustrated.com
Woodcarving Illustrated Magazine
1970 Broad Street, East Petersburg, PA 17520
Phone: 717-560-4703
Fax: 717-560-4702
Our Mission: 
To promote woodcarving as an 
artform and an enjoyable pastime.
Publisher
Alan Giagnocavo
Editor
Mindy Kinsey 
Technical Editor
Bob Duncan
Editorial Assistant
Carly D. Glasmyre
Editorial Intern
Abigail Brubaker 
Director of Operations
Lisa Andes
Art Director
Jon Deck
Founding Editor
Roger Schroeder
Studio Photographer
Scott Kriner
Advertising
Jane Patukas
Advertising Account Manager
Cindy Fahs
Technical Illustrators
John Allard
Irene Bertils
Jon Deck
Carolyn Mosher
Newsstand Distribution: Curtis Circulation Company
Circulation Consultant: National Publisher Services
Printed by Fry Communications
©2014 by Fox Chapel Publishing Co. Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in USA
Subscription rates in US dollars:
One year
$24.95
Two years
$49.90
Canada
One year
$29.95
Two years
$59.90
International
One year 
$34.95
Two years 
$69.90
Customer Service for Subscribers
Please call toll-free 888-506-6630, 
or visit our Website: 
www.WoodcarvingIllustrated.com
Display Advertising/Classifieds
Please call or e-mail Jane Patukas, (ext. 127) for rates and/or 
a media kit. 
Wholesale/Distribution
Woodcarving Illustrated is available to retailers for 
resale on advantageous terms.
Contact Wendy Calta (ext. 114) for details. 
Fall 2014
Note to Professional Copy Services — The publisher grants you 
permission to make up to ten copies for any purchaser of this 
magazine who states the copies are for personal use.
Customer Service for Subscribers
Visit www.WoodcarvingIllustrated.com, call 888-506-6630, 
or write: Woodcarving Illustrated, 1970 Broad Street,
East Petersburg, PA 17520
Printed in USA
Turning Nothing Into Something
This issue is about Autumn: crunchy leaves, cool 
nights, and crackling fires. In these pages, you’ll find 
a pumpkin plaque, a Halloween bark house, some 
pilgrims, a scarecrow, and an Oktoberfest celebrant.
But this issue is also about usefulness; that, and 
making do, and turning nothing into something, or 
something into something else. Those values and 
attitudes might be identified more with pioneers than 
pilgrims, but they are admirable ideals, either way.
Lots of carvers turn their cutoffs into trinkets; we have a 
great example in Rick Jensen’s songbird pin (page 88). But Kivel 
Weaver takes the idea to the extreme with his peach-pit pigs 
(page 54). Following in the footsteps of folk-art carvers from a 
century ago, Kivel shows you how to carve a piece of trash into 
a tiny but charming treasure. 
Similarly, Terry Trier reshapes the blades of old electrician’s 
knives to form custom carving knives (page 32). If you don’t 
happen to have an old knife, follow Terry’s lead—he buys them at 
flea markets and yard sales, or from eBay, for about $5 each. 
Old house paint is something most of us do have lying 
around. Betty Padden, a professional sign maker, uses it to paint 
carvings (page 62). Betty says latex house paint occupies a good 
middle ground—it stays wet longer than acrylics, which makes 
it easy to blend, but not as long as oils, so it can be recoated and 
layered quickly. Thinking hesitantly about those big gallons in 
the garage? Betty says most paint stores will sell small samples of 
latex for a couple of bucks each. Plus, exterior latex paint is super 
durable, so it’s perfect for signs or carvings that will sit outside.
And like signs, many carvings are not just decorative but 
also useful. Either the carving itself is purposely functional, as 
in our hand-carved cups (page 27), or the carving decorates a 
functional object. For many inspirational examples of the latter, 
check out our features about carved funeral coaches (page 34), 
custom clocks (page 48), and reproduction furniture (page 86), 
and try your hand at carving a gourd (page 82) or a gunstock 
(page 60). For a different type of double-duty project, see the 
reversible scarecrow/Santa ornament on page 67—one carving 
can serve up two seasons’ worth of decoration!
Whether you’re talking pilgrims, pioneers, or just plain 
people, most of us agree that autumn is a time of gratitude. We 
at Fox Chapel don’t finish the harvest and gather the family so 
much as we compile the catalog and buckle down after summer 
vacations, but the feelings are the same. You, our readers 
and customers, allow us to turn our thoughts and ideas into 
something that’s useful to you, and for that we give thanks. 
Mindy Kinsey
Woodcarving Illustrated 
|
FALL 2014
6
from our 
mailbag
Comfort Birds
I was surprised to see the article in this recent issue 
on the comfort birds by Frank Foust. Frank had 
an incredible idea for carvers to bring comfort to 
others. I followed his lead and started a comfort 
bird carving group in Utah. The group has carved 
and given away hundreds of these birds to ill or 
grieving people. He is to be commended, as is 
Woodcarving Illustrated 
for promoting the concept.
Kurt Jarvis
Via E-mail
FOX HUNT
Sherman Fields of 
Chester, Va., and John 
Modjewski of Eagle 
River, Wisc., are the 
winners drawn from the 
correct entries received 
for 
WCI
Summer 2014 
(Issue 67). The fox was 
hiding on the label of a 
can of epoxy sealer on 
page 26.
Find the fox in this 
issue, and contact us 
with the page number 
and location. Two readers randomly selected from all correct replies 
will receive a $25 Fox Chapel Publishing gift certificate. Entries must be 
received by October 10, 2014, to be eligible. 
NOTE: With his feet on the 
“ground,” the contest fox faces left (other foxes in 
WCI
don’t count).
Send your entry to 
Woodcarving Illustrated
, Attn: Find the Fox, 1970 
Broad Street, East Petersburg, Pa. 17520, or enter online under the 
contests link at www.woodcarvingillustrated.com.
Soap Carving & Kids
Thanks for the soap carving article! I would like to 
start a soap carving class at my church. What age 
do you think a youngster should be to start 
the class? 
William J. Murphy
Via E-mail
Our editors respond: We think soap carving is a 
great way to get kids involved in carving. You might 
talk to local Scout groups to get an idea of their age 
requirements; I believe they usually begin to teach 
carving to 8- and 9-year-olds. However, we generally 
tell people that kids are ready when they can sit still, 
pay attention, and follow instructions for about 30 
minutes. Some kids might be ready at age 7, while 
others won’t be until they are 10 or 11, or even later. 
It’s also helpful to have extra adults on hand to help 
and to monitor the kids.
Morin’s 
Shorebird
In the mid-1970s, my wife and I were visiting relatives 
in Marin County, Calif., and I purchased the [above] 
carving. The only notation about the artist was the last 
name, “Morin.” An Internet search provided the name 
and carving gallery of Kevin Morin on your website. I 
am interested in determining whether he carved our 
bird. Do you have any additional information on him?
John Forrester
Via E-mail
Our editors respond: We don’t have any information on 
Mr. Morin. If you do, please contact the magazine at 
Pencil Snowmen
In WCI Holiday 2009 (Issue 49), you showed how 
to carve pencil Santas. I did that, then tried a 
snowman. I used foam sheets to cut a circle for the 
hat brim. Both the Santas and the snowmen are 
very popular. 
Connie Clausen
Canton, Ga
One 
WCI
reader 
is seeking 
information 
about the carver 
of this shorebird.
These snowman 
carvings are 
based on Ron 
Johnson’s 
Whittling Santa 
Pencils article 
from 
WCI
.
Send your letters to: From Our Mailbag, Woodcarving 
Illustrated, 1970 Broad St., East Petersburg, PA 17520, 
Woodcarving Illustrated 
|
FALL 2014
8
reader 
gallery
Love Letter 
Wine Box
Bart Fitch
of 
Manteca, Calif., 
created this 
wine box by 
combining several 
patterns from 
past 
issues of 
Woodcarving 
Illustrated
. Bart 
made it for his niece. 
According to tradition, the 
night before the wedding, 
the bride and groom write love letters to each 
other, and during the wedding, the letters are 
locked in the box with a bottle of wine. On 
their first anniversary, the couple opens the 
box, reads the letters, and drinks the wine. 
Bart made the box from basswood and used 
sugar pine for the heart picture frame.
First Carved Fish
Jerry Franklin
of 
Macon, Ga., carved this bass from 2x6 construction pine. 
He cut the glued-up blank with a band saw and used a 
rotary tool to carve the fish. Jerry carved the body and 
tail from one piece of wood, and added the fins later. He 
finished the piece with water-based paint and several 
coats of clear polyurethane.
▲
Santa Ornaments
Ed Maxwell
of Fairhope, Pa., carves 
ornaments every year for his wife, seven 
grandchildren, and great-grandchild. Ed, 
who is 74, started carving in 1994.
▲
Carved Castle
Greg Young 
of Germantown, Wis., 
carved this castle when his kids were 
younger and Harry Potter was just 
starting to be popular. The piece is 
painted with acrylic paints.
Gila Monster
Oliver Harrigan
of Milwaukee, Wis., carved this 
realistic Gila monster for his son, who lives in Arizona. 
The Gila monster is native to the southwest desert. 
Oliver, who is 83 and has been carving for more 
than 20 years, designed the pattern from 
reference photos, and then carved the piece.
▲
▲
Let’s see your latest work! Send good, clear photos (professional color 
prints or 300dpi resolution digital images) and 100 words describing your 
project to: Reader Gallery, Woodcarving Illustrated, 1970 Broad St., East 
▲
www.woodcarvingillustrated.com
9
Woodcarving Illustrated 
|
FALL 2014
10
The air smelled of spring mixed 
with steam, coal smoke, sawdust, 
and fuel as nearly 2,000 people 
gathered at the Rough and Tumble 
Engineers Historical Association 
in Kinzers, Pa. They came from as 
far away as California and Oregon 
for the Fox Chapel Publishing 2014 
Woodworking Show and Open 
House, held May 9 and 10. 
This was the third such event 
for Fox Chapel Publishing, the 
parent company of 
Woodcarving 
Illustrated
magazine, but the 
first held at Rough and Tumble, a 
non-profit museum dedicated to 
preserving America’s agricultural 
and industrial history. The 
barn, exhibitors and vendors from 
around the country manned booths 
and display tables. Arbortech and 
MDI Woodcarvers offered carving 
tools, while Hillcrest Carving 
offered wood as well as tools. Ben 
Fink's Wood Shop sold scroll saw 
blades, and Bushton Industries and 
Seyco sold woodworking tools.
In addition to teaching 
seminars, Dylan Goodson 
showed off his realistic carvings, 
including a life-size crucifix; 
Wayne Barton exhibited his chip 
carvings; Chris Howard and Leah 
Goddard presented realistic human 
and animal carvings; Everett 
Ellenwood offered sharpening and 
introductory carving; and Pete 
Ortel and Jim Feather focused on 
caricature carving. Stephan Forrin 
lectured in totem pole carving 
styles and demonstrated totem 
pole carving between classes. Tom 
We’ve finally found a home for our show. 
Mark your calendar for next year — May 8-9, 2015
Photos by Scott Kriner, Shane Rottier, Barrie Casement, and Mindy Kinsey
Zoe Boni wowed onlookers 
with her chainsaw carving.
Alan Giagnocavo tried an 
Arbortech tool while his 
son, Alex, looked on.
Wayne Barton 
taught chip-
carving design.
news 
and
notes
Fox Chapel Publishing’s 
Open House & 
Woodworking 
Show 2014
company’s president, Alan 
Giagnocavo, sees the new venue 
as a unique opportunity. “Rough 
and Tumble is a hidden gem right 
here in Lancaster County,” he said. 
“There’s so much going on, from 
steam trains to antique plows, a 
sawmill, and tractor pulls. I knew 
our readers would be fascinated 
by the museum, and I figured that 
Rough and Tumble members are 
probably woodworkers, even if they 
don’t know it yet.”
The show was scheduled 
in conjunction with Rough and 
Tumble’s annual Spring Steam-Up. 
Members shake off the winter dust, 
fire up their antique tractors and 
engines, and invite the public to 
see, touch, and smell history.
Amidst this background, 
carvers, scrollers, and turners 
were entirely at home. In one 
Jo Schwartz 
demonstrated 
woodburning 
techniques.
www.woodcarvingillustrated.com
11
Hindes, Bob Hershey, and Jeff Pretz 
taught hands-on carving classes. 
Additional offerings in scrolling, 
turning, and general woodworking 
rounded out the schedule of 
40 classes.
Demonstrators offered hands-
on projects in the other barn. 
Inside, the Lancaster County 
Woodcarvers and the Conewago 
Carvers taught beginners how 
to carve a simple owl. Outside, 
Chris Lubkemann carved intricate 
pieces from twigs, and chainsaw 
carvers Zoe Boni and Joe Dussia of 
Appalachian Arts Studio wowed 
onlookers with their loud, fast and 
furious work. Other clubs and 
volunteers helped show-goers cut 
a simple puzzle with a scroll saw, 
turn a pen, make a craft, or try 
woodburning. 
Show attendees wandered 
all over the outdoor museum 
Left: Fox Chapel’s Kelly Varnes-Sierra