How to Carve Wood: A Book of Projects and Techniques Paperback – October 1, 1984

I love this book. There is so much great information in it. A must for any carver.

I had taken some classes on wood carving but found that the classroom teaching about basics lacked a lot, especially when it came to learning and choosing what woods to carve and how to keep my tools in good shape. I was really surprised by the extensive treatment of the topics I needed to know to help me put my skills to work effectively and confidently. This book is one of the best I have run across. Plus, I got is used for a great price and that was really a bonus. Highly recommended for beginning and mid-level carvers.

a bit repetitive of the basics, but still an interesting and informative read. i read a lot of wood carving books, always searching for new ideas. chris pye gets five stars; most others get four. this one is worth reading.

I've ordered several carving books recently and have been very disappointed. So I was a bit dubious about trying yet another one. Now I'm glad I did.This is a great book. It contains a good blend of pictures, diagrams, instructions and history. The patterns and projects build from simple to more complex with several patterns for each style of carving. The author makes the process of design, carving and finishing understandable.If you are looking for a book that will lead the beginner through practical steps to developing experience with patience, this is the book for you.I highly recommend it.

I am a new woodcarver who has just gone through the parts of the book that pertain to my level. Let me tell you this bookis well organized with excellent examples for the beginner. The book is easy to read and the pictures and illustrationsare superb. Butz anticipates issues that will arise in the carving process. I've looked at some other books on this subject and Butz's book is by far the best. I highly recommend this book.

all the basic information you need to get started with hand carving, plus a lot of interesting historical tidbits. All the types of wood carving (whittling, relief,chip carving, etc.) are explained and projects suggested. A very good chapter on tools and how to sharpen them. I'm a beginner and this seems to me to be the perfect book to start with.

As a beginner, I appreciated the breadth of topics covered in the book, particularly the various styles of carving. This was my introduction to chip carving, and I think he covered it quite well. Sharpening is also covered, but I'd already bought "The Complete Guide to Sharpening" by Leonard Lee (of Lee Valley & Veritas) and found that to be a most comprehensive source of information on that topic.

I've must've cut my fingers a dozend times before i gave up. If you want to get some concurrent learning experience out of this, buy another book with swear words. You'll need it.

Love this book. I taught myself to carve with this book and completed 3 of the projects shown in the book with it and found inspiration for a 4th. I think it is very comprehensive for a beginner and I use it frequently as a guidebook and to refresh my memory. It touches on everything that a carver needs to know from workbench, lighting, tools, woods, sharpening (of course), carving methods, and wood finishing. It also has sections about different kinds of wood carving like figures and relief carving with projects for each method. Although it is a book from a long time ago (and american) I can highly recommend it.

Richard Bütz explains everything, he starts with the basics and coaches you on every project. Great Reading lots of picture. If you are new or been carving for sometime, you will learn something ie bevel on front and back of gouges.

Bought this as a gift for a hobby wood worker. As a non wood worker, I enjoyed browsing through it as it is a mine of interesting information on wood, tools, history, apart from the projects. The recipient was delighted with it as he had watched the author on YouTube and admired his work. The projects have plans and are well explained. An excellent book for any woodworker.

I was very satisfied with this purchase. Generally I purchase books in Kindle format but for this I bought the physical version. It was a previously owned book but arrived in near perfect condition. It contains plenty information for the beginner. There are sections on tools, sharpening, woods, finishes and various techniques. I didn't quite agree with the sharpening methods described as I had been taught to sharpen my tools differently. For that reason I have only given four stars, although I'm sure that the method described works perfectly well. All in all I am satisfied with my purchase and feel that its value will increase as I work my way through the projects.

I am very happy with this purchase, it is a good clean and tidy copy.