Green Woodcarving Foundations with Maeve Gathje

Ready to dive into Scandinavian-style green wood carving? This class is right for students who want to start carving spoons, bowls, and other practical items using “green” or fresh-cut wood using traditional hand tools. Join instructor Maeve for this one-and-a-half-day course designed to introduce students to everything they need to know to start a carving practice, from sourcing a fresh-cut log to a finished project. Students will try several types of hand tools, with a focus on the sloyd (Scandinavian-style carving) knife. Class discussions will also touch on building a toolset, acquiring green wood, tool maintenance and sharpening, safe tool use, drying, finishing projects with milk paint or oil, and more. Over two days, students will complete several small projects such as a wall hook, spatula, or shrink pot.

Additional Information

• A $30 materials fee is payable to the instructor during class and covers all tools and materials.
• Physical ability: Woodcarving requires good hand strength and dexterity, for example being able to open a jam jar. Skill level: This class is appropriate for students with no carving experience and a great next step for anyone who has taken ASI’s Intro to Green Woodcarving class or otherwise dabbled with woodcarving. This is a recommended class before taking any of our spoon carving courses. See more info about picking an intro woodcarving course below.
• Ages: Suitable for ages 16+, or ages 14+ if registered alongside an accompanying adult. Are you wondering which green woodcarving course is right for you? Intro to Green Woodcarving (previously titled Green Woodcarving 101) is meant for students seeking a few basic tips to start carving on their own or for anyone considering a longer carving class who wants to try out a short course for less time and expense to see if it’s a good fit. Green Woodcarving Foundations (previously titled Green Woodcarving 102) is open for new carvers to have a more in-depth introduction (offered quarterly; can be taken after or instead of Intro to Green Woodcarving). We suggest this class as a pre-requisite to our spoon carving courses or anywhere previous green woodcarving experience is recommended. Half-day “Flat Plane” classes are perfect for carvers interested in trying dry wood (e.g., figure carving). Try out a class like the carve a heart, veggie, or Dala horse projects.