Safety Precautions
Because working with carving wood, carving tools, knives, and other materials inherently includes the risk of injury and damage, this project cannot guarantee that creating this project is safe for everyone and is distributed without warranties or guarantees of any kind. The publisher and author disclaim any liability for any injury. (Standard Disclaimer!)
Keep your tools and knife sharp. Dull tools will grab or dig into the wood causing you to apply extra pressure to complete the cutting stroke. That pressure can make the tool unexpectedly slip out of the wood.
Secure your wood blank or plaque to your working table with a bench hook or wood clamps. If the wood slides while you are making a cut the tool can slip out of the cutting stroke.
If you are working from your lap using a leather apron or folded thick towel both to secure your wood as well as protect yourself.
Use a two handed grip on your tool wherever possible. Your dominate hand holds the tool to the wood while your non-dominate hand guides the cut.
Place the tools that you are not currently using in plain sight. It is easy to cut your hand or finger rooting through a tool kit.
Getting cut by a tool tip or knife tip is part of this craft. Flush any cut immediately with cool water, dry, and then apply pressure to stop the bleeding. Small cuts, of course, can be closed with a simple bandage. If the cut is large or does not stop bleeding in a reasonable time please seek professional assistance.
OK … tomorrow, Tues., Feb. 3rd, I will post the pattern work for this project.