Old-World Wood Carving Classes

Woodcarver David Calvo has been a featured teacher on the National PBS Television Shows;"The Woodwright's Shop" with Roy Underhill and "The American Woodshop" with Scott Phillips. He has also been a demonstrator at international trade shows as well as written for woodworking publications. David has been teaching wood carving for over thirty years. He was trained in the old world apprenticeship tradition from German and Italian carvers. Most importantly, for you as the student, he has the ability to communicate his ideas and techniques in an easily understood fashion.

"A DAY WITH A TEACHER IS WORTH A THOUSAND PAGES." Chinese Proverb

woodcarving classes at Calvo Wood Carving School

Wood Carvind Description of classesDAVID CALVO has been enthusiastically teaching wood carving for more than thirty years. He was fortunate to be trained by professional European woodcarvers and sculptors. He has been a featured master woodcarver at many International Woodworking Trade Shows where he has given workshops on woodcarving technique and designing skills. David has also been a featured TV guest on the PBS Television shows: "The Woodwright's Shop" with Roy Underhill and "The American Woodshop" with Scott Phillips. David writes articles for national publications to promote and share his skill. He is a sought-after teacher because his unique training is a rarity. In addition, he is also a natural speaker who has the ability to articulate the mechanics of the skill of wood carving in an easily understood fashion.

Wood Carving Classes and workshopsTEACHING PROCESS: Over the years, David has honed his step by step teaching process to its simplest form. He teaches his students using one of the most important factors that excelerated his own personal training. His teachers had to be very efficent because they were making a living at scupture so they taught him in a straight A-Z line, meaning no detouring from what is essential. Each action will be made obvious to you in a logical way and every step is carefully thought out for your benefit. Equally important, the class structure creates an environment that allows David as the teacher to continually reinforce key points which are so important in advancing each individual student's learning curve. David has time tested this approach over many years and it is highly successful for adults. You will be happy with your results.

 

Classes at Calvo Wood Carving schoolFive-Day Bare Bones Wood Carving Workshop

This very intensive Bare-Bones Workhop will give the beginner enthusiast a solid foundation in woodcarving. No matter what your carving style preference is, you need to know these fundamentals of carving technique and you need to know them well. In athletic sports, because I consider woodcarving part sport, given there are body mechanics in woodcarving, the importance of having strong fundamentals is akin to a tennis pro who has trained his tennnis ball volley to be "on point" and both effortless and graceful too. With the right technique training, woodcarving for you can be more effortless and graceful. This is the romance of the skill. So just like a tennis player who enjoys improving his skill, and takes pleasure in volleying the ball back and forth across the net, the same is true for a woodcarver with tool in hand. Hence, this is a serious beginners workshop for the student with serious intent.

 

WE WILL STUDY AND EXPLORE THE FOLLOWING:

  • SHARPENING WOOD CARVING TOOL: Learn how to design and sharpen your tool edge so that you have better control and a more versatile woodcarving chisel. I will show you how to sharpen with the proficiency that was used in the European apprenticship programs. I will also incorporate some Japanese sharpening theory because it comes from the samari tool making traditions and you just can't beat it. Sharp tools that easily bite into the wood and do not skate are an important ingredient for an avid woodcarver with intent.

  • GAINING WOOD CARVING TECHNIQUE: Learn how to handle your carving tools in the wood; from roughing out the beginnings of your project to the final delicate detailing. In my approach, I teach "body mechanics" and it is an integral part of good hand technique. Wood carving is a skill that incorporates the body to better assist you in your hand technique with the gouges. It is like a baseball pitcher throwing you a ball. You swing the bat and but you use your body to step into the hit. The same is true in woodcarving, you use your body strength and weight for the cutting action. Simply stated; You don't have to be a physical giant to handle woodcarving tools; it's all in the technique.

  • THE ART OF SEEING AND VISUAL MAPPING: Learn the mechanical steps in the process of carving. Just like driving a car, you put your key in the ignition to start the car and move the shift from park to drive and as drive you obey traffic signs. The same is true in woodcarving. There are repeated mechanical steps that you do "always" with each project no matter what the design is. I also work with an approach method I call visual mapping. It is an activity that helps you to move through the progressive steps of your carving project. It is teachable and gaining this skill is critical for the beginner's eye. Often I hear my new students say what I call the beginner's mantra... "What do I do next? This is the most repeated words in the beginner's vocabulary and we will address this too!

  • LEARN DESIGN SKILLS: Learn how to design your wood carving projects using references that many of the great artists used. There are many basic mechanical steps to designing that are unknown to the novice woodcarver. This approach to building your design skills will expand your imagination and the steps to creating your own projects will start to come more easily to you.

Classes at Calvo Wood Carving schoolSeven-Day Bare Bones Carving Workshop

This will be a more intensive workshop than the five day which can sometimes feels like it comes to a swift ending. Hence... in this workshop we will dive deeper into the fundamentals of all aspects of woodcarving to give you a greater understanding and improve your abilities.

 

CALVO WOOD CARVING SCHOOL located in Gloucester, Massachusetts is a convenient driving commute from Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, New Jersey, Connecticut, Tennessee, New York and New York City area. I have had people drive from Kentucky, Illinois,Tennessee, Virginia, Delaware, North Carolina, Michigan, Ohio, Florida and Texas too. For those flying in we are located 50 minutes north of Logan Airport in Boston. Some people have searched wood carving classes near me and found my school even though I am not in their area. They have called and spoken to me about my teaching approach and made the flight in from Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, Georgia, Louisiana, Wisconson, Colorado, South Carolina, Kansas, Wyoming, Idaho, Iowa Washington, Arizona, New Mexico, Nebraska, Missouri, Maryland, South Dakota, Montana, California and Alaska too. So with some assurance, I can say I have had someone from every State in the U.S.

 

Updated: January 3, 2024   For More Info: 978-281-3227 call or text

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SEVEN-DAY BARE BONES WOODCARVING WORKSHOP

May 18-24, 2024  Saturday - Friday

September 14-20, 2024  Saturday - Friday

October 12-18, 2023  Saturday - Friday

Students learning wood carving at Calvo Studio

FIVE-DAY BARE BONES WOODCARVING WORKSHOP

April 20-24, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

May 18-22, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

June 22-26, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

July 20-24, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

September 14-18, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

October 12-16, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

"I have been carving on and off for 30 years, not really knowing which knife or gouge to use. It has been very frustrating to have all these beautiful tools and not know which ones to use. My main reason for joining the class was to learn which tools to use for a particular job and why, as well as knowledge on layout and design. I had so many questions? By the 2nd day I had learned more than I had known in all of my 30 years of carving."

"I live as far north and as far west in the continental United States as you can get without coming back. For me, to travel this far for a class, it's got to be good. I flew over 3000 miles to David Calvo Studio and another 3000 miles back home. I would do it again in a heartbeat. What a great experience!"

Ted Connely - Port Angeles, Washington

CLICK HERE to read more what Students say...

wood carving class description at Calvo Wood Carving SchoolWeekend Wood Carving Workshops

TWO & THREE DAY WORKSHOPS

Here is a wonderful opportunity in a two or three-day workshop format to learn the fundamentals of woodcarvings. These classes are an edited version of my five-day Bare Bone classes. (read five-day description) As an interested student, you will get the basic understanding of all aspects of the skill of wood carving which includes; basic hand-carving technique, sharpening and designing skills among other topics. You will also do carving projects to reinforce the technique that we talk about so that you gain muscle memory in your hands.

"Bob and I want to thank you for the wonderful class!  We learned so much from you.  You are such a good teacher -- you convey that sense that all people can learn -- such an important part of the beginning of any learning experience.  I feel so fortunate to have been a student today in your class. We certainly will tell others about you, and we will look into summer classes when time relaxes a little. Again, thank you so much."
 With appreciation,
 Linda and Bob Vaden-Goad

THREE-DAY WEEKEND CARVING WORSHOPS

April 20-23, 2024  Saturday - Monday

May 18-20, 2024  Saturday - Monday

June 22-24, 2024  Saturday - Monday

July 20-22, 2024  Saturday - Monday

September 14-16, 2024  Saturday - Monday

October 12-15, 2024  Saturday - Monday

TWO-DAY WEEKEND CARVING WORSHOPS

April 20-21, 2024  Saturday - Sunday

May 18-19, 2024  Saturday - Sunday

June 22-23, 2024  Saturday - Sunday

July 21-22, 2024  Saturday - Sunday

September 14-15, 2024  Saturday - Sunday

October 12-13, 2024  Saturday - Sunday

Intermediate Level wood carving classes and workshopsIntermediate Five-Day Carving Workshops

Here is an opportunity to develop your woodcarving skills by becoming more aware of technique and design through progressively more challenging skills. We will work with either a next step technique project of my choosing or a project of your choice to keep you moving forward skill wise. It could be a mirror design or almost anything. Mature carving is built on learning the subtleties of the skill. We will build on the fundamentals that you learned in my beginners course. Among many things, we will work more with the mechanics of your hand technique focusing on intentional controlled cuts. We will continue to train your eyes in aspects of visual mapping or address what I call the mantra question of the beginner woodcarver - "What do I do next?" Generally speaking this course will focus on the next set of techniques that are key for you to unlock a new door in becoming a better woodcarver.

Intermediate Five-Day Wood Carving Workshops

Intermediate Carving Workshops run same dates as Bare Bones Workshops. Please call for more information.

Box making and dovetail workshop and classes Decorative Box Making & Dovetails Workshop

Here is an opportunity for the beginner woodworker to make a beautiful decorative box with hand cut dovetail joints, brass hinges and maybe a little carved decoration on the surface. It will be a learning project for gaining techniques but it will also become a little showpiece for your home. This class will start to give you experience in how to integrate carving into your woodworking projects by walking through the steps and seeing the final results. You will then take this skill set home and have the ability to make many interesting creations on your own.

Five-Day Decorative Box Carving and Dovetails Workshop

September 28 - Oct. 2, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

Learn sign carving and letteringFive-Day Sign Carving Workshop

Here is an opportunity to learn letter carving and design that lends itself to creative sign carviing. I first started out in woodcarving in 1979 as a sign carver and have done many signs for commercial and residental settings. That said, you can also do lettering work on furniture projects such as Hope Chests or anything you might want to personalize to add to the overall design.

Five-Day Sign Carving Workshop

June 1 - 5, 2024  Saturday - Wednesday

Evening wood carving classes MassachusettsTuesday Evening Wood Carving Classes

NINE-WEEK SESSIONS

For those of you local enough to have a short drive here is an opportunity to learn your woodcarving skills on a weekly basis. Read the bare bones discription because we will be following that format at a casual pace. The main difference is that you will be able to work on your projects at home as well. This is a unique opportunity for you to learn carving with the help of a skilled professional carver. The class runs from 7:00 - 9:00pm

Nine-Week Wood Carving Classes

Call for more info: starting January 16, 2024 

Spoon making classes at Calvo StudioOne Day Spoon Carving Workshops

LEARN STEPS TO SPOON MAKING FROM START TO FINISH

Here is a wonderful opportunity for you to get the basic understanding of all aspects involved in learning wooden spoon carving. This is a fun class to learn how to carve a spoon that you will be able to take home and use that night. We will discuss all the varied tools and techniques. We will talk about all the different woods that you can use as well as the steps to design a spoons. This class includes your tools for use with a small fee for your materials. All you need to do is show up with your enthusiasm and have a fun time. You will be surprised with what you create and everyone has a great time! I also offer SPOON CARVING PARTIES if you would like to get a group together and have fun for a day. Call me for more info.

Spoons

One Day Spoon Carving Workshops

May 11, 2024  Saturday

June 29, 2024  Saturday

September 6, 2024  Saturday

October 5, 2024  Saturday

Wood carving tool forging classBlacksmithing Your Own Wood Carving Tools

Learn Blacksmithing to Forge Your Own Tools

Learn how to forge your own wood carving tools

My German wood carving teacher, Frederick Brunner, forged all his own woodcarving tools. On evening, he proudly showed me the first tool he had ever forged that he used into his eighties. He was not only an able artist but he Student Hand Forging Wood Carving Tools Wood Carving Tool Forging Classes was also an expert mechanic in the woodcarving field as well. Surprisingly, you can get set up with a small tabletop propane forge for little money, and honestly, there is absolutely nothing more satisfying than carving wood with a tool that you have made. Learning how to forge your own wood carving tools will complete your skill set as a woodcarver. You will learn metal forging techniques, methods in how to shape the tool steel using heat. We will go over the hardening and heat treating process. You will learn how to refine the tool steel design and tempering. This is an excellent opportunity to study and understand good tool design necessary for the control needed in wood carving. Finally, you will learn how to put handles on your new carving tools. Once you experience the joy of forging your own tools, you will never go back to a store bought tool again. I can honestly say that you will treasure your hand forged tools and they will become the favorites of your collection. Guaranteed.

Five-Day Forge your own Wood Carving Tools Workshop

October 26-30, 2024   Saturday - Wednesday

Wood Carving tools to purchase at Calvo Studio Questions on Wood Carving Tools for Classes

If you have tools bring them. If you need to buy tools, the school has them for purchase at our online store and at the school. If you want to rent tools we offer that as well. For the Spoon Making Workshop tools are included. If you need more information please call.

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