50 Times Talented People Took Woodworking To Another Level

Quality woodworking seems almost unbelievable, like an object of art from a fantasy movie. But despite the art form’s age, there are still creative people out there, chiseling, sawing, and sanding wood for our benefit.

This internet group gathers the most interesting, creative, and downright impressive examples of woodworking. We also got in touch with craftsman George Dirk Britz from Britz Knives to learn a bit more about creative work. So get comfortable as you scroll through. Be sure to upvote your favorites and comment your thoughts below.

More info: Instagram | Britz Knives

01. Driftwood Rhino

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02. Carved A Rope And Knot From Basswood

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We got in touch with knife-smith George Dirk Britz from Britz Knives to learn more about being a craftsperson, and he was kind enough to share his profession and experience.

“I’m an artist by nature, drawing, painting, and sculpting. I’ve always been a knife and weapons nerd, so it came naturally to want to make knives. Learning the craft of bladesmithing/knife making, YouTube videos, and trial and error. There was an old knife maker near me, so I worked out of his workshop for a while and learned a few things from him.”

03. I Carved A Kiwi, His Name Is Fred, And He Dreams Of Flying (Walnut And Maple)

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04. Octopus In Juniper, Hand Carved By My Self

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05. Baby Turtle Emerging From Its Egg. Hand Carved By Me, In Boxwood And Horn Eyes. I hope You Like It. Happy New Year To Everyone, Particularly The Loyal Followers! Happy Carving!

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So, we wanted to hear him talk about his process a bit. “What I found best is to figure out your ways of doing things, as long as it’s good practice and still produces great knives. I do research daily. It never stops. I’ll get an idea of what I want to make, or in some cases the client wants, draw up the design, and then figure out ways to make it.”

06. Deer Tree

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07. Grandpa’s Cabin Carving Is All Done!

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08. “The Squeeze” Oak, Me, 2020 The Piece That Doesn’t Come To Life Till It Squeezed

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Many creations here and on George’s Instagram look deeply complicated, culminating years of learning, practice, and experimentation. Indeed, many of us hardly make anything physical besides dinner, so the task seems daunting. So we wanted to know how one would even go about starting. “You can make a knife with a hand file, hammer, and fire, lol.”

09. Black Walnut Joiners Mallet. I Had Been Getting Into Carving, And I Needed A Heavy Mallet For Carving And Mortises. And Then I Found Out About A Maker’s Challenge. And I Had Recently Become Slightly Obsessed With Old English And Scottish Tools. This Guy Was Born

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10. I Just Finished My Shakespeare Bench! The Client Is Deciding On The Titles To Go On The Book Spines

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11. Otter In Butternut

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“The minimum to get started, I would say, is to have a 2 x 72 belt grinder (there are smaller ones, but I don’t think it’s worth it), a bench drill, and then a way to heat treat your blade, like an electric kiln, gas forge or even a coal forge. Proper heat treatment is one of the most important things in this business. Each steel is a little different; so much research and trial and error goes into it,” He shared.

12. I Just Finished This Basswood And Walnut Piranha Plant Carving

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13. T-Rex Skull From Butternut And Walnut

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14. Final Result Of My Last Project

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Lastly, he left us with some other tips about how to get into knifemaking if that suits your fancy. “There are many bladesmiths that have open anvil/forge days where people can go there and try it out for the first time or to keep learning more and improve their skills. Probably a good place to start.” You can find more of George’s creations on his Instagram page.

15. Whittled A Baby Dinosaur

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16. From Cottonwood Bark Chunks To The Finished Carvings – My Latest Whimsical Houses

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17. Please Rate C: First Time On Reddit. I Carved This Deer A Couple Of Months Ago

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Humans have been carving pieces of wood for over ten thousand years, as the oldest wooden sculpture found is thought to have been made around twelve thousand years ago. The Shigir Idol or Shigir Sculpture depicts a face atop a long, wooden pole. Researchers believe that stone tools were used to fill the tree and carve out this ritual object.

18. I Hand Carved This Ebony Gorilla With Amber Eyes And Boxwood Bananas

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19. Small Carved Wooden Animals

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20. Trying To Take Pride In Something For A Change: 130 Unique, Handcarved Pieces In No Particular Order; 8 Months Part-Time, 2 Months Full-Time, 2 Significant Injuries And A Whole Lot Of Predestination

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While the annual rings from the tree (a larch) are still visible on the Idol, those ancient humans did take the time to carve out “ribs” and facial features to designate that this represents a human or humanoid figure. Some anthropologists note that the arrangement of the Idol is similar to Native American totem poles.

21. Polar Bear In Ash – First Carving That’s Not A Spoon

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22. The Mandalorian. Mud Horn Skull. Wood Carving

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23. Betta Fish Woodworking

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Woodworking is among the oldest human “hobbies,” although we have to assume much of it was practical. Nevertheless, items like the Shigir Idol indicate that some early humans took time to make something without a tangible benefit. This means that the artistic spirit many of this list’s creators possess is a time-honored human tradition.

24. I’m Making A Valkyrie Bass

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25. Hello! I Am A Beginner Woodcarver Exploring The Wonderful World Of Reddit. Here’s One Of My Newest In-Progress Pieces To Prove Myself 

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26. Carved A Small Handful Of Desert Rain Frogs Out Of Maple, White Oak, And Black Walnut! Love These Chunky Little Guys! Hope Y’all Do, Too!

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Our ancestors were often a lot more creative than we might give them credit for. Unfortunately, wood is much harder to preserve than metal or stone, so much early woodwork is irreversibly lost. Nevertheless, archeologists have found everything from coffins to folding chairs made in pre-metal cultures. Many existing examples are from ancient Egypt, where wooden creations would be preserved in tombs.

27. I Am Newbie To Just About Everything With That Being Reddit, “Art,” Carving, And Just Life In General. Here Is The Latest Piece I’ve Made… It Is Inspired By Salvador Dali’s “Persistence Of Memory”

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28. Little Bull

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29. Sun Flower

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So, if you are feeling inspired, perhaps look into a class or get a knife and some wood and start carving. You’ll find out quickly if you genuinely hate it but may also discover that you love it. And if you are in the mood for more woodworking creations, We’ve got you covered; check out our other article on creative woodworking designs.

30. Rattlesnake, Hand Carved In Boxwood, Horn Eyes, And Rattle, And Silver Tongue

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31. Mother Bear And The Plump Rabbit

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32. I Carved A Tiny Backpack For My Backpack

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33. Just A Shark In Sandals

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34. Bald Eagle, Northern White Cedar

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35. The Covid Devil. Carved With Power Tools, Finished With Hand Tools, Torched Lightly, Oiled. OC Covid Summer Project, Off And On Since July

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36. Spooky Carves

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37. Not The Best Photos, But I Have Just About Finished The Carving On This Curly Walnut Bison. One Piece, 30 Knives And Gouges, ~100 Hours, Two Sore Hands

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38. Do You Think That It’s Good Work?

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39. Little Turtle Woodworking

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40. Manta-Ray From Recycled Timber By Shane Henry 

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41. Carved A Tiger

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42. Carved This Miniature Antler Out Of Rosewood

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43. My First Whittling Project, A Whale Shark!

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44. Wally The Walrus

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45. I Messed Up His Hat, So I Turned Him Into A Biker Santa 

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46. First Experiment With Charring

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47. Relatively New To Carving, My Three First Projects From Left To Right. Hope Sanding Isn’t Blasphemous

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48. A Dwarf Carved From Basswood And Walnut – Carved By Me

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49. Update On My Dremel Carving

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50. It’s A Waffle! 

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