Why, Practice Practice, Practice!

Starting the new year off on a serious note for a change. Everyone has heard the phrase; "practice, practice, practice". Whether this phrase is applied to learning to play the piano, cutting a dovetail joint, or carving wood; we've all heard it and many of us may have said it. We all know that it's true too. And I suspect that we all have something in our past that we did not practice, practice, practice; and we regret it to this day. It's simple, and it's true. Practice is the key to becoming a wood carver. Among the many reasons that practice is so critical is that, for one thing, you must be able to predict what the wood will do, when carving it. You must know your tool, whether a knife or a gouge, and be able to see the "cause and effect" of the tool. And this only come with practice, practice, practice.