Whittlin Harmony #4 Wood Size

An important element of "Whittlin Harmony" is selecting a piece of wood to whittle or carve. The piece of wood must be large enough to accommodate what you pan to whittle or carve. DON'T SKIMP on the size of wood. This means that you may want to have a plan. This plan may be just an idea in your head, a simple sketch, or a finished drawing with front, side and top views. But you should at least be aware of the finished dimensions of the piece to be whittled or carved. Too many times I have tried to whittle or carve an object that was really too large for the selected piece of wood. And like most whittlers I keep trying to "squeeze" the piece out. Usually this results in a finished piece that is not proportioned correctly, and has flat sides where they should be round. It is best if you lightly pencil in some reference lines on the wood before you actually start to whittle. This will at least let you see if the finished piece will fit within the selected wood.