Blocks, Cutout Blanks, or Rough Outs?

There seems to be an ongoing discussion about the use of blocks, cutouts/blanks, or rough outs in wood carving.  First, some definitions.

Blocks:  When one starts to carve with only a chunk of wood that is unprepared, they are using/carving a block.

Cutout Blanks:  Cutout Blanks, on the other hand, are a piece of wood that has had some of the excess wood removed; usually be a saw.  Most of the time the cutout  blank is a flat one or two dimensional piece of wood that a scroll saw or band saw has cut into the shape to be carved.

      

Rough Out:  A rough out is a piece of wood that has had more excess wood removed; and more resembles the final carving.  A rough out lacks the finished detail.  Rough out are usually done by a machine that follows a program sample from another carver.

 

There is obviously a difference in the reasons you may use these as a start to a carving.  These will be discussed in the next post.