Copy a 3D Wood Carving
Carving with wood is an ancient art. There are many ways to carve wood, but what if you need to make a wooden carving that is a copy of another object? There are several ways to do that, too, depending on your expertise, budget and the demands of the job. In this tutorial we'll take a basic look at some techniques for duplicating a wooden carving.
Contents
Steps
Use or rent a CNC Cutting Machine
- These will produce technically exact duplicates. You can reproduce these over and over again in a "factory" manner, getting an almost perfect, if not exact, duplicate.
- "CNC" stands for Computer Numerical Control. The specs of your replica would be loaded into a computer processor, which would then guide the cutting.
- You can buy these machines in a variety of models and makes. Some use a laser to do the cutting, others use cutting tools or even plasma cutters. Most machines of this kind cost upwards of $60,0000 so turning your carving over to a professional (also called a milliner) for mass duplication on one of these machines is probably your best bet.
- One advantage to the CNC machine is you are not limited in materials. You can make metal, plastic or even stone duplicates of you source object.
#2 Use a Home Workshop Duplication Jig
- Buy a kit or construct a duplication jig. A jig is a tool that controls the motion of another cutting tool. Jigs let you produce accurate duplicates in a repeatable way.
- For a 3-dimensional object you will need a jig that can move in all directions. For copying a relief you will only need two dimensions of movement.
- You can build one of these machines yourself and equip it with a router, or you can buy a kit at a reasonable cost.
- Duplication machines and jigs are based on an ancient technology called a pantograph, which uses the principle of parallel lines to create a duplicate.
#3 Hand-Carve a Copy
- Rough out your chosen wood to the correct size and shape.
- Lay the original down in a tray and cover it with water or an opaque liquid.
- Take out enough water to expose just the highest part of the object.
- Carve that part into your blank piece of wood using whatever carving technique you have chosen (knife, chisel, router etc).
- Continue exposing more of the original piece and carving that part into your new block.
- Continually check your measurements and drawing against the original as often as you need to, using your micrometer and calipers.
- Let out more water and keep going till you've exposed the whole object and carved the duplicate.
Tips
- For exact replicas or mass-production, you probably will want to buy or rent a CNC Cutting machine. For likenesses or personal use, you probably will want use a duplicating jig or hand-carve your replica.
- Understand that any wooden carving is, and always will be, unique. No one piece of wood is the same as another, and those differences alone give a piece a unique nature.
- Determine whether you need to make an exact duplicate, possibly for mass or semi-mass production, or if you want to create a derivative work that looks almost like the original, but also has your own unique style. The method you use will probably depend on what kind of replica you want.
- Always brace your arm for accurate cuts.
- Carving wood by any method requires exacting skill and great mastery of your tools, including your own home-made jigs. Don't get discouraged if your results are not perfect, some people work on this kind of thing their entire lives.
- Join a wood carving club and subscribe to wood carving magazines to get more tips and tricks, advice and support while learning your craft.
Warnings
- If your source material is wood be warned that immersing it in water for any length of time at all may well have adverse effects on the finish and even integrity of the piece. Your source material could easily be ruined by warping, splitting, surface damage and other hazards.
- If you plan to carve it with a knife, use caution. Carve away from your body and away from other people.
Things You'll Need
- Micrometer and/or calipers
- A duplication jig
- A great deal of skill and patience
Related Articles
Sources and Citations
- Wood carving clubs from Wood Carving Magazine
- CNC Plasma Cutter
- Commercial Kit to create a shop carving duplicator
- Commercial Wood Carving Machine
