Most carving tutorials show you what to do. This one shows you what I'm thinking while I do it.
Wood selection. Every cut. Every decision about grain direction, Phomopsis cavities, taper, balance, finish. From the firewood pile to the finished 14-inch vase — narrated in real time from inside my head.
Russian olive is unlike any wood you've worked with. It's brittle, it twists, and it has these deep natural voids from a fungal canker called Phomopsis. Most carvers avoid it. This tutorial is about why I reach for it every time — and how to read what it wants to become.
You get the full video plus a companion PDF with every step, tool, and decision written out.
Most carving tutorials show you what to do. This one shows you what I'm thinking while I do it.
Wood selection. Every cut. Every decision about grain direction, Phomopsis cavities, taper, balance, finish. From the firewood pile to the finished 14-inch vase — narrated in real time from inside my head.
Russian olive is unlike any wood you've worked with. It's brittle, it twists, and it has these deep natural voids from a fungal canker called Phomopsis. Most carvers avoid it. This tutorial is about why I reach for it every time — and how to read what it wants to become.
You get the full video plus a companion PDF with every step, tool, and decision written out.
