Old time whittler's tricks: Linked Hearts

Two hearts, carved from a single piece of tupelo wood. I like tupleo. It's easy to carve, but a bit tougher than basswood. I stained it two different colors to further the illusion of two seperate objects "magically" intertwined.

I made these thick enough to withstand causal handling, and chose tupelo for it's durability. People will want to pick this up, and I will want it to stay in one piece!

Old time Whittler's tricks: cube in cage, with a wooden chain

Whittlin' really comes down to patience, experience, and skill, in that order. More than just about anything else, moving parts take special attention. It takes lots of tiny cuts in order to carefully remove certain areas, while preserving the parts you'd like to keep.

Whittling free-moving parts is very satisfying when it goes well, and a little heartbreaking when it does not. Break a link in your chain, and you might just discover a few brand-new curse words.