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Woodcarver
Creates art, furniture, and decorative objects by carving wood with hand tools or machines.
Did you know?
Grinling Gibbons carved wooden flowers so delicate that, it was said, a pot of them on his London house trembled when coaches rolled past.
How subjects help
- Art & Design: Plan a carving from rough block to fine detail, removing wood only where it is needed.
- Biology: Read the grain and pick the right tree species so wood carves smoothly and doesn't split.
- Engineering: Join carved pieces into furniture that is strong enough to sit on or use every day.
- History: Learn traditional carving styles and patterns handed down through generations.
A famous name
Grinling Gibbons: Carved lifelike wooden flowers and fruit for St Paul's Cathedral and Hampton Court Palace.
Try it yourself: Design a chair for someone's whole day
- Count the chairs at home. What kind is each one, and what is it used for?
- Pick one person you live with and think through their day. What do they need while sitting: a rest, somewhere to put a snack, a lift in mood?
- Draw a chair designed just for them.
- Label it: what it is made of, any moving parts, its colours, and give it a name.
Industrial designers and furniture makers start by watching how people really use things, then draw labelled designs showing materials and moving parts before anything is made.
Adapted from Design Museum: Lesson plan: design your own chair.
Also try: Write a museum label for an old object.
Known for it in
Japan, Germany, Indonesia, Italy, India