rank
Level 0 · apprentice.
Buy the level 1 kit. Then read the first-session guide.
0 xp · next rank at 80 xp
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Bryven
Hobby Lab - Wood Carving
guild view
Choose a sheet.
Bryan and Steven keep separate sheets. Choose a person before logging sessions, goals, or quest proof.
Bryan Hood active sheet
Now updating Bryan Hood's sheet.
quick setup
Keep the names and backup close.
Change either sheet name anytime without losing that person’s progress. This is also the easiest place to confirm whose sheet you are about to update.
first week guide
Make the first few visits easy.
This checklist updates itself as the two sheets become real. It is here to reduce hesitation, not to become one more task.
01· wood carving path
The apprentice keeps a bench.
A calm guild path for learning useful wood carving. It tracks real progress: tools acquired, safe habits, core cuts, first objects, reflection, and steady upgrades. The same structure works for pickling, gardening, drawing, music, or any other hobby.
02· character sheet
Current state.
active goal
Set one small goal.
Current quest: acquire the safe starter kit.
03· first session
Read before the first cut.
The first session is an overview. No object is required. The win is knowing what the knife is doing.
First session.
Plan 30–45 minutes. This session is reading and controlled practice on scrap wood. The goal is understanding the blade path, not a finished object.
- 10 minutes: read this overview.
- 10 minutes: set up the bench safely.
- 15–20 minutes: practice stop cuts on scrap basswood.
- Stop when tired. One session is enough.
The bench.
- One blank on the table. No pile of future projects.
- Glove on the hand holding the wood.
- Knife, strop, pencil, and one scrap block within reach.
- Both hands stay behind the blade path.
- Stop when tired, rushed, or annoyed.
The stop cut.
A stop cut is a small wall. Press the knife straight down. Then cut toward that wall. The shaving stops cleanly instead of tearing past the line.
Good first-session success is ten clean stop cuts and a few thin curls. Not a finished object.
Small glossary.
- Blank.
- A raw block of wood before any cuts. Usually basswood for beginners.
- Grain.
- The direction of wood fibres. Cutting with the grain is smooth. Against it tears.
- Facet.
- A flat angled plane left by a single knife pass. Repeated facets create form.
- Strop.
- A leather paddle loaded with compound. Polishes the edge after sharpening.
- Sloyd knife.
- A short fixed-blade carving knife. The main tool for the first three quests.
Stop signals.
- Hands feel less controlled than when you started.
- The blank is rocking or slipping. Clamp or reposition first.
- You are rushing to finish before the session ends.
- The grain reversed and cuts are tearing instead of slicing.
- You are annoyed. Annoyance is a tool hazard.
Cut direction.
Cut with the grain and the knife slices cleanly. Cut against it and the fibres tear ahead of the blade.
04· level path
From beginner to advanced.
Ranks are calm markers. They tell you what kind of work belongs next.
05· goals
One week at a time.
Goals turn vague interest into one small action you can do after supper.
Short goal.
Month goal.
Season goal.
Choose a pace.
A normal session for this pack is 30-60 minutes. Quit early if the knife starts making decisions for you.
Small bars.
0 of 6 goal steps checked
The bars move when real actions happen. No points for planning the hobby forever.
06· equipment ladder
The $200 kit.
$200 buys the plain kit. $250 is level 2, after three finished objects.
Estimated total: $95–$145 · well inside the $200 budget.
skip for now
Skip large gouge sets, rotary tools, hardwood blanks, fancy finishes, and big projects. At level 2, put the extra $50 toward a hook knife or small gouge.
Specific things to avoid at level 1: multi-piece gouge sets from hardware stores, bargain mystery-steel knife sets, rotary tools, and hardwood blanks. None of these help before you have finished three objects.
07· quests
Useful-object path.
Main quests move the story. Side quests deepen skill. Boss quests ask for a finished object.
The first two quests can be completed before you own any tools. Start there. Each quest lists an estimated session time. A normal session is 30–60 minutes.
08· skill tree
The skill branches.
Each node has a practice task. Finish it before checking the node.
craft journal
What you have written down.
Proof notes from completed quests appear here.
09· today's session
One useful action.
Useful when you have 30 minutes and no appetite for a grand plan.
last session
Previous note.
today
Read and price the kit.
Read the overview. Price one knife, one glove, one strop, and basswood. Stop there.
10· success standards
What good looks like.
Not art standards. Learning signals you can see and feel.
11· field library
Resources and troubleshooting.
Use these when the bench gets confusing.
Local resources.
- Nova Scotia Wildlife Carvers and Artists Association.
- Atlantic Woodworkers Association.
- Lee Valley Halifax for tools and sharpening gear.
- Halifax Specialty Hardwoods and East Coast Specialty Hardwoods for material.
The framework.
Any hobby uses the same model: levels, gear, main quests, side quests, boss quests, skills, standards, resources, session logs, and goals. Pickling starts with jars, fridge pickles, acidity rules, safe recipes, batch logs, and water-bath canning as a later rank.
- Gear: what to buy, borrow, or skip.
- Quests: real-world tasks with proof.
- Skills: repeatable capabilities.
- Standards: what good looks like.
- Logs: reflection and streaks.
12· maintenance
Progress controls.
Use reset only when you want a clean character sheet.
Keep one backup before changing browsers, clearing history, or handing the sheet to a new device.
No backup imported or exported yet.