Woodcarvers once again took part in Maker Faire Bay Area 2024 at Mare Island, bringing a diverse range of woodcarving styles and examples. We showed everything from whittling and chip carving to relief and caricature carvings, including festive Santa figures, to share with the Maker Faire community and its many visitors. The variety of styles and pieces on display was as diverse as the crowd itself, with carvings ranging from a tiny creation less than an inch long to a towering 5-foot sculpture.
Our woodcarving exhibit was a true community effort, uniting talented carvers from across the Bay Area under the banner of the California Carvers Guild (CCG). Representing local clubs like Tri-Valley Carvers, Sonoma County Wood Carvers, and Santa Clara Valley Carvers, we worked together to share our passion and expertise with Maker Faire attendees; from left to right: Phil Okada, Ken Morgan, Roman Chernikov, Judy Hess, Theda Mobley, Ed Heskett.
Visitors of all ages were drawn to our booth, eager to learn about woodcarving, ask questions, and feel the difference between raw wood and intricately finished carvings. Many assumed our pieces were crafted using CNC or laser cutting machines, and were surprised to discover that each one was carved by hand, using only knives and traditional woodcarving tools. People were curious about our tools, and we were more than happy to demonstrate how we use knives, chisels, and gouges in our whittling, woodcarving, and chip-carving projects.
We want to extend a huge thank you to all the creators and Maker Faire participants for their incredible projects, innovations, and efforts. Below are a few pictures of exhibitors whose work I found particularly memorable.
I wish I had taken more pictures! If anyone would like to help add missing links to creators’ websites, that would help give these talented makers the credit they deserve:
- Mermaid sculpture: CORALEE by Dana Albany: https://www.danaalbanyart.com/
- 1917 Steam Traction Engine: https://kineticsteamworks.org/
- Walking Machines: ?
- Huge round sculpture: EXPANSE by Laurence Renzo Verbeck: https://www.verbeckdesign.com/
- Small chip carving and woodcarving items by me (Roman): https://readNtry.com/
- Robocop: Thorsson & Associates Workshop https://tandaworkshop.com/
- Frankenstein Red Truck: ?
- Lego-city: ?
- Metal lathe: https://LittleMachineShop.com
- Solar Sewing Rover — https://pnosa.com/solar-sewing-rover
- AYAB Knitting Machine: https://www.ayab-knitting.com/
- Mad Max Truck: ?
- Inflatable cuttlefish vehicle: Sepia Lux https://www.instagram.com/sepialux/
- Cupcake mini-scooters: ?
- Neverwas Haul trolley built by Shannon O’Hare
- Steampunk Copper Motorcycle:
- Beetle shaped vehicle: ?
- Food truck Taste of Tuscany – delicious pizzas: https://tasteoftuscany.pizza/
A heartfelt thank you goes out to the Maker Faire Bay Area organizers and volunteers for hosting yet another inspiring event this year. It’s always an honor to be part of something that brings so much creativity and innovation to life.
About the author: Hi, my name is Roman. I began my woodcarving journey in 2014, and it has been a lovely hobby ever since. I enjoy sharing my passion for chip carving, whittling, and woodturning through the projects and patterns I post on my website https://readNtry.com.
