Santa Clara Valley Carvers

We promote woodcarving and whittling to the public

The logo of the California Carvers Guild (CCG)

Woodcarving Workshops

Below are the planned workshops. View events and workshops together here.

Please let the club know via email if you are looking for mentorship on a specific woodcarving topic.

  • August 17 & 20, 2026: Group project to carve ghost ornaments for Halloween during regular meeting hours.

    The pumpkin carving workshop featured image shows two wooden pumpkins in hats and smiley ghost that holds a miniature pumpkin.

  • June – August 2026: Group project to make winter ornaments for our holiday gift exchange in December.

  • May 18 & 21, 2026: Group project to make our own strops. Join us during the regular meeting hours.

    Three strops with whittled handles made by Roman Chernikov.

  • March 9 & 12, 2026: Join us to whittle a group project. We will carve a chain, a classic whittling project. Taught by David Osterlund during our regular carving hours.

    A carved chain with a ball in a cage on one side by David Osterlund, a member of Santa Clara Valley Carvers.

  • February 10, 2026: Advanced whittling by Scot Lang at 7 PM via Zoom. Scot will demonstrate how to carve a ball… a bird in a cage, an interesting twist on a classic whittling project. Please register in advance to receive a Zoom link. The program is organized by the Oregon Carvers Guild.

    Zoom program. For more details, visit https://oregoncarvers.org/event-6414929

  • January 26 & 29, 2026: Carve Your Love Story! Join us for a Valentine’s Day woodcarving event where we’ll whittle heartfelt wooden hearts. All skill levels welcome! Read about our whittling workshop here.

    Several hand-carved hearts from basswood by Roman Chernikov

  • November 10 & 13, 2025: Join our Wood Carving Group Project! Let’s work together to create a winter wonderland by woodcarving and whittling unique icicles. All skill levels welcome!

    Five wooden icicle hand-carved by members of the Santa Clara Valley Carvers: Roman Chernikov, David Clarke, and Dan Brady.

  • October 13 & 16, 2025: Refine your skills and take your chip carving to the next level! Join our expert mentor, Roman Chernikov, for a hands-on learning session.

    Six chip carved coasters.

  • September 18 & 25, 2025 (Thursdays): Intro to woodcarving for Scouts (ages 11-17) to earn Wood Carving Merit Badges, 7 pm – 9 pm. Read more about the woodcarving training.

    A photo of the Wood Carving Merit Badge and several scouts learning woodcarving in a room.

  • July 7-17, 2025: Group project to carve holiday ornaments (fall & winter themes) during regular meeting hours.

    The pumpkin carving workshop featured image shows two wooden pumpkins in hats and smiley ghost that holds a miniature pumpkin.

  • April 21-28, 2025: ‘Whittle a treen’ project; carving functional items such as spoons, spatulas, coasters, etc. Read more about the workshop in our June 2025 newsletter.

    A picture features five spoon carving books

  • February 13 & 20, 2025: Scout woodcarving Merit Badge workshops covering safety, tool handling, and basic cuts. Read more…

    A picture contains a Wood Carving Merit Badge, a small carving knife, and a round carving with the Santa Clara Valley Carvers club acronym.

  • January 16 & 21, 2025: SCVC workshop: carving a name tag. Read more about the workshop in our August 2025 newsletter.

    A dozen handmade name badges. Most are carved from basswood by SCVC members.

  • June 10, 2024 (Monday): Chip carving for all at the Adult Recreation Center, Los Gatos, CA. See details here.

    Six chip carved coasters.

  • December 4, 2023: Chip carving for beginners workshop by Roman Chernikov at Adult Recreation Center, Los Gatos, CA. Read more…

    Chip carving workshop participants happily showing off their chip carving practice boards.

  • November Mondays, 2023: Workshop: carving a snowman. Mondays 10 am – 2 pm at Adult Recreation Center, Los Gatos, CA.

  • October Mondays, 2023: Workshop: carving a wooden pumpkin. Mondays 10 am – 2 pm at Adult Recreation Center, Los Gatos, CA. Read more…

    The pumpkin carving workshop featured image shows two wooden pumpkins in hats and smiley ghost that holds a miniature pumpkin.

  • May 7, 2019: SCVC outreach at Los Alamitos Elementary School. Hands-on carving activities for kids. Read more…

    Art Week at the Los Alamitos Elementary School