Over the previous few years, I’ve been working to simplify letter carving for my college students—aiming to enhance the graphic coherence of their fonts whereas making them simpler to carve efficiently. Conventional letter carving depends on straight-tip chisels and gouges of varied sweeps, however when restricted to the one-knife methodology of chip carving, the method turns into tougher. Watching my college students battle with tight curves and steep carving maneuvers, I questioned, “Is there a greater manner?”
I consider the font I’ve developed addresses these challenges, making letter carving extra accessible for chip carvers.
My chip-carving journey started after studying an article in Effective Woodworking on the basics of the craft. The writer supplied a follow sheet with important carving geometries—triangles, crescents, and “eye” shapes—which gave me a powerful basis. Impressed by that article, I launched chip carving into my woodworking courses throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, when our faculty store was off-limits. The success of these early classes led to chip carving turning into a everlasting a part of our curriculum.
Chip carving includes utilizing a specialised knife to chop into softwood like basswood, guiding the blade by way of the grain to create straight traces, arcs, and variations of three-facet inverted pyramids. Carving letters presents an added problem, notably when coping with tight curves or fillets—these rounded transitions between strokes. Even with a pointy, brief blade, making a decent curve usually ends in torn fibers or tough surfaces.
To handle these difficulties, I developed a font impressed by Antropos, a typeface by Lutz Baar that’s extensively used on the Waldorf faculty the place I educate. I simplified the letterforms, eradicating tough fillets and tight curves in favor of refined transitions or angular joints. For instance, the unique Antropos “B” options a number of fillets between the sides of the letter’s semi–half spherical components, a element practically not possible to carve cleanly. My model eliminates this, utilizing a softer arc that meets at an angle. Equally, for letters like “O” and “Q,” I changed tight curves with softened corners for simpler execution.
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This strategy makes the font extra forgiving to carve whereas sustaining its distinctive, barely primitive character. It displays the aesthetics of Rudolf Steiner’s structure and design, mixing simplicity with natural varieties. I’ve additionally created different variations of sure letters the place Antropos felt too eclectic, providing extra balanced, harmonious choices. I’ll share these variations in my subsequent put up. That is nonetheless a piece in progress, and every carver can modify the small print to suit their private model.
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