How to Carve a Wheat Pattern in Wood

Carving a wheat pattern in wood is a great way to jazz up a solid wood surface such as a runner, exposed rafter or front cabinet piece. A wheat pattern on a piece of wood can be a great harvest theme decoration. Here's how to cut your pattern into a slab of wood.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Select a wheat pattern that matches your skill level and the amount of time you're willing to put into your project. It's very important to scale the pattern to match the piece of wood you're handling, to make sure the finished product will look right.

2. Resize your wheat pattern as necessary. For some projects, you'll actually want to magnify your pattern to fit the size you want on your wood. If you don't have the technology to project the pattern, use see-through printouts to get the right size.

3. Place your printed out or projected wheat pattern image over the wood and make sure it's centered and positioned evenly.

4. Use carbon paper or your own tracing skills to get a pattern outline onto the piece of wood for your reference while you carve.

5. Assemble your tools. Collect any wood chisels, hammers, knives or any other tool to cut or shave wood and create your pattern.

6. Carve your pattern systematically. Go slow and cut evenly to get an even depth for your pattern.

Tips & Warnings

• Use special tools to your advantage. Some project handlers like to route wheat designs into wood with shop-quality routers. Others use pre-drawn patterns for guiding their hands. Take stock of the various tools you have at your disposal to make carving easier.