How to Carve Heels Out of Wood

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Things You'll Need

  • Pencil

  • Eraser

  • Tape measure

  • Ruler

  • Pen

  • 3-foot-by-3-foot block of wood

  • Wood chisel

  • Hammer

  • Detailing chisel

  • Sandpaper

  • Electric hand screwdriver

  • 1/2-inch screws

  • 2 feet of leather straps

  • Scissors

Make your own wooden heels using careful carving techniques.

Wood carving can create a variety of crafts. One of these crafts is to make high heeled shoes. Making wooden heels requires carefully designing your shoe, carving it out with your carving tools, sanding it and then adding leather straps to hold it to your foot. It takes a lot of careful skill to get this process right. Only undertake it if you have a solid understanding of basic wood carving techniques.

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Step 1

Choose the type of heel you want to carve into your wood. Pick from wide heels, block heels and narrow stiletto heels. Decide on the height of the heel as well. Measure your foot to find the length and width of the shoe.

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Step 2

Draw your shoe on your wood block using your pencil, with your foot measurements as a guide. Etch the toe of the shoe on the front and then etch backward along the sides. Curve the shoe upward to accommodate your foot. Compare these lines with your ruler to keep them in the same spot on each side.

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Step 3

Etch the heel width and height in on the sides of the shoe. Draw these using a ruler to make sure they are located in the same spot. Erase any mistakes and redraw the lines if necessary. Trace over your lines with a pen if necessary.

Step 4

Place your wood chisel against your lines and hit it with your claw hammer to remove wood. Remove the large chunks of wood around the lines, leaving about one-eighth inch around the lines to work down later with the detailing chisel.

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Step 5

Take out the detailing chisel and hammer this along the edges of your shoe. Carve out the toe with small taps. Round it off the front of the toe and then begin working along the top and side of the shoe. Flatten the top of the shoe so your foot can fit inside. Work all the way to the back of the shoe.

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Step 6

Carve the sides of the shoe into a rounded shape with your chisel. Carve away wood with your detailing chisel around the heel. Create the straight lines of the shoe, including the heel lines. Continue carving away the wood in this manner until you have created your shoe shape.

Step 7

Sand the surface of your shoe to remove splinters. Work the foot area of the shoe to get it nice and flat and smooth. Sand around all the nooks and crannies of the shoe until it is as smooth as you want.

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Step 8

Cut three straps, 3 inches, 4 inches and 4 1/2 inches long, using your scissors. Vary the length of these straps depending on the length of your foot.

Step 9

Place the smallest strap at the top of the shoe toward the front. Place one end on each side and screw the strap ends to the shoe using your electric screwdriver and screws.

Step 10

Place the next two straps in the same way, with the next longest in the middle of the shoe and the longest at the top.

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