In 1967, while living in Portland, I decided I wanted to try my hand at wood carving. So I went downtown to the art department at the J. K. Gill department store and purchased six or seven Marples brand carving tools and a mallet. Then I purchased four sharpening stones and learned how to put a sharp edge on the gouges. Over the next three or four years I collected mostly scrap wood and tried my hand at making something that resembled a finished carving.

After moving to Spokane in 1970, I was lucky enough to have access to the foundry’s pattern shop, which had a supply of clear sugar pine, cherry lumber, and a bandsaw, which I made use of after hours. Then I salvaged an old heavy wood desk that I placed in the living room (I’m sure much to my wife’s dismay) at our small rented house, and that became my drawing board and carving bench.

Also, at that time I enrolled in a drawing class at Spokane Falls Community College to see if I had any talent at that. I did get a better understanding about “art,” but confirmed I am very literal and am not good at producing abstract art. I did however develop a good friendship with the instructor, Fred Ploeger, who unfortunately I lost contact with about two years ago.

In 1973 I set about my first ambitious carving effort. It is a 24” diameter relief carving that is displayed on my work web site and is now hanging in my living space. This is one of the very few items I have not produced for clients or given away. A few years later I did a relief carving of the Finnish Coat of Arms on commission for my uncle Garnet, who gave it to his brother Walter. Then I made a second one that I gave to my father.

Somewhere early in my life I also became interested in letter fonts. This led me into selling and producing wood and high-density urethane signs. Most of these have some or all hand-carved copy and sculpt features, either in relief or incised. Last fall I produced my latest. A 4’ 6” X 10’ sign for St. Paschals Catholic Church.

Going back to my collection of carving gouges, I have to say I have a very modest collection compared to other professional carvers I have read about. I have added to my collection so now I have 19 total, six or seven of which I use all the time and a few I can’t remember using more than once or twice. I also use a Swiss Army knife, a rasp, files, and sandpaper. My work is certainly not as complicated as that done by sculptors or period furniture makers, but I have learned well how to use what I have for my purposes.

I have sometimes wondered how those other carvers can remember the use for each of the 50 or more gouges I have seen in photographs of their shops. Or are they simply tool collectors, who like me, use only a few…

Ken Kaiyala
5-18-23