Stone Carving for the Home & Garden

This is a lovely book. It is ideal for the complete beginner to stone carving, or even those that want to consider it but need some serious information first.Amazon let you get a good idea what many books are about by being able to view the table of contents and a sample of the actual content. Unfortunately this book is not one of those at the time I write. So here's an overview of the content to help you decide if the book is for you.First there are some short but very useful introductory chapters on tools, materials, safety, carving basics and periods and styles of stone carving.The main part of the book is divided into four sections. These sections contain a total of 18 very practical projects in stone carving for the home and the garden. These start as simple as you can get - a rectangle of limestone bearing an incised number for a house number plaque - right up to challenging but stunning sculptures including an egyptian cat and a pedestal depicting a classical dolphin. Most of the designs use limestone, which the author has good justification for the beginner to use. They all have excellent scale designs to copy, thorough instructions and guidance and are beautifully and copiously photographed.The book is excellently produced by The Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications and is written in a pleasant friendly style.ContentsIntroductionStone-carving toolsStone – the materialHandling stone safelyThe basics of stone carvingPeriods ans styles of stone carvingThe ProjectsPart 1 Getting started with flat panels1 House number plaque2 Fleur-de-lys panel3 Marble Ivy PanelPart 2 Developing skills with rocky ruins4 Norman frieze5 Roman frieze6 Grapevine frieze7 Gothic crocket8 Gothic boss9 Parthenon fragment10 Baroque angel facePart 3 Decorative carvings in the round11 Oak leaf candle stand12 Classical vase finial13 Grape leaf bowl14 Shell dishPart 4 Figure sculptures15 Egyptian cat16 Egyptian head17 Gothic griffon18 Dolphin pedestalGlossaryCommon mouldingsAbout the authorBibliographyIndex

Husband seems very pleased with the book which was part of Christmas gift - he doesn't agree with it all but it's one person's experience of stone carving, it's not the bible of stone carving. Anyway he's happy and has had his nose stuck in it a lot, so I'm happy.

For a novice hobby carver like myself this is an excelllent resource. Clear explanations and step by step photos guide you through each of the projects, and there are plenty to choose from. Really whetted my appetite to keep on improving and trying new designs. I would have no hesitation in recommending this book to anyone new to the hobby.

Fully explains the techniques with lots of photographs and projects.

This is a great book if you're new to stone carving. The instructions are really clear and the designs start out simple but are still something you can be proud of and display - I love the Fleur de Lis.

Lovely book, I've never carved stone before but now I'm ready to start thanks to this excellent guide.

Although not tried any designs yet, makes for fantastic read and has excellent tip ideas. Wil be eager to try some when other works completed.

Brilliant! Thanks