We spoke to Long Island native Jason Taveras, owner of Wood Sign Creations). Jason has a wife and 4 year old son, and has worked in the medical field as a Cardiac Sonographer for the last 15 years.
Jason told us he doesn’t have a ton of woodworking experience but has always been good with making things. In fact, he started making signs with a Dremel, and just started actual hand wood carving a couple of months ago.
Thanks for taking some time Jason – how did you get started carving?
My son, Aiden turned 4 years old in August and out grew his Winnie the Pooh themed bedroom, so we went the superhero route. I made him Avengers comic wood signs. Needless to say, it snowballed from there. That's basically how this venture started.
What types of carving do you do?
I don't really know carving terminology but I’m guessing I do relief carving. What helps me out is using a trim router and profile bit to outline a project that I'm doing. Once the outline is done, I hand carve the rest. That SAVES my hands and tools from wear.
Not a fan of hand carving letters or words. Tried it a few times and never happy with results. I’ll stick with free hand router for letters. Challenge in itself.
As for what I like to carve, I am pretty open to anything. Usually take a creative idea or vision I find and make it into a sign. Collaboration with a customer kickstarts my imagination. I guess the comic book ones are my favorite ones to do at this time. Especially how excited my son gets when he sees them.
What were your first carving tools?
For my first hand-carving project I used a cheap set of carving tools. Think I paid $18 for the set. They worked for a little bit but the tips broke on few of them. Reason I bought them was because they were cheap and I never did any hand carving before, so I didn’t know what to use or buy. Just wanted to get started and figure things out as I went.
What advice would you give a beginner?
The advice I would give is to buy a good starter or intermediate set when you begin, not an $18 dollar set. Carving isn’t for everyone, so don’t spend a lot of money on a professional set either. A tool is just a tool. Getting a pro set will not make you a pro carver. Learn the art first. Upgrade tools as you get better and more familiar with them.
Anything you’d like to promote?
I post most of my carvings on my Instagram page, @Jasons_Woodsign_Creations.
I'm very new to all of this and I'm learning every day. This started as a hobby but is slowly evolving into something more. This has become a passion project for me and is continuing to slowly grow into a business I can call my own.
Thank you again for providing me this platform to showcase my work. I hope this inspires someone else to tap into their creative side and grow as a maker.
You're welcome, Jason! We think your work is awesome, and an inspiration to anybody who is getting into wood carving. What you're doing after just a few months is incredible! Don't forget to give Jason a follow on Instagram @Jasons_Woodsign_Creations
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