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How to Carve a Totem

Totem poles are associated with different Native American tribes, especially those of the Pacific Northwest. The poles are commonly from birch trees, which is a fairly soft wood. The birds, animals and symbols depicted on the pole have specific meanings for the tribes and the carver. The finished totem pole can be painted and finished with a protective coating or simply left for the wood to age naturally.

Things You'll Need

  • Marker
  • Chisels
  • Hammer
  • Sharpening stone
  • Orbital sander
  • Sandpaper
  • Paint
  • Urethane finish
  • Paintbrushes
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Instructions

  1. Preparing the Pole

    • 1

      Choose a pole that’s straight and even in diameter along its entire length. Begin with a small pole, less than 2 feet long. This will give you a chance to develop your carving skills without spending weeks, or even months, working on the same totem pole.

    • 2

      Strip the bark from the wood, initially using a hammer and chisel to penetrate the bark. Pull it off section-by-section until you’re just left with the wood.

    • 3

      Mark out the figures and symbols of your totem design on the wood. Use pictures of existing totem poles as patterns, but learn about what the figures mean in totem and Native American lore.

    Carving

    • 4

      Carve first with the largest chisels to make the general pattern. Use the hammer with the chisel for the surround to the different designs, where you need to take out more of the wood; this will speed up the process. Sharpen the chisel regularly with the sharpening stone to cut more efficiently.

    • 5

      Move to smaller chisels for more detailed cutting and proceed more slowly, since a mistake can ruin the effect of the totem pole. Give expression to the face on the totem pole, and keep working – it can take many days and weeks of work to complete the carving.

    • 6

      Finish by working with a 1/4-inch chisel, being careful to sharpen it every few minutes so that the details you carve stand out clearly.

    Finishing the Totem Pole

    • 7

      Put fine sandpaper (180-grit or finer) in the orbital sander and begin to smooth the areas of the totem pole that haven’t been carved. Continue until you’re satisfied with the surface, then move on to the craved areas. Use 220-grit sandpaper and work into as many of the carved areas as possible with the sander.

    • 8

      Sand the remaining areas by hand, being careful not to press too hard. You only want to sand the wood, not shape it with the sandpaper.

    • 9

      Clean off all the sawdust and paint a coat of urethane finish on the totem pole with the paintbrush. Leave to dry, then add a second coat for extra protection. Paint the totem pole prior to this if you want, using traditional colors of red, black, green and white -- or you can simply leave the wood unfinished.

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