Tips for Making Stone Sculptures

Stone sculpture is the oldest form of sculpting known to man, so if you choose to make stone sculptures you are choosing an art form with a long and illustrious history behind it. 

Because there have been so many stone sculptors throughout history, a lot of the stone carving techniques have become extremely refined and there are lots of tips out there for beginners who are still finding out what works best for them when it comes to stone carving. Here are some stone carving tips from master stone sculptors that will help you as you learn the ancient art of stone carving.

Experiment with different kinds of stone

There are lots of different types of stone that you can use for stone carving. You might want to use stone that is local to you and easy to get or you might want to use a specialized type of stone that is a little harder to find but has different properties than the local types of stone.  

The only way to know for sure which stone you prefer and to see for yourself what the properties of each type of stone are and how the stone responds to sculpting is to make a few sculptures from different types of stone. It can be a lot of fun to create the same design in different kinds of stone and see how different the sculptures look.  

Clean your saw with compressed air everyday

Your saw will get packed with stone dust and other debris that can be very difficult to clean out. If your saw isn’t kept very clean it can affect the quality of the cut and your ability to do precision cuts so when you’re using your saw make sure you clean it with compressed air, like the canisters of compressed air that are used to clean keyboards and computers, to make sure that you get all the dust and debris out of the saw. 

Check the blades on your saw regularly

When the blade on your saw starts to wear out the blade will start to jam more often. A jammed blade can be very dangerous, especially if you usually lock the saw in the on position for long cuts. As soon as you notice the blade showing a lot of wear and tear, or if the blade jams more often than usual replace the blade immediately. Don’t take chances with safety.  

Wear eye protection and earplugs when you are using a saw

This is a must! Sawing a piece of stone can be dangerous. Sawing will cause small particles to fly off and it can be very noisy. You must protect your eyes from possible damage by wearing safety goggles or glasses. The sawing might take a long time so wear ear plugs when you’re going to be using the saw to protect your hearing.