This was my first ever carving! Unfortunately, I only made it a quarter way through the star before the wood split in half and I sliced into my left index finger and severed two tendons. I was too impatient to wait for my cut resistant gloves to be delivered and instead used my cloth gardening gloves. I learned that they are no substitute. I had surgery to reattach the tendons last night and now have to do hand therapy. It will be a long recovery, but hopefully not the end of carving for me :) Please learn from my mistakes and wear proper safety equipment

Thanks Doug, I guess I've got it bad? I pop onto YT most mornings ,while having a coffee, to see who's posted something. When I see " the blue dot" beside your name I feel like my cool uncle is bringing me a present. This morning I saw "the dot" and I thought to myself... Oh Boy! So, thanks for my present! You bring a little youth back to my 60 year old brain. I really appreciate what you do! ( I'm sure others feel the same ) Thank you man!

The man gives you whittling homework??? Subscribed

Thanks Doug. I'm loving this series.

Thanks again Doug! Very informative!

Love this tutorial. Thanks Doug

Doug, you've got a great way of explaining things! Great videos and a great series thank you!

Since I was young and worked in the fish industry, learned the hard way, always repects a knife! And yes Doug I wear my glove .

Great series man, keep it up. I really appreciate how you’ve been breaking things down.

Thanks Doug! 👍👍👍

I love the way you give advice in a fun way. Looking foward to making a star today. Thank you x

Thank you for this Doug 👍 Your love for this craft/art/hobby shows.

Knowledge + experience. Doug, you're an excellent teacher.

Thanks again Doug, really enjoying these explanations, tutorials and techniques :)

Thanks Doug for yet another very educational video! 👍😁

Discovered your channel through my love for canoe trips when you tripped with Joe. Returned for a new interest in wood carving. Just made my first star and look forward to working on other projects you’ve inspired. Thanks for this Doug!

Thanks Doug, that was a excellent video, can't wait to try the star, looking forward to the next video.

Great advise, worked as a chef which involved butchery, fish, poultry, pastry, game birds and venison etc also as a forester, park warden later in life and many cuts to fingers and hand and always the left one. So when I started woodcarving a while back never thought much about cuts its only a wee knife lol I learned the hard way :-) take care out there be safe Great advise from Doug, look forward to your videos. p.s still have all my fingers lol. (Now retired)

Doug, love your videos, glad I found them. Thank you for including he Moravian Star. I know it's a no brainer for someone that has been carving for a while, but it's the perfect starter project for a beginner. There is so much involved from getting comfortable with your knife to carving from every different angle to the grain to cutting to a line accurately, etc. My first attempt came out, but not nearly as good as I thought it would!!!! I will be doing a few more before I start anything else. Thanks again for the great videos. Richard

Thanks Doug!

Great series so far Doug really enjoying it thanks for doing this , Ernie

Thanks for videos Doug, enjoying this wee series, but all your stuff is great, cheers again

Perfect video and beginning project. Doing this with my daughter. Thanks so much Doug!

Doug, lack of confidence and understanding of stropping caused me to lose some interest in carving but your last video helped immensely and I used these techniques to successfully sharpen a couple of knives. So thank you!

Thank you for the lesson today! The star looks like it will be relaxing to carve and that is exactly what I want to be, a relaxed carver/whittler.

As I've said all along, Doug you're a great teacher. This video will help so many beginners from getting injured by not realizing how sharp these knives can be. Great lighting and camera angles👊

What a great tutorial doug, could listen/watch you all day

Thank you for being such a great teacher! Encouraging and not over the top enthusiastic to create too much hype. Thank you thank you thank you!!!

Doug, thank you for these videos. Thank you for treating us as smart people looking for good and direct information

Thank you Doug for all your great video's 😃

Loving these carving videos! Such a fun/good/wholesome hobby-just got my first batch of basswood and some flex cut gouges/knife. Having a hard time sharpening the knife though!

Great stuff here, easy to digest, makes perfect sense. Looking forward to more. Winter is coming fast, perfect winter hobby.

Great little project Doug! Thanks!

Happy sunday doug thanks for a good teaching video love the star

good morning doug! thanks for helping me whittle a pumpkin man! he doesnt look like yours but i am still very proud of him!

Just wanted to say thanks. Very informative and easy to follow. Really appreciate it!

You have inspired me to start carving. I just ordered the basic knife like you pointed out in another one of your videos. Can’t wait.

Thank you! It's not often people talk about the gloves but they are literal hand savers!

I've watched several of these from different people. Yours makes the most sense and feels most natural. Thanks!

Great info. Doug. I spent my life as a machinist and learned at a very young age to respect your tools. Keep on reminding people safety saves pain, injury, and loss.

Thank you very much. I appreciate the homework. Keep making the videos. Your lessons live on forever.

really fantastic series for beginners, thank you!!!

Good video on those basic cuts. I needed that. The glove is so cumbersome, but so needed. Thanks Doug. 🌾💓🦃🍂🎃💖🍁

Thanks Doug. The Moravian star was fun to carve .

You know what you carved? You carved seventeen and a half minutes of no fighting. There were no pros and cons of programs and politics. And, you had something to show for it when you were done. The world needs more "doing" and less "debating." Love you man.

Thanks man! I just picked up some basic utensils and blocks today and started working on the star! I think I've found my new favorite hobby!!

Great video! Thanks for taking the time and trouble to coach us on the really basic,important stuff that keeps carving fun. I think we all have to learn the hard way, I now put on my glove and thump protector before I even pick up my knife. The glove was cheaper than one trip to the ER. Anyway thanks again for everything.

Thank you for this series of videos. They are really helpful and your explanations are so easy to fallow. Great Job.

Doug you have inspired me to carve. Tried the star and what a great way to improve your cutting skills. I think I will do a dozen for the Xmas tree. Thank you

"See that?" 😅 My favorite part of these carving videos, Doug..

Just recently found your channel. Very informative. You are a good teacher. Can’t wait to try more of your learning projects.

Super little video. So simple and practical. My scouts will love this! Thanks ⚜️

Absolutely brilliant videos. I have taken up wood carving during quarantine, and it is incredibly good. Yesterday my carving glove was a definite finger saver for the first time, as I'm pretty certain I would have lost my thumb. Thanks for keeping me out if the hospital Doug!

Excellent video Doug! I love the little star project!

Hanging out for the next episode. WILL do my homework. THANK-YOU.

Doug, you make it very enjoyable for this visual learner to grasp the concepts of carving and whittling. I particularly appreciate the “homework” of creating a Moravian Star. I’ve done two this far - one yesterday and the other today. Let me see if I can put my first attempt into words that might strike a cord with others: It looks like it was carved in a runaway stagecoach! My second one turned out good, by my standards anyway. Thanks for your awesome teaching style. Looking forward to many more projects from your channel.

Thank you Doug!

Thanks, Doug. You ARE A STAR 😁

Great job Doug. I will need to make a few of those. Thanks for the idea. Can't wait till the next one.

Thanks Doug

Thank you Doug. A great video for a novice like me. My first project will be the star!

Always amazed at how easy you make it look 👍

Those Moravian stars are a little addictive Thanks for doing these videos. i particularly like the carve along videos with commentary. You are completely responsible for my having caught and stuck with carving! Thanks!

Decent. Ordering a basic carving kit now. Thanks!

Life time of work as a machinist and woodworking hobbyist, has taught me the lessons of safety. Thanks for the refresher course. Keep up the good work.

Thank you, most helpful before I get started.

Thank You Doug All The Best my friend

Doug, a month or two ago I was carving the scarecrow from your video when the entire bottom section of the wood suddenly snapped off. I ended up cutting a portion of my right index finger off, I knew right away it was a bad cut so I grabbed a towel, wrapped the finger and headed to the ER. I usually always wear a glove, but for some reason I didn't put it on. The next day I found the finger on the floor of my shop, I will never make the mistake of not wearing a glove again. I'm really enjoying this series 👍

Great video Doug!

Cool little practice project. Thank you for suggesting such an easy project that helps practice the techniques and looks cool at the same time! It feels good to finish the practice and end up with a neat little geometric design. Great video with great info.

Great post again Doug. It is all common sense. It becomes second nature. Having said that, accidents do happen. Take care pal. 👍 ✌

Very inspirational. Cut story; bad finger tip cut a few years ago (not knife) the ER would have put 2 stitches. Instead I taped it down with butterflies. Had to do it with arm reaching upward as high as possible to make bleeding stop. Healed well.

I'm brand new to carving and have been watching your videos first before starting anything. The Moravian star is the first thing I've attempted. I appreciate the way you explain things. Thank you for these videos.

Great advice tutorial and a fun project

Very educational carving Doug, thank you. Safety for sure, respect your knives. Doug you're a great teacher in many things carvings crafts canoeing cooking camping. A man of many talents. Thanks Doug 👍 ... Arkansas Clyde

Tnx's Doug. Not surprising, it's a great series. I get all my inspiration from Doug Linker. Looking forward to learn where you get yours.

I am sitting here with my cute first-timers little carving kit inspired partially from your 5min woodsman Santa carving and my love of being Santa. Opened the mix for introduction to woodcarving. And this is my first video of the mix. And I just did exactly that same shredding wildly of wood motion but not nearly as dignified as you. Mine got on the floor the table and a long-distance one to the planter for 2!!!! But I digress. ;) I laughed out loud for realz. Thanks for your videos.

Hi Doug, thanks for the tutorial on the Moravian Star. I will give it a try soon. I used to live in a small town of about 3 thousand, called "Hope" in Indiana. There is a beautiful very old Moravian church there where they still hold services. So you can see why this caught my attention.

This is one of my favourite whittles, so simple and relaxing. I have done 31 1x1 Moravian stars this month, great little Christmas decorations in different colour woods. Thanks for the whittling inspiration.

Cool that you showed how easy it is to carve a Merkaba Star (Moravian Star).. Thanks!

Wow, you eyeballed that center line spot-on.

Thanks Doug. I have started introducing whittling to my kid and these should help a lot. I bought cut proof gloves from Dollaram that does the job

The Steering Wheel/Motor explanation is perfect! I've cut myself badly a few times in the past, but that idea makes the mechanics of whittling ring true. Still have two fingers with no feeling from the second knuckle down but that's both my fault and a handy (see what I did there) reminder to be safe

Great safety info and awesome project thank you! Keep up the awesome videos!

Doug, You have a great presentational style. Kinda makes me think of Mr Rogers. please keep it up. I really love watching you carve stuff.

Thanks Doug the star is a great practice technique and Christmas present !!! I'll add after doing several of these the things I've really learned on these stars is knowing when to change the direction of your carving to go with the grain and sharpen your knife during the carving.

Thank you just got into wood carving and had no clue what I was doing. I somehow managed to carve a simple raven skull. But these tips will definitely help with what I want to do

Thanks Doug!!!

Thank you for this video. My son just got his carving tools for his birthday and he successfully completed his “homework” and carved this Moravian star!! It surely was a great way for him to practice all the different cuts and figure out which knife works best for each cut. Thanks again, Dough. You do have a new, 15 yr old fan :)

Awesome array of information! Thanks for sharing!

Such good advice...I would assume that a dull blade could be dangerous too. Oh, and thanks for the homework, makes me feel like a kid again. Love ya Doug...

Doug, when you talk about stabbing through the glove, those aren't goosebumps, those are HEE BEE GEE BEES!? 🤣😂🤣 Also, I heard a rumor that superglue was originally invented as an emergency liquid suture? So your use of it that way is totally appropriate......I think.😁👍

I had a 1" by 1 5/8" block and carved it since I didn't have a cube. It came out just OK, but it was a learning experience, and I've gained some confidence, and learned some lessons as well by doing it. Thanks Doug I think that's what the lesson is all about! Gabby

Thanks for all your videos. I've gone thru several of your "carve alongs". One thing I do with my figures that you might try...I like to paint them, let them dry, then I rub them down with a piece of fine steel wool. I takes the "shine" off them and gives a real nice muted color. Sometimes, I rub some of the paint off on the edges, I like stuff that looks old. I'll give your star a whirl. My wife has taken a few of my carvings off to work so she can have them on her desk. Your videos have been quite fun, I've spent a lot of time on owls, faces, bears and so on

Thanks Doug! I used the super glue trick too, and got 4 stitches on anther. My glove hadn’t come yet and I couldn’t wait to get started. But lesson learned, and thanks to your videos I’ve done several Santa’s and a hillbilly shotgun wedding in just few months from the first time I saw your video and decided to pick up a knife.

Thanks Doug! I went to my local carving store and got a glove and a knife and made myself a star!

Words cannot describe how happy i am to find your channel...i love all your videos.Take care and keep making more videos in this special way

Excellent tutorial!

Hi Doug, very interesting video, Thank you!

Well I got my knife and wood now. Just need to get a glove now. Didn't think about that. Thanks for videos and keep it up. I am loving this series. I have been going back and watching older ones I havn't seen yet too.