Imagine a grandpa sitting on the front porch in his rocking chair. In one hand is a pocket knife, in the other a piece of wood. And as the time passes he patiently whittles away, creating an animal figure or some other object. Down the road a bit there may be another wood carver, this one brandishing a chainsaw as he artfully creates a life-size sculpture of a bear. Since early times man has been carving wood, either to satisfy an artistic inspiration or to create a useful object.

Mud, stone, animal parts and wood were some of the first materials worked by primitive humans. The Neanderthal, an extinct primitive human species that lived more than 600,000 years ago, is believed to have carved wood. Scientific analysis of stone tools used by the Neanderthal indicate they were used to work wood. As time progressed the skill of woodcarving grew. During the Bronze Age (3300-1200 B.C.) it is believed that trees were carved into coffins.

During the Neolithic period, beginning in 10000 B.C., wood carving was used to create items such as animal figures, spears and chairs. Wooden animal and idol carvings, dating to the Iron Age (which began in the 12th century B.C.), have been discovered. Ancient Egyptians and Chinese carved wood to create chairs, tables, chests, coffins and beds. While wooden spears have been dated to be approximately 400,000 years old, some archaeologists believe wooden spears may have been used some 5 million years ago.

In earlier times, the types of wood used for carving was typically determined by what was locally available to the carver. There are three basic wood types: hardwoods, softwoods and man-made wood products. Hardwood is a tight-grain wood that comes from broadleaf trees, such as the sycamore, walnut, oak or willow. Softwood comes from trees such as the pine, spruce, cedar or fir. Plywood would be an example of man-made wood.