About The Carvers’ Companion
For Woodcarvers, By Woodcarvers
Our Core Mission:
To provide a wide range of resources to promote the art and craft of woodcarving, to freely share with carvers and those interested in carving.
History:
Back in the “old days” when people had to type HTML code if they wanted to create a web page, a woodcarver named Bill Judt hand-coded the first woodcarving site on the Internet. In 1996 Judt started what became the Woodcarver List, an email-based place for carvers to meet virtually, to exchange news and techniques, to ask questions and receive answers, and to foster community between carvers world-wide.
At the start of 1997, Judt took another step in support of carvers everywhere and published the first issue of what was then know as the World Wide Woodcarver Ezine, the first electronic magazine, or e‑zine, for and by woodcarvers.
In March of 1998, discussion on the Woodcarver List led carver Matt Kelley to organize the first World Wide Woodcarver Exchange (W3E). The original W3E program was an Internet-based, four-times-a-year “secret pal” gift exchange. Still going strong after fifteen years, thousands of secret pal carvings have been exchanged by several hundred carvers in the United States, Canada and other countries.
The success of the original W3E program then prompted Kelley to start the W3E Friendship Cane program in the May of 1998. In the original Friendship Cane program, groups of sixteen carvers exchanged a segment a month over sixteen months. Some 80 people in the first five groups exchanged 1200 segments. In addition to the Cane Exchange, there are also Cane Segment Round Robins, golf ball, bottle stopper, pin and ornament exchanges.
The W3E programs were eventually consolidated into The Carvers’ Companion web site, with additional carving resources added over time.
In the fall of 1999, the demands of a professional carving career prompted Judt to pass on stewardship of the online magazine to Kelley, who assumed the role of owner/editor starting with the November/December 1999 issue (Vol 3 Issue 5). Hosting of the ezine shifted from Judt’s web site to The Carvers’ Companion.
Nine years later, in November of 2008, Kelley assumed management of the Woodcarver List, which was added to The Carvers’ Companion.
In July 2011, recognizing the growth in social media and a gradual shift away from traditional mail lists, the Woodcarver List Facebook Group was created, which provided a social venue to post photographs and encouraged further conversations between woodcarvers.
February 2013, saw a major upgrade of the Carvers’ Companion site, utilizing WordPress to reduce maintenance overhead, enhance the reader experience, support the ever increasing numbers of portable devices, and provide avenues for additional content.
Legal Stuff:
Ownership: The Carvers’ Companion ™, World Wide Woodcarver Exchange (W3E) ™, WorldWideWoodcarver Magazine (E‑zine) ™, Woodcarver Online Magazine ™, CelticCarver Woodworks™, Woodcarver Resource Files ™, Woodcarver List ™. Virtual Carving Studio ™ as well as The Carvers’ Companion web site, are owned by W.M. Kelley.
Copyright Notice: This web site and all it’s contents are fully and completely protected by International Copyright Law. All images, articles and content are fully copyrighted, either by the Owner or original artists and authors. No content may be copied, reproduced, or used in any manner whatsoever, nor appear or be used on any other web site or publication without the express written consent of the Owner. ©1999- 2013 All Rights Reserved
Conditions of Use: Coming soon