• African masks are usually made of wood which is carved with hand tools like adzes, chisels and knives.african mask image by Joann Cooper from Fotolia.com
  
  Wood is an important medium in African art and culture. Common African woodcarvings include drums, masks, furniture and bowls. The wood carver plays an important role in African cultures because he produces many of the items needed for everyday use. Most pieces are created from a solid block of wood that must be carved into shape with a few simple hand tools. Hardwoods are best for African woodcarvings because they are sturdy and durable.
  
  

Adze

• The adze is the primary tool used for carving wood in African culture. It is a small a flat, curved tip, similar to an axe. Unlike a traditional axe that has a blade set in line with the handle, the blade of an adze is set at a right angle in relation to the handle. Artisans use adzes to hollow out blocks of wood and create shape on the exterior of wood. The artisan swings to adze straight down on the block or log to chip away pieces of wood. Adzes are ideal for giving shape to large pieces of wood, but are too large for detailed woodcarving. If an African woodcarver wants to create a piece with intricate details, he would use an adze to give the piece its shape and then use smaller tools to create the fine details.
  
  

Chisels

• Chisels are sometimes used to carve wood, especially in smaller pieces of wood that require more detail than an adze can create. An artist hits the blunt end of a chisel with a hammer or mallet. The force of the hammer drives the sharp chisel end into the wood and chips away pieces. Artists increase and decrease the amount of force depending on the depth and size they wish to chisel. Sometimes special types of chisels, known as gouges, are used to carve wood. The tip of a gouge is pointed rather than flat so it can create small holes or deeper gouges in wood. Gouges are commonly used in African mask and drum carving to create small, round artistic details.
  
  

Knives

• African artists might use a knife to create intricate designs on a piece of wood. Knives are small enough to be held in the hand, which provides the artist with better control over the motion of the blade. The artist might also use several different sized knives to create varying thicknesses when carving lines. Very small pocket knives are ideal for accessing crevices and chipping away tiny bits of wood. The knife might also be heated and used to decorate by burning lines into a woodcarving. This process, known as pyro-engraving, is sometimes used for decoration instead of painting and staining.