Wayne Robbins began his wood carving hobby as an 8-year-old Cub Scout carving objects out of Ivory soap. He is now 82, and still carving.

Robbins is a well-regarded carver in the region and teacher lending his expertise to those learning. He carves wooden objects with his jack knife mostly of deer, mountain lions and marine creatures. His work includes objects as small as an inch and a half to five feet. He has thousands of finished pieces which he collects and sells. During the Jan. 21 question-and-answer portion at St. Andrews Village's resident-led talk series, he was asked if he had a favorite piece. "No," he responded. "But I like carving puffins and whales."

Robbins taught biology for 32 years at Morse High School. He has taught wood carving around the region. His advice to students is "carve how you want, not how I want you to carve." One of his past students once presented him with a unique-looking piece. "I thought it was a mouse. He said it was a bird," Robbins said. 

During his discussion, Robbins described the art of carving. He spoke for nearly an hour about his passion for the activity and his teaching method over the years. 

So why has wood carving held such a hold over Robbins for nearly three quarters of a century? "I don't really know," he said. "It's one of those things that grabs you, and just sticks with you."

Robbins shared how he carves a piece. It begins with a drawing. He outlines the pattern on a piece of wood. He prefers walnut as his wood of choice. "I just can't use it anymore because my hands won't take it. I have arthritis," he said. Robbins is now using a lot of linden and butternut.

The next step is carving followed by sanding. "This is probably my least favorite part: sanding. I have many objects not completed due to sanding," he said. 

Robbins is a St. Andrews Village resident. He has a workshop in the village. This talk was part of St. Andrews Village's resident-led program series, which began this month.