Thread: No Excuse's

Getting a feel for it, any obvious mistakes?

So far, so good Kiwi. You may consider going across grain when hogging out waste.

Cheers

Derek

I thought so, here's what I'd started before I read your post.

Good start = around and around, towards the center.
Cross grain will always tear out in the rough work.
Finer, sharper tools for the clean up.
In any case, the work is easier if you can hone every 20-30 minutes,
just a few passes to keep the gouge tuned up.

Looks soft. Jelutong? If that was walnut (Juglans sp.,) I would have
expected to hear a lot of complaints about how hard the wood was.

Oh it's hard, but I knew it would be so no point complaining. I'm surprised and pleased that my woodworking experience in other forms has helped me, I feel quite confident and almost impatient to get good at this. I see what you mean about the honing though, Hugh told me that this chisel should do the whole job without a hone but it's already losing it's edge, problem is I wouldn't have a clue on how to sharpen it and I have a bad habit of making blunt things blunter....

Kiwi75
Go away back in this forum and find "Star's Sharpening Journey."
I blathered on for several pages with pictures, all freehand work.

Ah. Now. Good. Isn't this fun?
Go back to your mentor and learn how to clean this up.
Nobody gives a sweet rat's patootie how you got the rough out done.
All the public cares about is fit and finish.

I wish you well. The carving journey is a long and gratifying one.

Hehe, that was to the point, fair enough. How's this yah old grump.


I promise the next pic will show a lot more progress.

Looks nice & clean so far !

How close to finished do I do the inside before I start shaping the outside?

I would not do any more to the inside.
It will be vulnerable to dents anyway while you work the outside.
Might as well wait and finish it all then clean it all up at the same time.

It's been my experience anyway that grains come off sandpapers and stick in the wood fiber.
More than once, I thought that I could carve "just a little more."
All I got was a banged up gouge edge.
Two or 3 experiences like that and I do my very best to completely finish
the carving work before any sort of sanding whatsoever.

Another option that I'm exploring is a "textured finish" of very shallow gouge marks.
Frog Pie has some of both smooth and textured, my first trial.

back into it...

I am pulling up a chair and watch the progress.