Thread: Timber differences

Know what you mean Whittling. Spent the first 5 years of my working life using pretty well nothing but jelutong. Nice to work with that's for sure however very plain to look at too, like huon pine can be as well. Made a handle the other day for a friends "throwing axe" out of figured spotted gum. Unworkable with a chisel, had to use rasp then sandpaper. Strange really, because the same bit of spotted gum turned up a treat on the lathe.
If I was in the market for a Hare head walking stick I would choose the she oak one every day, if they were all the same price. No doubt there would be folk who don't know as much about timber who would go for the fairer ones.
Nice work, they look good.

Nice work on all of the canes!

Claude

Yes I hear you ! the timber species with the best figure or finish is always rock hard & or has a difficult wandering grain.

Your ergonomic handle on the wood spirit sticks looks like it would offer excellent support as well as being an opportunity to use a beautifully figured wood. It's fluid shape adds further to the over all appeal , it looks very sophisticated.
Just a thought - I find myself wondering if the more rustic looking wood spirit sits comfortably with it design wise ? a simpler well chosen abstract design would be my aesthetic preference , as long as you could maintain your high level of finish , you would have access to a premium market I reckon. - Always the aim when you're putting in all of those hours of course , who knows it might even take less time than the wood spirit !

Cheers Mike

nice work , I tend to use woods I can easily lay my hands on lime for the toppers and mainly hazel for the shanks
the other sticks look ergonomic , nice finish on all of them
nice one

Originally Posted by artful bodger

Made a handle the other day for a friends "throwing axe" out of figured spotted gum. Unworkable with a chisel, had to use rasp then sandpaper. Strange really, because the same bit of spotted gum turned up a treat on the lathe.
If I was in the market for a Hare head walking stick I would choose the she oak one every day, if they were all the same price.

Thanks AB, Woods hard to carve are often great on the lathe, when you have a motor doing all the 'grunt' work for you it expands your possibilities. I charge about 30% more for the harder woods because they take that much longer to make... even with the use of a rotary carver for part of the process. There are a few that will buy for price but mostly in my experience people who buy these sticks do so because they want what they want. Within limits, price has little to do with it. I'm not making any more on a 'per hour' basis.

Originally Posted by Mike the knife

Your ergonomic handle on the wood spirit sticks looks like it would offer excellent support as well as being an opportunity to use a beautifully figured wood. It's fluid shape adds further to the over all appeal , it looks very sophisticated.
Just a thought - I find myself wondering if the more rustic looking wood spirit sits comfortably with it design wise ? a simpler well chosen abstract design would be my aesthetic preference... Cheers Mike

Thanks Mike, The handle design is a classical 'Derby' handle. The 'bump' on the front was invented in the 1800's I think... to reduce hand fatigue from having to grip a conventional curve. The 'bump' forms a saddle onto which the space between one's thumb and forefinger sit. It, and its derivatives are fairly common now, but the wood certainly does lend it some elegance... in my opinion at least.

Not sure about what you mean by an 'abstract' wood spirit face. The one in the photo is about as simple as it gets. I chose to take most of the detail out of it in response to the harder jarrah wood and the narrower diameter shaft. I'm intrigued though... can you give me a clearer idea of what you have in mind?

Originally Posted by cobalt32

I tend to use woods I can easily lay my hands on...

Thanks Cobalt. I do too most of the time. The jelutong and jarrah in particular are favorites of mine because I can lay hands on them easily. Almost all the jarrah for instance, comes from building demolition sites. Wreckers will salvage large beams but things like perlons, and floor joists tend just to be scrapped. A quiet word in the foreman's ear and maybe a slab of beer for the crew usually results in a trailer load or more of this wood which is enough to make hundreds of stick shafts.

The more 'exotic' woods usually come into my possession in an ad-hoc manner. Somebody knows somebody who has a block of 'this' or 'that' and wonders if I'd like it... etc. I guess it comes from building a good network over time in the community. People remember you when they see wood going cheap or for free, especially if you have given them some simple carved object in the past. I do carving demos regularly where I give away the little demo pieces. You'd be amazed how often this leads to free wood some time down the line...

Originally Posted by Whittling

Thanks Mike, The handle design is a classical 'Derby' handle. The 'bump' on the front was invented in the 1800's I think... to reduce hand fatigue from having to grip a conventional curve. The 'bump' forms a saddle onto which the space between one's thumb and forefinger sit. It, and its derivatives are fairly common now, but the wood certainly does lend it some elegance... in my opinion at least.

Not sure about what you mean by an 'abstract' wood spirit face. The one in the photo is about as simple as it gets. I chose to take most of the detail out of it in response to the harder jarrah wood and the narrower diameter shaft. I'm intrigued though... can you give me a clearer idea of what you have in mind?

Oh I've never come across the design called "Derby" before - thanks for that info.
No sorry ,I meant an alternative design entirely to the wood spirit , like a classy looking simple abstract pattern because I imagined (?? I don't know) it might be more appropriate to sit alongside the sophisticated modern curves of the Derby handle. Somehow the wood spirit has more rustic feel.
Cheers Mike

Nice work

Hi Whittling, I've always been an admirer of your canes, its good to see the variation in the timbers, your a brave man using Jarrah and Sheoak, both chisel wreckers in my book. I've never been a real fan of Jelutong for animal carvings usually end up staining. I'm currently doing some Australian animals in between the WA heatwave and have been using Mahogany and Camphor Laurel, the grain in both give quite a good fur effect.

Originally Posted by Robthechisel

..., your a brave man using Jarrah and Sheoak, both chisel wreckers in my book. I've never been a real fan of Jelutong for animal carvings usually end up staining. I'm currently doing some Australian animals in between the WA heatwave and have been using Mahogany and Camphor Laurel, the grain in both give quite a good fur effect.

I used a rotary carver for the general shaping and a reciprocating hand piece where I needed chisels. Its the only thing possible if one is to use whittling techniques. Almost no blade work. Blades just don't work when the wood is this hard. The risks of a slip/injury are too high.

The jelutong works for some things and not for others. I take your point though... jelly is pretty plain looking. I've found that one can tint shellac which expands the possibilities for colour contrasts without taking anything away from the wood.

I'm also working on a series of large scale carvings of Aussie wildlife. The whale I posted a while ago was the first. I'm currently working on a White-bellied Sea Eagle. I hope you'll post some photos. I'd love to see your results when you get them done.

Going back to the walking stick handles I prefer the lighter colours heads of the rabbit.

Its a slow go with the heat at moment, I will post some pictures when I get a few animals done. Working on an Emu at the moment.

Originally Posted by Christos

Going back to the walking stick handles I prefer the lighter colours heads of the rabbit.

I do too.. at least they are a good deal easier to carve! But people are different and I find that having a variety to choose from gives me a broader 'audience' and increases the likelihood of a sale. Its not the only reason I tried different timbers but its certainly one of them.