Thread: First Carvings

Very Nice,
I really like the man walking the log or track.
Keep it up.

You are off to a great start (I don't quite believe that.)
Your sense of design and body line is excellent.

I suggest that you add size, wood & finish to your descriptions
The wood looks water-wet and I'd like to know how that's done.

Yes these are great ! I especially like the waking man - it looks as if he is walking the path of life.
Burr wood is a very difficult wood to carve with edge tools, I assume you used rotary burrs ?
Straight grained wood is normally the choice for woodcarvers which when carved with edge tools promotes a deep understanding & absorbsion in the woods' grain & for me is half the pleasure. No rules though - except follow your heart !

Originally Posted by Mike the knife

Yes these are great ! I especially like the waking man - it looks as if he is walking the path of life.
No rules though - except follow your heart !

Totally agree with Mike.
You have nailed something in that walking mans pose.

Well done, your off to a flying start, I wouldn't attempt to carve a Burl. Both pieces have a very arty look, I think Mike got the description right for your man. I take it you have used a lacquer finish?

Great walking man, really nice form, would like to see more pics of it and the other one (can't actually see that one all that well). Timber and tools would be interesting


Iggy

Yup.

Originally Posted by Robson Valley

You are off to a great start (I don't quite believe that.)
Your sense of design and body line is excellent.

I suggest that you add size, wood & finish to your descriptions
The wood looks water-wet and I'd like to know how that's done.

Thank you for your comment. My only background is as a professional cabinetmaker, I guess that has left some skills which help with carving. That wet look is the result of sanding down to 1200, and sprayed with gloss acrylic.

Originally Posted by Mike the knife

Yes these are great ! I especially like the waking man - it looks as if he is walking the path of life.
Burr wood is a very difficult wood to carve with edge tools, I assume you used rotary burrs ?
Straight grained wood is normally the choice for woodcarvers which when carved with edge tools promotes a deep understanding & absorbsion in the woods' grain & for me is half the pleasure. No rules though - except follow your heart !

Thanks for the comment Mike. I did use rotary tools, elcheapo Ozyto ( against every resistance to using cheap things, but I wanted to discover if I had any kind of talent for carving)
The little man is 80mm high, glued into a piece of burl bark removed from a bowl blank. He is walking the uphill, craggy, trap filled path of life.

Originally Posted by Iggy

Great walking man, really nice form, would like to see more pics of it and the other one (can't actually see that one all that well). Timber and tools would be interesting


Iggy

Thank you Iggy,
The man came from a piece removed from a burl blank by a chainsaw. I was increasingly concerned about turning a beautiful burl into sawdust by carving into bowls. Attached are some more views of them, not very good though.
A recently completed carving from Volcanic Acacia also.
As for tools, I purchased some burrs, carbide and diamond cutters from the US for use with a rotary grinder. I make up sanding tools where fingers can't reach from plastic, heat it, bend to the shape required, glue velcro to it and attach velcro backed abrasives.
Gus

Thanks, xpro.
Please continue to delight us all with your carvings.

Originally Posted by xpro

... My only background is as a professional cabinetmaker, I guess that has left some skills which help with carving. .....

Just the 3 years of woodwork at high school gave me a BIG BIG BIG start in understanding & appreciation of the grain in timber & how to work with it, not against it.

Really simple things like how to work out which way it runs & stuff like how you can 'scrape' side grain but you have to 'cut' end grain & wetting it can help stop tear out.

Good job. Well done. Don't loose the momentum.
Tim

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

you have to 'cut' end grain & wetting it can help stop tear out.

Really ? I didn't know that wetting it helps stop tear out.