Thread: I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!

Hi Phil
Nice piece!
If you hadn't mentioned there had been breakages I doubt anyone would have picked it up from the photos.
Acacia dealbata?....is the common name for that silver wattle?
Perhaps on your next project a bit of "carver friendly" timber might help the breakage issues, like a bit of huon or king billy pine.
Regards
The stone thrower from nearby.

I can't contribute anything, except to say it looks really good.

How did you do it? With a knife or chisels?

Hi Cava

Almost totally carved with chisels, apart from finishing some of the harder to get at details with a penknife.

Hi AB

Yes, as far as I know A.Dealbata is Silver Wattle. What do you reckon the chances are of 'finding' some Huon or King Billy Pine at the roadside?

Philip.

Hi. Good , good job! To avoid snapping , there are some things you can do:
1. Carefully choose your timber. Some woods , like common beech , are strong enough across the short grain , while others , even VERY hard woods , would break if you just look at them the wrong way!

2.Adapt your design to the wood.

3. When working the short grain , dont push too hard , don't try to cut lot of wood in one go. It may be better to use rotary tool , like a Dremel with a burr , before cleaning the surface with a sharp chisel.

Nice piece HP ..I agree with artful and Artesano about picking the right wood..if you're going to spend a lot of time on a piece you might as well make it easy on yourself..
I noticed in the pics that you have the grain running the right way for the piece (there's always a compromise on grain direction when doing a complex piece like this)
however, it looks like there is only a few years of fast growth in the wood you used, I'd say that's probably your main problem with breakage..tighter grain and friendlier wood is the go.

Well done on this piece.

Fantastic 'flow' to the form. I particularly like the way you've done the coat.

As for breakages, I reckon that the others have said all there is to say except perhaps my particular mantra: "If God had meant me to be perfect He wouldn't have invented super glue."

HI phil, Nice work and certainly not an easy carve, don't be too hard on yourself with breakages, I make mistakes with nearly every carving I do but I certainly learn from them, the others have given good advice. One question " why is HuonPhil using Arcacia?" if you don't want your Huon send it my way

[Quote}
Hi AB

Yes, as far as I know A.Dealbata is Silver Wattle. What do you reckon the chances are of 'finding' some Huon or King Billy Pine at the roadside?

Philip.[/QUOTE]
Well you have made a great piece from silver wattle then. Truth be known it is a timber that I detest with a passion, grows like a weed round my place. Is extremely fast growing with widely spaced growth rings. Cripes, it's also miserable firewood!. Big trees are horrible to cut up because of their awkward branches. I try to cut down/destroy any young ones that appear on my place as soon as I notice them. Ok, so I have vented enough spleen about them.....Admittedly I have seen some nice wall pannelling made from it and even the odd bit of furniture.
Gotta say your wood harvesting procedure('finding' at the roadside) is rather unorthodox. The chances of finding a well seasoned lump of wood with no cracks or other defects would seem slim.
Have to wholeheartedly agree with underfoot here...Quote [Nice piece HP ..I agree with artful and Artesano about picking the right wood..if you're going to spend a lot of time on a piece you might as well make it easy on yourself.]
From the dimensions you gave about the mad hatter carving..260x250x150. It shouldn't cost a kings ransom to buy a bit that size and It'd be much nicer to carve.
As they old adage goes ,"You cant make a silk purse out of a sows ear". Strangely enough though you have seemed to do just that.
Looking forward to seeing your next piece.

Action packed!