Beginners Carving Corner and Beyond

Whittling The Wee Leprechaun #4

2012-01-31T18:17:00.000-06:00

I'd better quit while I'm somewhat even. If I did much more "cleaning" on this whittling, people might accuse me of slippin someone else's carving in. I'll now take a wood burner and burn a line between the colors, so they won't bleed from one to the other. Then, I'm going to say it's ready to paint.

Whittling The Wee Leprechaun #3

2012-01-31T14:20:00.001-06:00

I know! There's a lot of steps. You think it's hard to follow them? try to slow down your whittling into the same number of steps, take a photo, write a description, and keep track of everything. Try doing it with a mind that has a few years on it. Might even say "rode hard and put up wet" to many times.

In this step, make a stop cut defining the bottom of the arms, and remove the chip. Check each side to make sure the arms are in about the same position.

Make a stop cut at the top of the shoes. make this stop cut all the way around the Leprechaun. Cut down to this stop cut.

Round and shape the belly and chest. Round and taper the legs to the shoe tops.

Mark and make curved stop cuts for the pockets on each side. Be sure to make the stop cuts for the pockets the same height from the shoe tops.

With your knife, taper the arm into the pocket.

Shape the shoes.

Draw lines for the vest and make shallow stop cuts at these lines.

Cut up to the vest stop cuts to leave the vest a bit higher than the belly.

Draw the hair line and the lines that define the arms at the back. Make stop cuts on these lines.

First remove a chip from each arm (on the back) where the arms and the hair meet. Make this a nice deep chip. Next make cuts into the stop cuts at the arms.

Draw a line on the back that will be the bottom of the vest. Make a stop cut on this line. Remove a slice of wood up to this stop cut, to make the bottom of the vest higher than the rest.

Make shallow stop cuts on the lines that define the beard and the mouth. Use the knife to cut up to the beard stop cuts, so the the beard stands out a wee bit from the face. Do the same for the smiley mouth.

At this point I would call this Leprechaun rough whittled. It needs some cleaning up. I'll use several steps to make a cleaner piece. First I'll use the knife to make some final details and remove any "fuzzies". I'll thin the hat brim, round the top of the hat, round the arms, and make some squinty eyes. After that I'll give the piece a good scrubbing with a denture brush and some liquid soap. After the piece dries I'll do any final clean up with the knife.

Some may want to do some more extensive whittling to thin the body so that the arms stand out more. but I think for a quick whittle it'll do.

I'll post a final photo in the next few days....After I get some more time.....

Whittling The Wee Leprechaun #2

2012-01-29T13:20:00.000-06:00

This step involves making a stop cut between the bottom of the beard and the top of the body. Use the knife to cut down and up to this stop cut. After doing one side do the other. Keep checking your cuts and the center line to keep things in symmetry.

Draw lines that define the sides and the bottom of the nose. Make a stop cut at these lines. Try to angle the nose sides stop cuts to slope out to the sides from the nose. Make these stop cuts deeper at the top than the bottom. To achieve this, push your knife tip into the wood at the top of the nose, then "rock" the knife down towards the nose bottom along the line.

Next draw lines at the top of the eye area, that define the top arch of the eye area. These lines may be straight, angles down, or curved. Then make stop cuts on these lines. If making a straight cut, push the knife tip into the wood where the top of the nose meets the stop cut of the eye area and bring the blade down along the line. If making an arch, rather than making a continuous knife cut that may cause the blade tip to break; make this cut with a series of connected "stab cuts". Where the stop cuts join at the top of the nose and eye area, it should be deeper.

With your knife, make a push cut from the bottom of the eye area up to the top, and remove the chip.

Next make a stop cut where the elbow and the forearm meet and remove the chip. When making the stop cut, push the knife blade tip into the wood fairly deep where the arm bend is, and then "rock" the blade away from the elbow joint to make the stop cut.

Next, draw a line that defines the top of the shoulder. Check to make sure that both shoulders are at the same height. Make a series of connected Stab knife cuts on this line. Make sure these cuts are made perpendicular to the wood surface.

Use your knife to cut down to the stop cuts that define the top of the shoulder.

Next, draw a line in front of the ears, and make a stop cut on this line. The purpose of this line and stop cut will be to begin to shape the head and face to ensure that the ears "stick out" a bit.

Slice into to the stop cuts in front of the ears and remove the chip, this will isolate the ears and make them begin to stand out. Be careful not to remove the ear. Keep checking each side of the head for symmetry.

Begin to round the hat brim and the hat top. Begin to thing the hat brim.

Start rounding the chest area. Begin to thin and round the cheeks. Thin the neck, by cutting up to the neck. Remove a chip from behind the ears to establish the hair line, on the neck.

Shape the nose. Oh oh, the example is beginning to look a lot like Richard Nixon.

Draw in the mouth and the beard line.

That's enough for now. We'll wrap it up in the next posting. Sorry for so many steps, but as I remember trying to follow instructions there never seemed to be enough steps.

Whittling The Wee Leprechaun #1

2012-01-28T09:45:00.002-06:00

I'll begin this step-by-step of whittling the Leprechaun with some background about this kind of whittling. I use the word "whittle" to refer to the fact that a knife is the only tool used. The only exception is that I use a scroll saw to cut out the blank. I use a common body pattern, and merely change the head to reflect the different hats. Make a pattern and trace around it on the wood, or draw directly on the wood. The taller the figure is, the thicker the wood must be, if whittling a figure in the round. To use a 3/4" thick piece of wood about the maximum height that the figure can be is 2 1/2". In this step-by-step we'll cut the blank out in one dimension; kind of like a "cookie cutter".

The photos of the steps are included under, or after the written instructions.

One of the first thing to do is to draw a center line all the way around the blank, at its edge. This line serves as a reference point to make sure your whittling is symmetrical and results are "in the round".

The next step is to draw the draw the line that define the arms, hat brim, shoes,etc; on each side of the blank.

We're now ready to start whittling. Make sure that your knife is very very sharp, and you have your strop handy to touch up the blade. I recommend wearing a carving glove and thumb guard, while carving and whittling. However, if you know me, you know I subscribe to the idea of, " do as I say not as I do".

My first knife cuts are stop cuts at the bottom and top of the hat brim. Don't worry about the thickness of the hat brim at this time. It will be thinned out later.

The next knife cuts are at the corners of the head and hat, down and up to the stop cuts. You can use a paring or push cut and begin to round off these corners.

Before you goe any further, you best draw the ears on the blank, while there is still enough wood.

Isolate the ears by making cuts and removing wood behind them. Then continue to round off the corners of the head. Keep checking the nose area and the center line to be sure that you leave enough wood to whittle the nose.

This will be continued after I get some jobs completed around the house this AM.

Leprechaun - A Complete One!

2012-01-25T14:03:00.000-06:00

I think we may need to whittle a complete little Leprechaun. In the next few days, I'll post a step-by-step sequence to whittle one of these "wee ones".

Leprechaun Pin

2012-01-23T18:27:00.000-06:00

A little break from the eye's. In March it's St. Patrick's Day. In March I am vacationing in Florida. I always like to have a pocket full of Leprechaun pins to give away, when the occasion calls for it. This occasion just might be a local pub that celebrates St Patrick's day. Some times I've been known to trade a Leprechaun pin for a beer or two.

To whittle one of these pins start with a 5/8th or 1/2 inch square by 6 inch piece of Basswood. Whittle on one end while holding the other end.

These are quickly whittled on the corner of the piece of wood. First, draw the face on the corner.

The second step will result in the hat's brim being roughed in. Use the knife to make stop cuts that define the top and bottom of the hat's brim. The brim can be kind of thick, and be thinned later. After the stop cuts are made slice down to and up to these stop cuts to do the brim. You will have to keep on deepening the stop cuts as you go.

Locate the bottom of the nose and make a stop cut. Use a controlled push cut up the this stop cut, and remove the resulting chip.

Make a stop cut on each side of the nose, that defines the nose. It's best to start this stop cut by plunging the knife tip into the wood at the top of the nose side and rocking the blade down. Angle these nose side cuts so they do not undercut the nose sides. After doing this on both sides of the nose, make the same kind of stop cut to define the top of the eye area. Remove the chip of wood that these stop cuts define.

Use your knife to make any needed adjustments to the nose. Try to have a round end to the nose. Cut a slice out of each side to define the cheek bottoms/smile lines. Connect the two cheek bottoms with a stop cut that defines the bottom of the upper lip/mouth. Use controlled push cuts up to this stop cut.

Use the knife to make a shallow stop cut that defines the "inside" beard line. Use a paring cut to slice down to this beard line stop cut.

Make knife cuts to shape the bottom of the beard.

Cut the "points" off the hat's brim to make it more round. and shape the top of the hat. Add a shallow stop cut that defines the hat band, and cut down to this stop cut to further define the hat band.

Use your knife or a small V tool to add the beard texture. Thin the hat brim a bit and shape the hat. Use a small U gouge or your knife to make the little divot between the eye brows. Use the point of your knife to cut and remove small chips to define the sides of the eyes. Finally use the knife point to cut small lines that connect the inside and outside chip divots in the eyes. These cuts will result in a slightly defined and rounded eyeball. Sorry no room for eye lids. Paint the skin area a fleshtone, the beard orange, hat green, and the hat band black. Paint the eye whites first then a black dot. If you fail to paint the beard orange and use brown, you can use the pin on Lincoln's birthday.

Eyes - Progressing!

2012-01-20T14:21:00.000-06:00

Something that I must point out.I am attempting to modify the manner in which I carve a small face, with a pocket knife, in order to have a better chance to carve a decent eye. I have carved faces the same way for so long that I am thinking it might be easier to just make some minor adjustments rather than starting over. Thus, I am sharing my efforts, in the hope that it might help others in their eye carving.

Carving a small realistic eye with only a pocket knife presents several challenges. As a critical first step one must rough out the eye area of the face in such a manner that there is enough wood left, and is shaped to carve the eyes. After the nose has been located, a first step might involve stop cuts, and removing the chip that is defined by the stop cuts. There is a reason for making these first stop cuts perpendicular to the wood surface. You will want the roughed out eye area to have an arch at the top. If you make the first cut a stop cut arch, you introduce stresses into the wood, that may cause it to crumble at a later step. A tight arch might also cause your knife tip to be broken.

After the chip has been removed, make the arch cut. This can be accomplished by laying your knife nearly on the wood above the eye area, inserting the knife point into the wood at the inside corner of the eye area and pivoting the knife to the right. To keep from breaking the knife tip, use a slight sawing/slicing motion as you pivot the knife to the right.

Next draw the shape of the eye onto the wood, and make a stop cut on these lines. To prevent the blade tip from breaking, use a series of connected stab cuts, perpendicular to the wood surface.

Round the eye ball by removing small slivers of wood up to the top stop cut and down to the bottom stop cut. Be careful not to undercut these stop cuts. Remove a small chip from each corner of the eye ball. This will add more roundness to the eye ball. Draw an eye lid line as shown. This eye lid line should be slightly up into the angled surface of the arch.

With a very very sharp knife make a stop cut on the eye lid line. Use a series of connected stab cuts that are perpendicular to the wood surface. With your sharp knife, make a series of cuts from the eye lid bottom up to the stop cut line.
This is where I am now. I'll add a few wrinkles and refine the steps to produce a cleaner carved eye.

Eye Carving - Progress Report

2012-01-17T15:27:00.002-06:00

As a part of my strategy to learn to carve realistic small eyes, I started these posts. The reason was that I would have to complete the series of posts. Which means that I must work on the eyes and report my progress, or lack there of. I think my plan is working. The only problems I am having involve the amount of waste that I am creating. I am attempting to alter the manner in which I rough out a face, to leave more wood for the eye. I have already decided that I first have to be able to carve eyes that are larger than what I would normally carve. Once I can get consistent results with the larger eyes, I'll scale them down. This photo represents where I am now, thanks to some quality time spent with Jim O'Harra.

My goal is to be able to carve an eye that is about half this size, with only my pocket knife. I am hoping to be able to do the smaller eye without losing too much detail. The most difficult part of the eye to carve smaller will be the eye lid.

CRITICAL TIPS
1. Be sure that your wood is suitable for carving. Some wood is too dry to hold the required detail, it crumbles at the eye lid area.
2. Proper knife - I suspect that any knife could be used to carve eyes, but I think some knife blades make eye carving a bit easier. I think a thin blade is better than a thick or heavier blade. I think a thin blade that tapers to a point is even better than one that doesn't.

3. Sharpness - The knife blade must be very sharp. Not just sharp, but really sharp.

4. Roughing out the eye area - This is a very critical step. you must have enough wood left in the eye area to carve a proper eye. The manner in which the eye area is roughed out may determine the success of the eye carving. The angle of the roughed out eye area, in relation to the nose is important. The old saying, "there's always another eye under the one carved", may be true only if you start with enough wood to carve the eye in the first place.

5. Use a pencil to lightly draw the eye on the roughed out eye area, before making that first cut. I would recommend drawing both eyes before starting to carve.

NEXT POST WILL ADDRESS ROUGHING OUT THE EYE AREA - WITH A KNIFE

Roughing Out For the Eye!

2012-01-13T13:44:00.000-06:00

This posting is liable to be kinda fast, choppy, and disorganized. I will attempt to explain and show what I want to change in my carving of a face - specifically more realistic eyes. At the present the eyes that I carve in the faces are lacking the realistic detail. They are really painted on a kinda flat surface, as evident in the following photo. My effort maybe complicated, because I want to use only a knife.

In addition to being flat, these eyes lack any detail of an eye lid. In order to "rough out" the eye area in preparation for the realistic eye, with just a knife, I'll have to make a cut that will leave more wood for the eye and the lid.

Notice that the top of the eye orbit has been cut straight in (perpendicular to the surface), with a wedge of wood removed to create the eye area.

My first challenge is to change the way I create this eye area.
My next posting will attempt to illustrate how I plan to do this.

Carving Eyes - The Reality!

2012-01-12T18:02:00.000-06:00

On another blog I posted the question: "Can an old dog learn new tricks"?

I figgered that if this old dog could learn to use a computer, he could learn anything. My current experience in trying to learn to carve realistic eyes has brought me back to my college classrooms of the late 50's. To be more specific, the class was THE PSYCHOLOGY OF LEARNING. Let me cut to the chase! I have to "unlearn" five years of reinforced practicing to carve faces without having realistic eyes. I never gave much thought to roughing out the eye area, because the eyes that I did were only half carved and then painted in. Now in order to carve realistic eyes I must change the way I have learned to carve the face - at least the eye area. And dang it, I learned it well. The results of practice, practice, and practice made sure of that. Some where along the way I remember the following words: "We cannot plant new crops without first uprooting the old roots and giving the new seeds a chance. We need to unlearn before we can learn anew. Unlearning is the key". How then do I unlearn carving the face, the way I've learned it, and learn a new way?"...I know, I know, practice, practice, practice.

Ready For Eye Lesson!

2012-01-10T13:44:00.000-06:00

I've carved several faces without the eyes, in preparation for lessons in carving eyes. There's not much detail here, but there is not much needed. All I need is the uncarved eye areas. I'm hoping that by preparing these faces without eyes, I'll have a better learning experience. This just feels a lot better then learning eye carving technique on a corner or flat wood surface.

Getting Ready For Eye Lessons

2012-01-09T12:38:00.000-06:00

This is the week for me to start focusing on carving realistic eyes. My goal is to be able to carve realistic eyes with the knife only. To begin this learning I am preparing several carvings that are set up for eyes, but without much eye prep done. I'll just rough out some Santa's without the eyes. The first photo shows what I'll start with. I'll have several additional blanks prepared.

The second photo is an example of part of a study stick on carving eyes. This stick was used as an attempt to teach me how to carve the eye. It never made sense to me, to carve an eye on the corner of a piece of wood. More than one instructor that I know teaches eye carving like this. Needless to say - I never learned.

The key for me to learn, is to carve as many sets of eyes as possible under the guidance of a real pro. Practice, practice, practice. More later!

EYES

2012-01-07T12:58:00.000-06:00

This is the week where I seriously begin to address carving eyes. This means I will start by making sure my favorite knives are sharp. Hopefully I mean really sharp. I realize that most carvers use a combination of knife and gouge.V-tool cuts to achieve realistic eyes. I will be attempting to achieve a reasonable facsimile of a realistic eye using only a knife. The following are some examples of what I consider excellent eyes. As you will notice, most use a knife and gouges. The following photos show examples of what I consider well carved eyes. The first example was carved by Jim O'Harra, second done by Bart Wilson, The third by Mark Akers, and the last last one by Jim O'Harra.

HAPPY YEAR YEAR!

2011-12-31T18:41:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE. May 2012 bring you Joy and Happiness.

Here's one new years resolution that I have added to my list, " As I continue to enjoy wood carving, I will continue to strive for improvement".

Daily "Practice"

2011-12-30T10:03:00.000-06:00

The old saying about learning, is "practice, practice, practice". And we all know it's true. And if you're at all like me, you're a slower learner when it come to wood carving. This means that PRACTICE is even more critical to improving ones skills. I have found it most beneficial to set aside time each day to "practice". Now before you all say, "well heck yes! You're retired and have the time". Well, you'd be right about the retired part. But my practice occurs at a diner in town with my morning coffee and breakfast. Everybody has to have their morning coffee or tea and breakfast. I practice by roughing out at least two Santa's each week day morning at the diner. If anyone is figgering, it's 500 + a year. I started the day after Christmas and am on my way.

Some of the Santa's get pin backs and painted some just dipped in natural finish. Some I peddle at various events, most I just give away. Some get sent to nursing homes for patients to paint and keep, or to give as gifts.

The point is, set aside time to practice......

Eye Practice

2011-12-27T18:01:00.000-06:00

Yesh! I've just learned something that I already knew about myself. And that is; for me it is almost impossible to learn a technique from a written set of instructions. It don't even make any difference if the written instructions are accompanied with illustrations. I am sure that some folks can learn by following a set of written instructions, and in fact may prefer to learn this way. Not me. And I suspect many others have great difficulty learning from written instructions alone. I need demonstrations, followed by step-by-step practice. I need to see the following:
To see the blade profile and size
How the knife is held.
The angle of the knife cut.
The direction of the knife cut.
The depth of the knife cut.
Etc. etc, etc.

Without the benefits of an in person demonstration, with opportunity for questions and lots of review and supervised practice; it's kinda like trying to learn to play the banjo from written instructions. Some can achieve the desired results, but I sure cannot.....
I will sit down with Jim O'Harra, and learn to carve better eyes.

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-25T12:04:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas to all. I hope that we all have a memorable day, where ever we are, with ourselves, friends, and/or family. It's kinda of a lazy day where I am, with part of family. I am taking this time to just sit and whittle a bit. I am not whittling anything in particular, except practicing. I am starting with a stick and an instruction sheet that Jim O'Harra sent me. The instruction sheet focuses on how Jim carves eyes. To me, Jim carves the best most realistic eyes that I can think of. This time that I am taking to practice is necessary for several reasons. First, carving realistic eyes on a small carving is quite different from the larger ones. Second, I must be a slow learner. I have found the only way for me to "Learn" a new technique is to do it over and over again. For this exercise I'll fill all four sides of several 3/4" x 3/4" sticks with eyes. The more repetitions I do the better. The only danger is in practicing an incorrect technique or step to the point where it is learned.

Hopefully the last eyes I do will be better than these first ones.

Handling The Carving Knife

2011-12-21T09:48:00.000-06:00

I don't mean "handling" the carving knife I mean Handle of the Carving knife. Most of the information about a carving knife concerns the blade. But all most as important as the blade is the handle. I recently obtained a new carving knife that I like the blade and the manner in which the blade cuts. The handle however, is not only ugly, but clumsy to hold onto. Seems I have only two courses of action.
1) Leave the blade alone and modify the handle,
2) Remove the blade from the handle and add a new handle.
Not to sure if anyone else has had this problem, but I would think so. Especially newer wood whittlers and carvers, who start out with a less expensive "Bench Knife". Then too is the issue of hands that tire easily, and loose their grip. And what about Arthritis. There's not much mentioned about carving knife handles.

Meantime anyone with ideas, lets hear them.....

Lap Board

2011-12-18T12:09:00.000-06:00

The weather might have already forced some carvers inside. Others might be putting on the extra layer of clothes because their carving area is getting colder as the seasons change. But, there are others of us who may want to move our carving indoors to the kitchen, family room, or living room. If we move indoors to a living area, we may need to come up with a way to control the wood chips. I have seen all kinds of way to do this. Aprons with huge pockets, tarps on the floor, or pieces of plywood laying on ones lap. This style of lap board/bench is the best I've seen. And as you see it is in the living area of the house.

One of the unique design elements of this lap bench is the sides that fit over your thighs. This feature enables you to control the lap board, and keep it from moving around. I use this lap bench at shows and when demonstrating. It works really great on my lap when I sit in a folding chair (it stays where you want it to).

Measurements: Top is 24 inches left to right, at front; tapered to 20 inches, while being 12 1/2 inches deep. The board is 6 1/2 inches high. Some of these boards have carpeting cut and fit to the under side that rests on your lap.

Carving The Baby Gargoyle

2011-12-16T12:30:00.000-06:00

I thought this might be a good little project to illustrate how to move from an idea for a little carving, through the steps to complete it.

The first step is to secure a piece of Basswood about 1" thick, and trace the pattern on it. Cut the blank out leaving a "handle" at the bottom. This "handle" gives you a better and safer grip when carving.

After the blank is cut, draw the wings and legs on the sides. Make stop cuts with your knife that define the wings and the legs. Next start paring the puppies body to make it thinner than the wings. This is so the wings will stand out farther than the body. Then make cuts down to the stop cuts to separate the wings from the head and the body, and legs from the body.

The next steps involve separating the wings and the front legs. There are several ways in which you can achieve this. You can use your knife and make a whole bunch of slicing cuts. You can use a rotary tool with a sanding drum and sanding sleeve. Or you can use a "U" gouge. If I'm out and about, I'll use my knife. But generally at home I'll use the ""U" gouge.

Next start working up the head. Start by narrowing the head so that it is thinner than the wings and the body. Continue to define the areas where the head, legs and wings come together. Deepen these areas by removing wedges of wood. Round over the front legs.

It's time to make a couple of cuts to define the eye mounds and the ears. I start by separating the ears and the eye mounds by removing a wedge of wood with the knife. Next just make cuts that result in two steps that further reveal the eye mounds and ears. (Knife cuts down from the top, and then in from the front)

In this step make cuts to isolate the nose, so that it stands out.

Next work on the wings. I used the "U" gouge, followed by sand paper, to make the individual sections of the wings. I just wrapped the sand paper around a dowel to smooth the sections of the wings. After getting the baby gargoyle shaped the way you want it, take a good stiff brush (denture brush) warm water and liquid soap; and give it a good scrubbing.

I will some times take the wood burner and use it to clean up fuzzies and to do some fine detail cuts. While it's still wet you can apply acrylic paints.

Unlikely Gargoyle!

2011-12-13T18:19:00.000-06:00

One of the brothers that have the diner where I take my breakfast each day, asked if I could carve a gargoyle for one of the customers. Without really giving it much thought I said OK. A few days later I was given a photo from a mail order catalog of a gargoyle. The first problem I saw was the size of the expected gargoyle - way too large for what I normally whittle. But I set out to do the project anyway - my way. Smaller than the photo! During the whittlin, another thing happened. The more I whittled, the more "ungargoyle" like the piece became. In fact it first looked like a pig with wings. But I could fix that in the detailing. After the final detailing cuts were made, and upon inspection, yet another concern. Aren't gargoyles supposed to have a scary mean look to them? And I don't think gargoyles are supposed to look like puppies with wings either. I might have pulled it off by naming the whittling, a "Baby Gargoyle".

The lesson to be learned is to make sure you ask questions about what the project is expected to look like, before saying OK.

Carving - In A Walnut Shell

2011-12-12T13:46:00.000-06:00

We encourage followers to share projects. I don't know what possessed Robert Cahill to carve this small enough to put inside a walnut shell. But he did! And it fits! And, I assume Robert did so with minimum use of band aids. I think the photos speak for themselves as to size.

Holiday Cheer to Everyone.

2011-12-10T14:59:00.000-06:00

As we close in on Christmas, I had better take a minute (while I've got it) and wish everyone Happy Holidays and A Merry Christmas. There are some observations that I can make, that hold great hope for the future of wood carving. While selling at a Christmas Fair, I over heard some ladies exclaim (while looking at my Noah's Arks and carved animals), "My God Millie, those are wood". As opposed to what, I thought. Then it dawned on me that we are so used to seeing resin cast and plastic that we may just assume that it's all plastic and resin cast. While this lady didn't purchase a Noah's Ark, four others did. And their comments were just as interesting. The buyers were all young mothers, who were purchasing the Noah's Arks for their children. Each one made the comment that the Ark would last through several generations, and become a family heirloom. While one said that in their family, all Christmas gifts this year had to be hand made. Another said, "good idea, and not made in China either". There's hope for us yet. I also sold Santa pins. The pins were about 1 1/2 inches in height and finished natural. Since I had over 300 of them carved, I priced them low at $5.00. I carve 3 or 4 of them with my morning coffee. These pins went fast, and not entirely because of the price. Many folks bought a handful for office gift exchanges where there was a $10.00 limit per gift. Also lots of kids bought multiples for Christmas gifts for their teachers. More than one of these kids said, "wow, hand carved, and each one is unique".
I am seeing and hearing more and more people appreciating hand made. Perhaps we are getting tired of all the plastic throw away toys that are massed produced. I doubt that any plastic toy will become a family heirloom, that is passed down generation to generation. Wood carvers are just part of this, and our carved wood items will be around for generations.
Thank you for following this blog. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.

Knife Sharpening - WARNING

2011-12-07T14:45:00.000-06:00

We all should know about HEAT and the way it can AFFECT metal. Lets just "cut to the chase"! Lets not even differentiate between heat and hot. Heat MIGHT ruin a knife blade but HOT will ruin a knife blade. Remember, I'm trying to keep it simple. I don't think you can generate enough heat or hot to affect your knife blade when hand honing it. But as soon as you put power to it watch out.
Pressing the thin cutting edge of your carving knife against a moving wheel will generate heat - if you hold the blade against the moving wheel long enough, it will generate HOT. There is a warning that occurs when your blade is too HOT. Of course, it too friggin late when this warning appears. When the blade is too HOT it turns color. The color can be blue, black, orange, red; but any color other than the original blade color is probably too late. You've probably messed up the blade.
Most of us have broken the very tip of a carving knife off. I mean the 1/16th " tip. Or may if we're a bit too aggressive 1/8th ", or worse. When this happens, we know that all is not lost. We can reshape the blade back to a point.
Reshaping the knife blade back to a point is where we can get into real trouble. We have two choices hand or power. I prefer hand shaping the point, with a diamond "stone". However, recently while carving at the Senior Center where we have a power sharpening system I used it. This system has two wheels with emery/crocus wrapped wheels (one fine and one medium grit). I used the finest wheel, and reshaped the back of the knife blade so that it came back to a point. I got cold wet sponge to keep the blade cool, and started. Touch the blade to the moving wheel for less than a second, then cool it in the wet sponge. Repeat this sequence until the blade tip is returned to a point. TAKE YOUR TIME. After I reshaped the blade to the necessary point it occurred to me that there is a teachable moment here.
Where is the knife blade the thinnest? AT THE TIP! Where is the knife blade the most susceptible to getting HOT when shaping/sharpening? AT THE TIP!
There's less than one second between BURNING the blade tip and not burning it. Error on the side of time. Take your time when sharpening and/or reshaping the knife blade. Or as Ol' Thomp said, "Touch the tip, dip the tip; touch the tip, dip the tip". Dipping in this instance means dipping the blade into water to keep it cool.

Winner of Thomp's Detail Knife - SCGOBBLER

2011-12-06T14:23:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to Walt (scgobbler) the winner of the little detail knife. And since Walt is a relatively new wood carver, I was going to tell him about this little knife, and how it should be used when I send it to him. But thinking about it, I realized that we can all benefit from the explanation.
Thomp made this little knife from an inexpensive (cheap) little file. Thomp would buy the package of the 8 inch files and pull out the flat and oval ones to make knife blades. The package of files came from China or India, and were very cheap. The metal that files are made from is very hard, therefore brittle. But when properly shaped and sharpened, they hold an edge quite well. However, they will not stand any twisting, prying, or aggressive action, without breaking. These little knives are only intended as finishing or detail knives, not roughing knives. As Ol' Thomp was prone to say. "when using these knives, think rice, small grains of rice. Your chips should not be larger than grains of rice. And as knife maker John Dunkle says, "they're not to pry hubcaps off". But for carving little noses, they're great.

NEW NAME DRAWN -For Detail Knife

2011-12-05T08:27:00.000-06:00

Winner of the detail knife had until Monday to post up an acknowledgement. Winner is a "no show", so lets draw another name.......

THE NEW WINNER IS.....SCGobbler

SC has until Thursday, December 8, to claim the knife....

THE ENVELOPE PLEASE!

2011-12-01T07:47:00.000-06:00

It's December 1, 2011; the day that the winner of Ol' Thomp's detail knife is announced. In order to be completely transparent in the selection process, I offer the follow as evidence:

This is the RANDOM NUMBER GENERATOR that was used to select the winning number.

Thirty three numbers on slips of paper
made up the pool to draw from.

The number selected is NUMBER 21.

"Olbap" is the winner of Ol' Thomp's detail carving knife. "Olbap" will have until Monday to claim the knife. Just acknowledge by telling me where to send the knife. Use the Comment section to do this.....

THANKS TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED IN THIS GIVEAWAY. KEEP CHECKING BACK, BECAUSE ANOTHER KNIFE WILL BE GIVEN AWAY IN THE EARLY SPRING.

December 1 - Knife Drawing

2011-11-30T10:16:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow is Thursday, December 1. This is the day for the drawing to determine the winner of the little detail carving knife. If I was younger, I'd do the drawing at one minute after midnight tonight. But alas, that's long past my bed time.

There are 33 names that have been submitted as wanting the knife. I will place 33 numbered slips of paper in a hat and prevail on one of the neighbor girls to pull one out of my hat. Since I do not have complete names and addresses, you will have to check the blog for the name of the winner. If it's you, identify yourself in the COMMENTS, and supply address......

New Knife - Slicing Cuts

2011-11-27T12:56:00.000-06:00

We have been told that a slicing cut is the most desirable cut to make. However, if one is self taught, one might have started out with a simple "push cut". This is a difficult thing to overcome. I am practicing making this slicing cut with the help of a new carving knife. In this first photo I am slightly "pulling/slicing" the blade toward me.* To achieve this "pulling/slicing" of the blade, I let my fingers that grasp the knife handle kinda slowly close into a fist, "pulling/slicing" the blade towards the rest of my hand.

To help me practice this slicing cut my new carving knife has a blade profile that is slightly curved. The knife is called a "Hybrid" by its maker, Brandant Robinson from Utah. The shape of this blade is about halfway between the full curved blade and a straight blade. And it's a great help. More of Brandant's knives can be seen on his blog at http://theoldstump.blogspot.com

I hope this makes some sense. It's a lot easier to show than describe.

* You really should wear a glove or at the very least, thumb protection. Do as I say not as I do....

Carved Stool For a Cat!

2011-11-21T15:24:00.000-06:00

Dries Bruutmans from Brunssum, Holland (near the border with Belgium and Germany) sent this photo. Dries is one of our followers from Europe. This is a little carved stool Dries made for his nephews cat. The legs on the stool are about the size of ones thumb, and the top is 3 cm thick. The "stool" is a step-up for the cat. Dries nephew recently rebuilt a part of his house and made a little walking hallway inside a wall. But the entrance and exit are a little high for the cat to manage, so Dries made this little stool for a step-up. This is real style for a cat. It's also a great idea that solved a problem. The carved stool will certainly be appreciated by Dries nephew and his cat. Thanks for sharing Dries.

Some More Dayton Show Photos

2011-11-14T07:40:00.000-06:00

Random Photos From Dayton Show

2011-11-14T07:00:00.000-06:00

Dayton Woodcarving Show - 2011

2011-11-10T19:08:00.000-06:00

I'll be at the Dayton, Ohio Woodcarving Show this weekend. I'll have a space where I'll exhibit several Noah's Arks, lots of Gnomes and Santa pins. I'm also lucky enough to be able to demonstrate"Whittling Santa Pins" at the WOODCARVING ILLUSTRATED space on Saturday. This show is one of the best in the country, with many of the best carvers exhibiting. I am always humbled by the many excellent carvings on display, by so many talented carvers.

I'll attempt to get some photos and post them up next week......

New Followers & Others

2011-11-08T14:35:00.000-06:00

It's always encouraging to see that folks actually read the blog. It's encouraging to see that new followers have signed up. The knife giveaway was added to increase the number of followers, and seems to be working. Now a word about this blog. We want followers (and others) to leave comments. Comments about whether a particular posting was helpful, ideas for other postings, or just about anything else. Feedback is the lifeblood of a blog. It's the best way for us to know that folks are looking at the blog.

I will be posting the list of followers who have left a comment expressing an interest in Ol' Thomps detail knife. I will add to the list as more leave a comment expressing interest. You will want to be sure to check out the blog at the first of December. I will post the winner of the drawing. Since "display name" was checked several times these folks will have to clarify which is which, in the event one is picked out of the hat.

Painting & Finishing A Carving

2011-11-03T15:55:00.000-05:00

Members of the WOODCARVING ILLUSTRATED Message Board/Forum conduct a Christmas tree ornament exchange every year. This year is no exception. I received the following ornament from Carol Leavy. Along with her ornament she included a fact sheet of the manner in which she finishes her wood carvings. You cannot tell from a photo the high quality of this finish, but take my word for it; it's is one of the best ways I've seen to finish a carving. Carol's process takes several steps, but the patience pays off. With Carol's kind permission to share her technique - have a look.

Carol's Santa is painted with washes of paint, a stronger wash for the hair, in light ivory. Washes are usually made up of a mix of acrilic paint and water, mostly water. She uses both Rookwood red and Tomato Spice for the hat, done in washes. The face is painted in base Flesh (Americana), once again in a wash. Carol uses two colors for the cheeks, first a wash of Adobe and then a touch up with Tomato Spice. After painting she dips the carving in BLO mix (boiled linseed oil), which is made up of a mix of oil paint added and a little paint thinner. Let this sit for ten minutes then wipe it off. Next, spray the carving with Deft Matte lacquer (several coats). When dry, "sand" with a scrunched up brown paper bag. This step removes any fuzzies from the spray. Finally Carol mixes up Watco Satin Wax (neutral & dark), and applies this with a brush. Finally, let dry and buff.

Lots of steps, but as Carol states, "the devil is in the details". And this finish is absolutely first rate.

Whittling A Spiral

2011-10-29T15:34:00.001-05:00

Whittling the spiral is quite easy once you know the "trick". Well, it's not really a "trick", but it's still kinda neat.

Start by taking the tapered piece of wood in one hand and your knife in the other. Why would I say that? You always start out that way. Hold the piece of wood against your bench, at what will be the top of the spiral, once it's whittled. Lift the piece of wood up a bit so that the smaller tapered end still rests on your bench. Position your knife at an angle against what will be the top of the spiral (where you want the spiral to start). Apply a little pressure to the knife and begin to twist/turn the piece of wood into the knife blade. Hold the knife steady and still as you turn and slightly "pull" the piece of wood towards you. The knife blade will make a spiral stop cut up the piece of wood. You can vary the "size" of the spiral by varying the angle of the knife blade as well as the "speed" at which you pull the piece of wood into the knife blade.

Once you have the spiral stop cut completed. merely remove small chips of wood down and up into the stop cut.

KNIFE GIVEAWAY

2011-10-24T07:27:00.001-05:00

This little detail knife that I am giving away was made by Thomas Perrin (Thomp). The knife measures 4 5/8 inches in length, and has a 1 inch blade. And for some of my friends who are, lets just say math challenged, that makes the handle 3 5/8 inches in length. My wifes comment when she saw this knife was "that's a cute little knife".
If you want to enter the drawing for this knife just leave a comment.

Knife Giveaway

2011-10-22T15:19:00.002-05:00

Recently I decided to clean up a section of my shop (small section). I found several knife blades that Ol' Thomp (Thomas Perrin) had sent to me. For those who may not remember or know Thomas; he and I started this blog several years ago. Thomas passed away last year. Ol' Thomp was truly a fine carver, tinkerer, and Southern gentleman.
These knife blades were shaped from $1.00 little files from Harbor Freight. El Cheapo's to the max, as Thomp would say. But they presented a challenge to Thomas. Here's one that I just put a handle on. They are quite serviceable for detail knives. They hold a decent edge. But they won't stand up to removing a hubcap. The steel is hard and can be a bit brittle. But I use one some times as a detail , finishing knife, and am quite happy with it. When I use one of Ol' Thomps blades whether it be the El Cheapo or a fine German razor knife, I am reminded of Thomas; and that ain't bad.

Here's the deal. I am going to give this little knife that I just put a handle on, away. If you want a chance to have this remembrance of Ol' Thomp, just leave a comment, in the COMMENTS at the end of this post. Just say you'd like to have this little detail knife. The deadline for leaving a comment will be the 30th of November, 2011. On December 1, I'll draw a name from all who left a comment. This person will "win" this little detail knife. The only qualification is that you must be a "Follower/Member". It's real easy to become a follower! Just join this site.

More details on this knife in the next posting.

Soap Carving Mea Culpa

2011-10-18T14:02:00.000-05:00

In the past I have stated that starting young kids to carve soap, should involve a real knife with the blade dulled to eliminate injuries. Most instruction states that this young beginner should use a sharpened Popsicle stick, a plastic knife, or a carved wood knife for the soap carving. My reasoning was that a dulled paring knife was still a real knife, not a stick. And who wants to carve with a stick?
Well after giving my idea a try, I was wrong! I have found out that it becomes nearly impossible for a young kid to take off small slivers of soap with a dulled knife blade.
I think that when you put that knife into their hands, it's the first time that they have done anything with a knife, and it's Katie bar the door. A bar of soap is reduced to chunks with little regard to the instruction "take small slivers off".
Thus, there is a reason for the wood or plastic knife.
In fact I am making some for the kids to use with the soap carving. Lets hope I can get the real knifes from them.

At One With Your Knife

2011-10-16T13:11:00.001-05:00

How many times have you sat down alone, with just your favorite knife and a block of wood; and just zoned out. When I say zoned out I don't mean it as a bad thing, but a good thing. I mean where you start carving and everything else is blocked out. Your concentration is totally and exclusively zeroed in on your carving. You know exactly what cuts you are going to make, the order of the cuts, and precisely how much pressure to use with your knife. As you plunge the knife tip into the wood your know exactly how deep the knife blade tip is cutting into the wood. And this precision is verified with your next cut as you remove a clean chip without any "fuzzies" left over. As you make a tight circular cut, you know precisely how tight you can cut without breaking the knife tip.
This is happening more and more with me, and I love it. But upon thinking about this, I think that an important component is that I am completely comfortable with my knife. I mean, I know the knife. If this is true, then why do I keep on purchasing other knives? I guess I just like the knives. But I really do like the zoning out with my favorite knife and a piece of wood.

MESSAGE for newer wood carvers: Settle on a favorite knife and use it until you are completely comfortable with it. But when you see a beautiful new knife don't fight it.......you can always get completely comfortable with another knife.

Pumpkin Pin

2011-10-10T09:09:00.000-05:00

It's the season for pumpkins. Not just plain pumpkins, but carved pumpkins.
And not just carved pumpkins, but carved wood pumpkins.
Whittling a small "Jack-o-lantern" can be great fun, and giving them away is even better. Put either a pin back or a tie-tack post on the back and they make great pins. These are very popular, so you'll want to do several.

An easy way to do several is to whittle them in the round and them split them in half. Start out with a 3/4 or 1 inch by 4 inch piece of Basswood. Whittle a not quite round ball on one end. Not quite round because it's a pumpkin. Use your knife to make a series of very shallow slices from the top to the bottom of the "pumpkin". Open the slices (segments) up a bit and round over areas between them. On opposite sides of the pumpkin make triangle cuts for the nose and eyes, and remove those chips. Make a curved slice cut for the mouth, and open it up a bit. Use the scrollsaw to split the pumpkin into two, with a face on each. Drill a small hole in the top of each pumpkin half for the stem. Paint the pumpkin pin orange, the stem green, and the eyes, nose and mouth black. Finally, attach the pin back. Pretty easy huh!

FUN Little Quick Project

2011-10-05T12:43:00.000-05:00

Borrowed an idea from a carving buddy, John Beach; and adapted it to a Wizard. You may have to click on the photo to read.

NEWS FLASH! Stress and Whittlin!

2011-10-03T08:23:00.001-05:00

It's now a proven fact. When stressed to the max, wait over night, get a mug of coffee; then pick up the ol' whitttlin knife and a piece of scrap wood, and commence whittlin. You can just feel the tension and stress leaving. I think it flows from your head through your neck, down your arms to your hands and out into the knife and wood. Oh! I forgot somethin. You may want to tell everyone to leave you alone for a while, and turn off the cell phone.

It works for me, and I am sure it'll work for you.

Stress and Wood Carving

2011-10-02T19:48:00.000-05:00

You ever get so stressed out that you were afraid to pick up a knife and some wood and just start carving? Knowing that if you did, you'd probably do something stupid that would end up with blood and stitches. That's where I am right now! I've had the busiest week in the history of busy weeks. Projects that did not go as planned. Purchases that went bad. Cars and vans (mine) that are making weird expensive sounds. Gaining weight while dieting and running my butt off. Hemorrhaging money every day. Two big wood carving shows and sales looming on the horizon, for which I am participating. Co-teaching a quilting class and getting ready to co-teach a beginners wood carving class. Remodeling a house. Wondering when and how I'll get up on the roof and clean out the gutters before it snows. And speaking of trees - I suspect I'll be expected to rake one acre of yard with 12 mature trees on it. My BP is up, my sugar is up, my bad cholesterol is up and the good cholesterol is down. I don't even think I have an attitude anymore. But tomorrow is a new day, and the start of a new week. Lets hope.

TIP - For Whittling/Carving the Small Santa

2011-09-24T07:54:00.000-05:00

Being the slow learner that I am, coupled with learning by doing, I soon realized that the knife blade shape became more important the smaller you whittle. Soon you realize that when whittlin small faces you are making knife cuts that remove small chips. In the best of circumstances the areas left after removing these small chips become finished areas/planes of the face. Take for instance the eye area, between the side of the nose and the eye brow. This whittled area can be accomplished by removing a triangular chip that is set up by a stop cut at the nose side and at the bottom of the eye brow. I have found it helpful to use a knife blade that has a tip shaped like this defined area, or smaller. This will allow the removal of the triangular chip in one cut, without any "fuzzies". With the blade tip matching (or smaller) than the removed chip; you can get into the tight corner for a nice clean cut.

Whittlin and Coffee!

2011-09-22T14:16:00.000-05:00

Those that have read this blog for some time know that I eat my breakfast at a diner in town. I also whittle during this daily breakfast time. I can get away with this, in part, because when one whittles or carves small there's not much mess.

Seeing that Christmas is creeping up, it's time to whittle some simple and fast Santa pins.

I start out with a 3/8 inch piece of Basswood and set the table saw blade to 45 degrees, and rip strips of wood. I next cut the strips of wood into 4 inch pieces. These 4 inch pieces offer me a "handle" as I whittle 3 or 4 small Santa's. After whittling the Santa's I cut them off from the 4 inch piece. Some will get a textured beard, some won't. I purchase the earring backs separate in packages from Hobby Lobby. Instead of using the standard earring posts, I use thumb tacks. Thumb tacks have points that will pierce fabric. Epoxy the flats of the thumb tacks to the back of the Santa. Next decide how you want to finish the Santa. You can paint the whole pin, paint just the hat, or leave it natural or stained.

I have found that many folks prefer these small Santa pins to the larger ones. I've had them used as tie tacs, lapel pins, and on hats. I can usually get 2 or 3 whittled during coffee - unless we're talkin politics. Then the fellers don't like to see a knife in my hand.

Observing To Learn!

2011-09-20T16:54:00.000-05:00

As I become more experienced in carving, I find myself looking at objects in a different way. I look and say to myself, "How would I carve that"? These objects can be a picture of something, an object that I hold in my hand, or an object on television. It can be a plastic toy, a ceramic piece, and even a "talking head" on the television. The possibilities are unlimited.

Last night while watching television, I caught myself studying a female news reporter. While she was indeed very attractive, I found that my main interest were the details of her facial structure. My thoughts went to how to replicate her features with a carving tool. Very quickly I found myself trying to build a carving sequence, as well as how to make the various carving cuts that would seem to be necessary to achieve her "look".

There are lots of objects that present themselves to us as ideas for carvings. Take a minute to study what interests you, and visualize how you might carve it. Work out in your mind a carving sequence, prior to starting the carve.

I think this activity can be a very useful learning tool - that is, if I could only remember the carving sequence and techniques, long enough until actual carving.

Band Saw Scraps!

2011-09-17T08:03:00.000-05:00

When ever I attend a carving roundup, or other carving event where carving blanks and cutouts are created; the first thing I check is the band saw area. I check the ground/ floor around the saw, and the scrap barrel near it. This usually yields enough Basswood for many whittlings.

The scraps at the left were harvested at the Evart Michigan Round up this year. I don't remember how many I picked up, but it was around one dozen. With very little imagination one can come up with an idea for a whittled or carved object. In this case it is a Christmas tree ornament. The ornament is five to six inches long and 3/4 to one inch wide at the widest part. Call me cheap, but it can be the difference between the burn barrel or a whittling or a carving. I'll take the whittling/carving every time.

TIP For Enlarging a Small Pattern

2011-09-11T18:07:00.000-05:00

In a time before copy machines that reduced and enlarged, I was taught this technique to enlarge a pattern. Notice the smaller drawing of the wolf head, inside the larger pattern. I actually traced this small pattern from the screen of my computer. Next you just redraw the larger pattern outside the lines of the smaller one. This is done by drawing the larger outlines parallel to the outlines of the smaller drawing. With a little practice you can get quite accurate results.

Easy Carve Cane Topper

2011-09-09T12:46:00.002-05:00

Here's another easy to carve cane topper. This one is not only easy to carve, but can be cut from a thinner piece of wood - in this case a piece of 1 inch thick walnut. Start by drawing and cutting out the template/pattern. Place the template on the piece of walnut so that the grain of the wood runs left to right (back of head to the nose). Trace around the template. Use the bandsaw or scroll saw and cut the cane topper out. leaving about 1/8th inch of wood outside the template trace lines.

Look at the blank and determine where the cane shaft should attach to the blank. Saw the bottom of the blank at the angle you select. Make sure the cut surface of the blank is flat as it will glue up to the top of the cane shaft.
Place the cut out in a wood clamp so that the bottom of the topper can be drilled perpendicular to the bottom surface. Drill a 3/8th inch hole into the bottom of the topper, to accept a 3/8th inch dowel. Drill a 3/8th inch hole down into the top of the cane shaft. Cut a 2 to 3 inch piece of 3/8th inch dowel, and glue one one into the blank.

Now you can shape the cane topper either by knife, gouge, or rotary tool. As you carve the topper, be sure to round over all the flat surfaces, as much as your can. Carve the bottom of the topper to match the top of the cane shaft. You can see that on this topper I use a gouge for most of the shaping on the neck area. I left the gouge cut marks to be the fur texture. I used the rotary tool with a sanding sleeve to shape the nose and eye area.
The finish is dark walnut stain, with floor wax over the top.

This simple cane can be completed with a minimum of tools and effort. And it doesn't look bad either.

Thomp's Knife

2011-09-08T14:49:00.000-05:00

From time to time I'll post up something about Thomas Perrin (Thomp). Those who are regulars on the WOODCARVING ILLUSTRATED magazine on line forum will recognize the name. Thomas took great pleasure in offering up help to new and experienced wood carvers. Thomas liked to tell the story of his real area of expertise - he called it "Tom Sawyering". What he meant was that he'd come up with an idea and make the initial move to implementing the idea; then get someone else to further carry it out. That's how he got me into helping with this blog.

Thomas was one of the most sharing talents that there is. Thomas gave me this knife soon after I met him. I think it was one of the first knifes that he made. It's a good one too. Rest in Peace Thomas.

Carving The eagle Head Walking Stick - Part 2

2011-08-23T11:44:00.001-05:00

After the blank is cut out, the first thing to do is to draw a center line on the top edge of the blank. This center line is important to ensure a carving that is in balance.

There are several manners in which we can carve this Eagle Head. We can use just a knife, or just a gouge. Or we can use a combination of both.

Before starting to rough out the blank, sketch the features on both sides of the blank. As you rough out the blank you'll be redrawing these features several times.

Before we begin to rough out the Eagle Head with the knife and/or gouge we need to realize how an Eagle Head actually looks. For our purposes we can divide the head into two parts - the beak and the feathered head. Both the beak and the head must be rounded off, from their square blank. Begin to round off the head, neck area, and the beak. Pay close attention to the direction of the grain. Remove wood in the direction of the grain. Remove small chips until you are sure of the grain direction. Before you completly round off the head and the beak, you need to draw the features on the top of the beak and head (top view). Next you can continue to remove wood to round off the head and neck area.

Earlier I stated that there were two tools that could be used. You can rough out the blank with a knife or a gouge; or use both. I usually start out with knife, and in the case of this Eagle Head, I'll finish up with the gouge. I rough out with the knife and do the finish carving with the gouge. By finishing the head and neck area with the gouge it will actually look like feathers, and require very little additional work before painting.

For illustration purposes I carved one side of the Eagle Head completely with the knife and the other side was finished up with the gouge.

We'll finish the Eagle Head up in the next posting.

Carving The Eagle Head Walking Stick

2011-08-22T07:14:00.000-05:00

Several posts ago I mentioned that if one has the opportunity to do an Eagle head cane, for the wounded vets, they should not be intimidated by this project. I decided to present a tutorial to show that this is a project that the less experienced carver can complete. Not only complete, but produce an impressive cane or walking stick.

This carving project starts out with a good pattern. This pattern is from the WOODCARVING ILLUSTRATED MAGAZINE.

The walking staff that we'll be making will not include the cane handle at the back of the Eagle head, although it could easily be done with a larger blank to accommodate the handle. The carving wood is a 2 1/4 inch thick block of Basswood. To transfer the pattern from the drawing, I use a piece of carbon paper.

Be sure to place the pattern
so that the wood grain lines up with the front to back of the Eagle head.

I used the scroll saw to cut out the blank.

The next posting will start with the two tools that I use to rough out and the carve this Eagle head, and then move through the carving steps.

HATS!

2011-08-19T15:17:00.013-05:00

Whenever whittling figures that have a hat with a wide brim there is at least one decision to make right off.

The brim on this State Patrol hat is wide, and as you can see, there will be quite a bit of wood to be whittled off if you decide to whittle the figure out of one block of wood. The first decision is: whittle the hat in one piece or two? In this first example I decided in one piece.

Here's an example of a cowboy with a hat that also has a wide brim. I decided to whittle the cowboy with a "conehead", and the then do the brim separate. This is a two part figure.

The "conehead" part of the cowboy becomes the top part of the hat. By doing this piece in two parts I was able to use a much smaller block of wood, eliminate the need to whittle off a whole bunch of wood, and complete the project faster. Cheaper, easier, and faster; what more does one want?

Help For Those Of Us Who Can't Say NO!

2011-08-18T12:16:00.001-05:00

Are you being overwhelmed by an ever increasing amount of carvings to complete, because some asked you for one? Are you too involved with local, state or national organizations? As an officer? Are you exhibiting in too many woodcarving shows? Are you giving too many presentations? Do you just say yes, way too many times?

I am drafting a new part of the bankruptcy law. Traditional bankruptcy comes under either Chapter 7 (Liquidation) or Chapter 13 (Reorganization). My proposal for a Chapter 365 requires neither liquidation nor reorganization. Chapter 365 starts with an admission that the filer says he/she has said they will carve something for someone, participate in some event, carve 24 ornaments for an exchange, serve as an officer in a carving club (or any other organization), or just plain anything that you have said YES to.

Chapter 365 will absolve one of the need to complete whatever one has said YES to. Chapter 365 does not require any reasons for a successful filing. Chapter 365 offers a chance to get out from under the crushing demands resulting from the inability to say NO. The only stipulation one has in regard to Chapter 365 is that it can only be used six (6) times in any one calendar year.

This chapter of the bankruptcy law will carry no stigma relating to a lack of skill, talent, responsibility, nor honor; merely a lack in the ability to say NO.

Do I get any support for this?

Honoring Veterans With An Eagle cane

2011-08-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

I carve with a group of local folks every Tuesday. This group is composed of all levels of carvers. We just completed these canes that will be part of a local effort to honor veterans. I am posting this photo to let all whittlers and wood carvers know that if they have the opportunity to participate in a like effort to not be intimidated. These Eagle head canes can be very basic or very ornate, both of which are impressive. The basic carve is not that difficult. Several of these canes involve the basic carve, and have been carved by less experienced carvers.

Tip - Preparing Wood To Carve!

2011-08-12T08:09:00.000-05:00

I have always read that when you come across a piece of wood that is hard and difficult to carve, you can spray it with alcohol and it will become easier to carve. Some say the same goes for soaking the wood in water.

Like to sit on the swing and whittle and carve. A few weeks ago I was doing just that. I left a few pieces of Basswood sitting on the swing when I went in for dinner. After a week of travel I returned to the swing and found the wood. This wood carved like butter. The wood had not got wet in the rain, but the humidity was about 90% for the week, and the wood must have absorbed some moisture.

Some More Carvin With The Girls!

2011-08-11T07:36:00.001-05:00

The weather has cooled off and the girls want to carve some more. In this first photo Zinnia is working on a little penguin. Notice that she is wearing a carving glove on the hand that is holding the wood. One of my friends (John Beach) had some Kevlar gloves left over from some carving classes he recently taught. This carving glove may be a bit large, but Zinnia was quite impressed when she read Kevlar on it label. Course when I told her that Kevlar was what they made bullet proof vests out off she wanted me to get a gun and test it.

In this photo Zinnia is putting the finishing touches on a 5 minute Owl.

This photo is included to show the concentration that Zinnia has. At least I hope that is what it is, and she's not sticking her tongue out at me.

Here's what Zinnia has finished up so far. Three little 5 minute Owls and a Penguin. You may notice that the penguin has a "business tie" instead of a bow tie. This was Zinnia's idea. I think these are extremely well done for only three 20 minute sessions.

NOW IT'S DAHLIA'S TURN

Dahlia is starting out carving soap. We though she was still a wee bit young to handle a razor sharp carving knife. This is her third project. I hope you recognize that she has completed a Bear. And more specifically, as she says, "a Grizzly Bear". Notice that she has used a real knife for her soap carving. I did make sure that the knife edge was quite dull before we started. I just couldn't have Dahlia use a plastic knife or worst yet a Popsicle stick to begin learning to carve.

I think Dahlia is quite pleased with her Bear, her Grizzly Bear.

When kids show and interest in carving, I think it's important for us to take the time and show them some of the basics. I like to think of my time showing beginners a little about whittling and carving, as opening some doors to a great hobby.

Since there are four photos of Zinnia's carving and only two of Dahlia's I made Dahlia's twice as large.

Meet Trevor Scott - A New Wood Carver

2011-08-09T16:59:00.001-05:00

Meet Trevor Scott. Trevor is 15 years old, and not a typical teenager. At least he's not as far as I'm concerned. Trevor wants to learn how to carve. And Trevor has patience.

As soon as I saw that Trevor had an interest in wood carving, I assembled a beginners kit and some instructions and sent them to him. This kit included, a glove, a thumb protector, and good beginners bench knife, a decent pocket knife, a small strop, some Basswood, and some instructions. The instructions included step-by-step tutorials and study sticks for the 5 minute owl and the 5 minute wizard. Opps, almost forgot! Sent him some copies of the WoodCarving Illustrated magazine. Told him to read all the articles, especially the one about carving safety.

The owls are the first things that Trevor attempted and completed. After he started out with the owls, on his own, I spent a few hours sitting with him and he began to do the Wizards.

I think we all need to encourage young folks to try wood carving. If we are lucky enough to find one with as much interest and patience as Trevor Scott, we might be able to ensure the future of woodcarving.

Too Dang Hot!

2011-07-25T06:54:00.000-05:00

Did you know that Ivory soap begins to melt at 95 Degrees? Still no meaningful continuation of the soap carving lessons. Come on fall.......!

Miniature Scenes

2011-07-23T16:17:00.001-05:00

Little scenes are fun to whittle. They can move right along too, when you use the same pieces as the focal point. In these scenes, the Gnome is the focal point. There are three different whittled Gnomes. In the first photo titled THE DRAGON WHISPERER, the Gnome is leaning over. In the second photo titled GNOMESHINE, the same Gnome pattern was used. By whittling the same piece over and over (practice, practice, practice), this is a great way to use each of the pieces.

HOT HOT HOT

2011-07-21T15:54:00.000-05:00

Temperature is 93 degrees, heat index is 107. To damn HOT to be sitting on the patio and trying to provide assistance to the flower girls in their carving and whittling quest. They're in the pool and I am in front of the AC outlet......Maybe this evening, it if cools off much.

Z's Whittling Lesson #2

2011-07-16T10:14:00.001-05:00

Back at it, first thing this AM. Zinnie finished up her very first whittling. She did the complete owl herself, except for the stop cuts. All of the cuts were the "Thumb Push Cuts to the Stop Cut". Again, band aids not necessary. I am planning on checking the garden center for some kid sized garden gloves, to rework into carving gloves. Zinnie is happy and I am happy. We decided that 20 minute sessions were better than 30 minute sessions. Zinnie wants to do some more owls. She even said "practice-practice-practice"/

Dahli, Zinnia little sister could not be left out so we decided on some soap carving for her. I knocked the sharp cutting edge off an old paring knife for Dahli to use. She decided on a Polar Bear. As you can see, she did great too.

Z's Whittling Lesson - #1

2011-07-15T18:10:00.001-05:00

In the absence of a small carving glove we wrapped Zinnie's thumb and fingers with vet wrap and masking tape, and started the lesson. Here she's using the thumb push slice cut down to the stop cuts, on the "Whammy Doodle". She did about 25 of these cuts, and got pretty good at it.

Matter of fact, as you can see, the "Whammie Doodle" worked the first time. Zinnie did real well making the cuts. Her biggest obstacle was trying to make too big of a cut. We had to concentrate on thinner slices.

After the Whammie Doodle" success Zinnie wanted to do something else - an OWL. After we reviewed the type of cuts that she did on the "Whammie Doodle", Zinnie noticed that they were nearly the same as what had to be done on the owl.

Here's as far as Zinnie got with the owl. The only thing I did was make the stop cuts for her. I think she did great job. No knife slips! No bandaids needed!

We went at this for about 1/2 hour. Zinnie completed the "Whammie Doodle", and got a good start on her owl. At 1/2 hour Zinnie's hands were getting tired, she was beginning to get tired; so we called it a day. And I think it was a successful day. Especially when she asked me what time I get up in the morning..

Z's Whittling Lessons

2011-07-14T16:17:00.005-05:00

It seems to me that it will be very important to have the first whittling lesson be a combination of safety and actual knife use; that will produce a fun item. It will be equally important that the lesson moves at a good pace and ensures success for Zinnie. The first lesson will result in a "Whammy Doodle". These little toys are called all sorts of names, but I choose "Whammy Doodle" because I thought Zinnie would like this name.

I prepared the blank by measuring 1/4 inch segments and making a STOP CUT at each segment. I'll have Zinnie make a SLICE CUT to the bottom of each STOP CUT. I'll make the propeller.

This should accomplish several things:
1. Holding the knife
2. Using the thumb to push and control the knife cut
3. How to use the stop cut
4. Cutting away from you
5. Importance of not placing the holding hand/fingers in the path of the knife
6. Repetition of cuts

Of course, any beginner can follow along with me and Zinnie.......

9 Year Old Learns to Whittle

2011-07-13T15:16:00.001-05:00

How many times have you been asked (begged) to teach a kid how to carve?
How old should a kid be before they can be expected to safely handle a knife?
Well, I am about to find out.

Today will be the first "lesson" for my nine year old neighbor. Zinnie has mastered whittling sharp points on sticks, and has her own pocket knife. Her pocket knife is an old Swiss Army knife, that belonged to her mother.
The smallest carving glove that I can find is still huge, so I'll wrap Zinnie's thumb and fingers in vet wrap. If the wood is too small/short for her to safely make the cuts she'll use the small hand vise.

This knife made by Randal Olds should prove better for her small hands. If need be I can cut the handle down, and put a few wraps of the vet wrap around it. The blade is about one inch in length, and is kind of curved for slicing.

And of course a new whittler will need a place to keep their tools and materials.

I'll post up on Zinnie's progress.

Carving Stop Cuts On Round Surfaces

2011-07-11T07:08:00.001-05:00

Carving Stop Cuts on a round surface can be a problem sometimes. In this case the problem being, keeping the knife in the wood as you carve the round surface. I have found that a Hook Knife or even a Chip Carving knife to be a better choice.

TIPs - Flat Sided Pieces

2011-07-08T18:56:00.001-05:00

Have you ever looked at a figure/caricature carving and thought it was too flat at the sides? This happened too me a lot of times when whittling the "little guys". I usually start out with a one dimensional sawn blank. This sometimes resulted in a finished piece that had shoulders and arms that were not well defined. This gave the piece a flat sided look. On this Santa piece you can get away with it because the beard may seem to cover the lack of shoulders.

This is the same piece, photographed from the side.

But you cannot always have a big wide beard to cover up the shoulders. Some times you have plan ahead for the shoulders, and the ears for that matter.

Here's an example of what I mean. No beard and it has ears. The blank is 3/4 inch wide, and I have to cut down the hat to fit the head, and cut the head down to have shoulders; while leaving a section for the ears.

Here's the same piece photographed from the side. It's not done, but you can see that it is a caricature of a State Trooper.

The interesting thing about these pieces that they are a combination of "in-the-round" and deep relief whittling.

Here's another tip. When you whittle a figure that will be wearing a hat, be sure you place the hat down over the head. Make it look like the head really is up into the hat.

In the previous photographs of the State Trooper, the hat is purposely placed high on the head. That's the way most of the troopers seem to wear the campaign hat. Just like my Ol' DI did.

Important TIP -Prep for PAINT

2011-06-29T08:02:00.000-05:00

Notice a strip of the Gnomes hat in the front that appears different from the rest of the hat. It's a little rougher that the rest of the hat. This occurs when you do not carve the entire surface of the piece, and then apply paint to the piece.

Before you paint a carving, check it to be sure that all of the carving's surface has been carved. If you want the carving's surface to be consistent in the way it accepts the paint, this is critical.

3 Minute Owl - Story Script

2011-06-27T15:51:00.002-05:00

Lots of whittlers and carvers like to carve the 3 minute owl and hand them out to the kids that are watching. I like to have a pocket full of the finished owls just for that purpose. When I demonstrate to the kids, how to whittle or carve the owl, I like to get their involvement. To do this I will tell them a little bit about owls and ask them questions about owls. I use the following script to achieve this involvement. The script has two levels. The statements and questions that I make and ask, and second, the carving steps to follow. (The script does not match the carving steps as shown in the above photo, but you can see what to carve from the steps)
SCRIPT
Some owls are large and some are small. The one I will carve will be small.
Some owls look like they have horns.
CARVE THE TOP OF THE OWLS HEAD (step 1 &2)
But they don't, that's just the way some of the feathers grow and stick up.
CARVE THE SIDES OF THE OWLS HEAD (step 5)
Owls look like they don't have a neck.
CARVE THE BOTTOM OF THE HEAD (step 3)
But they do. And they can turn their heads nearly all the way around. Owls cannot move their eyes, so they move their heads nearly all the way around, so they can see more. Where do owls sit?
CARVE A TREE LIMB (step 4)
Owls spend lots of time sitting in a tree, on a branch. Why do they sit in a tree?
Waiting for dinner. Owls are birds of prey. Do you know what they eat?
Owls eat mice and rats. A Barn Owl can eat up to 1000 mice a year. How do the Owls catch the mice and rats?
CARVE THE CLAWS ON THE BRANCH (step 6)
Owls have powerful claws to catch and hold the mice. In fact the owl has four toes on each leg. Each toe has a sharp talon on the end. Two toes point forward and two back wards. This is better for capturing and holding prey.
Since owls don't have teeth, they cannot chew their dinner. They use their sharp beak to tear their dinner apart and swallow the pieces.
CARVE THE BEAK ( step 5)
How does the owl sneak up on the mice and rats? Owls can hear a mouse 60 feet away. They swoop in on wings and grab the mice.
CARVE THE WINGS (step 6)

Give each of the kids a finished owl......Who knows, maybe there will be one who ends up wanting to learn how to carve.....

Whittling a Small Piggie

2011-06-21T09:10:00.031-05:00

Whittling small is both a challenge and extremely fun. Whittling is carving with a knife only and small to me is anything under one inch. The first step in whittling this small piggie is to cut the blank. The piggie is whittled from a 1/2" x 1" x 4" piece of Basswood. Be sure that the grain of the wood is running in the 4" direction.

When whittling small it is always advisable to include a handle on the blank. And since whittling "small" may be associated with being frugal, trace another piggie on the handle end. After tracing the pattern onto the basswood, use a scroll saw to cut the side profile out.

Begin to think about the piggie in the 3 dimensional finished form.

1. Draw the ears on the blank.

2. Make stop cuts, outlining the ears. 3. Remove wood up to the stop cuts to shape the ears.

4. Round over the tops of the ears to make them "droop" over the sides of the head.

5. Separate the ears on the top of the head. 6. Begin to round off the piggies rear end. 7. Make stop cuts in back of the front legs, and in front of the rear legs.

8. Remove wood up to these stop cuts to shape the piggies belly.

9. Make stop cuts in front of the front legs to separate the piggies head from the body area.

10. Round over the piggies lower head area up to these stop cuts. 11. Use paring cuts to shape the piggies snout. Try a scooping paring cut. This means kind of "rolling" the knife up during the paring cut. 12. To shape the piggies tail, make a half circular stop cut on the butt. Then remove some wood up to the stop cut on both sides of the stop cut.

Thin the legs a bit to fit the body. Separate the legs if you want.

Planning & Whittling a Scene

2011-06-16T08:03:00.004-05:00

Whittling or carving a scene can be a lot of fun. Or it can be a real challenge. In order to keep the effort fun I like to do it in stages. First I get the general theme in my head. I'll next think of what I want in the scene. Next comes a very important part of the process. I like to make a mock up of the scene. This mock up should be to scale, and quick to do. The mock up will let you see what the final scene will look like. It will allow you to make adjustments, add /delete scene elements, and/or modify the scene; before you have spent a lot of time and effort. Once you are satisfied, you can move to whittling or carving the final pieces. In the above scene I followed this process: 1. Wanted a miniature scene to fit inside a 2" x 2" cube. 2. Wanted a gnome(s). 3. Wanted a moonshine still. 4. Whittled two gnomes, a still, moonshine jugs. 5. Assembled the pieces on a 2" x 2" square. 6. Determined the two gnomes were too crowded. 7. Added a barrel and some extra jugs, and some logs with fire under the still. I'll let it sit for a while then take another look at it. If I am satisfied I'll whittle the final pieces, paint and assemble.

Whittling scraps!

2011-06-13T07:40:00.003-05:00

One of the joys of whittling or carving small, is the opportunities for free wood. This past week I attended the Evart Woodcarving Roundup in Michigan. A great time! Able to renew old friendships and meet new carvers alike. As with most carving roundups, there is a bandsaw that is used by instructors to cut more blanks. This area is a treasure trove for whittlers who whittle small. What others see as discard and waste is treasure to me....

Demolition Man - Continued

2011-06-13T07:31:00.002-05:00

Did a bit more detail on the Demolition Man, and started the painting. I usually wood burn between the different colors to avoid any chance of the colors "bleeding", but this time I did not. You just have to be a bit more careful in your painting. Have to select a hat color now. Probably John Deere green with the logo. Add some rosy cheeks, beard stubble, and sledge hammer color and then wax.

LITTLE GUY - Demolition man

2011-06-05T10:26:00.013-05:00

If you haven't been asked to whittle a Little Guy, you will be. These Little Guys are just so neat that folks cannot resist asking. They're not that difficult, when you have a good cut out and a sharp knife. A friend who is in the "REHAB" business asked if I could whittle him a Little Guy DEMOLITION man. The best I could come up with is a little guy with a sledge hammer in his hand. Follow along as I give it a try. I used the scroll saw to cut this 1 inch thick cut out. This Little Guy will be 2 1/2 inches tall.

My first cuts are up to the bottom of the cap. Start at each of the four corners of the head.

Continue shaping the head by making additional cuts up the the bottom of the cap. Make cuts to begin shaping the neck and the chin. At this point I shoul point out that all cuts that are made on one side must be made on the other side too.

Make stop cuts to define the arms and hands. Make a stop cut on the sides of the face at the line illustrated.

Begin to shape the arms by removing wood up to the stop cuts. Start this process by using the knife to make plunge cuts at the elbow and at the top of the arm where the arm and jaw meet. Remove the chip from these areas.

Remove a slice of wood on the face sides back to the stop cut. This will narrow the face and leave you with enough wood for the ears and hair. Round off the legs.

Draw the ears on the wood.

Shape the ears.

Carve the nose and the eye areas. Drill a hole through the hand so that a sledge hammer handle will fit. Carve the bill of the cap.

Use the knife to remove the edges/corners of the wood at the arms, to keep them from appearing too flat. Shape the boots and the leg bottoms. Define the bib overalls, with stop cuts and relieve the wood up to the stop cuts. Check back! I'll add a bit more detail, clean up the piece, and paint it......

Football Player (stick a fork in him, he's done)

2011-06-04T14:25:00.003-05:00

The official NCAA version!

Here is the finished football player. I finished him up to stand by his newly former coach. After the first colors are all dry add the secondary colors. The drying will prevent some of the bleeding of colors. Another trick is to make a thin cut inbetween the colors the cut will stop the bleeding from crossing it.

I used the carver's standard acrylic paints. I didn't thin it as much as others do, as I wanted the veiwer to tell at a glance this is a Buckeye.

Football Player part 3

2011-06-01T16:30:00.004-05:00

Here is the first part of getting his color on.

I start out with giving him a good scrubbing with a toothbrush, water, and a little dishsoap.

While he is still damp I start painting him. I start with the grey helmet then paint the shirt and stripes red. Next comes the white stripes. after that is all dry I add the eye black and the red stripes. Sorry but I have to get more in a little while.

football player 3

2011-05-26T20:25:00.004-05:00

Part 3

Continue to narrow down the body and make the shoulder pad structure in the shirt more defined. It's also time to cut in his legs and carve in the shoe shape. The shoes on this little guy are kinda non discript blobs.

Next comes the facemask. You have to be very careful to be certian to cut it in shallow sections or else the bars will split out. After the mask is cut in I make some simple eyes inside the mask. All done but the painting...

Anyone want to see that?

THanks for lookin,

Doug

Football player part 2

2011-05-24T17:12:00.007-05:00

here is a quick side view with sketched in arms. Notice how the helmet is rounded off pretty well.

Hello all,

Here is part 2. I continue to round off the helmet. I also work the chest and back inward.

Remember that the shoulder pads will stick out a bit beyond the sides of the helmet. Leave the facemask area pretty much alone at this point. Keep redrawing in your centerlines so you can keep the carving symetrical.

Next I draw in the arms. I have them hang a little lower than normal to give our player more of a comical appearance. You can make his arms thicker or thinner to make him as muscular as you want.

(In Tom's case I'd make his fella's arms pretty big to make the tattoo look right. I did make a Hines Ward for a friend. The tattoo did turn out pretty cool).

I work the arms in from all directions and make sure there is enough meat at the bottom to make the hands.

Sam's football player

2011-05-22T13:35:00.006-05:00

My buddy Sam asked me for a how to of a football player from a "hen" egg.

Here goes. Oh yeah, I was bribed Sam sent me a wonderful little Jim Tressel.

It will be a couple days til it's all posted.

When I start out I divide the egg in 2 with the end grain on the sides. Then I come down about a third of the way down and draw a line around the egg. This will be the bottom of the back. You will need to drop down a little bit for the bottom of the face mask.

Next cut them in. I carve a straight line around the middle then back cut down to it from the top and bottom. The size of the helmet is begining to take shape.

More later,

post any questions and thanks for looking,

Doug Sludgeguy Keller

Bad Habits!

2011-05-22T13:22:00.002-05:00

Been spending some time trying to break some bad carving habits. This is damn difficult. It is said, and I believe it, that unlearning something is harder than learning it. This is true especially when a "skill" or "physical action" is learned. I learned some bad habits when teaching myself to carve. I am now at that point where the bad habits are limiting my further improvement. When learning to carve faces I was told PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. I was also told that once I carved 1000 faces I might begin to be satisfied. The only thing I was not told was to be sure that what I practiced was the correct way. So I learned to do some things the incorrect way. At least in a way that makes it difficult for me to change the way I do things, and the way the finished carvings look. You will learn what you practice. So, I guess the message of this post is for beginners to get some good instruction. This good instruction can be from an experienced carver, a book, and/or a video.

Feedback Requested

2011-05-21T06:52:00.003-05:00

This blog is dedicated to be of interest to beginners and experienced wood carvers and whittlers. From time to time we like to remind the readers that they can request topics to be addressed. We also would like to offer our readers to opportunity to provide useful information to other readers. Respond by using the COMMENTS part of the postings. If you would like to post something we'll assist. (Just click on the "Additional Comments")

Art Festivals, Shows, Sales!

2011-05-16T18:17:00.004-05:00

Arts festivals can be fun! A lot of work, but they can be fun. The art festival that I participated in this past weekend was kinda fun. There were about 170 participant/vendors. It's a good thing that I go in with a friend to share expenses. Not only did it rain. Let me correct that statement. Not only did it storm, but the temperature dropped 15 degrees in 30 minutes. About 6 vendors tents collapsed with the weight of water pooling on the tops.

But as you can see fun was still had. This bag of kettle corn was just about as tall as the little girl eating from it.

Sales were off this year. No trouble making expenses, and then some. But the price of gasoline and the times made it tougher. I don't do this for the money, but you gotta make expenses and then some. This is what I offered: Santa and Gnome pins, Noah's Arks, and Flip toys. The Flip toys were the surprise sellers at $10. I treat this event as advertising for the Noah's Arks. Folks can see them up close and personal. I did get two special orders for Arks. But the best thing is giving a carving to the kids that seem interested. Even with the poor weather, empty pocket books, and the long hours I still had a great time meeting folks and sharing with the kids.

So, if you are considering going this route; do it with the idea of meeting folks, sharing your passion for carving, and selling enough to meet your expenses and then maybe a little more.....You won't be disappointed.

Festivals, Shows and Sales Part 2

2011-05-11T06:45:00.001-05:00

Since I really had a hard time wrapping my mind around nearly $1000 for a Noah's Ark with 16 pairs of animals, I had to do something. Most of the cost was tied up in labor to carve the animals. If there was to be any real savings it would have to be with the animals. My first decision was to do the animals with power. After many experiments I settled on the rotary tool with sanding sleeves, and less detail on the animals. After thinking about it, I decided that I could use all salvaged wood for the arks and animals. By salvaged I mean letting my Carpenter friends know not to throw any leftovers away. "Opps" paint from the paint store is also used. Here's what I came up with: OLD Ark wood- 16.00 Fasteners .50 Paint 2.00 Animalwood 18.00 TOTAL $36.50 Labor Ark 8 Hrs Labor Animals 36 Hrs TOTAL 44 Hrs $20 x 44 = $880 TOTAL $916.50 NEW Ark Wood .00 Fasteners .50 Paint .00 Animalwood .00 TOTAL $ .50 Labor Ark 8Hrs Labor Animals 8Hrs TOTAL 16 Hrs $20 X 16 = 320.00 TOTAL $320.50 A Noah's Ark for $320.50 still sounded a bit steep to me, so I decided to cut my hourly rate to $10. This got the Arks down to $160 each. Now some will say that's way to little, but this is just fun for me. This is the price I put on most of the Arks at festivals and sales. Special commissions can be priced more......and generally are.

Festivals, Shows, and Sales

2011-05-10T06:00:00.001-05:00

In the pursuit of your hobby there may be a point where opportunities for recognition, competition, and sales presents itself. For some, the rewards can be financial and a lot of personal satisfaction and recognition. However, before jumping into this arena there are some things to consider and ponder over. First and foremost, it's a lot of work to prepare for and participate in a show or festival. Perhaps the best way to explain what I mean is to describe how I got into this arena.

I've made custom cabinets and tables for years. The outlets for these were local shops and private commissions. I started out by placing pieces in shops on consignment. This meant that I got no money until the piece sold, and then the shop withheld 33% for their "take". The pricing of the furniture pieces included all materials, the shops commission, and a profit for me; which was between $10 and $40 per hour. After the shops found that my pieces sold I began selling the pieces at a wholesale price to the shops. for them to sell. Well I got old and weak, and did not want to build the larger heavier furniture any more. Well, I loved to work with wood, so the carving bug bit. I decided to scale down the wood working. I began to design and build Noah's Arks and carve the pairs of animals. Not cabinet making, but still designing and working wood. The same shops that sold my furniture wanted to sell the arks. I jumped on that. But a big difference occurred - when I priced out arks and the pairs of carved animals the prices were way too high (I thought).

Here's what I ran into with pricing out a Noah's Ark and 18 pairs of animals.

a. Wood for the ark.............$16.00

b. Fasteners for the ark......$ .50

c. Paint for the ark...............$ 2.00

d. Wood for animals............$18.00

Total Matls $36.50

e. Labor ark...8 Hrs

f. Labor animals...36 Hrs

Total Labor 44 Hrs @$20...$880

Total Price $916.50

GET MY POINT

Stay tuned for what I did to make the Noah's Arks and animals competitive in price.

Carving By Thomas Perrin

2011-05-03T15:55:00.002-05:00

Thomas Perrin and I started this Blog as a way to pass information on to wood carvers, both new and experienced. Ol' Thomp as he was affectionately called like to tell folks that he "Tom Sawyered" me into co-authoring the Blog. I keep it up out of respect for Thomas. Not too long ago Thomas passed away, and the wood carving community lost a great mentor and I lost a great friend. Thomp didn't share a lot of photos of his carvings. I wanted to share a photo of a "shelf-sitter" that he carved and sent to me. All I did was ask him about nose carving for a wizard. This carving resides on top of my computer screen. Every time I look at it I marvel at the detail Thomas achieved. Whenever I say anything about knowing and mastering your tools this is what I mean. Ol' Thomp mastered the tools that he used.

Whittling A Gnome Pin

2011-05-01T14:57:00.011-05:00

A friend of mine asked if I would whittle her a small Gnome and put a pin back on it. In our conversation she said she was getting ready to participate in a walk for the cure. That's when I got the idea to whittle her a small Gnome pin and paint the Gnomes hat pink. Here's an abbreviated step-by-step of whittling the Gnome.

Draw the profile of the Gnome on a piece of 3/8 th inch Basswood, and cut it out.

Make stop cuts defining the hat, beard, arm/hand, and shirt. And yes, that is a trash bag for background.

Relieve the wood up to the bottom of the hat. Remove wedges of wood from the elbow crease, and where the beard meets the shoulder. Relieve the wood up to to the bottom of the shirt. Relieve the wood around the arm and hand.

Round off the beard and the front and back of the shirt. Make stop cuts defining the side of the nose, and the top of the eye area. Remove a wedge of wood from this area beside the nose and at the top of the eye area. Shape the nose.

Whittle the Gnomes hat into a point.

Make a stop cut at the top and bottom of the mustache. Relieve the wood around the mustache, and further refine the eye area. Texture the beard, and wood burn the areas as shown. The wood burning prevents the paint from "wicking" into other colors, and helps to give overall depth to the piece after painting.

Here's the little fellow after painting. There is a pin back attached to the back of the piece.

Receiving a Carving As A Gift!

2011-04-28T18:02:00.002-05:00

Over the past several years I have been blessed with quite a few wood carvings as gifts. Many of these carvings were the result of participating in swaps and exchanges; but I still think of them as gifts. Naturally, the wood carvings cover the full spectrum of hand work. Some are very simple, whiles other are very elaborate. And some are quite amateurish, while some are spectacular. But each and every one was hand made by someone, and given. Even the most amateurish as well as the most professional represent some ones time and willingness to share. Each carving involved the results of a carvers journey towards excellence. Each carving took time to produce. And if time is a measure to be honored, then quite likely the more amateur carvings took the giver more time to produce then what a more accomplished carver may have taken. So if we ever think that a gifted wood carving is a wee bit amateurish, remember that the carver may have taken time away from loved ones to carve the piece. This beginner carver will one day be an accomplished wood carver; and you have one of his/her early carvings. I treasure each wood carving that I receive as a gift.

Slicing Cuts!

2011-04-27T12:24:00.003-05:00

As you read the various articles and books about wood carving you will see passages about the best way to make a cut with the carving knife. You may see reference to a push cut and a slicing cut. You may see the reason for learning to make a slicing cut, explained using the bread slicing example. Is it easier to slice a loaf of bread by pushing the knife through the loaf, or slicing the knife through the loaf? It's easier to make a clean slicing cut than merely pushing the knife through. This holds true in wood carving too. But it does take practice to learn to slice the knife trough the wood. This slicing of the wood is easier when you use the knife at the bottom of the photo - the one with the blade curved. Even when you try to push this blade through the wood it tends to slice.

Carving/Sanding - Dremel Tool

2011-04-24T16:22:00.006-05:00

This is the entry level/price rotary tool by Dremel. It is a series 100 model. In this photo the tool is set up with a 1/2 x 1/2 inch sanding mandrel and a sanding sleeve. Some folks like to use the rotary tool as a roughing tool, to speed up the removal of wood before employing a gouge or a knife. Some will use the tool as a carving device to both start and finish a carving. Their are several cautions that must be taken. First, is eye and lung protection. Safety glasses and a good mask plus proper ventilation are a must. But there is at least one additional thing to note. The series 100 Dremel is a single speed tool at 3500 rpm. That is a fast speed. The problem with this fixed speed come when one tries to use some of the sanding and cutting tools. Before attempting to use any sanding/cutting bit in the Dremel 100, check the bit for its rated rpm. Many if not most of these bits are rated at a maximum rpm of 30,000. That means that they would be very dangerous in the Dremel 100, which has a fixed rpm of 35,000. A general rule to follow is the more aggressive the tool is, the slower the speed to be used. But, before buying a bit to use in the series 100 tool, check the bits rated rpm.

Spring Cleaning - Not Good!

2011-04-21T17:46:00.001-05:00

When I'm caught with a wood chip clinging to my shirt, why do I feel like a dieter sneaking a cookie?

Tis the Season!

2011-04-19T14:25:00.002-05:00

Spring, and yes, Easter. But also the beginning of that time where all the repairs and maintenance from winter storms must be attended to. Yard work and spring cleaning may have to take precedence over carving and whittling. At least that's what my supervisor says. Planning on going to the Doctor and asking for a diagnosis that states I cannot lift anything heavier than....say my pocket knife......

Power Carving In the Wind!

2011-04-14T06:02:00.000-05:00

I just solved the problem of the dust from "carving" with a Dremel. First you find a beach, a nice beach on the gulf. Next, place yourself so the wind blows the dust away from you. This works best when the breezes are between 20 and 35 mph. I wonder if this will work as well here at home, with no gulf and no beach? I do have a river.

Santa with a 6-pack - or not!

2011-04-13T04:40:00.000-05:00

Unless you want your Santa's to have flat tummy's (6-pack) there is some shaping that needs to be done to the wood piece, before carving on the corner. Whether you're using a 1/2 x 1/2 inch or a 2 x 2 inch blank to carve a figure "on the corner" you need to shape the top of the piece where Santa's head will be carved. You will have to make some cuts to "move" that top front corner back so the bottom of the block "sticks out" further than the top. This is especially important if you are carving a Santa with a larger belly. This is also true when not carving on the corner.

This example is carved on a 1/2 x 1/2 2 1/2 inch piece of wood.

Cheapo Pattern Maker!

2011-04-11T15:35:00.005-05:00

At the risk of being accused of promoting theft, I offer a plan for a cheap pattern maker; for those who have trouble sketching a pattern from an existing object. I am referring to a pattern to use in cutting out a wood blank to ready it for carving. A pattern of the front view, and the side view. A pattern that can be traced on the piece of wood, and either carved to, or cut out with a scroll or band saw.

I don't think these photos need any explanation. The piece that I am "copying" is a resin cast ornament, from where else--------China!

Front view

Right Side View

Right Side View Pattern & Front View Pattern

Ready to be cut out and traced on the wood.

Whittlin Harmony #7 "In-the-Flow"

2011-04-10T02:34:00.000-05:00

You ever just get "Lost in your whittlin", "in the flow", "in the groove/zone"? What I mean is, you get so focused on what you're doing that you loose track of time, and what's going on all around you. Your wife has to yell at you to get your attention, or call you to dinner. That magical place where your mind, body, and carvin knife seem to work in perfect synch and harmony. This is the condition that I strive for. This is when whittlin/carving is at its best.

Whittlin Harmony #6 Sequencing Cuts

2011-04-09T12:47:00.000-05:00

If you have progressed beyond whittlin sharp points on a stick you could benefit from thinking about the sequence of cuts before you start making any cuts. The ol' stories about painting ones self into the corner or building a boat in the basement apply to whittlin and carvin too. Here's some things to think about: Before you make any cuts in the wood, try to visualize what the completed piece will look like. If carving /whittlin in the round, make a few reference cuts to get the over all proportions correct (head, shoulders, waist, hips knees, etc.). If carving/whittlin in the round, before you make any cut it might help to start thinking about all cuts being accomplished in pairs (2). You make a cut to define one side of the nose, make the same cut to define the other side of the nose. This will help with symmetry. As you make cuts, begin to think ahead about the next cuts. Kinda like playing chess. There is a sequence to whittlin/carving anything. And each time you whittle/carve a figure, you will discover the better sequence of steps.

No Band or scroll saw-No Problem

2011-04-08T04:42:00.001-05:00

More than once I've heard folks say that they are waiting to buy a band saw or a scroll saw so they can start to carve. I've heard apartment dwellers say that they can't carve because they cannot use a band saw or scroll saw in the apartment. While a band saw and scroll saw can be an important tool to a wood carver, the lack of one does not mean one cannot carve. The main function of the saw to a wood carver is to start to shape the block of wood by removing wood that will otherwise have to be removed by knife or gouge. If you are carving a figure out of a large block of wood there may have to be a lot of wood removed. So in the absence of power saws, why not "carve smaller". Start to use a 3 to 5 inch block of wood. There's not nearly as much wood that has to be removed. There are other benefits to newer carvers when they carve smaller. No investment in power saws. Less money spent on wood. Less discouragement with a long time to complete the larger carving. You may feel more "free" to try new things when your wood cost is so small. So, just grab a knife and/or gouge and give "carving small" a try. When no power tools, try carving smaller

Knives Blade Tip Breakage!

2011-04-07T06:41:00.005-05:00

I recently broke the knife tip off my favorite pocket knife. When I say tip, I mean the very very tip (32 of an inch). Of course I was upset. But then I got to thinking. The more you use a carving knife, the more wear you put on the blade. The process of making cuts dulls the cutting edge and the blade point. The process of stropping the blade actually removes small amounts of the steel. This whole process can, and does weaken the blade over time; especially at the very tip. After thinking about it I wasn't as upset. I carve/whittle with this knife on a daily basis. And I strop often, about every 15 minutes. The more I carve, the more I strop, and the thinner the blade tip gets. When a tiny tip broke off I wasn't doing anything rough with the knife. It had just become "hair thin". Time to get the diamond "stones" out and put a new pointed tip on the blade.

Suprisingly Good Knife

2011-04-06T14:30:00.005-05:00

My good friend Thomas Perrin (Thomp) and I started this blog to hopefully pass on some wood carving tips and ideas. Tips and ideas that might be useful to the beginner as well as the more experienced. Thomp passed away a few weeks ago, and I miss him. However, I am always running across items that remind me of him. Those who have been around for a while, know that Ol' Thomp liked to make carving knives. Heck! a few years ago he made swords - but that a different story. Not too long ago after we first became aware of the box cutter that Lynn Doughty uses to carve with, I asked Ol' Thomp if he would grind down the back of a box cutter blade to make a narrower knife.

This is the knife that resulted from that request. The handle is Ol'Thomps crayfish design and fits the hand very nicely. The blade is a bit limber, but still quite strong. The best part of this knife is that, the blade holds its edge for an incredibly long time. Thought you all might find this carving knife interesting. This little knife probably has 50 cents worth of materials, one hours time, and Ol' Thomps love of knife making invested. I'll keep it always, and on occasion will use it.