tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17686247521632095722024-02-19T02:43:50.764-07:00Flying ChipsI'm Robert Tinsley. This is my account of my journey through the world of woodcarving. I'll be posting my thoughts, rants, works in progress and finished pieces. I'll be discussing my mistakes as well as my successes in the hope that other people can learn from my experiences.Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-73411327416445756962011-12-31T15:42:00.001-07:002012-01-01T09:48:55.363-07:00DESIGN LIMITATIONS OR DESIGN OPPORTUNITIES?This time I'm introducing an intermission in the Faces Tutorial to talk about something that has been weighing on my mind of late: the limitations imposed on design by the way we work. Clint Eastwood, in one of his gajillion movies, once said that a man has to know his limitations. Well, a lot (by no means all!) of my limitations can be summed up in the fact that I don't use power tools: band saw, scroll saw, circular saw, table saw, router, sander, Dremel, Foredom, Weecher, etc. Another of my limitations is that I don't like to use gouges. The worst cut I ever gave myself was with a gouge. Irrational, I know, but . . . .<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEXJhnWdc-eQEzmxdMw5S0e2RoMkf4TQFhlrzrLUh33IMOgcgrDUUPlonhrpEMBTW5c10frQAfHGQhXEJFEiibpYKCxmGVJlRACfOvoaTZqabPItsX77zxtlq-PJY2STFErIx4j5zR6ty/s1600/9toesnelson+front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbEXJhnWdc-eQEzmxdMw5S0e2RoMkf4TQFhlrzrLUh33IMOgcgrDUUPlonhrpEMBTW5c10frQAfHGQhXEJFEiibpYKCxmGVJlRACfOvoaTZqabPItsX77zxtlq-PJY2STFErIx4j5zR6ty/s320/9toesnelson+front.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Take a look at old 9-Toes Nelson here. I carved him from a 1-1/2" square by 6" long piece of bass wood. He is all one piece of wood, including the rifle. Since I don't use a band saw to cut out the basic form of a piece, I am limited to smaller carvings if I don't want to spend more time hoggin' off waste wood than I do carving. Nor do I clamp things to a bench and work off the wood with gouges. If a design requires that kind of thing, I don't do it. I have to be able to hold the piece in one hand while I work on it. That's a limitation. Isn't it?<br />
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Let's talk about painting a minute. Old 9-Toes up there is just about my most ambitious painting effort to date, what with that striped shirt and all. If you want to see some real painting go to <a href="http://www.outwestwoodcarving.blogspot.com/">Lynn Doughty's</a> website and look in his gallery. THAT's what I call painting! I would love to produce pieces of that quality, but I find that I just don't enjoy painting. Even the limited painting I do takes as long or longer than the carving. Why spend all that time doing something I don't enjoy when I could be carving, something I do enjoy. There's another limitation. Right?<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfPrBXh5Oqkv85MbztAyyP-kcbhsAUfVbFJOH_ucoYqppvYb0Fftfmd2N5rctw88f9MyeYzm9hlN2AvpTiA-IRZDlJC7DBSPXGNAWeZgKXJYbmrNRs2XuHVRCi3iLPU_ujBAcpQ9gOii_/s1600/finished+birds+%2526+fishes+front+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfPrBXh5Oqkv85MbztAyyP-kcbhsAUfVbFJOH_ucoYqppvYb0Fftfmd2N5rctw88f9MyeYzm9hlN2AvpTiA-IRZDlJC7DBSPXGNAWeZgKXJYbmrNRs2XuHVRCi3iLPU_ujBAcpQ9gOii_/s320/finished+birds+%2526+fishes+front+1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>I call this my Birds & Fishes Love Spoon, one of my early efforts. It's 11" long and about 2-1/2" wide. There are some pretty complex and small celtic knots in that piece. Pay particular attention to the necks of the cranes. All done with a drill and a knife. (A battery powered drill is the only concession I make to the no-power-tools rule, since I can use it anywhere and hold the piece with one hand and drill with the other.) Took for-freakin'-ever! Even though it's done in poplar, which is a pretty soft hardwood.<br />
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Now go take a look at some of <a href="http://davidwesternlovespoons.com/www.davidwesternlovespoons.com/Home.html">David Western's</a> love spoons. I admire his work more than I can say. And, boy, would I like to be able to do that kind of complex work. But I've come to the conclusion that if I stay with using only hand-powered tools I'm going to be limited to only doing things like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHsFNvUYwlIVUnjFD3mahbd68xcsBWvHeYAhrZ7JMGrXAVOHWIRhB-Idkb5sE4WCu1YFhlRLQ__BnRrxhr4hmuEasBz4P9pTcffNJ0B3eC03R9hCpvgKKe6e7F98LLZrQNgCMthnwwfPc/s1600/etsy+Maple+FLS+front+straight.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHsFNvUYwlIVUnjFD3mahbd68xcsBWvHeYAhrZ7JMGrXAVOHWIRhB-Idkb5sE4WCu1YFhlRLQ__BnRrxhr4hmuEasBz4P9pTcffNJ0B3eC03R9hCpvgKKe6e7F98LLZrQNgCMthnwwfPc/s320/etsy+Maple+FLS+front+straight.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
That's a real limitation. Isn't it? Somehow I don't think so.<br />
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I didn't always think that way. For a long time I wanted so badly to do all the beautiful, complex things I saw people like Lynn and Dave do. And I was frustrated. Lately I have come to my senses. I think.<br />
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Of late I have come to see my limitations, the constraints I impose on my way of working, more as opportunities than as limitations. I don't have to paint like Lynn Doughty. I don't have to do complex knots like Dave Western (though I still find myself wanting to!). What I have to do is improve the skill with which I do what I want to do. I have to develop designs that make the most of the hand tools I use. I have to find the opportunities that exist within the constraints I have imposed upon myself and use them to do things no one else does. Only in this way will I grow as an artist, a carver.<br />
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Design limitations? No! Design opportunities. <br />
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I want to encourage everyone who reads this blog to evaluate how you work, what you really like to do. Develop your own designs to make the most of your tools and your methods. Don't let these things limit you. Find the opportunities that are there and grow!<br />
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[Rev] By all this I don't mean to imply that those who use power tools are any less an artist than the mossy-backs like me that just use hand tools. Artistry is artistry whether you use a chainsaw or a pocket knife. Use whatever makes you happy and to hell with those who say you're wrong!<br />
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Until next time, let the chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-66777591355937864732011-12-18T12:04:00.000-07:002011-12-18T12:04:28.659-07:00THE NOSEToday we are going to start on the nose, but first, in order to move around the carving so that you don't get too concentrated on any one thing, let's start making the slope from below the chin to the nose more gradual.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPt8mZWE4-z6v8rkeNmHRh-pFdtG7ICmhPXqA-PsRV-a80_yTDJjoDaq6PAym9VXA2kdh59ss2SioGhbujGDBQuImPdSlCi6GsqIgB5F5_llstopl-HZBongE5wsNT11IsVKwyjw5W03H/s1600/nose+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLPt8mZWE4-z6v8rkeNmHRh-pFdtG7ICmhPXqA-PsRV-a80_yTDJjoDaq6PAym9VXA2kdh59ss2SioGhbujGDBQuImPdSlCi6GsqIgB5F5_llstopl-HZBongE5wsNT11IsVKwyjw5W03H/s320/nose+01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Just start shaving wood away from the whole front of the face from below the chin line up toward the nose.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsw4l_sGQjiLss_i9DxJjAAJBH3YdCSLdhTEIEDDTcYMmEIIOaqEZFuf7loTGWKVOm9PPIE73lDqTXZKikZK-Aut8q1mZP0GuHVnHmXiYSRbeF3zDLzP1J9UYSoA8zh2yURUEE5vNRt9r/s1600/nose+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgsw4l_sGQjiLss_i9DxJjAAJBH3YdCSLdhTEIEDDTcYMmEIIOaqEZFuf7loTGWKVOm9PPIE73lDqTXZKikZK-Aut8q1mZP0GuHVnHmXiYSRbeF3zDLzP1J9UYSoA8zh2yURUEE5vNRt9r/s320/nose+02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When you are done, the profile should look something like this. I don't typically take this all the way to the nose, because the bottom of the mustache will stick out farther than where the upper lip joins the nose.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3gYToYUp_FfK3JEp5LGVsIclrzADmkbpSqBQgbx7aOCChQqmASSJVawD5dmobkpvhJsclc-275A_-7H7vx1OSp_QeVazYevXLPsCF7cEzkdgrIYBZHhjU-jYOVV_mpPypIRgiJqiOtL2/s1600/nose+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3gYToYUp_FfK3JEp5LGVsIclrzADmkbpSqBQgbx7aOCChQqmASSJVawD5dmobkpvhJsclc-275A_-7H7vx1OSp_QeVazYevXLPsCF7cEzkdgrIYBZHhjU-jYOVV_mpPypIRgiJqiOtL2/s320/nose+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Now you want to determine the width of your carving's nose. Make it wider than you think it needs to be. You can always remove wood if you think it is too wide, but you can't put wood back if you get it too narrow. So make the first mark on one side of the center line. This will locate the outside of the nostril.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBATRzOS4yMekYUMnBohvwcvz4nz7V2WWSLinCuBdkn1s6HdOMxT-aFM7FJi1PBOa-30BNV1f9xEjOLCI3s7lfMHw1Y15gjDVbgvdp9a3LL7VJHP-wa5KoH_7esXsUnVFiCmeSzenBxUlY/s1600/nose+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBATRzOS4yMekYUMnBohvwcvz4nz7V2WWSLinCuBdkn1s6HdOMxT-aFM7FJi1PBOa-30BNV1f9xEjOLCI3s7lfMHw1Y15gjDVbgvdp9a3LL7VJHP-wa5KoH_7esXsUnVFiCmeSzenBxUlY/s320/nose+04.JPG" /></a></div>Using the same precision measuring method you used to locate your nose and mouth lines, measure the distance from the center line to the nostril line you just drew and transfer that measurement to the other side of the center line.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8BrBXsGVARtfnuTlD8eo__eCZNGIXJdpNLTslUFLX9gH6qozxa22caZ-uiSImoQks685ElPR7DQ2zVsVaHo-KCd1MF8bgKe1JJ7mZ8O5RZd5pOgz0zwhAa8yato6t85qVh-n3zC82Tbx/s1600/nose+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn8BrBXsGVARtfnuTlD8eo__eCZNGIXJdpNLTslUFLX9gH6qozxa22caZ-uiSImoQks685ElPR7DQ2zVsVaHo-KCd1MF8bgKe1JJ7mZ8O5RZd5pOgz0zwhAa8yato6t85qVh-n3zC82Tbx/s320/nose+05.JPG" /></a></div>Now you have the limits of your nose marked out.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcXV-FgCon9zGjsmigNHbm8pTVu1Jn7H3GH0gPzpkWKiIgcxyNHuZ4PIh_lQL8MKps7eoiOzBvqWO7O-0edn6Un21HyfAWyFZu0CtBNqNIYFeOx_iUs0dJlGJIEu1jDGXb5U6R6gIIpBn/s1600/nose+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpcXV-FgCon9zGjsmigNHbm8pTVu1Jn7H3GH0gPzpkWKiIgcxyNHuZ4PIh_lQL8MKps7eoiOzBvqWO7O-0edn6Un21HyfAWyFZu0CtBNqNIYFeOx_iUs0dJlGJIEu1jDGXb5U6R6gIIpBn/s320/nose+06.JPG" /></a></div>Now make a slightly slanted cut up from the nose center line to the outside of the nose. If you look in the mirror you will probably find that the outside of your nostrils are higher than the point at which the center of your nose meets your upper lip.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wcDLsaBeZQsV3p5h5_FD6WDFkEEF2Mka7RE7AkmSKsN79HhtN1GnR44MeZ2Om2guc3uv3_caF7OdBLEXt-eQI_HRWXykZ4pwXL4w_HouF-gPWpzHEeTcHJ_IGdcsQa5OlNVDgKGrSn_Z/s1600/nose+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8wcDLsaBeZQsV3p5h5_FD6WDFkEEF2Mka7RE7AkmSKsN79HhtN1GnR44MeZ2Om2guc3uv3_caF7OdBLEXt-eQI_HRWXykZ4pwXL4w_HouF-gPWpzHEeTcHJ_IGdcsQa5OlNVDgKGrSn_Z/s320/nose+07.JPG" /></a></div>Your carving should look like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBl5n3ZoGtBtRuRw07BWFvpkAxuD-vYyNvTq8dnxCmD2j2Oy_nCQ6E6L3zrclaNgY8-C0lM3T7YmvwsOmDSvU_ODaXvC1_OXQH7JqkXOt4zTIRvwnNZ7gbDuTfDqFJk3S8559w5tn1wwu/s1600/nose+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghBl5n3ZoGtBtRuRw07BWFvpkAxuD-vYyNvTq8dnxCmD2j2Oy_nCQ6E6L3zrclaNgY8-C0lM3T7YmvwsOmDSvU_ODaXvC1_OXQH7JqkXOt4zTIRvwnNZ7gbDuTfDqFJk3S8559w5tn1wwu/s320/nose+08.JPG" /></a></div>Do the same thing on the other side of the nose.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcf2v0yWiw7bkVPHK4XX3JVXSfpZcuyIRBeW5YCMYb9o1WMiS_tVtoRwzrpyiVBwQRH40zfwOegs94f-yQnnhb-GllQiAf-drS2mbp8JoTWIqpqzWoCF1h9AMYsupR2856DNZGAJLbffR/s1600/nose+09.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXcf2v0yWiw7bkVPHK4XX3JVXSfpZcuyIRBeW5YCMYb9o1WMiS_tVtoRwzrpyiVBwQRH40zfwOegs94f-yQnnhb-GllQiAf-drS2mbp8JoTWIqpqzWoCF1h9AMYsupR2856DNZGAJLbffR/s320/nose+09.JPG" /></a></div>Next you want to make another cut, slanted upward at a greater angle, from the bottom of the nostril line.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDPObFP8j2PerWmkGyI0eAAY_GMDqNBy532c0mr6FmuXjuu7SZgyZ59M47p9oNQQVFR1t51KzJolOYPGjFUXWqNb49UZB3SHen2qw5UHVISFsera0F5koF90fu80IVwsh1-DeMCVg9Emx/s1600/nose+10a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXDPObFP8j2PerWmkGyI0eAAY_GMDqNBy532c0mr6FmuXjuu7SZgyZ59M47p9oNQQVFR1t51KzJolOYPGjFUXWqNb49UZB3SHen2qw5UHVISFsera0F5koF90fu80IVwsh1-DeMCVg9Emx/s320/nose+10a.JPG" /></a></div>You probably won't be able to cut all the way down to the bottom of the nose cut the first time, so don't be afraid to make multiple cuts. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNe0meKPhFBtp5H0C0gIFz_iQURgcjd1LJ2dDWnwMfMGsF1rmgDt9bQtXvgDuRzUncuM0-gWV_r_d7HNPhU5jgZRhZeWWuar2q0QmSlj3Doldd_tMdGbEkiwfa4NfleL5CmmVDLsa2G1kc/s1600/nose+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNe0meKPhFBtp5H0C0gIFz_iQURgcjd1LJ2dDWnwMfMGsF1rmgDt9bQtXvgDuRzUncuM0-gWV_r_d7HNPhU5jgZRhZeWWuar2q0QmSlj3Doldd_tMdGbEkiwfa4NfleL5CmmVDLsa2G1kc/s320/nose+11.JPG" /></a></div>Clean up the bottom of the cut before proceeding.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlVv4EcCBk3Q7U19b58LiXbQKSYdhY6On-yygUfNHpB0Dc2QjhOcr7x-VZMIdEXPGABs1JH6qwyGfiYEznL32aPNl-hIGMqh_CFhUzgZcqgFk6WT7aHxM1zy_DKmZnzGL9fH1aFXv66v6/s1600/nose+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJlVv4EcCBk3Q7U19b58LiXbQKSYdhY6On-yygUfNHpB0Dc2QjhOcr7x-VZMIdEXPGABs1JH6qwyGfiYEznL32aPNl-hIGMqh_CFhUzgZcqgFk6WT7aHxM1zy_DKmZnzGL9fH1aFXv66v6/s320/nose+12.JPG" /></a></div>Make a third cut along the outside of the nostril, this time almost, but not quite, parallel to the center line. Once you repeat these cuts on the other side of the nose, your carving should look like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQF7CTKVWoD9BcSmR2s-1fSdHpdx9oUsN14HJH93890-k0qRf5gnVHd2ACACk8gnqhjQxtzCYqUViJeDF3IJbqrENZx2skhflX_wt-Qzr-LFA6f26GzbOb2RTN9wpCxtbobVDGnk9zw3t/s1600/nose+13a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQF7CTKVWoD9BcSmR2s-1fSdHpdx9oUsN14HJH93890-k0qRf5gnVHd2ACACk8gnqhjQxtzCYqUViJeDF3IJbqrENZx2skhflX_wt-Qzr-LFA6f26GzbOb2RTN9wpCxtbobVDGnk9zw3t/s320/nose+13a.JPG" /></a></div>Nostrils have a top, so you'll want to make one more cut to delineate that.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTMQemjjxpgcC0wY4N50rcnZF32460_0MBJgcS3OgTR4zln4hMizUSNLJL8ja3_o1udrXE1CrMlivCcHAzGLhBU1wGEKFJISzqTvyKxibBcMLu7DXFjd34d57ll2Wz9CmoHOo8RW-Xjhb/s1600/nose+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdTMQemjjxpgcC0wY4N50rcnZF32460_0MBJgcS3OgTR4zln4hMizUSNLJL8ja3_o1udrXE1CrMlivCcHAzGLhBU1wGEKFJISzqTvyKxibBcMLu7DXFjd34d57ll2Wz9CmoHOo8RW-Xjhb/s320/nose+14.JPG" /></a></div>It's time to start defining the shape of the bridge of the nose. Start the cut at the inside end of the top of the nostril and curve it up all the way to the eyebrows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55zNn-aMmz1Iq88rnnk6T8PUxSbK9ZfoNcqkJKuVDCLFJlkr3IoYHjSQ1TO-8QECpKmNdXOWP8DO5fRvc3PEHhZICUJOrohXe05i8JJvoc3Z4fyQnOG5otPStYwJQFqPABr4Qze_l6moy/s1600/nose+15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55zNn-aMmz1Iq88rnnk6T8PUxSbK9ZfoNcqkJKuVDCLFJlkr3IoYHjSQ1TO-8QECpKmNdXOWP8DO5fRvc3PEHhZICUJOrohXe05i8JJvoc3Z4fyQnOG5otPStYwJQFqPABr4Qze_l6moy/s320/nose+15.JPG" /></a></div>If you run your finger along the side of your nose from the top of the bridge down to your cheek, you will be able to feel that the side of your nose slopes out from the top. Make your cut with the blade of your knife sloped accordingly. In order to maintain good control of your blade you need to make several shallow cuts rather than one deep one. As you can see (look where the arrow is pointing) my knife slipped on the first cut and extended out over the eyebrow onto the forehead. A classic example of using too much force. I'm not worried about it, because the cut is shallow and will probably be carved out as the carving progresses. By the way, in case you didn't know, you can click on the photo and view it full size. Details are much clearer.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8e8yYzE3BK0J96YqfzgvDHraPKT5Ko72DZqA1NIwuTU7GJtacbwqXIYmT3x8hkDe8KNAyNg2HajCxIEkMJCB9sTD2LS8aX-AuyjXp7Vd61jFK-Ozt40e5ivtRSppWEz3M4MUfHUCkaN9/s1600/nose+16.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ8e8yYzE3BK0J96YqfzgvDHraPKT5Ko72DZqA1NIwuTU7GJtacbwqXIYmT3x8hkDe8KNAyNg2HajCxIEkMJCB9sTD2LS8aX-AuyjXp7Vd61jFK-Ozt40e5ivtRSppWEz3M4MUfHUCkaN9/s320/nose+16.JPG" /></a></div>Make a slanted cut back down from the outside toward the nose cut. You are going to wind up with a "vee" cut here. The bottom of the "vee" should be only slightly above the level of the upper lip. Take your right index finger and put it on the high-point of your right cheek bone. This should be just under the outside corner of your eye. Now slide your finger in to the side of your nose and then back out to where you started. You should be able to feel that your face slopes from your cheek down toward your nose.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmY8BlLDGMqjeVavrTVLdtozVCCL4TOGKyqFzkBVuEsUwKmlL3OMcmGxeMRXOA0oUy5228eRa10GAS7rdW1WhQv0JsE0MW5HI3tVO_bYLvpiGKndPC02KTRlQ-qk_27VaNepGKRnBQKSa/s1600/nose+17.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmY8BlLDGMqjeVavrTVLdtozVCCL4TOGKyqFzkBVuEsUwKmlL3OMcmGxeMRXOA0oUy5228eRa10GAS7rdW1WhQv0JsE0MW5HI3tVO_bYLvpiGKndPC02KTRlQ-qk_27VaNepGKRnBQKSa/s320/nose+17.JPG" /></a></div>This is how the carving should look once you have done both sides of the nose. You can really see the cut I made when my knife slipped in this photo. You will make mistakes. Don't let it worry you. It's only a piece of wood!<br />
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Next time we'll start on the eyes. Eyes really worry beginning carvers, but they really aren't that difficult to do. You'll see!<br />
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So, until next time, let those chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-49029795170908860772011-12-01T15:31:00.000-07:002011-12-01T15:31:15.472-07:00Roughing Out the Brow and Eye Planes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrll26ofCv2C3HXULQmcVgBuk-oiCKKwCnYTdv1PjQu2YJAyJ3bk03o_a0r9JDwcrpfCMhNSca6lb7f4haBcJ7yUDnMXO0rcche7ZGLJZQ8ylQy8AJplkY9svBM_riBKcClXfzhY2uamM/s1600/Wallace+right.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIrll26ofCv2C3HXULQmcVgBuk-oiCKKwCnYTdv1PjQu2YJAyJ3bk03o_a0r9JDwcrpfCMhNSca6lb7f4haBcJ7yUDnMXO0rcche7ZGLJZQ8ylQy8AJplkY9svBM_riBKcClXfzhY2uamM/s320/Wallace+right.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Before we get started, I thought you might want to meet Wallace.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRfVOLssENrzKa_4VbgK4n39-Qgv6T4xVr2TcjduJXEG6t4QM7H6mhNYNi2IWgZJz2ZCDK5IeK4TowJT_RRyqwX-wIl_mq45TD8DZh8npWl9EC8v8vfA3DqK2UMndvU9aoEOnwnPkuEDP/s1600/Wallace+front.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsRfVOLssENrzKa_4VbgK4n39-Qgv6T4xVr2TcjduJXEG6t4QM7H6mhNYNi2IWgZJz2ZCDK5IeK4TowJT_RRyqwX-wIl_mq45TD8DZh8npWl9EC8v8vfA3DqK2UMndvU9aoEOnwnPkuEDP/s320/Wallace+front.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Wallace is the latest addition to my stable of wood spirits. I originally thought about calling him Cyrano because of his nose, but my daughter thought he looked like one of the characters in the Wallace & Grommet claymation movies, so, Wallace, he became. He serves as another example of the great variety of things we humans recognize as faces.<br />
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And now, to business!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ90BX_2J-YgYmDs0z_4BYf-2jN-2-9esAb_AVyW4l0NkHtyF90aJbJHVWjO_mhRAKWtRj0HJ6KsMGm9XT8ujlavCNn4WP5ojSpgIg1eWv1V4s_lUTzi60p1nhkz64XiVkqeeU7HUhvBvO/s1600/Brow+line+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ90BX_2J-YgYmDs0z_4BYf-2jN-2-9esAb_AVyW4l0NkHtyF90aJbJHVWjO_mhRAKWtRj0HJ6KsMGm9XT8ujlavCNn4WP5ojSpgIg1eWv1V4s_lUTzi60p1nhkz64XiVkqeeU7HUhvBvO/s320/Brow+line+01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The next thing we want to do is give the upper part of the face a little depth, so we are going to carve a flat plane from the nose up to meet the hair line. Start about 1/4" above the nose cut. You want to leave enough wood to give you some options later on. We want to establish the depth of the hair line to be a little less than the depth of the nose cut. I am using a push cut here as I showed you in the <a href="http://flyingchips.blogspot.com/2011/11/cutting-wood.html">previous post</a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFTU_ttWH6bg5SfSU1i5lceSMjFUxpK_wB12yQnfSf2_RjbEO2VtsBTRzxb4x3z3ZQBMYlQvRkNVL4BMGh3tWYN4aUj9MGavi4ylRMrlHo0AHENHWVMEymKRcSWs2HdLO2Dvq27fWftIb/s1600/Brow+line+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcFTU_ttWH6bg5SfSU1i5lceSMjFUxpK_wB12yQnfSf2_RjbEO2VtsBTRzxb4x3z3ZQBMYlQvRkNVL4BMGh3tWYN4aUj9MGavi4ylRMrlHo0AHENHWVMEymKRcSWs2HdLO2Dvq27fWftIb/s320/Brow+line+02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Push that cut all the way up to the furrow you cut along the hair line. You may well have to readjust your grip on the wood to finish the cut. That's OK. Take a look at the chip I've raised here. Your chip shouldn't be any thicker than this one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdncOwHHwDdu_B2hUnBlp4ecNb3UyY4U3bzdsZ5ZXd7wgdsW2_3v3VwPXheS2OJNRzE1CLkYX2E3z5FogP9rrMa_-tF6ICvs45ZYq4FflvElMtuVpfmnrmu1pknltbzh0RGQjD8avuMpz/s1600/Brow+line+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqdncOwHHwDdu_B2hUnBlp4ecNb3UyY4U3bzdsZ5ZXd7wgdsW2_3v3VwPXheS2OJNRzE1CLkYX2E3z5FogP9rrMa_-tF6ICvs45ZYq4FflvElMtuVpfmnrmu1pknltbzh0RGQjD8avuMpz/s320/Brow+line+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You may find it easier to use the lever cut technique, using the thumb of your holding hand as a pivot point. By using the last third or quarter of the blade length as shown here, you'll get a longer cut with less force.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLQE_DWGpf3VcAmj54AbvahR5JeqwQfr4_8WomiSM8zLKlxPLucRFedZHszqjmYWFPMMHg-y3qJSeEeT9EJhNJJ_9QNn8dFdCUSINsB5nezwMOAPJ0OOJFSxYyyJPt3NAHHcKa2163jKE/s1600/Brow+line+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCLQE_DWGpf3VcAmj54AbvahR5JeqwQfr4_8WomiSM8zLKlxPLucRFedZHszqjmYWFPMMHg-y3qJSeEeT9EJhNJJ_9QNn8dFdCUSINsB5nezwMOAPJ0OOJFSxYyyJPt3NAHHcKa2163jKE/s320/Brow+line+04.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This is about what your first cut should look like.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFSFO8ALGh6lWmZgxCZwHRpNrDQw_cJ1UxI8oACC0bRP5Pjtakto050pSsv-PEk7WWcnruKaoisZfZaF6czrxn2_VKFgHJnK43LD4k-35TuvpDHaNOacnWsI0pcATgoBiRZNNcLjoWxOU/s1600/Brow+line+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCFSFO8ALGh6lWmZgxCZwHRpNrDQw_cJ1UxI8oACC0bRP5Pjtakto050pSsv-PEk7WWcnruKaoisZfZaF6czrxn2_VKFgHJnK43LD4k-35TuvpDHaNOacnWsI0pcATgoBiRZNNcLjoWxOU/s320/Brow+line+05.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
As you deepen the cut at the hair line, you'll want to cut down from above also. On most people who don't sport a rockabilly hairdo the hair doesn't jut out from the forehead at a right angle. Here I'm using what I call a pivot cut. I have planted my knife-hand thumb against the wood and am pivoting the knife around that point down into the wood. This is a fairly safe cut, even though you are cutting back toward your holding hand, for three reasons. First, you are cutting down into the wood. The blade will stop against the bottom of the cut you just finished up from the nose. Second, by using this pivot cut you limit the travel of the blade. It can't move more than an inch or so, and your thumb and holding hand are out of the way. Third, you'll be taking multiple thin cuts, so you don't have to use excessive force. And (remember this?) excessive force is the most common cause for knife slippage.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJcJxihdATEQ9MV0S797J6UJ3mdhHhMkxi2GVWPmXegsT_chekYt5bucHm3wxMOAL9sEhLIuOKgC83FZMXhwPqFzUuTGrF64FrezDsdgo3ER_Iy0gCUThaXq3_Qfb1v0L3LuH6MMLPQlE/s1600/Brow+line+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXJcJxihdATEQ9MV0S797J6UJ3mdhHhMkxi2GVWPmXegsT_chekYt5bucHm3wxMOAL9sEhLIuOKgC83FZMXhwPqFzUuTGrF64FrezDsdgo3ER_Iy0gCUThaXq3_Qfb1v0L3LuH6MMLPQlE/s320/Brow+line+06.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
At this point, your carving should look similar to this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib03QoraVVJ7Ep61O-xIy27xj9XxScn0VV4FCKnDGJORAs-TkaREifWZ34m8Su_Fc72rZDWz_7KYH_vzjQOU2BA45vWbpbxFE70_7E3s1HNoPStgEdoIeSN9HMGj5yrnUYc9JI5VSw68f_/s1600/Brow+line+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib03QoraVVJ7Ep61O-xIy27xj9XxScn0VV4FCKnDGJORAs-TkaREifWZ34m8Su_Fc72rZDWz_7KYH_vzjQOU2BA45vWbpbxFE70_7E3s1HNoPStgEdoIeSN9HMGj5yrnUYc9JI5VSw68f_/s320/Brow+line+07.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Left side view. As you can see, the depth of the cut at the hair line is not quite as deep as the depth at the nose cut.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBaYJTVnwNPq5chfSGzqw1WzZYRw7oBd0bS5EuMdhY-NXYrPbLA_CvYHDiq11Dv7wjoO5QAE60Xy2J4DDumlpSLhoLaGVvQxi0p-sx73wPYMADBlM-BY9zKlPOdYiGzEDARCs5XN2dqbb/s1600/Eye+planes+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFBaYJTVnwNPq5chfSGzqw1WzZYRw7oBd0bS5EuMdhY-NXYrPbLA_CvYHDiq11Dv7wjoO5QAE60Xy2J4DDumlpSLhoLaGVvQxi0p-sx73wPYMADBlM-BY9zKlPOdYiGzEDARCs5XN2dqbb/s320/Eye+planes+01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now we need to start carving in the areas where the eyes will be. You want to cut another flat plane on both sides of the face's center line from a point just below where you started the hair line cut up to the hair line.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWtrvLrTWtfLi9uWECbDlLsYJwfq8Z-CfICeCdmaZHeBAoN1ND3UlnCGbdNeVITf7j7-mVdXmvx5_eLw2JnHig6mmkOX-qL4f826UoMm-WLvFUYHNxYykofWPojxI-pj-qpWea4Ek0vO-/s1600/Eye+planes+01a.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDWtrvLrTWtfLi9uWECbDlLsYJwfq8Z-CfICeCdmaZHeBAoN1ND3UlnCGbdNeVITf7j7-mVdXmvx5_eLw2JnHig6mmkOX-qL4f826UoMm-WLvFUYHNxYykofWPojxI-pj-qpWea4Ek0vO-/s320/Eye+planes+01a.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Again, you'll be making multiple thin cuts.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE_cYoD0UJaqBEOPqUPBaqYf40dqroeTrqNeed8nmWvv6ofn9pbhBQVXiXyMgVn4eI729RT4O6S2_AcPXqju0dwRghbe4xVvQpGIHeqlhkqenMqkCkn6ao6sRqBdvkiVIRMxM-Wj9yhM4/s1600/Eye+planes+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcE_cYoD0UJaqBEOPqUPBaqYf40dqroeTrqNeed8nmWvv6ofn9pbhBQVXiXyMgVn4eI729RT4O6S2_AcPXqju0dwRghbe4xVvQpGIHeqlhkqenMqkCkn6ao6sRqBdvkiVIRMxM-Wj9yhM4/s320/Eye+planes+04.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
When you're done, your carving should look something like what you see on the left side of the center line. On the right of the center line, I've already done the next step, but fear not, I'll show you the cuts in a bit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWs9AGItID7j9mx4QaH7BiSNEnfoqI4_kjImkGOQXuwmwmHF5b0DJyN6J-JHmyrqKv0eOMvNKMTOaUMqMd6u6BRYLkBEIVC0ilbVmLsrJcPlJMzW71-ts_5ukk23_Acir9ub5AsbZ0pNFq/s1600/Eye+planes+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWs9AGItID7j9mx4QaH7BiSNEnfoqI4_kjImkGOQXuwmwmHF5b0DJyN6J-JHmyrqKv0eOMvNKMTOaUMqMd6u6BRYLkBEIVC0ilbVmLsrJcPlJMzW71-ts_5ukk23_Acir9ub5AsbZ0pNFq/s320/Eye+planes+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
A side view of what I call the eye plane.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNSeZbiDgQSrUmFp8SSC1PKJ_oRqqiIU4FBV6TcFefS9X6N5iXee10xsV7STO4jkzZhaCJq0p3KQ7krOxzL5lMGe5p97o7bkT5lgJrNp4CPjBqKvYPMkJ3nJ5V79stT-0pLUIbOYFV34C/s1600/Eye+planes+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfNSeZbiDgQSrUmFp8SSC1PKJ_oRqqiIU4FBV6TcFefS9X6N5iXee10xsV7STO4jkzZhaCJq0p3KQ7krOxzL5lMGe5p97o7bkT5lgJrNp4CPjBqKvYPMkJ3nJ5V79stT-0pLUIbOYFV34C/s320/Eye+planes+05.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now you want to scoop out a concave chunk of wood from the bottom of the eye plane cut you just did to a point just above the eye line. You want to angle the knife edge down into the wood then, as the cut progresses, turn the knife edge horizontal then up leaving a dip in the wood,<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNesc5JSDJfxyV-RCb4GMvVermR5eg7sdphJwc-DWY2loeGZjoOYapof7y5eYc-LuF4S4hrh87MUqyhtVdio2-QovIcGgi1oV_o2FMLop4mNzNNKZXZ9fa3-5GPkghJFGF2y3JA61CyTu/s1600/Eye+planes+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNesc5JSDJfxyV-RCb4GMvVermR5eg7sdphJwc-DWY2loeGZjoOYapof7y5eYc-LuF4S4hrh87MUqyhtVdio2-QovIcGgi1oV_o2FMLop4mNzNNKZXZ9fa3-5GPkghJFGF2y3JA61CyTu/s320/Eye+planes+06.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Due to the grain direction you will get a little tear out as you see here. Don't worry about it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi8_FaG3j0oN0UWe-D-lGTfIvi9idv4vFr9-kHHN5SuLGoW-L1j0QQWQHufSKJk4aEvst9gXZQ5I5U5JZJhvvBuz2H7rd8G0L-dtX6t4T22DMZ_1Y3gsfM-D0ndpscfc5hn6JcdtjbuwU/s1600/Eye+planes+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTi8_FaG3j0oN0UWe-D-lGTfIvi9idv4vFr9-kHHN5SuLGoW-L1j0QQWQHufSKJk4aEvst9gXZQ5I5U5JZJhvvBuz2H7rd8G0L-dtX6t4T22DMZ_1Y3gsfM-D0ndpscfc5hn6JcdtjbuwU/s320/Eye+planes+07.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Just grab the piece by the other end and cut down toward the bottom of the dip with the same technique you used above. Be careful because you won't have as much wood to hold onto as you did cutting from below. So use the lever cut and make thin cuts. You'll be able to smooth out the bottom of the dip using very light cuts with the tip of the blade.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfjnXkDzhpLpDM1pAaqhZjaoQZgLr2NJI25KSOO-EbryB-lLO_FTEhmtrAPVm-RcfDUuh_4cCI7Qw2DPYHt0pOYo4U4mOWZEHLCcyGqV4O4VEKkYHtTIv4qzvKxgVRXw91he-5z5lpIHV/s1600/Eye+planes+08.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKfjnXkDzhpLpDM1pAaqhZjaoQZgLr2NJI25KSOO-EbryB-lLO_FTEhmtrAPVm-RcfDUuh_4cCI7Qw2DPYHt0pOYo4U4mOWZEHLCcyGqV4O4VEKkYHtTIv4qzvKxgVRXw91he-5z5lpIHV/s320/Eye+planes+08.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Make a cut from the top of the dip you just carved down and back to the hair line. This will establish your carving's eye brows.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheInM1kYQ4OtqHJiHX9543CGnqpowoZve567QXqknTP-23aA8eadjH7AYC8yjGopNbUqQpPZa3jWBSNwaporwbiEAMkFMgsA7qdaU5UJn7Tk-L4ZCj7e-L5AYCARxeLJ-ZpgFfugSoqI2w/s1600/Eye+planes+10.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheInM1kYQ4OtqHJiHX9543CGnqpowoZve567QXqknTP-23aA8eadjH7AYC8yjGopNbUqQpPZa3jWBSNwaporwbiEAMkFMgsA7qdaU5UJn7Tk-L4ZCj7e-L5AYCARxeLJ-ZpgFfugSoqI2w/s320/Eye+planes+10.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Once you are done, begin doing the same thing on the other side of the face. Try to keep the two sides as symmetrical as you can. Both sides don't have to be exactly the same, but keeping them nearly the same at this stage will simplify things later in the carving process. You will probably have to go back and make some corrective cuts on one side, then the other. I did! When you are done your carving should look something like this.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1jCluiDLBHIZbJya3tL1xZuuhzqBQ5kFijAOiECGPz5DCJNZj2XUxVmSMj3EbiZJgudzWWsTGWxMvRaX_ft0OVfv7YffykIXwLz5ZGDsuM1aA-Hj7W8B8Rk3H61rynFqhsrx4i_z8ZXr/s1600/Eye+planes+11.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy1jCluiDLBHIZbJya3tL1xZuuhzqBQ5kFijAOiECGPz5DCJNZj2XUxVmSMj3EbiZJgudzWWsTGWxMvRaX_ft0OVfv7YffykIXwLz5ZGDsuM1aA-Hj7W8B8Rk3H61rynFqhsrx4i_z8ZXr/s320/Eye+planes+11.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Left hand view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOv7qffYWLVJOxjpLNhW-CBdRUMvS7RoNIHrUmn3oK7B2-KSxbqmNcOQH6_ySQhEwPB7BAlCpzzya9SdKXqBWqA9hAmTpULkRSc2vTF1pGSq_bo3JQVz2B0_7x1GJ1Cgtd2kJ2A2xcDU3b/s1600/Eye+planes+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOv7qffYWLVJOxjpLNhW-CBdRUMvS7RoNIHrUmn3oK7B2-KSxbqmNcOQH6_ySQhEwPB7BAlCpzzya9SdKXqBWqA9hAmTpULkRSc2vTF1pGSq_bo3JQVz2B0_7x1GJ1Cgtd2kJ2A2xcDU3b/s320/Eye+planes+12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Right hand view.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjU92cfsbFiu0W35nqccN7Bx5q9NvhHSZV3VoT9hZ-Gqwqr_z-V-xTNy8tCFCdcLzbhno0l1NccSchEkP5CnTwhHmw5Sztl6Bgzl29P-alKBATbgGhFup2PDEDi4h25LTDUFuaPYL9e3b/s1600/Eye+planes+14.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLjU92cfsbFiu0W35nqccN7Bx5q9NvhHSZV3VoT9hZ-Gqwqr_z-V-xTNy8tCFCdcLzbhno0l1NccSchEkP5CnTwhHmw5Sztl6Bgzl29P-alKBATbgGhFup2PDEDi4h25LTDUFuaPYL9e3b/s320/Eye+planes+14.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Use your pencil to extend the eye lines from the remnants of the eye line that you drew past the hair line. I told you that would be useful! <br />
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We're going to stop now. You must be tired. I know I am! Strop your knife really well so it will be as sharp as you can get it when we begin again. I can't emphasize enough the importance of stropping often.<br />
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Next time we'll work on the lower part of the face. At this point the temptation is to continue with the eyes, but that's really not a good idea. Most beginning carvers want to begin carving detail way too soon in the process. You want to get all the major forms on the face carved before you start any kind of detail carving. If you started detailed carving on the eyes now, probably you would make them too small. You need to have your nose better established to get the eye size right. Form must always precede detail. The basic form gives you the location and size of the details. So don't get in a hurry.<br />
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Until next time, let those chips fly.Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-38623308491672071642011-11-19T16:25:00.001-07:002011-11-19T22:07:16.756-07:00Cutting Wood<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYR_4HvmvqtgkUgRsgg7ADMnfNAdLWT8t767nF7IeJGAtQf8MrQ57aXNmntF19hUFeieXyxakRmPkje_ltuRdnNVLCsyRCrfJ_yFhOvEoPeT74id4Oa-zJojYZTOwpanpqzIi6YlMtxwj/s1600/sleepy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfYR_4HvmvqtgkUgRsgg7ADMnfNAdLWT8t767nF7IeJGAtQf8MrQ57aXNmntF19hUFeieXyxakRmPkje_ltuRdnNVLCsyRCrfJ_yFhOvEoPeT74id4Oa-zJojYZTOwpanpqzIi6YlMtxwj/s320/sleepy.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Well, you can't carve a face like this without cutting wood, so here we go! Be sure to wear your carving glove and thumb protector. I don't want you springing a leak and getting blood all over that lovely piece of wood you have in your hand! That will just ruin a carving.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8NDowdzDywneHmzt5vC95u_FDdBCYRH9Wglw4CBxBIMbZ0zZy36Ptzb170b9VuoEdnp2zwvIBD9oKgpcxlhyQmoCHaEHZYX9UMXPhTyTVdKyMhKvN90ttcBL3jwYo-QpJMzFWbCDB-nN/s1600/Cut+wood+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ8NDowdzDywneHmzt5vC95u_FDdBCYRH9Wglw4CBxBIMbZ0zZy36Ptzb170b9VuoEdnp2zwvIBD9oKgpcxlhyQmoCHaEHZYX9UMXPhTyTVdKyMhKvN90ttcBL3jwYo-QpJMzFWbCDB-nN/s320/Cut+wood+01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The first thing you need to do is take the tip of your knife and cut into the wood following the line you drew to outline the face. Cut in at a slight downward angle; it'll be a little easier that way. Don't worry if you wander off line. As you can see, I did.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzwMTYoDV6njfa9aymOxP8YobaarlRqpPs0b8c2f3YEo9jLgeXX_DHo1b0PF_yLOgmM-BGSmzcT5a9Txyj07TM1QkBcU34nMbVtcKHc8DGfVGdpRRfbyMMpEnVWMW2mjb8PWeneMf0rA0/s1600/Cut+wood+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibzwMTYoDV6njfa9aymOxP8YobaarlRqpPs0b8c2f3YEo9jLgeXX_DHo1b0PF_yLOgmM-BGSmzcT5a9Txyj07TM1QkBcU34nMbVtcKHc8DGfVGdpRRfbyMMpEnVWMW2mjb8PWeneMf0rA0/s320/Cut+wood+02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Next, from just below the first cut make a series of small cuts back toward the first cut. Do this all the way around the face. Or where the face will be.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MTgbfth9VurozVNRB0xQvhU7qxqOP_VQwNcA2jSjaWK5cqr7la2muLjiDYi6fzSnncRFIU1O7D6neUWEZtRRa4AYVjFBJsoYJWUZ0uzPUEgbo0f1CpesvCq6DnAEimXeacUvHicDzkY5/s1600/Cut+wood+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3MTgbfth9VurozVNRB0xQvhU7qxqOP_VQwNcA2jSjaWK5cqr7la2muLjiDYi6fzSnncRFIU1O7D6neUWEZtRRa4AYVjFBJsoYJWUZ0uzPUEgbo0f1CpesvCq6DnAEimXeacUvHicDzkY5/s320/Cut+wood+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This leaves you with a small furrow that outlines the place your face will soon appear. This line will sink straight, more or less, down into the wood as we continue to carve to it, deeper and deeper from both sides. Look at old Sleepy at the top of this post. This furrow you just cut is where his forehead disappears into the wood. Since this is his hair line, you don't want it wandering too far north or south from where it is, or your facial proportions will be off. I just want to repeat here that this is neither rocket science nor mathematics, so it doesn't matter if the line moves a little.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPHJVMtINSY0m385Bjz54QJPEpkdEdCiLPYvecaFXiLvX1U0hKsJKO7nVnWAvw6rBHsfbrNp71aoP7PjXA8AmSYsYLyKt_-PCrEZtEkLl5FHgi_Sa9hHTDLarsusOftEOuoTBA9lBQPcN/s1600/Cut+wood+04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPHJVMtINSY0m385Bjz54QJPEpkdEdCiLPYvecaFXiLvX1U0hKsJKO7nVnWAvw6rBHsfbrNp71aoP7PjXA8AmSYsYLyKt_-PCrEZtEkLl5FHgi_Sa9hHTDLarsusOftEOuoTBA9lBQPcN/s320/Cut+wood+04.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here's where we begin locating and carving the nose. Make a shallow cut straight down into the wood along the nose line. Try to make the cut extend an equal distance on either side of the center line. You won't be able to cut far down into the wood so don't worry about it and don't try to force it. That cut you just made is called a stop cut. It's called that because it stops the next cut you make from going too far.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTLmQSgoa4Wono2fgdygGN2eR6fRF9qJmMfL-0zhHyoQO_rjYDAt4vOmiqfRIL7M1UvoXsY3JGtspQ735NatoHlgBxUmhHjf4Z3UVeOvm0_d4i-vx4f9UkFCrHt8jU2bXZOGIAfv6W_oV/s1600/Cut+wood+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgTLmQSgoa4Wono2fgdygGN2eR6fRF9qJmMfL-0zhHyoQO_rjYDAt4vOmiqfRIL7M1UvoXsY3JGtspQ735NatoHlgBxUmhHjf4Z3UVeOvm0_d4i-vx4f9UkFCrHt8jU2bXZOGIAfv6W_oV/s320/Cut+wood+05.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now place your knife below the stop cut on the nose line and cut back up to it raising a small chip of wood like you see here. You're going to be making a lot of these cuts, and each time you do, renew the stop cut at the nose line so the chip will fall away.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-14r9ne8U9PAVyhbG6LjPF_5aZwLIOY9dgPD3OKxja-xSTugO1K71ScuKD7yV3jAMNUewzc9YTjcX6a7VPNjALHmKQt6Rufhx0-BZ0Mfq_gf5eMh8zxVyVqGxJpO3QVP4cN5EjWD_r9qI/s1600/Push+cut+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-14r9ne8U9PAVyhbG6LjPF_5aZwLIOY9dgPD3OKxja-xSTugO1K71ScuKD7yV3jAMNUewzc9YTjcX6a7VPNjALHmKQt6Rufhx0-BZ0Mfq_gf5eMh8zxVyVqGxJpO3QVP4cN5EjWD_r9qI/s320/Push+cut+02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
This kind of cut is called a "push cut". You will be using it a lot. As you can see from the photo, you put the thumb of the hand holding the wood on the back of the knife blade and push. This gives you a great deal of control and minimizes the chance that the knife will slip and run away from you. Use just enough force to make the cut and don't try to take too large a chip at any one time. Cutting thin chips may seem like the "slow boat" way to do things, but, believe me, once you get some practice you can remove just as much wood just as quickly and much more safely as you can with a single deep cut. You can also make this cut by putting one thumb on top of the other, but that's a little hard on the bottom thumb.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6dCpZLDm1zkdsvNnQTt0yyfNgYNpfLAL4ZF8ALtRBEB05mJyXYrfilvgs6p27XO_-Mi1J0vqrPnPXmdG5a-xxXyi0aYJoUXFhkZXk1A2MZg6zZR3_-rPxza4TpUVbvrm_1TFT0tFsAvR/s1600/Push+cut+03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK6dCpZLDm1zkdsvNnQTt0yyfNgYNpfLAL4ZF8ALtRBEB05mJyXYrfilvgs6p27XO_-Mi1J0vqrPnPXmdG5a-xxXyi0aYJoUXFhkZXk1A2MZg6zZR3_-rPxza4TpUVbvrm_1TFT0tFsAvR/s320/Push+cut+03.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You can also make the cut this way. Put the thumb of your holding hand on the back of the blade and move your knife hand back toward you. This turns your thumb into a fulcrum and your knife into a lever. You still have great control and much more power than with a straight push cut.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D2pBQoCb3IzQhjEgFIxQ1-V66Vcgw3_xbVPhaqECwOm0nuK_6ybZaAG0tQdCjYxH8pqE5hcJFz04VLZNZsAu6oqx3rPyjMcSR843eb0QoylJJyJG_kwFp6bimxVDQr6SOh7-87HCmAjB/s1600/Cut+wood+07.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_D2pBQoCb3IzQhjEgFIxQ1-V66Vcgw3_xbVPhaqECwOm0nuK_6ybZaAG0tQdCjYxH8pqE5hcJFz04VLZNZsAu6oqx3rPyjMcSR843eb0QoylJJyJG_kwFp6bimxVDQr6SOh7-87HCmAjB/s320/Cut+wood+07.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You will continue to make these cuts until you have cut a deep vee up to the nose line as shown in this photo. This will take some time, and you will get tired, so take a break every now and then. You want to make this cut deep, because if you don't your face will be flat. You don't want to carve flat faces! One of my issues about wood spirits is that many of them have flat faces when viewed from the side. I don't like that look, but your mileage may vary.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBVoD0vosfEHoXBVCyTNqZhiAGrL7BbIW0ISMDCRcKjxFDhqUf5jnEN6OOiWerpPunKap-__zsXpokZvqdGFLVKKGu1DCGKw8yl9qY68r7tzUH13Ih_o4NafNL3gr5vtseSUETI9hOG7_/s1600/Tanglefoot+left.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBVoD0vosfEHoXBVCyTNqZhiAGrL7BbIW0ISMDCRcKjxFDhqUf5jnEN6OOiWerpPunKap-__zsXpokZvqdGFLVKKGu1DCGKw8yl9qY68r7tzUH13Ih_o4NafNL3gr5vtseSUETI9hOG7_/s320/Tanglefoot+left.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Old Tangle Foot here doesn't have a flat face, and neither should the wood spirits you carve. I haven't always been so successful as with Tangle Foot, but that was mostly because I was carving in a hard wood and got lazy. One rule to keep in mind: if you think you've finally carved deep enough, carve deeper!<br />
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Next time we'll start defining the upper part of the face. Be prepared for some major wood removal!<br />
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So, until then, let those chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-74736156959500867752011-11-05T13:31:00.001-06:002011-11-05T13:36:09.977-06:00Laying Out The Face<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZj0Bm0_DVjOV5oQon3QSUV5Qs_CnEwlgvpwsPMnIPeNGqVB5hW62ZcLi8Ix0zte8FODOzguXlbCak393AdOaKFUOISIClDDysjq6-yn0ndwEabfyy3IUnug5KuL2GdphdqHy4vWw84na/s1600/Bare+wood+01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVZj0Bm0_DVjOV5oQon3QSUV5Qs_CnEwlgvpwsPMnIPeNGqVB5hW62ZcLi8Ix0zte8FODOzguXlbCak393AdOaKFUOISIClDDysjq6-yn0ndwEabfyy3IUnug5KuL2GdphdqHy4vWw84na/s320/Bare+wood+01.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Here we go, people! Getting down to business! As I said earlier, start out with a birch wood dowel 1-1/2" in diameter and about 6" long. You can start with a branch if you want, but I recommend commercial wood to learn on because of its consistency.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Wj4V4CoP5Uvar1Zm2YPgHfFUdTyD-nax8dQExRybGLIjVo5gZ7EKkwt6eK2YyvapU0TeCR8UBMuj-4KDdzkykUBKZecigm42UmRBMyEQcG4DxMiYklS98otKBeBbYxkOHxYSNU6xi__a/s1600/Bare+wood+02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Wj4V4CoP5Uvar1Zm2YPgHfFUdTyD-nax8dQExRybGLIjVo5gZ7EKkwt6eK2YyvapU0TeCR8UBMuj-4KDdzkykUBKZecigm42UmRBMyEQcG4DxMiYklS98otKBeBbYxkOHxYSNU6xi__a/s320/Bare+wood+02.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The first thing you want to do is draw a center line down the length of the dowel. It doesn't have to be exact. (You'll be hearing that OFTEN!). I put my pinky against the dowel and pulled my hand down the length with the point of the pencil against the wood. This will help you keep both sides of your carving more or less symmetrical. I say "more or less" because absolute symmetry is not only unnecessary, it is unnatural!<br />
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Now we are going to start laying out the face. You might notice that I haven't mentioned anything about a "pattern". That's because I think patterns for this type of carving are unnecessary and stifle creativity. If you learn to carve without a pattern, every carving will be different. And that's the way it should be! It's more fun to be surprised when the face emerges from the wood. Draw a short line across the center line roughly an 1-1/2" down from the top. This will be the location of your face's hair line. This will give you room on the bottom for a flowing beard. We are going to be doing a woodspirit with long hair and a flowing beard. I chose this for the very good reason that it will allow you to concentrate on the eyes, cheeks and nose (where most people have issues) without worrying about ears and chin. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8DnuPfQKTEzMCJJsb2cgyv-xMUTvuItnXC-Fp4ErsrpxiCY4RmjMdY3HjJVDxwLw82-mpJB1aJbhBVPDVa4Kmpmo8aOUQzI3K1rgPseybJZn3Esw4DHQGMeHpCS4brM3NW4Omq3-ZPW4/s1600/Bare+wood+05.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8DnuPfQKTEzMCJJsb2cgyv-xMUTvuItnXC-Fp4ErsrpxiCY4RmjMdY3HjJVDxwLw82-mpJB1aJbhBVPDVa4Kmpmo8aOUQzI3K1rgPseybJZn3Esw4DHQGMeHpCS4brM3NW4Omq3-ZPW4/s320/Bare+wood+05.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Now let's talk about facial proportions. Absolute measurements are NOT important. Close is good enough. Remember the "Rule of Three". Take a look at <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/rule-of-three">The Woodbee Carver's site</a> for a good diagram. Also check out his blog. It'll be well worth your time. In addition to what you see there, the width of the face (we are going to use the whole width of the dowel for that) is 2/3 of the distance from the hair line to the chin. So, using the precision caliper that is my hand and pencil I measure the diameter of the dowel.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25F7-nWeSfQnldJoKXp7bINufQUg1BaWbrez_VqRZ7v4LRtxAtC7g-JwmGoM9vtRlv2eVDOofnY8YKGP_Vaiql_S_L4YNRhBA0tBTXYg4Iw48c0pnww2A6HqB9X-NZVzEd469_8A3k7nB/s1600/Bare+wood+06.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi25F7-nWeSfQnldJoKXp7bINufQUg1BaWbrez_VqRZ7v4LRtxAtC7g-JwmGoM9vtRlv2eVDOofnY8YKGP_Vaiql_S_L4YNRhBA0tBTXYg4Iw48c0pnww2A6HqB9X-NZVzEd469_8A3k7nB/s320/Bare+wood+06.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I transfer that measurement to the front of the dowel by putting my thumb at the hair line mark, then lift my hand until the tip of the pencil contacts the wood, where I make a small mark. I extend that mark a bit so that it is more visible. This gives us the location of the bottom of the nose.<br />
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Since the distance from the hair line to the eye line is 1/3 the length of the face, all we have to do is divide the distance we just marked off in two by placing a line ABOUT half way between the two lines we've already drawn. Now we have the location of the eye line.<br />
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The distance from the nose line to the chin line is equivalent to the distance from the eye line to the nose line. So, using that precision set of calipers you have on the end of your arm, measure that distance, move your thumb to the nose line, and make a mark on the center line. This gives you the location of the chin. You may ask that if we are going to cover the lower part of the face with a beard, why do we need to know where the chin is. Even though the chin will be covered it will still affect the shape of the beard, so we need to know where it is.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOHb0O8y-rMcmVCnV1DkmsJNND3SqKVnhVJ9bvUGB6Mn3qCPVXRVQYGD1iCT80GDLUyyxS2qetdYtddTvr9IIGXOI32aF66qGEher1w-YQE540Jt_Q752mRGTHOp54mXQImY1aqaq3dUb/s1600/Bare+wood+12.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikOHb0O8y-rMcmVCnV1DkmsJNND3SqKVnhVJ9bvUGB6Mn3qCPVXRVQYGD1iCT80GDLUyyxS2qetdYtddTvr9IIGXOI32aF66qGEher1w-YQE540Jt_Q752mRGTHOp54mXQImY1aqaq3dUb/s320/Bare+wood+12.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
You should now have something that looks like this. You have now located all the major features of the face we are going to carve.<br />
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Now I suggest that you take the hair line and extend it in a more or less natural curve out to the sides of the dowel and down to below the nose line. This is the starting point for all the hair that will be on this guy. You should extend the facial lines out past the hair line, because you will be carving these marks away as you work. You'll want to redraw those line several times, so it helps to have them where they won't be carved away.<br />
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We'll stop at this point for now. Next time we'll actually put knife to wood!<br />
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So, until then, let those chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-43794090907724928202011-10-26T16:40:00.000-06:002011-10-26T16:40:03.296-06:00Carving Safety<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44KuUeaKYPGXIOsyMtqCDrtO8RebQOxPyKZRvpzjLVQZuhN5uB8qsJMjOH9QmKM5Fea_WUy_cN0iwGW8YvugYLz31dJR2Ghro2akzaAxyVeC9UihbT_gXKjftfdhQuCZzoStZyb8edNEz/s1600/carving+glove+palm.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh44KuUeaKYPGXIOsyMtqCDrtO8RebQOxPyKZRvpzjLVQZuhN5uB8qsJMjOH9QmKM5Fea_WUy_cN0iwGW8YvugYLz31dJR2Ghro2akzaAxyVeC9UihbT_gXKjftfdhQuCZzoStZyb8edNEz/s320/carving+glove+palm.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
OK. Today we are going to talk about safety. Carving, just like any time you are playing with sharp and pointy objects, is risky. You can (will!) get cut. <br />
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Getting cut can be dangerous. You can damage tendons, muscles and nerves if you go deep enough. <br />
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Getting cut can be expensive. A trip to the emergency room will cost you big bucks.<br />
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Getting cut is annoying. You get blood on the carving, not to mention floor, carpet, clothes, etc., and the stains just don't come out. Depending on where you cut yourself, you could be out of the carving game while you heal.<br />
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So let's try to minimize the chances of getting cut.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6TtMl-fD9QiIqqNiaBq2IHhG5Ozn5XLthQOZubSP6bVqT7BHULJjC1y2NGzFc5zFsProXdgk-I1O0jh8maCKFx6pqMhZSnlj9zXma8BXfgpVXEN7Wo22SA5TWy102F1eo6H6aEVAw326/s1600/carving+glove+back.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL6TtMl-fD9QiIqqNiaBq2IHhG5Ozn5XLthQOZubSP6bVqT7BHULJjC1y2NGzFc5zFsProXdgk-I1O0jh8maCKFx6pqMhZSnlj9zXma8BXfgpVXEN7Wo22SA5TWy102F1eo6H6aEVAw326/s320/carving+glove+back.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
The first thing you need to do is get a carving glove. The one I am so elegantly modeling here is available from your local Woodcraft store (I receive no financial or in-kind remuneration from Woodcraft) for somewhere between $15 and $20. A whole heck of a lot cheaper than a trip to the emergency room. This one I believe has kevlar in the weave. Others have stainless steel woven in. Aside from Woodcraft another good source for good cut resistant gloves is a restaurant supply store. The internet is also a good source.<br />
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Keep in mind that no glove is absolute proof against getting cut. A really sharp knife moving at high speed with a lot of force behind it will cut through almost all non-chain-mail gloves. But you won't get cut as badly as you would if you weren't wearing the glove. And no glove, including chain-mail, will keep you from getting stabbed. Although, again, it won't be as deep or as serious.<br />
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Now, for about the first 45 years after I first picked up a knife, I didn't use a carving glove. And I got cut every once in a while. Never seriously, thank goodness, but I do have scars. I finally began using a glove (it was a struggle, like quitting smoking), because I didn't want to get cut anymore. I can't truthfully say I put on the glove every time I pick up a knife now, but about 95% of the time I do so.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsX7UhELXZLZQZAGUVCIhKnvooHBqFAIj4_BNTjyE2eLXbiJpGScRYX65bTaTljoNTcOAhp7jyzPA0DIzX3gkWZDxV8WpRPPPeRrn6jS5GfqnBwc3WV3tXYkEZZMBKDE7wg0YBy9ulAMJ/s1600/leather+thumb+guard.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXsX7UhELXZLZQZAGUVCIhKnvooHBqFAIj4_BNTjyE2eLXbiJpGScRYX65bTaTljoNTcOAhp7jyzPA0DIzX3gkWZDxV8WpRPPPeRrn6jS5GfqnBwc3WV3tXYkEZZMBKDE7wg0YBy9ulAMJ/s320/leather+thumb+guard.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Another good investment is a thumb guard. The ones Woodcraft carries are leather with an elastic strap across the back. They come in various sizes and cost somewhere around $5 a pair. Not only do they protect your thumb from being cut, mostly, they cushion your thumb as you push on the back of your knife for a push cut. You can also make your own thumb guard with medical tape or vet wrap, available in any drug store.<br />
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Now we've talked about the equipment, let's talk about procedures. There are a lot of "rules" out there in the wild about safe carving. One of the most common, heard from every parent at one time or another, is "don't cut toward yourself". Good advice. Except. If you are carving wood, especially if you are trying to comply with the other rule of "cut with the grain", sooner or later you will be cutting toward yourself. All you can do is establish safe habits for this type of cut. For instance, have a piece of the carving between you and the blade.<br />
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This is a good practice, but it is not fool proof. I have cut myself doing this when the grain was such that the knife split off a piece of the carving and continued right into my finger. I wasn't wearing a glove at the time, worse luck.<br />
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The most valuable advice I can give you is this:<br />
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1. Learn to properly sharpen your tools and keep them as sharp as you can possibly get them at all times. A sharp tool is a safer tool. It requires less force to move the tool through the wood, and excessive force being applied to the tool is probably the most common cause for the tool slipping. And slipping is probably the most common cause of getting cut.<br />
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2. Before you make a cut, plan it out. Look at what you need to cut, and how much you need to take off. Look at where your blade will go if it slips and keep your leaky parts out of that area. This sounds like it takes a long time, but as you gain experience this will become second nature.<br />
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3. Take small chips. One of the most common causes of blade slippage is trying to take off too much wood with one cut. Small cuts take less force, and we all know about force, don't we. If we don't, reread #1 above. With practice your small cuts can move as much wood almost as quickly as a single large cut.<br />
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If you have about $25 to spare, I highly recommend you go to <a href="http://www.pinewoodforge.com/HarleyVideo.html">Pinewood Forge</a> and order Harley Refsal's video, "Figure Carving Scandinavian Style". Not only is it a great video about the history and practice of Scandinavian flat plane figure carving, it has what I consider to be the best demonstration of carving safety, sharpening your knife, wearing a glove, limiting your cuts, etc., that I have ever seen. And I've watched a lot of carving videos! (Again, I don't receive any consideration, financial or otherwise, from Pinewood Forge.)<br />
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This is getting long, but one more thing. Tendinitis, also known as tennis elbow, golfer's elbow, etc. I got it as a result of starting to use a carving glove. I was gripping the carving so hard to keep it from slipping that I gave myself carver's elbow. It is painful. And persistent. It kept me from carving for six weeks, and when I started carving again, it came back. That's when I found this <a href="http://flyingchips.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-new-year.html">video</a>. Within a week of doing the exercises two or three times a day, the tendinitis went away. Occasionally, I will start to get a relapse, but after a couple of days of doing the exercises, it goes away again.<br />
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Well, I've made this post probably too long, but safety is important, and the more you educate yourself about it, the safer you will be.<br />
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So until next time when we will actually get started, let the chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-49078469865695423682011-10-10T12:15:00.002-06:002011-10-10T13:45:49.278-06:00THE MAGIC OF FACES - KNIVES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2B0Oe5TeZxyDapnFiyGGwSfTpURvJ1rAkDb7J__t0HWLGSDfnbutrFXNnAzI95KLGwAM0Ti4p1ca9EDu06_G35ZfiAn3NsiIZMVYFzLn6C011EnhKHyQXBQR6jDozs3haSoo_T-Di0zhr/s1600/CIMG0983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2B0Oe5TeZxyDapnFiyGGwSfTpURvJ1rAkDb7J__t0HWLGSDfnbutrFXNnAzI95KLGwAM0Ti4p1ca9EDu06_G35ZfiAn3NsiIZMVYFzLn6C011EnhKHyQXBQR6jDozs3haSoo_T-Di0zhr/s320/CIMG0983.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>As I believe I mentioned earlier these posts are going to be enhanced and made into a book that will be available on Kindle and Nook (assuming I can work out photography) for the low, low price of $2.99. For that reason I'm covering the initial steps prior to carving just like it was a tutorial for a beginner, hence the posts on knives and the one to come on Safety. Be patient, we'll get to the actual carving very soon.<br />
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The knife you use to carve is important. It has to fit your hand, not slide around when your hand gets sweaty, and be comfortable to hold for long periods. More important than the knife is how sharp it is. For most of my carving life I used a folding pocket knife (more on this later), and while it was what I considered sharp, I didn't really know what sharp was until I purchased my first fixed-blade, honest-to-goodness carving knife from Del Stubbs at <a href="http://www.pinewoodforge.com/index.html">Pinewood Forge</a>. That's the knife I'm talking about there to the left of old Happy, the Wood Spirit. I have since learned to put a carving edge on just about any knife, and I would suggest you do the same. You don't need a lot of expensive equipment (multiple diamond hones, water stones, ceramic stones, etc.) to do the job right. Just google "scary sharp system" and you will find everything you need for not much money. Just don't fall into the trap of over-sharpening. Once you get a good edge on the knife (many knives come with a great edge) all you need to do is strop the edge every half hour or so. Unless you try to carve a nail or something you should almost never touch the knife to a sharpener again.<br />
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Another knife I have used is the Flexcut Pelican pictured here.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxUSr0_TtVfird9egF18I3zmBTi147R0tGyOcyTEkOP6vzv2wjtHB-xuJ9cUyJ5V05sRdY-CW3BzRBGO1lh5EUsaDxQENPTFiGRIb3MQsuXUZ-V3d3N3PHDf3i-c0r136bsi9Q-yG3Zt9/s1600/CIMG1656.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaxUSr0_TtVfird9egF18I3zmBTi147R0tGyOcyTEkOP6vzv2wjtHB-xuJ9cUyJ5V05sRdY-CW3BzRBGO1lh5EUsaDxQENPTFiGRIb3MQsuXUZ-V3d3N3PHDf3i-c0r136bsi9Q-yG3Zt9/s320/CIMG1656.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I consider a sheath of some kind an essential accessory to a carving knife. They take up less room (yeah, even that Flexcut sheath) than the traditional packaging a knife comes in, and they provide protection for the edge. This Flexcut sheath is pretty pricey, about half the cost of the knife itself, but it will save you a lot of worry.<br />
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Del Stubs's knives come with traditional Scandinavian birch bark sheaths at no extra cost, so the cost of one of his knives is about the same as the cost of a Pelican and sheath.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLwHrnMJAPDAFrcEWHmUDo4_mnmlVxv4-lex8X4bpiFb2nMRIPGWOzn8YEKchyphenhyphenO9riJ3g3_cr824BZlAweqT4C-tDurUPDLemsC11q098KzzXBEiMBVtYDl_xg4rGoevnEldVNBdW698T/s1600/flex+cut+pelican.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeLwHrnMJAPDAFrcEWHmUDo4_mnmlVxv4-lex8X4bpiFb2nMRIPGWOzn8YEKchyphenhyphenO9riJ3g3_cr824BZlAweqT4C-tDurUPDLemsC11q098KzzXBEiMBVtYDl_xg4rGoevnEldVNBdW698T/s320/flex+cut+pelican.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I've posted an official photo of the <a href="http://www.flexcut.com/products/cart.php?target=product&product_id=991&category_id=97">Flexcut Pelican</a> to point out a peculiarity of mine. I can't leave a production knife alone. I've always got to be modifying them to make them fit me better. By comparing the photos of my Pelican above and the factory Pelican here, you can see what I've done. <br />
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The first thing I did was take a sander to the handle and remove the factory finish. Straight from the factory Flexcut knives come with a hard, slick (polyurethane, I presume) finish to the handle. As soon as my hand starts sweating, the knife starts trying to slide around. This results in gripping the knife harder and, for me at least, a case of tendinitis (we'll talk about this in the upcoming Safety post).<br />
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The next thing I did was very carefully grind the hump off the point of the blade. Flexcut puts that hump there to strengthen the point, but I wanted a point that would allow me to make really tight turns. I knew grinding that hump off would make the point more delicate, but I've broken enough points off blades to know how to avoid that.<br />
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This lesson of this is that you can take a factory knife that isn't exactly what you need, and, with some research and experience, modify it to make it truly yours.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadCFtptB6xexAEvCbeJJnsh2Gz26KNjLJbpKSvhlJDfNpQLwxBfP4O4ZICU5utt0L7j7zBipupM_A1L9OQFFqPMIck7vfRRsU0K5dccFMVIvcsLaNbwnsoWRmffCzFzX1l6UIPzGiGOEe/s1600/CIMG1654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgadCFtptB6xexAEvCbeJJnsh2Gz26KNjLJbpKSvhlJDfNpQLwxBfP4O4ZICU5utt0L7j7zBipupM_A1L9OQFFqPMIck7vfRRsU0K5dccFMVIvcsLaNbwnsoWRmffCzFzX1l6UIPzGiGOEe/s320/CIMG1654.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Now, this is the one knife that I'm going to use to carve the face in this tutorial. It's the <a href="http://www.pinewoodforge.com/catalog.html">Regular Slojd</a> from Pinewood Forge. It has a 2-1/4" blade, a birch bark sheath, a beautiful wood handle that doesn't slide around in your hand, and costs $38 the last I looked. If you like a shorter blade they have the Short Slojd with a 1-3/4" blade. (Full disclosure, I have always paid for everything I received from Pinewood Forge.) Del and Mary are great people to deal with and will bend over backward to get you what you want. By the way, I haven't modified this knife a whit. It's perfect the way it is.<br />
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You may have noticed something about all the knives I've recommended here: they all have a curved edge. I think this is the best blade style for a beginner. I prefer the curved edge because it makes slicing cuts easier. A slicing cut is the easiest, most efficient way to cut wood. It requires less force and thus is safer. Even when you push the blade straight into the wood, the curved edge imparts a natural slicing action. An awful lot of carving knives have a straight edge, some variation of what is called a Wharncliffe blade style. I do use these blades for some things, but I consider them an expert's blade due to the more complex motion that is required to get a slicing cut.<br />
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One more caveat, you will need a knife with a relatively thick blade which gives more support to the edge. That's not so important if you are carving in commercially obtained wood, but if you are carving in found wood, and you will probably want to do that sooner or later, you will want that support to deal with whatever foreign objects (dirt, etc.) might be present. Just be careful.<br />
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About folding knives: beginners shouldn't use them. Now some may call me an uneducated hypocrite because most kids start whittling with folding knives, and, in fact, my first whittling knife was a folding knife. But today I wouldn't start any child or adult beginner with anything but a fixed blade knife for safety reasons. Until you get good with a knife, practicing the proper ways to make a cut, folding knives have a tendency to fold (go figure!) and cut your fingers. Yep, happened to me on a couple of occasions. So, please, stick to fixed blade knives for a while.<br />
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If you have any questions about knives, sharpening or stropping, feel free to leave a comment.<br />
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Next time we'll cover Safety. You'll want to pay attention because, trust me, blood will just ruin a good piece of wood.<br />
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Until then, let the chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-75375211037005102512011-10-03T15:07:00.000-06:002011-10-03T15:07:08.592-06:00THE MAGIC OF FACES<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-QfNJDks1QmXEsBUj2_Flx7ZvLqpDvsbZ8u-IZpT5Dpnaplzm7AeB2bhT2yvWbQTMu6IkIaQ-kQT0A43NPIauAOGy3faY1OP3qV6Yhp8_yd5c1Ikdf4Dkx1lkdt7z7-LYGV4mpIHRJcF/s1600/CIMG1524.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA-QfNJDks1QmXEsBUj2_Flx7ZvLqpDvsbZ8u-IZpT5Dpnaplzm7AeB2bhT2yvWbQTMu6IkIaQ-kQT0A43NPIauAOGy3faY1OP3qV6Yhp8_yd5c1Ikdf4Dkx1lkdt7z7-LYGV4mpIHRJcF/s320/CIMG1524.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Faces are an endless source of fascination for me and for many other carvers. One of the most often heard requests is "Can you teach me to carve faces?" And that's only natural.<br />
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Human beings are hardwired to recognize faces. I believe that to be a survival skill from our earliest tribal days a million years ago. At that time our pre-homo sapiens sapiens ancestors lived in small groups that could be called tribes. Inter-tribal warfare was probably more common than not, so it was a decided advantage to be able to distinguish between "us" and "them". "Them" were dangerous!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ3OGlzfnmiv6icL9zaiQH88CoaXVDhwFr1s16vtfEhUYcHMZv5D3ZUAD5N4puGkCYTiWfHjM5FKWhonFuMtryGZWGPMCFx8s058RTtJJh-sj4AbHjH08bOKDax5BxDOxdnsjhDZixnup/s1600/CIMG0928.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiZ3OGlzfnmiv6icL9zaiQH88CoaXVDhwFr1s16vtfEhUYcHMZv5D3ZUAD5N4puGkCYTiWfHjM5FKWhonFuMtryGZWGPMCFx8s058RTtJJh-sj4AbHjH08bOKDax5BxDOxdnsjhDZixnup/s320/CIMG0928.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Facial recognition was also a great help in keeping the nuclear family stable. Imagine the embarrassment if Ugh got caught dragging Eeep's wife off to his cave. "Ooops! Sorry Eeep! I thought she was my wife. You know these females. They all look alike to me."<br />
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Research has shown that humans can recognize a face in the most rudimentary of drawings or pictures. Take the Happy Face for example. What is it but a circle, two dots and a curve.<br />
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Not only do we see faces in rudimentary drawings, we also see them in nature: clouds, rocks and even pieces of wood. Take The Jester up at the top of the post. Before I took my knife to him, he was just a piece of a tree branch, but I could see him in there just waiting to get out. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienW_hkSy8BiQQ2ZGVmM65oaE-hiokrB3gPjZqbWRhqnJzP2HEBHj-5b2jjzNqYoCDgZSl8UDKBANbfzRFC57Vtmxi9K7DeaeTlWNeqDI4JN8PJaty-755Ej-taEp8atAABrWHkUoyB2Hw/s1600/WoodSpiritFace02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEienW_hkSy8BiQQ2ZGVmM65oaE-hiokrB3gPjZqbWRhqnJzP2HEBHj-5b2jjzNqYoCDgZSl8UDKBANbfzRFC57Vtmxi9K7DeaeTlWNeqDI4JN8PJaty-755Ej-taEp8atAABrWHkUoyB2Hw/s320/WoodSpiritFace02.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br />
It's a lot of fun to carve faces into found wood, but for beginners or moderately advanced carvers it is easier to learn with commercially processed wood. Found wood is, to be polite, variable in quality. The piece that I used to carve The Jester had soft spots, downright rotten spots, and grain that went every which way. It short, it was a challenge, one that required the use of CA glue to stabilize a couple of areas.<br />
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That's why, as I show you how I carve faces I'll be using a piece of 1-1/2" birch dowel that I got from my local Woodcraft store. You just buy a 3-foot length for less than $5.00 and cut it up into six 6" pieces. It's cheap, so if you accidentally turn it into firewood, you haven't lost much in the way of materials. The wood is consistent in density and the grain runs all in one direction. That's what I used to carve old Windy there. <br />
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In the next post I'll talk about the knife I use. I say knife instead of tools because I'm going to be showing you how to do this with one knife. Once you learn how to carve a face with only a knife, it's easy to bring other tools into the process.<br />
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So, until next time, let those chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-41052439618403579162011-09-30T16:17:00.000-06:002011-09-30T16:17:43.797-06:00I'm Baaaack!!!Well, here I am again. I know, I know. I've been gone SO long. I was very surprised to see that during my long absence I was still getting people coming by to browse. Not a lot, mind you, but that's only to be expected. I hope that with my restored presence more people will be dropping in.<br />
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I have big plans! I am going to start a series of blog posts about carving faces. These posts will eventually be published (if I can keep up and not get discouraged) in expanded form, complete with photos, as a Kindle and Nook book for the low, low price of $2.99. I already have a couple of fiction books for those platforms (<a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Ddigital-text&field-keywords=robert+w+tinsley&x=0&y=0">Kindle</a> / <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/s/robert-w--tinsley?keyword=robert+w.+tinsley&store=ebook">Nook</a>) (HINT, HINT). If that works out, I may do some more. If you don't own one of the mobile platforms (tablet or smartphone) you can get the reading software for free to install on your computer. That's what I did.<br />
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I will also be doing some cross promoting of other carver's websites/blogs. Today I'd like to direct your attention to "<a href="http://theforestgirl.blogspot.com/">The Forest Girl</a>" written by The Ancient Muse. I don't think she's ancient at all! She does many different types of art, but I like her carved wooden jewelry. She has a very distinctive style and is well worth a look.<br />
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So, until next time (SOON, really!), let those chips fly.Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-32815245499827900992010-01-31T17:08:00.000-07:002010-01-31T17:08:30.980-07:00Lovespoons, Colored and Not<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrAeY3h8dPRnqG8QMd4SL_i1dAzCfof3hLY5Y8H4jMZSfOB7Txz0ggVmoqAsTVL4aeV9b9_rOZRlHZBvHQTRPXEnzLa0TeudLqnrqwrw8kDdd5Jpoqz8VqfWSBoQBSFndIc-VHzzU617I/s1600-h/CIMG1292.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIrAeY3h8dPRnqG8QMd4SL_i1dAzCfof3hLY5Y8H4jMZSfOB7Txz0ggVmoqAsTVL4aeV9b9_rOZRlHZBvHQTRPXEnzLa0TeudLqnrqwrw8kDdd5Jpoqz8VqfWSBoQBSFndIc-VHzzU617I/s320/CIMG1292.JPG" /></a></div><br />
Well, I said I'd do it, and I did it. I painted a lovespoon. Actually, two. The first was the"uff-da" spoon that I painted with multi-colored acrylics just to see what it looked like. The second was the twin of the "uff-da" spoon, without the miscalculation. Looking at the photo above you can see that I painted the sides of the "fountain" the same antique gold that I painted the inside of the bowl. The other spoon I painted with raw sienna to get away from the unrelieved white of bare basswood. Here is a photo from a different angle.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj0qtXs_r6sr0U9-2XAL97yEon6WjBdsdbLUo-IDQNgIYFpWPiKjmZJLbuYpsZQXv8KYzFwcz2wgnX6es7QmRA8eRq75quCN36zz1Z1IrWAbWUpcNN7genw-l3HExtAO_M6D13Q6EVNCz/s1600-h/CIMG1293.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaj0qtXs_r6sr0U9-2XAL97yEon6WjBdsdbLUo-IDQNgIYFpWPiKjmZJLbuYpsZQXv8KYzFwcz2wgnX6es7QmRA8eRq75quCN36zz1Z1IrWAbWUpcNN7genw-l3HExtAO_M6D13Q6EVNCz/s320/CIMG1293.JPG" /></a></div><br />
The diamond on the lower spoon was too large. Everything was fine while I was carving it, but when I began to oil the thing, hanging onto the upper part while wiping the bowl with oil, the thing snapped at the diamond cut out. Out came the super glue!<br />
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I like both spoons. I think comparing them as to which I like better is a lot like comparing apples and oranges: they are different animals. If you would like to see more on this subject, check out <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/?p=2483">The Woodbee Carver</a>. He put it so much better than I could.<br />
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I did do some more work on the spalted maple lovespoon. BTW, pay no attention to that idiot that hijacked my blog <a href="http://flyingchips.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-spoon-and-old-axe.html">last time</a> to say that spalted maple was hard, but not unreasonably so! Maple, even spalted maple, is no wood for the casual carver, unless, of course, they carve with power. In which case it doesn't matter how hard the wood is. If you are doing it with a knife, however, don't expect to take a slice more than a 64th of an inch thick with any regularity.<br />
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Actually it isn't unreasonably hard, you just have to change the way you carve, unless maybe you're a rock climber who can lift his entire body weight just by closing his hand. Using a standard paring cut makes my hand cramp within a couple of minutes. To do the piercings I changed from doing a paring cut with a standard sloyd-type knife to using a couple of bent knives. That way I use my forearm muscles instead of my hand muscles.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWWkflAzDY-Tx0H6oBSUD3VI-l3ZJ20-8pDew5vZ1kd86VyF49st0febmxgfo4k0SqsZEjyndQZx7ISw7_SoBlTwlRLymrFnsc9mngb0tkE4_u27Z5AqhSHpHCSb60J8TMGWd_RQb55Lm/s1600-h/CIMG1288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWWWkflAzDY-Tx0H6oBSUD3VI-l3ZJ20-8pDew5vZ1kd86VyF49st0febmxgfo4k0SqsZEjyndQZx7ISw7_SoBlTwlRLymrFnsc9mngb0tkE4_u27Z5AqhSHpHCSb60J8TMGWd_RQb55Lm/s320/CIMG1288.JPG" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthd_8sMBjbiXnYDV9S_tzWYE_0MGKrqcr5amgSVjv2nXVQzLoEAsd-CHIfWBR1vrHVibmGNSPpcdpEP_WSkLwVlmjZk_dRShtXyoiVqwws5rQh1Wtmvb-udUVD_BaVmAC4eZBEb9HGpTB/s1600-h/CIMG1289.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhthd_8sMBjbiXnYDV9S_tzWYE_0MGKrqcr5amgSVjv2nXVQzLoEAsd-CHIfWBR1vrHVibmGNSPpcdpEP_WSkLwVlmjZk_dRShtXyoiVqwws5rQh1Wtmvb-udUVD_BaVmAC4eZBEb9HGpTB/s320/CIMG1289.JPG" /></a>The blades are double-edged, slow curved, one with an inside bevel and one with an outside bevel. They are made by Mike Komick at <a href="http://www.preferrededge.ca/">Preferred Edge</a>. I made the handles myself (still need a little work). The inside bevel blade is great for the straight cuts inside the piercings, and the outside bevel blade makes those inside curves a cinch.<br />
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Gotta go get the meatloaf out of the oven. Until next time, let those chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-4507379444901931992010-01-24T17:27:00.000-07:002010-01-24T17:27:18.411-07:00A New Spoon And An Old AxeI have completed the redo of the Art Deco Fountain Spoon without major mishap this time. I haven't finished it yet, dithering about what to do with that lily-white wood. I started coloring the messed-up spoon with colored pencils, but quickly carved that off. My technique needs some (a lot!) of work.<br />
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Meanwhile I've started a new spoon using spalted maple.<br />
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The design begins with a Maltese cross inscribed in a circle at the top. Below that are two large, pierced hearts, and below that an anchor symbolizing the desire to settle down. The departure from my usual methods and materials are two-fold. This is my first attempt at carving spalted maple. So far, my opinion is, harder than poplar, but not unreasonably hard. This is also the first time I have used nothing but a hatchet (hand axe, whatever) and a knife to rough out a spoon. The only saw cut I made was at the top of the spoon bowl on the back as a stop cut. The hatchet belonged to my paternal grandfather. It's marked Shapleigh Hardware Co. -- Diamond Edge. The claim is not unreasonable.<br />
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I not only used the hatchet to rough most of the profile, I used it to thin the handle of the spoon.<br />
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It was actually quicker than sawing, considering what a horrendous sawyer I am.<br />
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This is the back of the spoon. Not much worse than if I used a saw and certainly quicker. Maybe one day the old Nordic woodsmen won't laugh and make fun of me.<br />
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That's it for today. Gotta go make dinner.<br />
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Until next time, let the chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-32577896258743148902010-01-07T18:17:00.002-07:002010-01-07T18:30:51.910-07:00That's Some Mighty Purty Kindlin'!This is the newest effort at a lovespoon. I call it the Art Deco Fountain.<br />
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</div>Looks pretty good from this angle. I'm especially fond of the Art Deco "Fountain of Life" with the diamond in it. I originally wasn't so sure about the heart-piercing on the handles of the keys, but having looked at it a while, it's starting to grow on me. On top is the eternal flame.<br />
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</div>More on the fountain later.<br />
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</div>Since this was carved out of a 1"x3"x12" piece of basswood, I have thought about painting it with a very dilute wash: the fountain with blue and gold along the edges, the hearts as red (of course), the keys with gold, and the flame with a blue fading to a yellow at the top. I don't know though. What do you guys think? It's not traditional, but . . . .<br />
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</div>This is my new basswood rough-out knife. It started out life as an Analon kitchen paring knife with a 3.5" blade. Since I almost never use a saw to rough out the shape, I wanted a larger knife with a thin blade so I could remove great gouts of wood quickly. A thin blade in soft wood does that so much better than a typical sloyd-type knife. So I liberated the knife (along with its own sheath) and reground the edge. It works great! On harder woods I'll stay with the sloyd.<br />
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</div>This is the knife I used to hollow out the bowl. The blade is by Mike Komick at <a href="http://www.preferrededge.ca/">Preferred Edge</a>, an outside-bevel hook. I carved and mounted the handle. I prefer to think of the handle as a sperm whale even though the flukes are turned the wrong way.<br />
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</div>These are the knives I used to relieve the keys into low relief and make the piercings. The piercings were done with the top knife made by my friend <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/CarverFromNoWhere#">Carl Johnson</a> which has a 3/4" tiny blade making tight curves easy. I did the relief with another knife from Preferred Edge, an inside-bevel high curve bent knife. I feel like I have more control doing relief with a bent knife, and Mike Komick makes some of the best out there.<br />
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Now that you've seen the good, here comes the bad.<br />
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</div>And here's a close up.<br />
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</div>I started off not going to carve the back of the spoon. However, while working on the hearts, the knife slipped and took a corner off the back of one of the "leaves" of the fountain. I tried super-gluing a piece of off-cut into the gap and carving it down to match. Unfortunately I didn't like the way it looked, so I decided to carve the back to take off the "uff-da." With a little clean-up, I think it would have worked fine.<br />
Unfortunately . . . .<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_7in0oUtf0L25ObATqsoH-pHSxcx_eOq9EThWjurRnwLl7oTH-O4uSllS-wEZ9uSBqsSdlsj9NIw8yCvS1K2Py9IihKf7BrQHBr7_SSRnsxqOKG2lfaOwDx_kI9fXTDwhxvIMHoR0v25/s1600-h/CIMG1256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb_7in0oUtf0L25ObATqsoH-pHSxcx_eOq9EThWjurRnwLl7oTH-O4uSllS-wEZ9uSBqsSdlsj9NIw8yCvS1K2Py9IihKf7BrQHBr7_SSRnsxqOKG2lfaOwDx_kI9fXTDwhxvIMHoR0v25/s320/CIMG1256.JPG" /></a><br />
</div>. . . while doing the other side of the fountain I got in a hurry, got lost, and carved from the wrong direction. I don't think this can be fixed. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd sure be interested in hearing them. In any case, here are some more pictures of the back of the spoon.<br />
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</div>I really like the way the heart piercings came out on the back. So I'm going to have to try this pattern again and pay attention this time. I hope. Since I've already screwed this one up, I think I'll do the painting and see how it looks before I try it on a real spoon.<br />
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Until next time, let those chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-78742092420259039392010-01-01T17:46:00.002-07:002010-01-01T17:59:02.536-07:00Happy New Year!I wish all who visit this site a happy and healthy new year. And health, especially among us carvers, should be near the top of the must do list. Carvers, and especially me, are particularly at risk for tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome.<br />
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I don't, typically, use a carving glove for a couple of reasons. One is that I started carving before there was such a thing as a carving glove, and did it so long I couldn't get used to using a glove. The other reason is that once upon a time I became determined that I was going to learn to use a carving glove no matter what. So I got a glove and used it exclusively for a couple of months, whereupon I developed tendinitis. Carving gloves, at least the ones I had access to, were slipperier than my bare hand, so I was gripping the pieces I was working on so hard that tendinitis was a sure thing. I wasn't able to carve for almost three months.<br />
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Then I ran across the following video. I did the exercises several times a day for two weeks, and I was pain free again. Since that time I continue to do the exercises every couple of weeks or if I find my hands starting to tingle. I have had no more problems. So if you are having problems, or if you want to avoid having problems, give the exercises a try. They can all be done inside a couple of minutes, and they've saved me a lot of pain.<br />
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So have a happy and health new year!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-75693637440867125122009-12-27T15:00:00.000-07:002009-12-27T15:00:18.251-07:00Back In The Saddle Again!Greetings and Salutations! Hope everyone had a fine Christmas and is looking forward to the New Year.<br />
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Meanwhile, back at the ranch, I've been busy on a new lovespoon. This one I'm calling Cranes & Cross, for obvious reasons. It's made of a nominal 3"x1"x12" poplar board.<br />
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</div>It doesn't come out in the photos very well, but there is a stripe of brownish-green running through the right hand side of the spoon. That's the reason the eye and wing of the right-hand crane stand out more than the left.<br />
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I'm very fond of the pairs concept in lovespoon design, especially cranes as they mate for life. After all, isn't that what it's all about? I'm also fond, as I'm sure some of you have noticed, of the two-hearts-merged-into-one bowl design.<br />
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The knot is called Fae's Eternal Promise. I have modified it a bit to accentuate the heart shape.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYoMZ-jbDxo5r8FnXhCZcwMVjE8Out4kuNwph3-UYfd0P7CflvT6rV0srSTtPCqXSGj14cbS8RNHF1ReT2nVdCPOD2MIqy1jrpexxrOry3nKltejfrxya4eqZYmWivDYFdVnobcXdkA2y/s1600-h/Cranes+%26+Cross+Front+Top.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglYoMZ-jbDxo5r8FnXhCZcwMVjE8Out4kuNwph3-UYfd0P7CflvT6rV0srSTtPCqXSGj14cbS8RNHF1ReT2nVdCPOD2MIqy1jrpexxrOry3nKltejfrxya4eqZYmWivDYFdVnobcXdkA2y/s320/Cranes+%26+Cross+Front+Top.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>This spoon I did a little differently in that I only used the hand saw to rip the handle to the depth I wanted it. I used a drill to start the piercings. The rest of the shaping and finishing was done with knives. It is an original design, and took me about 10-12 hours over four days.<br />
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You might note the feet on the cranes. That wasn't an intentional design element. While doing the leg on the left-hand crane I got a little carried away with wood removal. You know how it is when the wood just seems to be flying off the edge of your knife. Luckily I noticed it before I chewed all the way through the leg. So I had to adapt the leg of the other crane to match. Ah, design adjustments! I love 'em!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMxGKRqv55wxZ50q1oGybwYybWFV9ULX6nhnCTotwNltVZNRvv-6yC-LVZrXM8rkZnn4tZ54uwqF_kt25elmiDVW9fXrqjkksnvdU7kuR3P66mX3PCjY61SDMUTDbWLeIqx_a7d484d2O/s1600-h/Cranes+%26+Cross+Front+Bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAMxGKRqv55wxZ50q1oGybwYybWFV9ULX6nhnCTotwNltVZNRvv-6yC-LVZrXM8rkZnn4tZ54uwqF_kt25elmiDVW9fXrqjkksnvdU7kuR3P66mX3PCjY61SDMUTDbWLeIqx_a7d484d2O/s320/Cranes+%26+Cross+Front+Bottom.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>This wasn't the best piece of poplar that I've ever carved. It had a tendency to split out. When I was drilling the starts to the piercings around the cross a chunk about an eighth-of-an-inch thick split out directly across the left hand arm of the cross. That wasn't so terrible since I was going to relieve the cross anyway to put it behind the cranes.<br />
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You can see some striations on the top of the bowl, and could be forgiven for thinking it showed a split-out. But that part of the bowl is as fair and smooth as can be. It has to be something to do with that greenish-brown stripe, through nothing like that has happened before.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTYDk-xT7yoftLyYU8-Bg-VIAu_-RLuXNLls5lpVSVnf493r5ti7ZyG5HgKN3FXgE-OYJ55wKaO4GAfsygxFCTb0hgxd6MOU5RWlKVSB5-PKtsIpWYhNOIES24OJBJI4xWIvsTx1DOKlm/s1600-h/Cranes+%26+Cross+Back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTYDk-xT7yoftLyYU8-Bg-VIAu_-RLuXNLls5lpVSVnf493r5ti7ZyG5HgKN3FXgE-OYJ55wKaO4GAfsygxFCTb0hgxd6MOU5RWlKVSB5-PKtsIpWYhNOIES24OJBJI4xWIvsTx1DOKlm/s320/Cranes+%26+Cross+Back.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>And here's what the back of the spoon looks like. I paid a little more attention this time to the guzunders and the guzovers.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHJcB7y-ycPaynEA5ZMnisx86R8lVXJgCK-O8mVlYiIno7_0CqZaknPwsfqOmo1JbwQwPPlRHp4gvfRNlPym17nJ9xVff_C9c-qBZvzHYqAjEk7mVI0YuzHi13A7F3TN6ecTI2wviL7Hz/s1600-h/Cranes+%26+Cross+Back+Bottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnHJcB7y-ycPaynEA5ZMnisx86R8lVXJgCK-O8mVlYiIno7_0CqZaknPwsfqOmo1JbwQwPPlRHp4gvfRNlPym17nJ9xVff_C9c-qBZvzHYqAjEk7mVI0YuzHi13A7F3TN6ecTI2wviL7Hz/s320/Cranes+%26+Cross+Back+Bottom.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>So there you have it.<br />
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Until next time, when I hope to have more in-progress photos, let the chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-79154382713061773812009-12-24T15:28:00.003-07:002009-12-24T15:44:44.236-07:00Merry Christmas!Merry Christmas to all! Thank you to all who have read my blog and especially to those who have chosen to leave comments. I want you all to know that among the many things I am thankful for, your attention is one of those.<br />
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And with that, a little Santa Show.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DdR_3qE-DSxtqfYrX4sS-UwNoAPH8D5NosFiYfiHjn3qz_t0uGuyuFwm9o8C5W27cBGiQH6zEJAbl6ixLbpiA-IsCTE5Pti0VkUhFzC4O5y9Zh9g6ELoFrVUMCk7WjrzTr6QkVQe2RUI/s1600-h/CIMG1217.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8DdR_3qE-DSxtqfYrX4sS-UwNoAPH8D5NosFiYfiHjn3qz_t0uGuyuFwm9o8C5W27cBGiQH6zEJAbl6ixLbpiA-IsCTE5Pti0VkUhFzC4O5y9Zh9g6ELoFrVUMCk7WjrzTr6QkVQe2RUI/s320/CIMG1217.JPG" /></a><br />
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Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-89741760227912123842009-12-20T12:13:00.003-07:002009-12-20T12:16:12.106-07:00Birds & Fishes Lovespoon Finished -- Finally!I know, I know, I have neglected you, my faithful readers, horribly. My only excuse is that I was in production mode on my Santas, every spare moment devoted to that jolly old elf.<br />
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But now I'm back! Celebration abounds!<br />
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Or, maybe not.<br />
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In any case, I finally got the guts to finish the Birds & Fishes Lovespoon that I <a href="http://flyingchips.blogspot.com/2009/02/lovespoon-angst-part-two.html">started</a> way back in February. It was only my third lovespoon, and I think I got a little ambitious with the design. So, seven months, three lovespoons and innumerable Santas later I decided I was ready to finish it, and here is the result.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8bNsR6263_KjvwA_3kgRg9wpZA36RMEQBdNuOJN0-dlPo4KdG3r_Xg_NZSkLmoryITYjbUUu1MLcV90wR74O0K5VuzWCtOUKTgClDPUQd23nR1VY0tkAoJqcH-afvTRndRhK_hZ67uoD/s1600-h/finished+birds+%26+fishes+front+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig8bNsR6263_KjvwA_3kgRg9wpZA36RMEQBdNuOJN0-dlPo4KdG3r_Xg_NZSkLmoryITYjbUUu1MLcV90wR74O0K5VuzWCtOUKTgClDPUQd23nR1VY0tkAoJqcH-afvTRndRhK_hZ67uoD/s320/finished+birds+%26+fishes+front+3.jpg" /></a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVFSNrMz4zQkk0qEcDGfy_iJrofigr4kgbGWombSU7WuxUssdnEl20Ip_4PSoHgVBezzCAgQ351jXTIYAaaHY9ha3p1-bXCPdDnMqynMpkwsgWz-ghFprxV6mgiKuYvIsEksWFhxsKFI3/s1600-h/finished+birds+%26+fishes+back+top+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiVFSNrMz4zQkk0qEcDGfy_iJrofigr4kgbGWombSU7WuxUssdnEl20Ip_4PSoHgVBezzCAgQ351jXTIYAaaHY9ha3p1-bXCPdDnMqynMpkwsgWz-ghFprxV6mgiKuYvIsEksWFhxsKFI3/s320/finished+birds+%26+fishes+back+top+1.jpg" /></a><br />
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This photo shows what a dog's dinner I made of the back of the birds's necks, all through the mechanism of not paying attention, front to back, of the order of the goesovers to the goesunders.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalXSE_z5OMpBFN552a68d18LM7-slX7oUit1DqpIbH0uUHuA4SHFYXO3ppC9PRyEPDr_37JrGXhYyl4lDLkN6VUze4-dZYHnDExTtB6ONhfKfaKsLON9imHDl68hDY317mP-BL1uS0svW/s1600-h/finished+birds+%26+fishes+top+cu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhalXSE_z5OMpBFN552a68d18LM7-slX7oUit1DqpIbH0uUHuA4SHFYXO3ppC9PRyEPDr_37JrGXhYyl4lDLkN6VUze4-dZYHnDExTtB6ONhfKfaKsLON9imHDl68hDY317mP-BL1uS0svW/s320/finished+birds+%26+fishes+top+cu.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>This photo shows the front view of the birds.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcjL45HNLzyt0ITK-EAjhrXewctk5fYPIR7-1BnN4QsIjpDBzUU7kng5kjTxorzisx92c1RBT37AG4zxIIce8vvIxHEMot4hJyKVzL83lLKIKdNNriQRaa3nD0SuxaAY7Sa_XscToasAv/s1600-h/finished+birds+%26+fishes+bottom+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJcjL45HNLzyt0ITK-EAjhrXewctk5fYPIR7-1BnN4QsIjpDBzUU7kng5kjTxorzisx92c1RBT37AG4zxIIce8vvIxHEMot4hJyKVzL83lLKIKdNNriQRaa3nD0SuxaAY7Sa_XscToasAv/s320/finished+birds+%26+fishes+bottom+2.jpg" /></a><br />
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Here's the lower part of the spoon.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUWoJ4_xpCpGGFYTzRzClRt7VIaMdujte9q-N4yrKH9dIvFfXN7hqobmRJyua3lWH-qJSIudlC8qMlSrGXNDVBjxX4RAfsoC1uYAZXHFmD4CUWdx2n3lAZFG4DUK2_f-EZtx5tUOIj2sr/s1600-h/finished+birds+%26+fishes+bowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUWoJ4_xpCpGGFYTzRzClRt7VIaMdujte9q-N4yrKH9dIvFfXN7hqobmRJyua3lWH-qJSIudlC8qMlSrGXNDVBjxX4RAfsoC1uYAZXHFmD4CUWdx2n3lAZFG4DUK2_f-EZtx5tUOIj2sr/s320/finished+birds+%26+fishes+bowl.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>And a detail of the bowl.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnsTFtFGe5iG7aOd7F-sWUF3O05TlDQpQKD2QKJmh5Hf9oSju3dYc9Sb88Om8_oz1oulP8-6d3YAPbR05885XP67Md6W34G7y__GoARwn4eBNqszixDwTyy9RIikD3lQqLEDGQz5x5Jxr/s1600-h/finished+birds+%26+fishes+back+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnsTFtFGe5iG7aOd7F-sWUF3O05TlDQpQKD2QKJmh5Hf9oSju3dYc9Sb88Om8_oz1oulP8-6d3YAPbR05885XP67Md6W34G7y__GoARwn4eBNqszixDwTyy9RIikD3lQqLEDGQz5x5Jxr/s320/finished+birds+%26+fishes+back+1.jpg" /></a><br />
</div>And an overall photo of the back of the spoon. Overall, not a bad effort, if I do say so myself. Even if it did take 7 months!<br />
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So I'm off on another woody adventure or two. I've already got the design for my next lovespoon transferred onto a blank, and I'm also playing with a design for a Woodworker's Chess set. I'm almost done with the first bishop, and I have designs for the pawns, knights and rooks. I'm dithering about the design of the king, and I have no idea what I'm going to do with the queen. Once I get one of each of the pieces carved, I'm going to post them and ask guidance for the queen's design. So keep on the lookout.<br />
<br />
Until next time, let the chips fly!Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-88051471940548526012009-10-25T10:04:00.012-06:002009-10-25T11:00:25.576-06:00It Ain't Fire Wood ReduxWe got some snow this week. I took a couple of pictures through the windshield of my car on my way to work just before sun-up.<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTgP_fZZ7B1QTYBs3zAjjwek8i0VXC0AVA6YlKTkFDDvo6JEsnHLuuTSu1STa4od8m9a7KaBd9w6l9VF_srlfHLZ6FpwRQEEvia0ZtKnjCQAwAcGLo6HHMDV7ZAd-sYCcQyBdYbO3Kw9_/s1600-h/CIMG1182.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTgP_fZZ7B1QTYBs3zAjjwek8i0VXC0AVA6YlKTkFDDvo6JEsnHLuuTSu1STa4od8m9a7KaBd9w6l9VF_srlfHLZ6FpwRQEEvia0ZtKnjCQAwAcGLo6HHMDV7ZAd-sYCcQyBdYbO3Kw9_/s320/CIMG1182.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396569863112890450" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl9erMPx1mdyJ0cQAuNixWSHohBw4if0Sx2XkueyRKdy7kbRUlJWZ4yR9RqNX8xVpbGNE-LF1eo4nz7t-NeuWVwlHuXmbnjzmw2HojlEvBmxmz72n02C7HgWA10ohlPaybP9JnibaIPOS/s1600-h/CIMG1183.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIl9erMPx1mdyJ0cQAuNixWSHohBw4if0Sx2XkueyRKdy7kbRUlJWZ4yR9RqNX8xVpbGNE-LF1eo4nz7t-NeuWVwlHuXmbnjzmw2HojlEvBmxmz72n02C7HgWA10ohlPaybP9JnibaIPOS/s320/CIMG1183.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396570098178564498" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>The quality isn't the best, but you try taking a picture one handed through the windshield of your car! That white peak to the right in the first picture is Pike's Peak at 14,192'. Or something. It is one of the Fourteener's here in Colorado. If you look closely you can see the line on the mountains where the snow starts. That's about 8,000 feet.</div><div><br /></div><div>I also did some reworking on last post's subject. I'll post the photo of the original next to the photo of the revised work.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxf1dvLVS3QLsgLxyrmdxsMXrKbb0juHghaUvkZtbJ4DC3sWoipglCEEzA7hKX_NQL-juQLp8Vb9dnGu_krGvqpfNRVI7ixgzOEKExl3vRwxA1uZOOunJZ5s34bflBoP78qUT3-XRcWqp/s1600-h/CIMG1175.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOxf1dvLVS3QLsgLxyrmdxsMXrKbb0juHghaUvkZtbJ4DC3sWoipglCEEzA7hKX_NQL-juQLp8Vb9dnGu_krGvqpfNRVI7ixgzOEKExl3vRwxA1uZOOunJZ5s34bflBoP78qUT3-XRcWqp/s320/CIMG1175.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396572136398533442" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt9yqYtv6ZwrByd0S8jKjm_eiSYAly7NMUAq8Acu-ouTpMxyu_CAlyawfDYLhqk52GGfzrGIO9fAMznJJdL1nQQRFXXvX5NhJZXPBqLM3KqEKY4ZLyKImDS2S8qs6GFTynTaVd2SZMbLD/s1600-h/Revised+dryad+02+front.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRt9yqYtv6ZwrByd0S8jKjm_eiSYAly7NMUAq8Acu-ouTpMxyu_CAlyawfDYLhqk52GGfzrGIO9fAMznJJdL1nQQRFXXvX5NhJZXPBqLM3KqEKY4ZLyKImDS2S8qs6GFTynTaVd2SZMbLD/s320/Revised+dryad+02+front.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396572351588209570" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMsoekpqN1823HiinXiIcZ5YwnPJrqbj8iPJdw1RVw_IzyqOUdLsFPsMrefJkIxa8nlml8dtafRlhm72yeNYbz5xs5xn7IMQ_GYRK1XhrTe1NuuFuBXG3SkKgxckV2_I7NdNu7epJeXZh/s1600-h/CIMG1179.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMsoekpqN1823HiinXiIcZ5YwnPJrqbj8iPJdw1RVw_IzyqOUdLsFPsMrefJkIxa8nlml8dtafRlhm72yeNYbz5xs5xn7IMQ_GYRK1XhrTe1NuuFuBXG3SkKgxckV2_I7NdNu7epJeXZh/s320/CIMG1179.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396572663197892722" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacetNlsbd94sjDESfqbR2hFSkIvr3oSU2PZj-GSoviaQomD1zohYNsikSWohNevCD5t74tf030su9o5AI2uPQXluQnsSWXYmpWCWD5-VNcrzfZi5dapn9iX15bCBwpZpA-a2kSnQTOhS1/s1600-h/Revised+dryad+02+side.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjacetNlsbd94sjDESfqbR2hFSkIvr3oSU2PZj-GSoviaQomD1zohYNsikSWohNevCD5t74tf030su9o5AI2uPQXluQnsSWXYmpWCWD5-VNcrzfZi5dapn9iX15bCBwpZpA-a2kSnQTOhS1/s320/Revised+dryad+02+side.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396573066471377026" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>It's amazing how little wood was taken off to produce this effect. I thinned down the nose and changed the profile of the bridge and elevated the tip a bit. I removed some wood between her mouth and her nose. I also altered the lower lip and took some shavings off the bottom of the chin. All the chips I removed could be put in a thimble with lots of room left over. She's still not as feminine as I would like, but good enough until the next one.</div><div><br /></div><div>Currently I'm working on a new Santa ornament, a small male wood spirit and a very small tasting spoon. I'm using slightly different techniques on all of them. It'll be interesting to see how they turn out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until the, let the chips fly!</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-34814275783766259932009-10-18T11:50:00.011-06:002009-10-18T12:39:27.958-06:00It Ain't Fire Wood 'Til It's Kindling!Fire wood is the term carvers and whittlers use to designate carvings that have gone wrong. Might as well use 'em for fire wood and get some utility out of 'em.<div><br /></div><div>My view is that most carvings that go wrong can be saved with a little imagination, flexibility and perseverance. Witness my latest foray toward the female face.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIwFdZMOZkuEUvt6rC8PDdQ3prPfbSZmCKKQF5pRzO03TWHfN5ay2aC3sli7BYgD2M0PHwa2Nsnx0CkVKj9OYpjf67eX6D0_Y573RZNOddJMOUCqWjqEFEQGckW0qePhGZJaIy1mVuSP1/s1600-h/CIMG1170.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnIwFdZMOZkuEUvt6rC8PDdQ3prPfbSZmCKKQF5pRzO03TWHfN5ay2aC3sli7BYgD2M0PHwa2Nsnx0CkVKj9OYpjf67eX6D0_Y573RZNOddJMOUCqWjqEFEQGckW0qePhGZJaIy1mVuSP1/s320/CIMG1170.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394000626872886402" /></a><br /></div><div>As you can see, the eyes are a mess. The level of difficulty is a little higher on this one than on my last because of the hair drifting down over the face. Her right eye is partially covered and the space between the main hair falls is pretty narrow. This branch is about 4 inches long and about 1" in diameter. (And if anyone can identify the wood, I'd be most grateful.)</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWOXx2d6iiLuxOdSVoLsIl9WJ-dRk9hdPTl7zuiqkQ07Emn0NVzHw5clHJGqqbWrnWvMDPpVI1XHypR9xChzOIY1T3SzffNaM1P9_A3p3t6F_ceg5H2y3UljmjyNO9L16r2wwsX2gKNyj/s1600-h/CIMG1173.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvWOXx2d6iiLuxOdSVoLsIl9WJ-dRk9hdPTl7zuiqkQ07Emn0NVzHw5clHJGqqbWrnWvMDPpVI1XHypR9xChzOIY1T3SzffNaM1P9_A3p3t6F_ceg5H2y3UljmjyNO9L16r2wwsX2gKNyj/s320/CIMG1173.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394001938356343346" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3ZKEj4Ivs0E54WttWVCzJaWP7EYrL_5DTdmCFBLK0_DTnJVC3mMl1WORLwrAj8olgARuebAwqGFAzgSAITYF1xNMmvAgfBkpay_u-f9bhFl5kozLIbcPK2nXVsIKVIrJsb3GpqvUK7Ta/s1600-h/CIMG1150.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ3ZKEj4Ivs0E54WttWVCzJaWP7EYrL_5DTdmCFBLK0_DTnJVC3mMl1WORLwrAj8olgARuebAwqGFAzgSAITYF1xNMmvAgfBkpay_u-f9bhFl5kozLIbcPK2nXVsIKVIrJsb3GpqvUK7Ta/s320/CIMG1150.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394002583014113186" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>All of the carving up to this point was done with my self-modified Kissing Crane Four-Blade Congress pocket knife. It's a nice, well-built knife for $15, and performed admirably up to this point. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of these days I'll get over being afraid of eyes, but that day ain't yet. I was too timid about the first set of eyes I gave her. They were too small and too shallow. I'll admit that I was also rather intimidated by the lack of space left by the hair. I could have redone the hair, but I wanted this kind of look, so I decided to redo the eyes. Lord knows there was enough wood left.</div><div><br /></div><div>I couldn't get the pocket knife blades down in there at the angles I needed to make the cuts I wanted to make, so I switched over to my Ralph Long long knife. That narrow 2" blade was just what I needed. It may seem contra-intuitive that I needed a long blade to get into a tight spot, but the narrowness of the point and the curve of the blade allowed me to get down in there and cut around the eye without nicking (mostly) the eyebrows and hair.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCMw9aiV2cHxAOdxweBVNBiBhU7p0mC-3szfITBi79i51AQPhF84ffqaizlIJrSUkyqqb6bJ9iMT_hq938ClbpyrC2KHjgE7S3h8YlXCdzdwkAnEbeKPXraqLsePDaYCmoRF92I-a2Vgm/s1600-h/CIMG0978.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCMw9aiV2cHxAOdxweBVNBiBhU7p0mC-3szfITBi79i51AQPhF84ffqaizlIJrSUkyqqb6bJ9iMT_hq938ClbpyrC2KHjgE7S3h8YlXCdzdwkAnEbeKPXraqLsePDaYCmoRF92I-a2Vgm/s320/CIMG0978.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394006690024801714" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>I deepened the cuts above the eyes and moved the bottom of the lower lids much further south making them deeper as well. I used the very tip of the knife to make lots of very small chips while building the eye mounds.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVzbJBwDlj8dapUKJF8YRai2yKqMII8xDIn-xN070RrshfejY1ixF3lp7HHkDPHR_yikI0FPnVmng-Ofs8_ksC_tLeBXFf8LMrk1egUBsE-NwogwrEItuE324gxff5mw0bAsSiuIOm2Hm/s1600-h/CIMG1175.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWVzbJBwDlj8dapUKJF8YRai2yKqMII8xDIn-xN070RrshfejY1ixF3lp7HHkDPHR_yikI0FPnVmng-Ofs8_ksC_tLeBXFf8LMrk1egUBsE-NwogwrEItuE324gxff5mw0bAsSiuIOm2Hm/s320/CIMG1175.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394007718146007058" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIbt-Ex4PXYZ8U0XTrP4B32CIPGhhIVvWWJ2yTSm6msh8ZoriggynOMdeLWjZNrBcBVfFsWT01OzAOAXYScFk3dL_MswqdptWFmolEQSPtaFVEPk3g8HOLSdHul7vWTgq2dPRWSVILca1/s1600-h/CIMG1176.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIbt-Ex4PXYZ8U0XTrP4B32CIPGhhIVvWWJ2yTSm6msh8ZoriggynOMdeLWjZNrBcBVfFsWT01OzAOAXYScFk3dL_MswqdptWFmolEQSPtaFVEPk3g8HOLSdHul7vWTgq2dPRWSVILca1/s320/CIMG1176.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394007948258826610" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJSTnmylU-fbO_uQ4cVia0we_JgfKJJLZC39dFkRwNnD__i6tVyCip-e8s0Ilymu5zgT_DLmHqbVj1FsjEhLA0uK7nh1O9N-4m14YNTl1pkOVlT6MuBG8JBi5Svk7vlqqAZlrxpP2OWv4/s1600-h/CIMG1179.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirJSTnmylU-fbO_uQ4cVia0we_JgfKJJLZC39dFkRwNnD__i6tVyCip-e8s0Ilymu5zgT_DLmHqbVj1FsjEhLA0uK7nh1O9N-4m14YNTl1pkOVlT6MuBG8JBi5Svk7vlqqAZlrxpP2OWv4/s320/CIMG1179.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394008161662683314" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>While building the eye mounds I decided that a sleeping dryad fit this pose better, so I finished the eyes that way.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think she turned out pretty well, but while looking at the photos I began to think she had a rather androgynous look. She could be either a pretty-boy rocker or a woman. I'm beginning to think it might have something to do with the lower lip where it meets the corners of the mouth. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time, let the chips fly!</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-17386590870144699582009-10-10T13:42:00.014-06:002009-10-10T15:09:29.562-06:00My First Woman -- Carving, That IsI've learned a lot about carving faces over the last couple of weeks. I had decided that I wanted to carve a female face. I happen to like women. A lot! So a female face was a natural subject for me. It only took me almost six decades to actually do it!<div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis57mRLosATLzqWs9lxnAT9suU6Zbgk8JZcRscF3HsQjlQE9yrT4T9295prcpDCNRenlEgYJRCF5oZDcUnnKtP4ERPrJfFU-cPMpzuDP024lHUa0g2gRPTF0EDHdQqWi25YSVCOzEGMjRo/s1600-h/CIMG1152.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis57mRLosATLzqWs9lxnAT9suU6Zbgk8JZcRscF3HsQjlQE9yrT4T9295prcpDCNRenlEgYJRCF5oZDcUnnKtP4ERPrJfFU-cPMpzuDP024lHUa0g2gRPTF0EDHdQqWi25YSVCOzEGMjRo/s320/CIMG1152.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391072859792768306" /></a><br /></div><div>But just doing something I'd never done before wasn't enough for me. No, not only did I decide to go to the distaff side of subjects, I also decided I wanted to do her as a woodspirit. In found wood! Not even that was enough. I did her in seasoned found wood. Am I a glutton for punishment or what?</div><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tgVzKL0ipnp-BMC7FecEbxjCOv0rqGkyhq28TRU5P8C6p_2R5xCyoQuGSgFOWSTmCbsqnkcHDOkTiUhqUiXoR8rvaNuwxfCB1Qdyn-a76ZkskJCeB85n7R_h26QlRSPUXZ3zemYoIxjJ/s1600-h/CIMG1153.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6tgVzKL0ipnp-BMC7FecEbxjCOv0rqGkyhq28TRU5P8C6p_2R5xCyoQuGSgFOWSTmCbsqnkcHDOkTiUhqUiXoR8rvaNuwxfCB1Qdyn-a76ZkskJCeB85n7R_h26QlRSPUXZ3zemYoIxjJ/s320/CIMG1153.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391073163595185570" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Of course I wanted to do a good job. I wanted to at least make her attractive, if not beautiful. Think <a href="http://www.epilogue.net/cgi/database/art/view.pl?id=46309">dryad</a>. So I had to do some studying. My first stop was Ian Norbury's book, <i>Carving Classic Female Faces in Wood</i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: normal; ">. Of course Norbury is a good carver (yeah, let's understate the thing just a bit), but his women are fantastic. So I spent a goodly amount of time poring over his step-by-step photos, learning what he did when. (The time I spent droo . . . um . . . studying the blown up photos of his model was purely research. Yep!) I must admit, though, that his slavish attention to perfect symmetry got on my nerves a bit.</span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxRUoXX4vpu0TgZ3KXqLNZXt8FZ0jUeZc9-GGHIcsbqDjEn16U0i7whQhDTWNCq_5byPBMcpKcUSTqxz1LeRWe8_7elsRnOHgNTF6mOiVvbu0UMrIBdBhSL1v4FEsUK2d10k-Mh9kZKC5/s1600-h/CIMG1154.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGxRUoXX4vpu0TgZ3KXqLNZXt8FZ0jUeZc9-GGHIcsbqDjEn16U0i7whQhDTWNCq_5byPBMcpKcUSTqxz1LeRWe8_7elsRnOHgNTF6mOiVvbu0UMrIBdBhSL1v4FEsUK2d10k-Mh9kZKC5/s320/CIMG1154.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391073682459226466" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Speaking of symmetry, or the lack thereof, my next stop was a Marv Kaisersatt study cast of a young woman. I made the mind-boggling discovery that Marv is no more wedded to bilateral symmetry than I am. I must make a small diversion here to explain how I went about studying the Kaisersatt cast. </div><div><br /></div><div>One of the blogs I follow is Doug Stowe's <a href="http://wisdomofhands.blogspot.com/">"Wisdom of the Hands"</a>, an excellent blog about the role of the hands in education. One of his posts (I wish I could find it again) made the point that modern Man has effectively lost the ability to "see with the fingers". As a woodcarver/sculptor I took that to heart and decided to take the Kaisersatt cast into a dark room and study it with my fingers. It took me a while to get into the groove, but eventually what a revelation! I <i>saw</i> something with my fingers that I had never seen before while examining the cast visually. The left side of her face was <i>off</i>! I speculate that while messing with the hair, he carved off a little (actually more than a little) too much off the temple. Instead of coming down and merging more or less smoothly with the cheek bone as on the right side of her face, he left a shelf of cheekbone running back under her hair toward her ear. A not inconsiderable shelf even though I never noticed it until I took her into a dark room and ran my fingers over her face. (yeah, yeah, take your best shot!) Not only did he make that "mistake", he allowed it to be immortalized in a study cast! How's THAT for confidence!</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, okay, moving right along. The next place I went was Lynn Doughty's blog, <a href="http://outwestwoodcarving.blogspot.com/">Out West Wood Carving</a>. Lynn, like Marv, is arguably one of the finest caricature carvers alive today. He's always been generous with his advice and has an extensive gallery of WIP photos of his pieces. Just recently he's begun posting tutorial videos, and during the last week or so has posted a series of videos showing how he carves a head and face. Absolutely first rate work! He does have a tendency to get between the camera and his carving, but his wife, who is both cameraman and director, doesn't let that last long. If you have ANY interest in carving faces, whether caricature or realistic, you MUST view that series.</div><div><br /></div><div>So that's what I studied. And I got a lot out of all the sources. You've seen my starting point above. You'll notice that the face is very long and the brow comes out just as far as the tip of the nose. One of the things I picked up from the Kaisersatt cast and was echoed in the Norbury and Doughty materials was that the brow is typically farther in than the tip of the nose. This next photo shows that corrected.</div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie63kZ2tvzUT26jWRZm8HD6DCxsDdwbdR0sGyZREkGldseoJVuOZQ2V4JHRerICdtJlyF0AzSV1XRHstX_U78umOLUOZ3_9WD94wVEh8QpBRlw8k7dKfyrHTKfy3643Wnv_3UFrU-mWvz3/s1600-h/CIMG1159.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie63kZ2tvzUT26jWRZm8HD6DCxsDdwbdR0sGyZREkGldseoJVuOZQ2V4JHRerICdtJlyF0AzSV1XRHstX_U78umOLUOZ3_9WD94wVEh8QpBRlw8k7dKfyrHTKfy3643Wnv_3UFrU-mWvz3/s320/CIMG1159.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391075672326929234" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>This is a front view at the same stage of carving. The chin is still longer than I like, and the sketched-in eye is too high. </div><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jQiW_PHDfkgG0lZxhp_mbVLqKKnf6lzeJIFM4zBFKA9t2NTnMMLfcnH-z5bfgRk2dXCdhUPdZUhtwnAhBhxr7_L6pmwY2Qq63he5Uzl-CoknclGWI2DDleCd-2rZ7cc-woMSaqzcFffs/s1600-h/CIMG1156.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jQiW_PHDfkgG0lZxhp_mbVLqKKnf6lzeJIFM4zBFKA9t2NTnMMLfcnH-z5bfgRk2dXCdhUPdZUhtwnAhBhxr7_L6pmwY2Qq63he5Uzl-CoknclGWI2DDleCd-2rZ7cc-woMSaqzcFffs/s320/CIMG1156.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391076939558974338" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>I was able to correct that, mostly. The rest of the photos are of the almost finished piece. The only think I lack is putting in the pupils.</div><div><br /></div><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54ZCT-_InTY075E1RYmPjDOWRcd0woReK1pwj_IecliVO1WOfPmlZhRa0v0a6KLKWmzVF5_fgnHBcYuWG1l6VDOSqOW4eVEIuubmV1wUUSRlqZz0mU01hyphenhyphenOfqwoXdYPBUPr3jCEQDDUBi/s1600-h/CIMG1160.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh54ZCT-_InTY075E1RYmPjDOWRcd0woReK1pwj_IecliVO1WOfPmlZhRa0v0a6KLKWmzVF5_fgnHBcYuWG1l6VDOSqOW4eVEIuubmV1wUUSRlqZz0mU01hyphenhyphenOfqwoXdYPBUPr3jCEQDDUBi/s320/CIMG1160.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391077535812221106" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWou4ZgwGhwfzwG3AbodDrgZAkboddlwW5xp28rLs4b3M7Bz8TmbBlKYn9bOQTZDJWkPOxcBIHtneAERkHeEM7fsxBUEr18td_sqX_5zPEBIkaHe441dqzp_U82YZAkmLtiZ4zBbUWocPJ/s1600-h/CIMG1161.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWou4ZgwGhwfzwG3AbodDrgZAkboddlwW5xp28rLs4b3M7Bz8TmbBlKYn9bOQTZDJWkPOxcBIHtneAERkHeEM7fsxBUEr18td_sqX_5zPEBIkaHe441dqzp_U82YZAkmLtiZ4zBbUWocPJ/s320/CIMG1161.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391077771339095970" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnwISk1N8X80vvSVUT_ehzEtp1XZp-mCfOFegRKXEIWeOvDyrShSQUbaNAsOujAymJzJqOzarOc_4YN89o1zVN5REGH4dkW7QA0ji1s_dDnK0hSuL7mDe0VolfbR8ccRjKQvEx_Am_wwk/s1600-h/CIMG1162.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKnwISk1N8X80vvSVUT_ehzEtp1XZp-mCfOFegRKXEIWeOvDyrShSQUbaNAsOujAymJzJqOzarOc_4YN89o1zVN5REGH4dkW7QA0ji1s_dDnK0hSuL7mDe0VolfbR8ccRjKQvEx_Am_wwk/s320/CIMG1162.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391078001568000514" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qEmow_B4P9yyUqL2p6csuJUM-D2e1OEvNSEZzr1zY3MCErHX1E0K4QgMChFdZtCVCAf8bSdn4nIZQoKzPNFKtR0L7yVojK7XvpMDxbKasWU76Uzp6Hqit-ROVQAwqZtAPxZ2iOu0fgmo/s1600-h/CIMG1165.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qEmow_B4P9yyUqL2p6csuJUM-D2e1OEvNSEZzr1zY3MCErHX1E0K4QgMChFdZtCVCAf8bSdn4nIZQoKzPNFKtR0L7yVojK7XvpMDxbKasWU76Uzp6Hqit-ROVQAwqZtAPxZ2iOu0fgmo/s320/CIMG1165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391078339166050530" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyMye7Z_2hLsfq8RuZsUJ8HUnjIwlQg7mfi7iRwQtOGdufEVH3gQiiOG37fIbLAhzFSRbvXC5ZMIURajuyJllF3kBD3O340-Vz0ftNDAPdr9rfinOhi8AWogOmDcln5n9HaK10KXCA7zH/s1600-h/CIMG1166.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyMye7Z_2hLsfq8RuZsUJ8HUnjIwlQg7mfi7iRwQtOGdufEVH3gQiiOG37fIbLAhzFSRbvXC5ZMIURajuyJllF3kBD3O340-Vz0ftNDAPdr9rfinOhi8AWogOmDcln5n9HaK10KXCA7zH/s320/CIMG1166.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391078633032817074" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUxT_D1HW4JoXiD5phy4BizxZIgJ4CEGLDBYHu0iu9uO3gA7y1kSYXSiEBXOPAKkT7A442OgsQIvTAZ3uyDSfKrIsJ6cB-H7i3DS5vKGrbJX-lK-XAIMCzGLdBql1FgyTTAqG9UOxmAzO/s1600-h/CIMG1167.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbUxT_D1HW4JoXiD5phy4BizxZIgJ4CEGLDBYHu0iu9uO3gA7y1kSYXSiEBXOPAKkT7A442OgsQIvTAZ3uyDSfKrIsJ6cB-H7i3DS5vKGrbJX-lK-XAIMCzGLdBql1FgyTTAqG9UOxmAzO/s320/CIMG1167.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391078924519568034" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sDBUbRnSKdERNF0t02c7SkfEveeqgdtx483vEiTuZ0Tz60F5v61935yRbI_1oUdKlepEQWUyw8H6hD7fhqKY5Ed69pQ24uZPCfGQ-ggF6uzc3IONv9mTfJt1Q8FLMPhRQbSQe4XEaFxM/s1600-h/CIMG1168.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9sDBUbRnSKdERNF0t02c7SkfEveeqgdtx483vEiTuZ0Tz60F5v61935yRbI_1oUdKlepEQWUyw8H6hD7fhqKY5Ed69pQ24uZPCfGQ-ggF6uzc3IONv9mTfJt1Q8FLMPhRQbSQe4XEaFxM/s320/CIMG1168.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391079209390552434" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>She's pretty good, but I'm going to do better.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time, let the chips fly!</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-71799640948270377862009-09-26T09:20:00.011-06:002009-09-26T10:22:12.341-06:00The Beardless Wonder and The Fearless WonderFirst, The Beardless Wonder. He's not my first beardless face, but he is my first beardless wood spirit done in found wood. He turned out nicely, but I did some things I'm going to do differently next time. They aren't mistakes, they're learning experiences!<div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEUPbw2YLONkjAIEsV2hWowa_NuaUtHksB0RL0pNArVKCGM8bzbtZHNRhMG8rkq4MnHWXc0StrjtD7ksKSm-oJHnLewVFb8WoA5zkysQuYc3FqirgPPMMce1E7GsbKqPee5RGj7q_hQxC/s1600-h/CIMG1086.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNEUPbw2YLONkjAIEsV2hWowa_NuaUtHksB0RL0pNArVKCGM8bzbtZHNRhMG8rkq4MnHWXc0StrjtD7ksKSm-oJHnLewVFb8WoA5zkysQuYc3FqirgPPMMce1E7GsbKqPee5RGj7q_hQxC/s320/CIMG1086.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385797990736326290" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY8q68VrtMtXw8_Yiae2k8tkvzC2LZzGoJjMe1g-mlL_tTBLnh7etq8b2Jfu98udr4ww2IV1KgzEUgJYD_xXkl51ZICObyqiXvYnLqPnpGwxUQqqHO9ZIpkOKRxz9kKTZwf8RYeHfJH1Q/s1600-h/CIMG1087.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdY8q68VrtMtXw8_Yiae2k8tkvzC2LZzGoJjMe1g-mlL_tTBLnh7etq8b2Jfu98udr4ww2IV1KgzEUgJYD_xXkl51ZICObyqiXvYnLqPnpGwxUQqqHO9ZIpkOKRxz9kKTZwf8RYeHfJH1Q/s320/CIMG1087.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385798621301211586" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWMdN-iqNoX5xlDJLhRsZw94H_YuFVnwcZvpsxh9e_vjdztKu_Ae7us1jL6fIp7ITBJyMi2A7vjrdJr-SA0RnOaxsXZsoaA8xcyECTSNy1YZTYoeY9BP-OCw-cbjQ_zZjiLOI4haWiy0B/s1600-h/CIMG1089.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibWMdN-iqNoX5xlDJLhRsZw94H_YuFVnwcZvpsxh9e_vjdztKu_Ae7us1jL6fIp7ITBJyMi2A7vjrdJr-SA0RnOaxsXZsoaA8xcyECTSNy1YZTYoeY9BP-OCw-cbjQ_zZjiLOI4haWiy0B/s320/CIMG1089.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385799282529106306" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_V0QEJcAOhX0Nbz_Qhmy9Yxk3t2lKT6XdKBbjP-J8GXBFvmkf5xEa2Reife-3sdXs-xtxoXttzJ0U9yYSk5JiCs5a1KOVcOiDCFC9LrxiI6-kni5OVAA2oVlXO__gxehhZ1T4sUbOu_t/s1600-h/CIMG1090.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim_V0QEJcAOhX0Nbz_Qhmy9Yxk3t2lKT6XdKBbjP-J8GXBFvmkf5xEa2Reife-3sdXs-xtxoXttzJ0U9yYSk5JiCs5a1KOVcOiDCFC9LrxiI6-kni5OVAA2oVlXO__gxehhZ1T4sUbOu_t/s320/CIMG1090.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385799970751523202" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnHaaIZYLD-MKTMh6jUoPc6G9jRQmBeNOxk8GpfAlr05DnJ2UcV0E65USTniSf7nrLi4MRFjEUrWNK-jbxn7yHUKwMRkcZc6BC6QqAmeFPMZgE5xn6WbVP7nlS-f2WNijh84fb0yTEg89/s1600-h/CIMG1093.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinnHaaIZYLD-MKTMh6jUoPc6G9jRQmBeNOxk8GpfAlr05DnJ2UcV0E65USTniSf7nrLi4MRFjEUrWNK-jbxn7yHUKwMRkcZc6BC6QqAmeFPMZgE5xn6WbVP7nlS-f2WNijh84fb0yTEg89/s320/CIMG1093.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385801655971531554" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>Overall I'm pretty happy with this guy. The biggest improvement I think I could make is going deeper into the branch for the chin. Most people's profile shows a convex curve when drawn from the hairline to the tip of the nose to the tip of the chin.<br /><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa5Lolan_twFvAREBeUSuk6m7DbJ_WfnlosSijWCqL-IYKXprcOqK74f4dNfjhNb8tus8o8gI3ZDZ_0H-fjYZTBoiB2gnWuQZkPzAJ3papGBHuLkg4kOQYpBJFJy9M3AkxM0XmdS8lOpW/s1600-h/BW+profile.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZa5Lolan_twFvAREBeUSuk6m7DbJ_WfnlosSijWCqL-IYKXprcOqK74f4dNfjhNb8tus8o8gI3ZDZ_0H-fjYZTBoiB2gnWuQZkPzAJ3papGBHuLkg4kOQYpBJFJy9M3AkxM0XmdS8lOpW/s320/BW+profile.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385804373042836786" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>The other thing I would do is move the smile line on the left side closer to the corner of the mouth and smooth out the transition up to the cheek.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-t-dbrV03MZLh8OYfjXaAobauATrD_qaLgL44CBVQPIss0vpmDFN2P_dykxLjUO7hFCt8TxnnYvQtFPKzFvTbSkziqmR_gesS8pUz0EkhDWRLVQ-ImJaO_nO6BBAil54TOL2BLlT3mF_/s1600-h/BW+smile+line.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG-t-dbrV03MZLh8OYfjXaAobauATrD_qaLgL44CBVQPIss0vpmDFN2P_dykxLjUO7hFCt8TxnnYvQtFPKzFvTbSkziqmR_gesS8pUz0EkhDWRLVQ-ImJaO_nO6BBAil54TOL2BLlT3mF_/s320/BW+smile+line.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385806088946341650" /></a><br /></div><div>And now for The Fearless Wonder. Now you have to remember that this guy doesn't exist, never has, living or dead, in reality or in effigy. We've all got a bit of fear when it comes to our work. As you may have noticed, I've been trying to get more emotion into my faces. As I was coming down to the finish line on Beardless here, I was really happy with the way he was turning out. I got to the place that the only thing I needed to do to call him finished was to cut in the eyebrows. </div><div><br /></div><div>He sat around for a WEEK before I could bring myself to finish the eyebrows. I started thinking (and this is not unusual for me) that I was going to screw up the eyebrows and ruin the whole thing! Never mind that I know how to fix such a screw up. Never mind that I had already fixed several things in the carving that I didn't like at first. I was going to screw up the eyebrows and that would totally ruin the entire carving. Have you ever heard of such a ridiculous thing?</div><div><br /></div><div>Now admittedly this comes as a result of some self-examination. I didn't think specifically or rationally that I was going to screw it up. This was all some sort of subliminal gut type of feeling that didn't come out until I sat staring at the eyebrowless wonder yesterday.</div><div><br /></div><div>This isn't the first time this gut-delay has happened, nor is it the first time I've come to this particular realization. I've got a potentially beautiful lovespoon WIP laying around that I've been ignoring for almost a year. One day I'll work up the guts to finish it.</div><div><br /></div><div>This is all to illustrate that we all have these kinds of feelings to one degree or another, and that it is OK to give in to them on occasion. But you have to recognize that there is no rational reason for feeling that way and that sooner or later, preferably sooner, you're going to have to bite the bullet and finish the damn thing!</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time, let the chips fly!</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-88827979961547729912009-09-20T14:38:00.011-06:002009-09-20T15:51:24.810-06:00Sundry SundayWelcome back friends and neighbors. I've spent the last couple of weeks doing different things and trying different techniques, so this blog post is something of a hodge-podge. First up is a little Celtic dragon I did for my daughter. She's going to make a pendant (or something) from it for her <a href="http://ravynedge.etsy.com/">jewelry line</a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnuM4qRlGBw8d53BB1L_-UD0K3QoeBtyl4PHf7Cw8-e-M7hgInzUmqeN2hAMwL3HfXoo-n3iQB-7fKDgJg4pCdtHXPjjwkJ8_fRCzOhb-3P_mD8HzfAlWTZOSp77eaOw37BNrlfOCttKj/s1600-h/CIMG1071.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnuM4qRlGBw8d53BB1L_-UD0K3QoeBtyl4PHf7Cw8-e-M7hgInzUmqeN2hAMwL3HfXoo-n3iQB-7fKDgJg4pCdtHXPjjwkJ8_fRCzOhb-3P_mD8HzfAlWTZOSp77eaOw37BNrlfOCttKj/s320/CIMG1071.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383654664325266258" /></a><br /><br />The wood is 1/4" walnut that I got from Woodcraft. Walnut wasn't as hard to carve as I thought it would be. Of course it was only 1/4" thick so I wasn't taking off huge pieces. The only machine I used on this was a drill to start the piercings. Everything else, including rough shaping from the original square blank, was done with a knife. Could be better, but for a first effort, I'm rather pleased.<div><br /></div><div>This wood spirit is the first I've ever done in found wood. As such it was something of a new experience. I believe the wood is aspen. I am not a student of plant life. I know there are two kinds of trees, deciduous and evergreen. Beyond that I'm pretty clueless.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-j5ho4bJuJ0TCosbzlSiXsgM6BbBval40Z1tyUlGUDNdloH94lp0J3OukIKs3GU8nYYIGk0Lt6J9L8cliKEPOMquhagqwsuibkxPp5Du2NECWuGMjSBBPzkWimFUkAqt3maDSbXAWXf6/s1600-h/CIMG1074.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd-j5ho4bJuJ0TCosbzlSiXsgM6BbBval40Z1tyUlGUDNdloH94lp0J3OukIKs3GU8nYYIGk0Lt6J9L8cliKEPOMquhagqwsuibkxPp5Du2NECWuGMjSBBPzkWimFUkAqt3maDSbXAWXf6/s320/CIMG1074.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383659414148299154" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFU9On8dMHYuQhLbL6KmVK1Gm9SYziE3FlGuoIHzadNXPjULRFtBl0ridBDaOeRoPruwe9qj5HiFx5yqJKfmWAP1InkUYzydBBBqFMABko-wIu_PcoEnMtoKrxfPA5EJyMbO5C9xdhtRs/s1600-h/CIMG1075.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOFU9On8dMHYuQhLbL6KmVK1Gm9SYziE3FlGuoIHzadNXPjULRFtBl0ridBDaOeRoPruwe9qj5HiFx5yqJKfmWAP1InkUYzydBBBqFMABko-wIu_PcoEnMtoKrxfPA5EJyMbO5C9xdhtRs/s320/CIMG1075.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383659788813605922" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxp2NG9Lo_HSa7pDRVzEb_cTk6AC7MMEO2uFZuznFrer60AEUHyE3DS27_RW0_N5D1N9lE4Ty6RZKBy8CUS1CtOiAQLHxJOCHKtGWIG80AAOjnPay9hdso-hn5pcyCE7g3tR8aPgIVMDJ/s1600-h/CIMG1076.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBxp2NG9Lo_HSa7pDRVzEb_cTk6AC7MMEO2uFZuznFrer60AEUHyE3DS27_RW0_N5D1N9lE4Ty6RZKBy8CUS1CtOiAQLHxJOCHKtGWIG80AAOjnPay9hdso-hn5pcyCE7g3tR8aPgIVMDJ/s320/CIMG1076.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383660120021988850" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>I did this guy a little differently than the others I've done. I did the eyes the way Don Mertz, The Woodbee Carver, does in his <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/?page_id=582">tutorial</a>. Then I used a round, negative space for the irises/pupils. I rather like the way it turned out. I also got a little more curvature on the dental mound than I usually get and got more of the nose on the face rather than sticking out in front of it. Still not quite where I want it, but getting better.</div><div><br /></div><div>The next series of photos is of another technique I've picked up from Don, the <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/?page_id=317">Whittle Doodle</a>.</div><br /><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRc-ctu37pRy4ciZy4hyphenhyphen6CjN0BBUxycNH0kepecKX8GIv5FSskSlHS_aOc6SScoYUT2Fp9GsAfWdAz0lE4DmGEMDxCKdz1nVjAFSE94r5kQxx7SsCRUzuPnAFwu7oZdxQpqGdPvyqmR01I/s1600-h/CIMG1082.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRc-ctu37pRy4ciZy4hyphenhyphen6CjN0BBUxycNH0kepecKX8GIv5FSskSlHS_aOc6SScoYUT2Fp9GsAfWdAz0lE4DmGEMDxCKdz1nVjAFSE94r5kQxx7SsCRUzuPnAFwu7oZdxQpqGdPvyqmR01I/s320/CIMG1082.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383664617345598962" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsIsn6NorRlUCWYvTO1e-uleRBlHUm8JvoVMpjYEqEGsiSfi7vYxCBWUy1dtTfdwkNoAhqkki0OOJm291GDD4BZrWooy5RwkZJo-ix9EFG1ZpZ7U7_QoVx6o3V5un-ZmSzrpuvuHVziyB/s1600-h/CIMG1083.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsIsn6NorRlUCWYvTO1e-uleRBlHUm8JvoVMpjYEqEGsiSfi7vYxCBWUy1dtTfdwkNoAhqkki0OOJm291GDD4BZrWooy5RwkZJo-ix9EFG1ZpZ7U7_QoVx6o3V5un-ZmSzrpuvuHVziyB/s320/CIMG1083.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383664966239875650" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfr3YfmyWS5ynvaOHGAkI9HMagq2kP0KfborRRGHdX_49HYc-wRlxVAuGqIPItj7q0-C8nYstpT0qjDa5DCs9A6YfYeGk5U_QIFKb2m_PeNFUHB2sqp-tVR4t88zETV_tUY0f2jZbcjyk/s1600-h/CIMG1084.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfr3YfmyWS5ynvaOHGAkI9HMagq2kP0KfborRRGHdX_49HYc-wRlxVAuGqIPItj7q0-C8nYstpT0qjDa5DCs9A6YfYeGk5U_QIFKb2m_PeNFUHB2sqp-tVR4t88zETV_tUY0f2jZbcjyk/s320/CIMG1084.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383665368698962722" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>A Whittle Doodle is just exactly what it says. It's a doodle for whittlers. Instead of doodling on a piece of paper with your pencil, you doodle on a piece of scrap wood with your knife. In this case it's a 2"x2"x2" block of basswood. It's a low-pressure way to practice since (unless you are Don) it's not meant to be seen by anyone else. As you can see, I screwed up the eye on the right royally, but I'm really happy with the way the nose turned out. You can also see that the regularity of my borders needs some work. I've still got a lot of room on this Doodle to play with. I'm going to keep at it until I've got every face full. It's going to be interesting when I get to the end-grain faces! That may take a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>That's enough rambling for now. So, until next time, let the chips fly.</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-31778233077841055492009-09-07T14:23:00.011-06:002009-09-07T15:20:24.785-06:00Many Mini SantasChristmas time is a-commin', so I'm starting to stock up on Santas. First up is my 2009 ornament. I try to do a different style of ornament every year. I'll do some of the old ones as well, but I introduce a new one annually. <div><br /></div><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMiEOnoWf2FHaZG2ZQju_9uDCXKMYN8tk1qDjKMjTEtI9k6q3JK0DTqkIgTRkqYAStwyLJwRfRmJOXHGAewc-FIqo9y0a6tv0mMApD9EtDmzJK5eIS8q-s4F1lBjx7HQVL6-nCKa4tUJG/s1600-h/CIMG1056.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYMiEOnoWf2FHaZG2ZQju_9uDCXKMYN8tk1qDjKMjTEtI9k6q3JK0DTqkIgTRkqYAStwyLJwRfRmJOXHGAewc-FIqo9y0a6tv0mMApD9EtDmzJK5eIS8q-s4F1lBjx7HQVL6-nCKa4tUJG/s320/CIMG1056.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378825004812022354" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE_JNkGwSlDdyaNs2NNUeA-JpTK52Z3PzXw3gDFXebdVSvF576NG2cJti6V1vhfHLEdxV68BqyWhqUROxET5E1sI8BoEtioJf2-hPMqsiZ92BSImFhFiWeCpnhquzz5h8FeVicglHujjT/s1600-h/CIMG1057.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdE_JNkGwSlDdyaNs2NNUeA-JpTK52Z3PzXw3gDFXebdVSvF576NG2cJti6V1vhfHLEdxV68BqyWhqUROxET5E1sI8BoEtioJf2-hPMqsiZ92BSImFhFiWeCpnhquzz5h8FeVicglHujjT/s320/CIMG1057.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378825275449603090" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_0qJd-N-fUNEagOSFsvaANsSDwkMKcdVAsEQICUCfWOXL0gGBv5WQpUeDv61fjQQ0z5d_cYazB0fKtWoGhCCPS35V1atkREDFuxwu8aJldPd3TyLSYHWo_u0vntGaJN_G14yghYb1fD0/s1600-h/CIMG1059.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2_0qJd-N-fUNEagOSFsvaANsSDwkMKcdVAsEQICUCfWOXL0gGBv5WQpUeDv61fjQQ0z5d_cYazB0fKtWoGhCCPS35V1atkREDFuxwu8aJldPd3TyLSYHWo_u0vntGaJN_G14yghYb1fD0/s320/CIMG1059.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378825622615615394" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmjwT5-7iguURFME0veQJx1ZzIInFkqkqEi1loE1MmfSa10LqdyJWUEn7u8D7jhNuwIJlR2Kva12xhdztKBsqwm8hWDdc3_-KfVSWF6nZaUaqhLl9iXKAgn_zI1qpn4LjHZpgi2Ynrztk/s1600-h/CIMG1058.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPmjwT5-7iguURFME0veQJx1ZzIInFkqkqEi1loE1MmfSa10LqdyJWUEn7u8D7jhNuwIJlR2Kva12xhdztKBsqwm8hWDdc3_-KfVSWF6nZaUaqhLl9iXKAgn_zI1qpn4LjHZpgi2Ynrztk/s320/CIMG1058.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378825924029117570" /></a><br /></div><div>These guys are carved from 1.5"x1.5"x4" basswood. They are carved "on the corner". that is, they are carved so that the nose is formed from a corner of the block. This is a technique to make getting the curvature of the face easier.</div><div><br /></div><div>This year I'm also doing a limited edition of 5 sets of 5 different Santa miniatures. This Old World Santa will be the first figure in the sets. These are MINIATURES! They are carved from a 1"x1"x3" block of basswood and are NOT carved on the corner. </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d9OTcAMeFyWQQWqOsnbBP8t0VAWOkhD6s7iaq5tAaMyt7-p1zVRNkJwPanCh13aJZDF5CYAdR5FEbpbGK4aRvN8ffRqbCkgI3PmP8G8lIvYdRRixK9w3FygDySAA5doPQPNsqUT5kuzk/s1600-h/CIMG1064.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_d9OTcAMeFyWQQWqOsnbBP8t0VAWOkhD6s7iaq5tAaMyt7-p1zVRNkJwPanCh13aJZDF5CYAdR5FEbpbGK4aRvN8ffRqbCkgI3PmP8G8lIvYdRRixK9w3FygDySAA5doPQPNsqUT5kuzk/s320/CIMG1064.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378828452638631250" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xcsu7VC8o1Uk1Q5_uxTR4gLXcms6FP1OvQzH_eQmmniBGMVf2lwjIeZvt6Is7O9S7a77z_fCFRtuheOwPn64u6IqCgueDHnLT54miwKF5nwrMW0Qyn-oiDeNF4OYeDGpDNjOeQvMqrOx/s1600-h/CIMG1065.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Xcsu7VC8o1Uk1Q5_uxTR4gLXcms6FP1OvQzH_eQmmniBGMVf2lwjIeZvt6Is7O9S7a77z_fCFRtuheOwPn64u6IqCgueDHnLT54miwKF5nwrMW0Qyn-oiDeNF4OYeDGpDNjOeQvMqrOx/s320/CIMG1065.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378828831737557282" /></a><br /></div><div>Minis are a lot of fun to do. Some people do this size of carving all the time. I tease <a href="http://quiltingandcarving.blogspot.com/">Tom H</a> all the time about how his carvings are so small I have a hard time seeing them, much less carving at that scale. And Don Mertz, <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/?page_id=327">The Woodbee Carver</a>, has a whole "line" of carvings he calls Whittle Folk that are all about this size. This, however, is my first major foray into carving this small. I had to go out and buy some +3 reading glasses just to be able to see what I was doing! Gettin' old is hell, let me tell ya.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The knife is a Ralph E. Long Model WH-9 that I've modified to fit my druthers. The blade is about 1" long, and the point originally continued on up which put the tip of the knife about 3/16ths of an inch above the back of the blade where it joins the handle. That put the tip too high for me to use comfortably, so I took a diamond hone to it. I brought the point back down to where it is even with the back of the blade. This is one rockin' miniature knife!</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm not real pleased with a couple of these guys. A couple of them are probably going to get recarved before long. Eyes at this scale are a real b. . . . . . challenge.</div><div><br /></div><div>This next bunch was inspired by Don Mertz, again! He calls them <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/?p=1846">Pin Heads</a> because they are carved from the old-fashioned clothes pins that you can get from Hobby Lobby. I saw his, and I just HAD to try it!</div><div> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_Y3TpRgWee3vw6vX6BhAV0FvOnL9XSkzTfyk5crYZaF6pCQTzY9VmUvE9y4xV4y8EaCml85OxczXPejVd5RZMAxLkKbEE2LT23Zawme1kiN6zm7nai1d8jIpHQQ6vzVr8P-WbbfLhkwz/s1600-h/CIMG1066.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF_Y3TpRgWee3vw6vX6BhAV0FvOnL9XSkzTfyk5crYZaF6pCQTzY9VmUvE9y4xV4y8EaCml85OxczXPejVd5RZMAxLkKbEE2LT23Zawme1kiN6zm7nai1d8jIpHQQ6vzVr8P-WbbfLhkwz/s320/CIMG1066.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378834504181938754" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TT3xZQSAvxGCTjBPONXZZXylcVe-DOz8-3opJ33WRBKivcnbWu8FXCo4kjaGcIIF2EDUPIEXue7YlbzCaHqlUB5yUUi-8nLJNZjHygKABGm-rrXZmOUDSVagoDjOIHoPNDG70pTQPSex/s1600-h/CIMG1068.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0TT3xZQSAvxGCTjBPONXZZXylcVe-DOz8-3opJ33WRBKivcnbWu8FXCo4kjaGcIIF2EDUPIEXue7YlbzCaHqlUB5yUUi-8nLJNZjHygKABGm-rrXZmOUDSVagoDjOIHoPNDG70pTQPSex/s320/CIMG1068.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378834833252162578" /></a><br /></div><div>I think the pins are made from beech, but I'm not totally sure. The ones I have are almost as easy to carve as basswood, but the wood is darker and has some dark spots in it. These pins are about 9/16" in diameter. Talk about a challenge! Especially the eyes! Never mind carving them, painting them is the real killer. If you click on the picture you'll see that the eyes on the two red-and-whites on the right are pretty wonky. I either need to make the eyes bigger or get a smaller toothpick (that being what I use to paint the eyes).<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>If you are interested in talking to Ralph about his knives, his email addy is <span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px; font-family:Arial;font-size:12px;"><a href="http://webmail.aol.com/44148/aol/en-us/Suite.aspx#" dojoattachpoint="email1Info" class="emailLink" style="color: rgb(2, 101, 202); text-decoration: none; font-size: 11px; font-weight: 600; margin-left: 8px; ">RELDPL@embarqmail.com</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:12px;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Arial;font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 1px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 1px;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; font-family:Georgia;font-size:16px;">And now for something completely different:</span></span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusepX7rqcJT0svMwqdt5WZMRsfIq3HZKB1MRsz4CojBddlnGA5F4z5uYaBVoLg6K5wet98hrkADJY5EALFYvzLQgpsQbfJ9i0Rb776xspr2jfIp4pJg4ZRMLrTTSU07sZVypfT3nziy88/s1600-h/CIMG1060.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgusepX7rqcJT0svMwqdt5WZMRsfIq3HZKB1MRsz4CojBddlnGA5F4z5uYaBVoLg6K5wet98hrkADJY5EALFYvzLQgpsQbfJ9i0Rb776xspr2jfIp4pJg4ZRMLrTTSU07sZVypfT3nziy88/s320/CIMG1060.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5378837762244577522" /></a><br /></div><div>This woodspirit is carved from a birch dowel 1.5" in diameter by 6" long. I'm working on a step-by-step that will appear on this blog real soon now.<br /><br />Until then, let the chips fly!<br /></div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-10943559812750969652009-08-20T08:50:00.002-06:002009-08-20T09:23:50.213-06:00Do You Need a Gouge?Kari Hultman over on <a href="http://villagecarpenter.blogspot.com/">The Village Carpenter</a> blog tweeted a question to me asking if I ever use gouges, saying that she had trouble figuring out how to make certain cuts with a knife.<div><br /></div><div>Well, Kari, join the club!</div><div><br /></div><div>No, I don't use gouges, and sometimes I have a lot of trouble figuring out how to make a cut. It involves a lot of twisting and turning the piece and seeing if the blade will fit and still have enough room to move. All the cuts are easier if you use a slicing action.</div><div><br /></div><div>The absolute best woodcarving video I've ever seen regarding how to make the various knife cuts is <a href="http://www.pinewoodforge.com/HarleyVideo.html">"Figure Carving Scandinavian Style with Harley Refsal"</a>. If you want something for free, check out <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/carverswoodshop">Arleen's videos</a> or <a href="http://www.youtube.com/user/whittler0507">Gene Messer's videos</a> on YouTube. Both are excellent carvers and instructors, and both are primarily knife carvers. I spend time watching them when I should be carving! </div><div><br /></div><div>So, you don't really need gouges to do hand-held carving, but you may sometimes compromise a little on the final look of the piece. Frankly, I think the knife "compromise" looks just as good as a gouge cut.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, until next time, let the chips fly!</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-19911094934797172832009-08-16T19:34:00.009-06:002009-08-19T18:52:55.776-06:00Pocket Knife Mods & MinisOK, between <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5KaeWq5w4U&feature=channel_page">Arleen's pocket knives</a> and <a href="http://woodbeecarver.com/?m=20080525">Don Mertz' Tinker Knives</a> I decided I had to modify some pocket knives for carving. Yeah, I'm a knife freak. Any excuse to have another knife to play with is good.<div><br /></div><div>So I went looking for a nice, cheap 3-blade stockman to experiment on. I found it at Sportsman's Warehouse: a Chinese-made stockman under the Winchester brand.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYg0REBsx6jzZq6lebtxRq2a_x90f8nN8rAdh5jsNh-pPCSbIEUF7KHfMgaVXymJWn2WIZj3Mn9bDd9F8mSb725Etdw4VTa0SQh9reiQCQ9WjFc5Cp4IQBYIt4laM2_3LVfvJDTEs6d4Q/s1600-h/CIMG1046.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBYg0REBsx6jzZq6lebtxRq2a_x90f8nN8rAdh5jsNh-pPCSbIEUF7KHfMgaVXymJWn2WIZj3Mn9bDd9F8mSb725Etdw4VTa0SQh9reiQCQ9WjFc5Cp4IQBYIt4laM2_3LVfvJDTEs6d4Q/s320/CIMG1046.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5370745012202342962" /></a>For a $15 knife this one is pretty good. Nice bone handle (or at least it looks like bone); fit and finish are a lot better than I would have expected for a knife of this price. While information on this knife is scant, I suspect that the steel is 420HC. In spite of the bad rap it has among the knife snobs, it's not a bad steel. It's capable of being hardened to a 57 on the Rockwell C scale (HRC57 or 57RC), which is about the minimum hardness you want in a carving knife. By the way, don't fall for the hoary old salesman's pitch that a knife holds an edge for a long time is also easy to resharpen. The knife that holds its edge a long time does so because the steel is hard. Hard steel is tough to resharpen. Period. End of story.</div><div><br /></div><div>In any case 420HC has the compromise of being hard enough to give decent service without being too dificult to resharpen. Now, when you think about it, about the only time you should sharpen a carving knife is when you do physical damage to the blade. Normally stropping the blade about every half-hour or so during use should be about all the sharpening you need to do. I have some knives I haven't taken a stone to in almost two years.</div><div><br /></div><div>To make a long story short (too late!) I wasn't too worried about the steel. I was more worried about the springs: that they were strong enough to keep the blades from closing too easily. Keep in mind that 99% of 3-blade stockman knives have no locking blades. Now since I never saw a locking blade knife until I was out of college, I know how to use a slipjoint knife safely. Slipjoints may not be a good choice for a knife novice. Nah, strike that. I was 8 years old when I got my first knife, and it was a slipjoint. I never had the knife close on my fingers (came close a couple of times; the accellerated heartbeat reminded me not to do that again). Become acquainted with the knife, opening and closing it until your fingers hurt. Then take small cuts and never try to force the blade through the wood. You'll be fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>The blades you see in the photo above are not how they came from the factory. I used Arleen's method of sharpening to regrind the blades. Like virtually every factory knife that wasn't made in Scandinavia, the blades had a secondary bevel. I used 5" sanding disks in an electric drill to grind the sides of the blades to as near a straight line as I could get from the back of the knife to the edge. I started with 220-grit wet-dry sandpaper to do the main grinding, holding the blade to the sandpaper for a couple of seconds, the dipping the blade in a cup of ice water to keep the steel from overheating, then grinding again. I did this until the secondary bevel was gone. Then I sanded each blade with 400-grit, then 800-grit to take the scratches out. I finished off by stropping. I made the strop from a 5" circle cut from the back of a pad of yellow paper, used spray adhesive to mount it to the sanding pad, and loaded it with green polishing compound. I was able to get a very high polish on all the blades. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then I got out the Dremel. With a grinding stone. The single blade on the left was a rather exaggerated spey pattern. I have come to really like the big sweep/sharp point profile, so I modified the blade to that profile. Touch blade to stone, dip blade in ice water, and repeat. At 30,000 rpm even that method doesn't take long. The shorter blade on the right started out as a sheepsfoot pattern. I'm slowly working it into a Wharncliffe. I left the main clip blade the same profile, though at 2.5" it is longer than I like. Once I get the Wharncliffe profile where I want it, I'll probably work on shortening the clip blade.</div><div><br /></div><div>One more thing before I tell you the results so far, if you choose to do this, expect to have the blade edge roll on you the first time you use it. That's because the steel isn't hard enough to support the scandi-type edge at such an acute angle. A couple of good stroppings will put enough of a micro bevel on it so that the edge won't roll.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, how did it work? I used the ex-spey blade to do these two 3" tall Santas. In case you can't tell, one of them isn't finished. The knife worked like a champ! It's not a Ralph Long knife, but it's usable.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFCVde2gbqqU9TB_E5rMMwkqKAJdIbOMlkQ5z90CmnnMoVgpN0TfGK1FU6zJT9aF_6WYX8ba8Sd4MsTZJp8aJnJRXXlp1uUNj8OQg1swk_2H1Ec7UTEcfKxX2__bNsSZVHshMrcVRCG1j/s1600-h/CIMG1041.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqFCVde2gbqqU9TB_E5rMMwkqKAJdIbOMlkQ5z90CmnnMoVgpN0TfGK1FU6zJT9aF_6WYX8ba8Sd4MsTZJp8aJnJRXXlp1uUNj8OQg1swk_2H1Ec7UTEcfKxX2__bNsSZVHshMrcVRCG1j/s320/CIMG1041.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371838082386021730" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicG906hHQTyNPM2NPo8ifQya2ioF2_LWNqKjbrmcz9qIfaeF1E-P1Ea3WARWNE7jMTcZcAsILvHNU7Gip5pSSWhxLF_aSzYcn5bBUsOguABfdxOPS4ah1wOmrw7Em_tqEND8GkDIt5eFbY/s1600-h/CIMG1042.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicG906hHQTyNPM2NPo8ifQya2ioF2_LWNqKjbrmcz9qIfaeF1E-P1Ea3WARWNE7jMTcZcAsILvHNU7Gip5pSSWhxLF_aSzYcn5bBUsOguABfdxOPS4ah1wOmrw7Em_tqEND8GkDIt5eFbY/s320/CIMG1042.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371838475073637378" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMENXd0xU95rW8hZDPVVM8in2O8TWJO2LL09c10OBnFA35VJTf6lMVgOgM4kQeP6tfHYILP9wjj0zI865S2MgUhpoCkUUJMBVeno6AhWnwXPod-lsRglalIwuNPy0zjbXgVnZxo0xbysy/s1600-h/CIMG1044.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuMENXd0xU95rW8hZDPVVM8in2O8TWJO2LL09c10OBnFA35VJTf6lMVgOgM4kQeP6tfHYILP9wjj0zI865S2MgUhpoCkUUJMBVeno6AhWnwXPod-lsRglalIwuNPy0zjbXgVnZxo0xbysy/s320/CIMG1044.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371838966977693330" /></a><br /><br /></div><div>I gotta tell ya, carving these little guys scares the peewaddin outa me! (That was a phrase of my mother's, a genteel Southern lady by all accounts; if someone could tell me what "peewaddin" is (come on, Thomp, Tom, Gene), I'd greatly appreciate it.) Not because I'm afraid I'll get cut. Got over that a LONG time ago, but because taking off a 5-thousandths of an inch shaving (yes, I measured; I'm an engineer; get over it) in the wrong place could be enough to convert a nice little miniature into fire . . . . um, kindling. Maybe once I've done 1000 of them, like <a href="http://beginnerscarvingcorner.blogspot.com/2009/08/carve-it-1000-times.html">Tom</a>, I'll get over bein' afeerd.</div><div><br /></div><div>Until next time, let the chips fly!</div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1768624752163209572.post-16346960899730607882009-08-03T20:13:00.013-06:002009-08-03T20:43:39.891-06:00A Tale of Two Santas -- ContinuedOK, I'm not sure whether Blogger is behaving itself better tonight or not, but here goes.<div><br /></div><div>These are some in-process photos I took of the second Santa you saw yesterday. For the most part I'm going to let the photos speak for themselves. If you have any questions about any of them, just leave a comment, and I'll do my best to answer.</div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLFq2oIWC8HYJ5aMbKckgxcAtgqu0HeTOVRNLRtMb3h1WR_L3XEWFElEAByg515h3XhQ6gn4La6TNXAAGhe1qn42YvFl-Yugb3jqNrcy9xBLG9J410kxWfV1pK0VN2Ux_SU8Xo-zozMOe/s1600-h/CIMG0988.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFLFq2oIWC8HYJ5aMbKckgxcAtgqu0HeTOVRNLRtMb3h1WR_L3XEWFElEAByg515h3XhQ6gn4La6TNXAAGhe1qn42YvFl-Yugb3jqNrcy9xBLG9J410kxWfV1pK0VN2Ux_SU8Xo-zozMOe/s320/CIMG0988.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365927143198082386" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJVfLWpXbOmdfr8waVpgBzcOyGYBaZFTmjGbxs1g2GuF7_J4qw_dlbMFdWArBgzXe61waraPBSII48Ol4-SxlcVxFHTtAU0IwJ2ehq9r4xfLb3oK4QBFX2ts62hA7_dP54u7jNONVsSog/s1600-h/CIMG0990.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbJVfLWpXbOmdfr8waVpgBzcOyGYBaZFTmjGbxs1g2GuF7_J4qw_dlbMFdWArBgzXe61waraPBSII48Ol4-SxlcVxFHTtAU0IwJ2ehq9r4xfLb3oK4QBFX2ts62hA7_dP54u7jNONVsSog/s320/CIMG0990.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365927445514443218" /></a><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwR0A6_B6lG0C-BMJ8148Pp3pjiMFMkfI7sIxhj5D-YdmcBUV84fb4KGYhwrPHljCSyWpDK-iAzps-DLH_RzcbiR4S491YVsLc6Q67VJJJKTIGXztgZXf_birXEk4W_j2FGTXstEcFnYL/s1600-h/CIMG0997.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYwR0A6_B6lG0C-BMJ8148Pp3pjiMFMkfI7sIxhj5D-YdmcBUV84fb4KGYhwrPHljCSyWpDK-iAzps-DLH_RzcbiR4S491YVsLc6Q67VJJJKTIGXztgZXf_birXEk4W_j2FGTXstEcFnYL/s320/CIMG0997.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365927928531499138" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKf1LI-_h0UxP6d0eaNsgedJZmCOcjAyP3g4QG5ocDdCfF76GGYp1fg6D4CBMmAHshiDQ3a5ta8_HJt2SuHEO5csh3NCTxHhXKzKii7vUkFvhhuYNAFrZbld-jPTr8oUj41XmT1XpO2bu/s1600-h/CIMG1000.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvKf1LI-_h0UxP6d0eaNsgedJZmCOcjAyP3g4QG5ocDdCfF76GGYp1fg6D4CBMmAHshiDQ3a5ta8_HJt2SuHEO5csh3NCTxHhXKzKii7vUkFvhhuYNAFrZbld-jPTr8oUj41XmT1XpO2bu/s320/CIMG1000.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365928850746883042" /></a> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsKfLm0YHfW0ZruMrFTZseZA2NW_Fw9P8JlIitC28aFLHhmGgZUcBmij-UTZLTpFE3BAmwvzG_P565QYfa7cmVCM3boagu8nyiueljdIx6SLp4KFtdrxXi7aoEj3w-I2TBNCl-QRU-nIR/s1600-h/CIMG1002.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsKfLm0YHfW0ZruMrFTZseZA2NW_Fw9P8JlIitC28aFLHhmGgZUcBmij-UTZLTpFE3BAmwvzG_P565QYfa7cmVCM3boagu8nyiueljdIx6SLp4KFtdrxXi7aoEj3w-I2TBNCl-QRU-nIR/s320/CIMG1002.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365929292457676338" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUtaamxCN7piVSvYAQ9D1vFPiSMfIW3Oc4Wxb4YQOLvclfinHjwTWaILK0ujho_1bvvFEF1dalC52rEMc1-UdB_jcM1vfdRtJV9HrZeiel0AMwllsWPOs8g_GhbjxSggdQzwF73m63fv0/s1600-h/CIMG1004.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgUtaamxCN7piVSvYAQ9D1vFPiSMfIW3Oc4Wxb4YQOLvclfinHjwTWaILK0ujho_1bvvFEF1dalC52rEMc1-UdB_jcM1vfdRtJV9HrZeiel0AMwllsWPOs8g_GhbjxSggdQzwF73m63fv0/s320/CIMG1004.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365929605574441218" /></a><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0FR6yhlF4hSZsnl4fTDx44XtbPu6AzMIichI6EjdDDuj_hVXiLfrVh9riIe0nUg5r5_lZ-hSJYKyjcXEmdVaWeN6Ciey_31qmUYmMnaugKGegk4zIZ3NNTZH844PTH2OrYjbcey3ma2b/s1600-h/CIMG1007.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN0FR6yhlF4hSZsnl4fTDx44XtbPu6AzMIichI6EjdDDuj_hVXiLfrVh9riIe0nUg5r5_lZ-hSJYKyjcXEmdVaWeN6Ciey_31qmUYmMnaugKGegk4zIZ3NNTZH844PTH2OrYjbcey3ma2b/s320/CIMG1007.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365930544354446610" /></a> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLGYfqgACFuDeiOblvDedqqdTv6lsteVPlmCifxTJdTPZTYAcaYD-HsAkJEnKvGrME7-E9qz-ELTQyxjgFsEH0GR_5qQHhB_e4xI6OHwudAHntOwdRSq3SN-gH5a0RThzc70n4wqBtqsI/s1600-h/CIMG1010.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigLGYfqgACFuDeiOblvDedqqdTv6lsteVPlmCifxTJdTPZTYAcaYD-HsAkJEnKvGrME7-E9qz-ELTQyxjgFsEH0GR_5qQHhB_e4xI6OHwudAHntOwdRSq3SN-gH5a0RThzc70n4wqBtqsI/s320/CIMG1010.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365930860993436034" /></a><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZwjphju4V1upP5hj6pWtdN4HCiPpfziiv_QnUvarv3Vik7jBS2m3JcbXmgYxUICxOyva0ORlA4_TZUYg3PizG5jCMu1uMtKt7hRwKS6wqzwFBU45mX2Fhk4Y5JxBsLgLmLciy81fnm8k/s1600-h/CIMG1013.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicZwjphju4V1upP5hj6pWtdN4HCiPpfziiv_QnUvarv3Vik7jBS2m3JcbXmgYxUICxOyva0ORlA4_TZUYg3PizG5jCMu1uMtKt7hRwKS6wqzwFBU45mX2Fhk4Y5JxBsLgLmLciy81fnm8k/s320/CIMG1013.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365931518608774658" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BCNrgB3rsk-8gIoBLhAlcH5rkcDrkXG7ocx4CIAzXCb-2C9WLON5nlNJFBRtpw408ci5xT2dZG2MnGjRcxY2DiFI63FPDqnrnYanW7fWpyfwJxqMLdkxvTngom5jDPFv88fukGAOH1PI/s1600-h/CIMG1021.JPG"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BCNrgB3rsk-8gIoBLhAlcH5rkcDrkXG7ocx4CIAzXCb-2C9WLON5nlNJFBRtpw408ci5xT2dZG2MnGjRcxY2DiFI63FPDqnrnYanW7fWpyfwJxqMLdkxvTngom5jDPFv88fukGAOH1PI/s320/CIMG1021.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365931952584869826" /></a><br /></div><div></div><div></div><div>Now this last photo is to show the versatility of the Long knife. I carve both of these Santas, one 3" tall and one 6" tall, using only the Long knife. I'll have more about the little guy later. Until then, let the chips fly!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr1u7x470bfKdLFpubOBqLUAcPorkYU36n672LhSar-whbktXFDiAzmeTLC_T2eGAm0ouS8s3xkAqCw0trOuWCdt4aCaikoi9YvJLi7CtfYEYe3xg7IJ2xlWDiBJG9g0YXFK0e0NcNqSn/s1600-h/CIMG1039.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUr1u7x470bfKdLFpubOBqLUAcPorkYU36n672LhSar-whbktXFDiAzmeTLC_T2eGAm0ouS8s3xkAqCw0trOuWCdt4aCaikoi9YvJLi7CtfYEYe3xg7IJ2xlWDiBJG9g0YXFK0e0NcNqSn/s320/CIMG1039.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365933230191838738" /></a><br /></div>Bob Tinsleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12925965417241048148noreply@blogger.com0