Cheap Carving Knives.....make your own

One of the first things I learned about carving was that you have to have sharp tools. (this was closely followed by learning that you need a carving glove and a supply of bandaids). Many carvers struggle with sharpening their tools, so it is somewhat easier to start with a blade that is already sharp and then just stropping and honing it to keep it sharp. The Stanley utility knife might seem too ungainly for carving, but it is really a great knife. The blades are sharp and can be made sharper by stropping and they are cheap to replace if you nick the edge. The thin blade also slides through wood very easily. Although I use the Stanley extensively, the blade is too big or too wide or the wrong shape to do certain things or fit in certain places on a carving. So I made my own knives for about a $1 a piece. I purchased Excel blades (http://www.excelhobbyblades.com/index.php?cPath=46_82 ) at Hobby Lobby. They were already sharp, but I tired quickly of changing blades in their handles, so I made my own handles in various styles and shapes. Making your own handles allows you to experiment with shapes and sizes to find what you like. I am currently fond of the Mike Shipley style handles that are long and straight (they are surprisingly comfortable). Simple get a small square of wood and drill a 3/8" hole in the end about 1 1/2" deep. Cut a slot in the end of a 3/8" dowel and cut it off so that it fits in the hole. The tang of the blade fits perfectly in this size dowel! I use belt and drum sanders to shape the handle and then use epoxy to glue the dowel and blade into the hole. Very simple to make and the blades are already sharp and easy to keep sharp. The blades are about $1 each in a package of three, so if you don't like the handle or you want to reshape the blades, you are not out a lot of money. I have used the knives quite a bit over several years and they have held up well

"Turkey Joe"

Here is another cowboy, inspired by Lynn's work and methods of work. The movie "Crossfire Trail" was recently on TV and I am a big fan of Louis Lamour books. Since I had already tried a Tom Selleck caricature, I decided to do one based on one of the sidekicks, played by Wilford Brimley. The character had a large mustache and a big feather in his hat. Not much of a resemblance to Wilford, but I like the way he turned out. I made the base out of cherry and I wanted to try one similar to the base Lynn used on his "Poncho" carving. I exaggerated the size of the kneckerchief and thought that it would be neat to have the knot and ends hanging down in the back. The hat turned out a little better than my first two, and I like the look of the turkey feather. Comments and advice are always appreciated! Thanks for looking.

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpounders1/TurkeyJoe#

Router lift and heads in progress

I've spent the past few weeks building a router lift. Many years ago, I bought this Bosch plunge router. It has a big powerful motor, 1/2” collet, varible speed, and a soft start and I thought it was big improvement over my little craftsman router. Except it weighed a ton and when I mounted it in my router table, it was really a pain to adjust the height of the bit. I’m not sure that router lifts had been invented back then. But I ran across Matthias Wandel’s website and his wooden geared router lift http://woodgears.ca/router_lift/index.html . Since I had no money for a nice metal lift or room for a separate router table, I decided to redo the side table on my saw and try this one out. A few parts, some scrap wood, and a few days work and voila! It works really well, locks solidly in place, and allows me to use my existing fence and the miter slots on my saw. It raises the bits enough that it makes bit changes quite easy, actually easier than it was with the plunge rails on it. I still need to make my sacrifice fences to attach to my regular fence, but I am excited that this tool will be a lot more convenient than it originally was. I was really surprised at how fast it works.

Here's a few heads I've been working on, but haven't decided what they are going to be. I started them just carving for fun, so they may end up as scrap or they may work into something. I kinda like the bald guy and am thinking about a tall, bent top hat. Maybe he is a grave digger? The pointy ear guy may turn into a Christmas elf or a leprechaun. Kinda has a young Leonard Nimoy look to him? The guy with the hat was started as a sailor (planned on adding a pipe). Suggestions, ideas, and comments always welcome!


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Award winning carver?

Technically, I guess I could call myself that since ........(drumroll),,,,,,,I got 5th place in the LumberJocks Summer Woodworking contest! I entered my snake staff in the contest which had the theme of "Fluidity".

Category


Fluidity – "Like grasses swaying in a summer breeze, the fluid motion is visible in the solid form of the wood." Create a woodworking project that portrays fluidity and/or movement, Be sure to describe your inspiration and vision - the interpretation is as important as the finished product.



The voting is by members rather than judged and I would have loved to win some of the higher prizes of gift certificates to different tool suppliers! There were 77 total entries and mine was picked fifth, which amazes me when you look at some of the beautiful entries that got fewer votes than mine. ( http://lumberjocks.com/awards/summer_2010/results/13 ) No money for me, but I get a cool mug and some work holders.

"Still Running Against the Wind"

Here is a cane I just completed.I seem to be inspired by a lot of different songs lately. I have been wanting to carve a cane with a girls face and her hair as part of the handle for some time. One of the problems I have when carving on the end of a handle like this is that it is usually end grain. I prefer to have my grain running length-wise in the handle for strength and I like to add a spacer with the grain running vertically for the same reason. So I have been thinking about carving the face from a separate piece and inlaying it into the end. This is my first attempt, and I used basswood for the face and walnut for the handle and spacer. I turned the spacer a little thinner and taller than I normally do, trying for a feeling of delicacy. The handle and spacer are attached with epoxy and 1/4" threaded rod to the Bradford pear shaft with the bark on. I wood burned details for the hair using a pyrographic pen and finished with satin poly and a coat of wax. I still haven't carved a female face quite like I want it.....but practice makes perfect! Thanks for looking

http://picasaweb.google.com/mpounders1/StillRunningAgainstTheWind#