Post #101040 by Bamboo Dude on Sun, Jul 11, 2004 9:41 PM

A couple of cool things have happened this week. First, I found my Marples chisel set!!! Rock on!! Second, I scored a bunch of carving aids from my mother in law. My father in law had been an avid duck carver when he was alive; having been a urologist, he could afford to indulge himself with a literal war chest of the best tools available. I just happened to arrive on the scene with an interest in carving three years late, as the primo stuff had already been given to the neighbor's son who had taken up carving. I did manage to score on a couple spoke shaves, a small detail carving set, some honing stones, rasps, and some old Stanley dime-a-dozen chisels. At any rate, I am beyond excuses now, and must commence creating tikiness...or suffer the indignity of having nothing to post.

Finally, a neighbor is having a tree removed, and there is a good fifteen foot trunk standing in her yard waiting to become tikified. It has a dogleg about 8 to 9 feet up, so I may just have it cut into two sections. From what I've read, I'll have to seal the ends of the log(s), then let them sit for about six months to dry out. Is there an ideal moisture content I should be aiming for? 8-12% is about normal for many hardwoods, I think. In the meantime, I have a couple small pieces to practice on.

That's it for now...back to the carving post I go!!!