Post #184499 by Basement Kahuna on Mon, Sep 5, 2005 12:01 PM

We have a pattern and the head is rounded! Vely, vely impoootaaant....know what you want to do before you start carving. Unless you are a direct descendent of Ku or a Paupua New Guinea native, it really pays to trace out a careful pattern on your log. Not only does it allow you to informedly work around imperfections in the wood (knots, rot, checks, etc.) but it will make your carving day a lot faster. Start with a pencil sketch and then when your sure trace your lines with a magic marker. Clair Chennault never sent his Flying Tigers into the air before he knew exactly how many Japs he was facing...his attrition rate by the end of WW2 was near thirty to one...Wierd juxtuposition, but, hey.. This log has a few problems, namely some checking, a couple of knots, and a 1 1/2 inch round rot spot which stops 1/2 inch short of where my eye line landed (shown in the close-up). It's also important to do a frantic Haka war dance around your log before you start carving (shown in last photo).