Post #205244 by Loki on Sun, Jan 1, 2006 6:48 PM

Well, its been a while since the last post. The holidays got in the way, and a chisel took a nice bite out of a finger, so that needed time to heal. Were back!

Decided to tackle a large sable palm that fell during Wilma's wrath. It was my neighbors tree, so he's happy that it will live on.

Its about 6' 4" and heavy as Jabba the Hutt. Debarked it using the arbortech wheel. I remember Tiki G memtioned that it is a messy job. He was not kidding. The sable palm has a thick skin, and once the outer skin is removed it hides a thick red fiber shell about 1/4 inch thick. I'm glad I had the Angle Grinder to help me in this process.Two large garbage bags full of saw dust. It still gave me a sweat, yes it was 80 degrees yesterday.

I have decided to use elements of a Marq. As i was staring at him, something just screamed to me. Make large golf ball like dimples for his head, so thats what i did. I found a scoop gouge at a flea market for $2 and honed it up nice and tried it out. I liked how it was turning out and went for it.

I really have a difficult time drawing what i want the tiki to be, and really wanted to carve, so i decided to draw the body later. It is very early into the carving process and i hope to get a bit more done tomorrow. I'm really stoked about working on such a large log and cant wait for him to come to life.

Lady loki, has also started her next masterpiece. She has decided to just dig in and see what comes out with little planning. I cant wait to see what emerges from the wood.

Just a few pics of the big log.

Neighbor, Tiki Scott has also decided that carving is addictive and has jumped into his next project. A small Cypress stump. He always comes up with unique designs. I believe this tiki will become an ashtray, with removable bowl.

We are really getting excited for the South Florida Tiki Jam on the 14th. Hopefully more updates before that.

Hope everyone had a safe and happy New Year.