Post #212003 by Aaron's Akua on Wed, Feb 1, 2006 12:54 PM

SCtikishack: The redwood carves nice, but the sapwood is a little "chippy" for my taste. Chisels have to be super sharp and it's hard to get good detail. I suspect it works much better for chainsaw carving. When I started this piece the wood was so juicy it would squirt like a grapefruit, even though it had cured for a long time. I think it's due to the slow rate that I carve, and being stored in the back of my Blazer, but the sapwood really dried out & has become pretty difficult to carve. So I decided to take your advice on hosing it down, and that has seemed to do the trick for now.

Rodeo: Yeah, my wife and I are always planning how we will spend our Lotto winnings (our little game). It's bound to happen one day - I'm sure of it.

Mahalo for the props Bete, Mr. Dale, Hewey & Conga. These occasional progress posts help to keep things moving for me.

JP & TeaKEY: It is definitely a different kind of Ku. The sapwood/heartwood aspect forced me to tweak the design. The backside design was borne of my own laziness. I didn't want to put the effort into a full-body backside on this one because it will sit in the corner and no one will see much of the back. It should become more Ku-like as it progresses and the facial features and detailing begin to emerge.

Thanks, Gman! You're dating yourself with that Flashdance reference. But I'll admit I saw that movie when it came out too.

Aloha, Foamy. After only a year & a half I'm starting to feel like an old-timer around here. There's so many great new artists it's hard to keep up. The more the better though! It's always great to see your posts come up now & again.

Ben, Mahalo. I'll be expecting some serious detention if this one's not done by the time I see you in Tennessee.

Surfintiki, thanks. No, it's mostly been chisel and Japanese pull saw so far. I used the chainsaw for the end cuts only, but cut a bit more off than I figured. Now I gotta cheat and bolt on a pedestal base for the look I need. I'd like to start chainsaw carving some day, but I only have a standard bar. You really need a quarter or dime tip bar for good chainsaw detailing, and that costs a few bucks.

Mahalo for the comments!

A-A