Post #230404 by Bay Park Buzzy on Wed, May 3, 2006 11:03 PM

Tiki #18
Tiki #18 was made from the same tree as the last couple of tikis. The log that this one was fashioned from was different than the others in that this one cracked right down the center vertically, while no other log from that tree had cracked as of yet. The crack did not appear right away; it materialized over time. About two months after stripping the log and letting it dry, a small crack appeared in the dead center of the log. It separated slightly on both ends at first, and got deeper as time went on. Eventually, a crack of about a half inch formed and it stayed that way. Soon after this one cracked, all the other logs left from this tree cracked in the exact same spot. I'm thinking that the tree split slightly when it was cut down and the cracks formed as this area dried unevenly. Since the crack stopped spreading after it initially appeared, I decided to cut the log in half and carve two pieces from the same log.
I had been entertaining the idea of carving into a half log for some time at this point. The split log provided me with the perfect opportunity to try doing this for the first time. I had seen the Benzart picture standing next to two split logs and wanted to give that a try. The design of this one would lend well to being carved on only a half log.It was based upon a Hawaiian tiki design I found somewhere on the net.
It started with a mexican fan palm, 25 inches high, four inches radius(after being split)

Here it is drawn out. It is leaning against a brick in this picture, but it will freely stand on its own without support.

Face close up

body drawn out

I started at the top and worked my way down. I think that this was the first one that I carved without going back and deepening it again after carving the whole thing. I was finally starting to get it right the first time.

I carved this one flat on the ground using only flat chisels. It was hard not being able to roll the log to work on the edges. It was tougher than I thought to hold and carve it at the same time

This was the first time that I hollowed out the space between the legs and left an open "window" there. Here it is right before final sanding

face close up before sanding

Finished, stained, sitting next to the other half of the log after it was carved and finished

From this adventure I learned:

1. Carving half logs is harder than I figured. I need to devise some sort of log holder to steady the log when I carve on the edges.
2. I'm getting better at realizing how deep each layer of carving should be initially. this cuts down on doing the same area more than once.
3. half logs weigh less than full logs
4. Do not stand up if you have a chisel on your lap that you forgot was there. When it falls, it will land blade first on the bricks and mess up the edge significantly.
5. It is better to drop the chisel on the bricks blade first than it is to drop it on your bare foot blade first.

[ Edited by: Bay Park Buzzy 2006-05-16 10:29 ]