Post #442172 by rutwyler on Tue, Mar 24, 2009 11:31 AM

so i've been lurking for about a year now, and i don't think i've posted anything yet.... can't remember. for about year now i've been tiki-fying our back yard. last week i finally scored my first palm log. it was approx. 8 ft long so i cut it into 3 sections of 3ft, 3 ft and 2 ft. i have no experience with this media and feel like i have no idea what i'm doing. but it's wicked fun, and actually feels really cool to cut into a log. i love it. obviously this is rough due to inexperience and where it stands in the whole carving process. anyway, this is what i've got so far........... be gentle......
ian

somehow he got lopsided. not real happy about that. so far i have limited tools. a set of cheapy chisels from harbor freight. i think i payed 12 bucks for. i've gotten good at sharpening those. but i'm kinda mystified as to how you sharpen a convex gouge..... bittersweetly i'm moving from the L.A. area to south western new hampshire next month. so no more palm logs for me. however i will have chainsaws, and a forest. and forestry runs in my veins. so what new england tree is easiest to carve? is birch to hard?