My 2nd carve and a new toy. Updated and finished - Tiki Carving

S SDshirtman Member San Diego, CA Joined: Sep 19, 2009 Posts: 71	S SDshirtman Posted posted on Sat, Dec 5, 2009 3:54 AM I recently started carving on the 2nd of my three logs I have and am just now getting pictures up. 4wdtiki was right and I think I got spoiled with my first log. This one has been a pain from the get go. I was trying to remove the husk with my electric planer it was clogging and really taking a long time. I needed something different so I started looking for a draw knife on ebay. I found one for $7. It was neglected and rusty when it arrived. I took a file and some elbow grease to it and used the scary sharp method and now it will cut paper. With it I skinned the log in about 25 min. It was like a hot knife through warm butter. Amazing tool. I'm digging the scary sharp sharpening method, if you cant afford expensive sharpening stones I highly recommend doing some research on the technique. The name is very appropriate. After the final step I was wiping the blade off with a wadded up rag and it cut through several layers of fabric straight into my thumb. It just goes to show you're never too old to relearn lessons in common sense. I decided to flip this one upside down. I started carving into it and it was super fibrous. Almost falling is some places deep in the log. Especially towards the bottom. Best way I could describe it would be if a mushroom and a broom got together and had a tree. It was cracking badly as it dried out. I thought about abandoning the log and starting another but I decided to simplify my design and trudge on. In the end I cut a bunch of material off the bottom before I got started. I promised this carving to a good friend after a few bottles of wine. I had to alter the design a bit due to big chunks getting ripped off do to the texture of the log. And here is where I'm at as of now. Its pretty rough and its going to be rustic looking when finished. You can see some of the cracking. The one on the bottom lip wasnt there when I roughed it out. Considering how crappy the wood it I'm happy with it. Thats it for now. I'm going to bed. Thanks for looking. [ Edited by: SDshirtman 2009-12-11 14:29 ]

I recently started carving on the 2nd of my three logs I have and am just now getting pictures up.
4wdtiki was right and I think I got spoiled with my first log. This one has been a pain from the get go. I was trying to remove the husk with my electric planer it was clogging and really taking a long time. I needed something different so I started looking for a draw knife on ebay. I found one for $7. It was neglected and rusty when it arrived. I took a file and some elbow grease to it and used the scary sharp method and now it will cut paper. With it I skinned the log in about 25 min. It was like a hot knife through warm butter. Amazing tool.

I'm digging the scary sharp sharpening method, if you cant afford expensive sharpening stones I highly recommend doing some research on the technique. The name is very appropriate. After the final step I was wiping the blade off with a wadded up rag and it cut through several layers of fabric straight into my thumb. It just goes to show you're never too old to relearn lessons in common sense.

I decided to flip this one upside down. I started carving into it and it was super fibrous. Almost falling is some places deep in the log. Especially towards the bottom. Best way I could describe it would be if a mushroom and a broom got together and had a tree. It was cracking badly as it dried out. I thought about abandoning the log and starting another but I decided to simplify my design and trudge on. In the end I cut a bunch of material off the bottom before I got started.

I promised this carving to a good friend after a few bottles of wine.

I had to alter the design a bit due to big chunks getting ripped off do to the texture of the log.

And here is where I'm at as of now. Its pretty rough and its going to be rustic looking when finished. You can see some of the cracking. The one on the bottom lip wasnt there when I roughed it out. Considering how crappy the wood it I'm happy with it.

Thats it for now. I'm going to bed. Thanks for looking.

[ Edited by: SDshirtman 2009-12-11 14:29 ]

Post #497446 by SDshirtman on Sat, Dec 5, 2009 3:54 AM