I wasn't going to post pictures of my carving until I was done and it was perfect, but, when will that ever happen? I do want a bit of input.

Here is my little cherry log after about a half hour of torturing it.

After another 1/2 hour or so.

I set up my work table outside. Shop Fox tool table with some stock cut to a V and screwed together and a little non-slip mat under it. Worked well.

After about 2 1/2 hours today.

After another hour or two today.

I made a big mess of his headress right up top. I am not sure how to fix that.

I keep hitting very small spots that are maybe rotten. Like pea sized and near the surface. Maybe 4-5.

I keep finding I can work one way fine, but the other makes for crap. Like the eye. On the upper side it's very smooth and easy to carve. On the lower side the chisel skips around and makes rough cuts. I assume it's a grain thing. You can see a little in that last picture on the eye near the center and to the right. I just can't get it to smooth out.

It just looks totally rough and I am not sure it will ever look good.

Any advice is appreciated. No pats on the back please, but advice.

I can barely get my chisel down in the area around the eye, so I have no idea how to smooth it out dow in there.

My neck and shoulder hurt and my right arm is tingling. Is that a good thing??? :wink:

The Swank Pad Broadcast - If it's Swank...

[ Edited by: Swanky 2016-12-16 13:58 ]

Lookin' good, Swanky! Post that guy when he's all done and carved up!

Immediately start working on the other half- for symmetry purposes- do a little on one side and then transpose it to the other. (from my limited knowledge). I see GOOD tikiness already. When the numbness calms down, and never past your 4th cocktail, keep going! It looks great and those other pea things are just going to make it look authentic and natural imperfect.

On 2005-06-04 16:21, Capt'n Skully wrote:
... I see GOOD tikiness already. When the numbness calms down, and never past your 4th cocktail, keep going! It looks great and those other pea things are just going to make it look authentic and natural imperfect.

4th cocktail! You've never had my cocktails! We have a standing 3 drink limit in this house when it comes to the Grog Log, et al!

Naturally imperfect. I like that. It looks better in the picture than in real life.

I think I have actually raised him too high off the ground. I am holding my arm up and close to my body and it's cutting off circulation. My arm has been tingling for an hour now. And I keep going out and carving more. It's obsessive!

Maybe starting the other side now is a good idea. In case I get better, both sides will be equal. If I wait to start the right side, it might look better than the left. Yeah, right!

lookin good, I dont think you can ever screw up a tiki. Just make it look like the other side and pretend you ment to make it the way it turned out. Your idea of what it should look like only changes but it is still your idea.

I think we all get that, "fuck, what am I doing" feeling when we first start. But you will get a feeling for your log, and make it work. Keep on carving.

[ Edited by: Kailuageoff on 2005-06-06 08:06 ]

RAffer said id best"we all get that 'what
the fuck am I doing' feeling during the
tiki carving". When you start a tiki it
goes through that "Ugly" stage where it doesn't look like a tiki or Anything. It starts with about the 10th cut and finally smoothes out and starts looking like a
tiki just
before you start the sanding stage.
Personally what I would do is use a
V-liner and mark out All your lines,
carve it right in, that way it won't get erased. Then where ever you start, Don't finish 1 area and then move to the next, you Need to keep the WHOLE Carving going at the same speed or level. The eye you are working on should have another eye next to it getting carved down at the same time, otherwise you end up with a finished eye and now you have
to match it to another eye that is just a
line on the wood and you will have
forgotten all the moves and tools you
used to get to where you are now.
Slow down and be Deliberate with your actions.
You are at the stage where you are just figuring out what each tool does so take it easy.
Do you know a carver you could come watch? Come on down here and I will show you how I carve . Or visit a closer carver. I is different now that you have actually removed wood with chisels so that if you see it being done you see it totally differently than before.
Lots of carvers do the 1 eye at a time, or nose first or teeth first and everything else follows, but don't do that! do it right. I'll add a lot more later cause I don't want to bore everyone. Hope this helps.

[ Edited by: Benzart on 2005-06-05 14:57 ]

Ben,
I'll be at Pablus place in a couple of weeks. You anywhere near Tampa?
I'll work on that tomorrow. I only have a small V, but I'll see what I can do to mark it out and then start finishing it all at once.

On 2005-06-04 19:36, Benzart wrote:
RAffer said id best"we all get that 'what the fuck am I doing' feeling during the tiki carving".

DoH! They said FUCK!!! Hamford?? (and grand members to boot!)

Hey Spanky, just do it! My carvings suck shit but who cares! It's all better than nothing!! Put on some Dillengers Escape Plan and go to town!!

My neck and shoulder hurt and my right arm is tingling. Is that a good thing???

Yes!!

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha ! Welcome to the club. the more you carve the less it hurts.

BooBen you're a bad influence stay away from these new carvers lest they get corrupted ideas about how to do stuff. Yeah its a good thing if you are tingly All Over, do it some more and call me in the morningHA.
Swank,I'm due East and south anfew miles over on the east coast of Fla. Port Saint lucie Just south of Ft Pierce and North of Jensen Beach. Not far, C'mon over,,Link here
We'll figure it out someway.

[ Edited by: hanford_lemoore 2005-09-03 20:37 ]

Okay, I don't have a V. The cheap chisel set I bought turned to crap when I sharpened it. The edge broke off with the slightest touch!

So, I need some chisels now. All I have is a set of various sized flats.

Maybe I can get some tomorrow.