hi guys
thanks to alot of help from fellow tc'ers here are my 1st tiki's

#1 found a palm on the side of the road and could'nt let it go to waste

here it is done,i used special walnut stain and came out alittle darker then i wanted,but its growing on me

#2 after going to a chop and getting some good tips,i think this is a big step up

left the teeth unstained for some contrast

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3 its hard to think in 3d but with each one its getting alittle easier

Nice and welcome, great first 2nd and 3rd tikis.
Im seeing the improments for sure and i like the
walnut color on the fist guy. Keep them comming.

Way to go Buzzard, Excellent stuff for the first three! Keep chipping away and keep up the Chops and you'll be doin them in your sleep.

Hey Bob, I like how the Moai is looking. Hope you can make it to 4WD's this weekend.

Nice tikis :D Great work for a beginner

thanks for the praise guys,it is really cool that you guys take the time to reply to a newbe

almost forgot this guy,this was my 1st one before i got a palm
it is an oak plank from homy d and was really hard wood ,carved it with straight chisels didnt have my flexcuts yet

also got a burner last week and here is the 1st piece i played with

got to spend some time over the weekend with buzzy and babalu and after seeing all their tools i think ill have to start my christmas list early
dear santa............

finished #3, bought a new power hand sander,sure makes things
alot easier

Awesome! Great stuff. Hey, I don't know if you have one but I bought an angle grinder and it makes a hell of a difference in skinning the palm trees I carve on and it helps a lot with the heavy removal. The only things to really look out for are:

1. Getting too dependent on machinery
2. Those things REALLY do some removal...be careful.
3. As above...they can remove huge chunks of skin too!

Keep it up! I've been WAY too lazy and I wasted the entire winter almost...when I should have been carving. I need to get on the ball.

Some people think being called a hack is a put down...I take it as a compliment.

[ Edited by: CarvenImage 2008-02-17 18:17 ]

thanks carvenimage
an angle grinder is the next tool on the list
i seen one in action last week and it worked great
i have been using an electric planer to stip the
logs and its been working great
more tools more tools........

Nice beginning. Keep it up. MORE PICS !! BUFFBAD

#3 Looks really nice after the sanding job. Very cool.

Nice buzzard he came out awesome!
love the lines and how the hands rap a base.

started on #4 ,been getting alot of rain lately so decided to carve indoors
ala buzzy

heres after about 2 hrs

Yes sir you are moving right along. The
new guy is looking simply outstanding.
Keep us updated. You got the bug.

this piece was still wet when i began and was alittle
bummed when i woke up thur and it started to crack.
as long as it doesnt get to much worse,i think it will look cool
and add character
heres after some more work

was sunny out on the porch and got alittle more carving in
i think i'm about 90% done carving and alot of sanding to do
cracks are staying small and think it will give it a nice aged look

Don't be bummed - from that straight-on shot that looks like an almost perfect amount of cracking! Adds a lot of character.

alittle more work done
am going on vac in az for 2 weeks and wanted to bring
him with me to finish but i'm afraid the dry air out there
might crack him more. any ideas?

I say bring it with. I like the cracks alot, and more and/or deeper cracks would only make it better, IMO.

thanks 4wd i think i will bring him ,especially since i found him drunk on mai tias
this morning yelling road trip! road trip!

he's been skinned about 3 weeks now,if he's still cracking how long should i wait to stain,will the stain seal in the moisture?

What the hell, Bob!!? Talk about evolution of work, baby! Let's try and get you some better logs though. Although the cracks DO look good and antique and all, that's got to be an indoor tiki or the bugs will devour it. I just finished a little Marquise guy and the log was similar......lots of cracks. I just stained it and it cracks more and more every day.

Nice Buzzard Love that tong.

some wicked carvings you got there! really great!

Yup, it is to think in 3D. My first tiki was a real learning experience. I learned a lot about tools, but it's a real mess. The 2nd one pretty much finished, and much improved, but still pretty very flat. I really like your Moai. I'm going to try a Moai next....so kudos to you for getting the hang of it quickly....hope to see you at the next chop.

thanks guys,i think i'm getting hooked,cant wait to start on a full body
bought some land in az and will be going out for the next 2 weeks to do some
work and alot of play.already have 1 wall under the deck bamboo and hope to build a tiki bar to go with it
am going to bring #1 and #4 along for the road trip
hope they dont get me in to much trouble

buzzard

hi guys
back from vac in az at my place i am building
bought #1 and #4 along for the road trip and they were the
life or the party

they even started calling friends and got the catus drunk

i prayed to the tiki gods that #4 would not crack anymore

not sure what happened but this head popped out

got #4 stained
cherry on face,redwood on tounge,special walnut on headdress

had some wood left over from some projects and my friend cal helped me
put together a cowboy tiki bar

cal also gave me some hook knife tips that the
tombstone tiki carvers use

You go on with your bad self there Bob!! Bravo!!

Damned bro! Gotta love the outside covered patio/observation-party deck! A few tiki umbrellas up topside for those cookin' AZ days o summer, then a diving board and pool close by and you're set!!

Nice love the tiki and the Lounge in the desert.
Man i will trade you on and off, Desert for wet cold coast.

i had a real nice hardwood log that i got a bit enthusiastic about carving, i managed to leave it about a week then carved and it was splitting in a bad way. After finishing it and staining/oiling the biggest crack (conveniently through his eye (scar style) seems to have slowed, ive been closing it up a little by injecting linseed oil in the deepest part!
Im very jealous of you lot all being able to 'find' palm and nice logs. West wales provided me a few lucky finds but its gone a bit sparse now! Still trying to persuade my gf that we should move to the states.....

thanks guys,i am realy starting to like making tikis
i have always been handy with tools but had never carved anything

the land is 4 acres near sierra vista at 4200 ft so it doesnt get to hot,
that i got 3 yrs ago.as of now with the patio floors and tiki bar i feel im
ready for company,the house is only 12 x 12 so far,but thats what the deck is for.
the neighbors thought i was alittle crazy for building the deck 1st,but the view is killer.i hope to be living there in 2 more yrs

seeksurf anytime you want to come down and play is ok by me,your waffle head just blew me away,im going to try a full body on the next one

babalu i think is was soaking up some of yours and buzzys brains that really helped on #4,hope you didnt need that part

birdman pool is on the list!
borderraider is that oil working?will it affect the stain?this one cracked just enough

Right on, if I'm ever down that way I let you know.

Summer at my Beach Pad is cool and wet. Let me know if
and whenever you are in WA state.

hey maybe we can start a tiki carvers travel club
just follow the sun and carve,carve,carve!

hi guys
thanks to some more of buzzys tips and giving me a great log to
carve i am ready for my 1st full body
alittle scary but if it dont turn out i'll just chop the head off

so far so good

holy crap ! it looks like its working,stay tuned

So far so good, Bob!

Hell ya, looking good!

thanks guys
taking my time on this one,afraid to mess up.
going the buzzy route and just using flexcuts
think next time i might try the chainsaw

well heres after alittle more work

found a way to cut my carving time in half
carv the bottom and dress up the top
could start a new trend!

Lookin good!

You gotta love the flexcuts. You have a great piece of wood
and lots of room to play.

ok ,i decided to take off the mask and wig and draw my own,
pretty scary,i think i will call him lucky as i am trying to model
him after the lucky god,and it will be pretty lucky if he turns out
any thing like him

well here goes

after carving a bit

Yes! Nice lay out He is turning great.
Looks like you are thinking it out very well.

Are you bringing it to the chop Saturday?

heck yeah! i'm pretty proud of him so far
one thing i learned is that tikis like road trips
plus im at the point where i need some more tiki tips
see you sat

if anyone needs a ride,i leave from ob

Looks like you have a natural talent to carving. Great work. Can't wait to see number 5!

thanks tl
its been fun and scary at the same time

heres after alittle more work

Most excellent job that's #4 you are on fire.