Basic beginner questions

Hello every one, Chris from Detroit here and this is my first post. I have lots of questions about carving tiki. I have never carved anything but i have always enjoyed working with my hands and have enjoyed dabbling with my artistic side. I have also been intrested in tiki for a long time and I happened to be lucky enough to stumble upon TC. I plan to work up in size from hand held size tiki to the full size tiki.

Since I am an extreme novice, The questions I have are:

1. What tools/equipment should I get? I have heard that its not practical to buy a set of carving tools as most of them are not going to be used. Is this true? Either way which set is recomended and/or what tools should I get.
   2.Where do I get these tools? Can I get them at Sears or Lowes?
   3.How do I go about sharpening the tools as needed? Getting a professional or doing it myself?
   4.How do you give your tiki an "ancient" look? (with the darker color in the deeper sections). I've heard people use a torch, paint etc.
   5.How to you find wood? Should I get it at Home Depot or Lowes? I live in Michigan and in my area, its not very common to find stumps of wood being thrown out or free for the taking.
   6.What type of wood should I use being that I have never tried any carving before this?

I would rather buy quality tools/equipment/material than buy cheap products that will give me poor results. I am not a rich guy, I would rather get the job done right than cheaply.(Not looking for top of the line either, just some decent products for a beginner.

Are there any recomendations as to where I can get some basic lessons in wood carving? I have looked into the community center and colleges in the area. They have nothing to offer.

Is there any more info/tips you would be willing to share with a beginner that might help?
I am sorry if any of this information is included in different posts, but I have looked through the forums and have not been able to find anything that would directly answer my questions. If I have missed somthing please link me to it.

Thanks,
CKato

Aloha CKato, and welcome to TC.
This place is great for learning and finding how stuff works. Your questions are the same questions we have all asked when we started carving. And all the answers can be found in the forum. Try the search function and use simple key words. "Tools","carvers","stain", should all result in lots of info about what to buy or use. Any wood is good when u start. The Tiki you carve is just practice for the next one and the best knowledge comes from using trying all kinds of wood and tools. If you want bigger logs of wood, try contacting landscrapers, gardeners and other people that clear the land of trees. Most of the time u will safe them the hassle of bringing their "waste", to the dump and this safes them money. For smaller pieces I just gather some sticks from the woods. My first Tiki was made from a piece of broomstick.
Now, get carving and have fun.
And don't forget to show your stuff here so the masters (not me) can give you all kinds of great advice and tips and tricks. Wich really is the way to become a master yourself.
Greetings,
Grapa

Hi CKato and Welcome to TC, Glad you found us. Grapa speaks the truth, there is more info here about carving tiki than you will find Anywhere and the "Search" tool is fast and easy. For starters you can go HERE but the photos on the first 3 pages are lost to an Old Shutterfly update. Also the #1 thread on this section HERE is a "sticky" and will always be there full of Great info that every carver will want to know. (Again, apologize for the early photos being "Lost" to the Shutterfly change-over.
Good luck and I really hopes this helps so go check'um out and come back with More questions after you read that.

Thanks guys. I went to lots of stores today, Lowes, Sears, Home Depot, Walmart, K-mart and Meijers. I picked up a set of 5 Stanley Chisels for 25$ But thinking about taking them back. All I found today was chisels, no gouging tools or anything else :( . I plan to visit ACE tomorrow because they should have them. If not I will have to use e-bay. (I dont mind e-bay for stuff I know about, but I don't know much about quality carving tools.)

I also plan to look for some decent wood to get started on. I will post pics once I get going! Thanks for the help!

I'd look at these:

http://www.cybercarving.com/mallet.htm

I pretty much only use the MC 150 and MC 175 sets for all the crap I do.

Buzzy Out!

C, You came to the right place. Listen to Benz, he's the man (among others...seeksurf etc.) Check any resale places of tools. Here in Tucson, we have Kent's tool..a half acre of old & new tools. Found great carving stuff there. Woodcraft is ok, pretty pricey, though. Good luck & post your progress.
Ciao

Well, what a busy 2 days. Here are the places I went: Home Depot, Lowes(x2), Sears, Walmart, Kmart, Meijer, Local hardware store, Do-It Center, A local hobby shop, Aco(x2) 3 resale/pawn shops and FINALLY Harbor Freight Tools.

None of these places had any gouges except the hobby shop, which was like a minature set and looked like it would break the first use. Then Harbor Freight Tools had a few different sets. I ended up getting a 12 piece set. Not top of the line by any means, but just something to get me through a few carves. here is a pic of the set I got:

And here are some from the set:

Finally I got some decent ( I think :)) Chisels A set of 5 from 1/8th up to 1 1/4

I checked out the MC 150 and 175, and they are a bit pricey for me just startin out. I will get some better tools if carving is for me and once I get the hang of carving, no sense in runing good(expensive) tools.

I am still looking for some wood though!! I went to a few garden centers and all they have is pre split firewood. They recomended I call tree removal people and ask them. I was just wondering what I would ask them. "Hey tree guys, do you have any logs?" I am totally clueless what to ask them and I can't really fit a huge log in my car, so offering to pick up and haul wood away is not really feasable for me.

Anyway this is what I have up to now guys, let me know what ya think!

P.S. Should I Sharpen the tools before I use them? They don't work very well right out of the box

CKato

[ Edited by: ckato 2009-02-16 13:27 ]

I got some Basswood from the craft store. And more tools. You guys were right about tools, you just keep getting more and more and I haven't even started yet.

But since I now have something to carve, I will post as soon as its done!

Hey CK,
Half the fun is getting the tools together, well kind of. The only places I found that had gouges were places like Woodcraft or online. Check Ebay too, if you feel like dealing with that. I got started OK with just the straight chisels I got at Ace & places like that.
Ciao & Post your progress
PS Getting wood can be challenging..I did actually call a few places around here that fell trees (as per Tucson Tiki's advice) and have'nt had luck there, but I just spread the word and kept my eyes open driving around. Check for palms that look sick or ask around, offer to cut stuff down for the wood.
Goof Luck

[ Edited by: drgoat456 2009-02-17 15:46 ]

ckato, great you got the tools. i started with a set of flat chisels, then for xmas was given a wonderful set of gouges and mallet. just carve anything you can get your hands on. i started with pecan (hard wood) and moved up to softer woods (basswood and pine). wait till you discover electricity and the tools that provides. good luck and get carvin'.

bd

You can try craigslist in the free section to see if anyone has cut down some trees they need hauled away. If you can find a 2 or 3 foot section that will fit in your car, you are all set!

They also sell smaller electric chainsaw that are pretty inexpensive that could help you fit stuff you find into your car (assuming you can borrow some electricity from the homeowner). :)

Aloha CKato,

Where in the Detroit area are you from? I'm on the north east side.

The only place to get real carving tools in the area is Woodcraft on Van Dyke:

http://www.woodcraft.com/stores/store.aspx?id=321

but they are expensive. for the same tools at better prices, check out Lee Valley:

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/index.aspx?c=

-Z

I am actually from Downriver, about 3 or 4 miles from southwest. I have gotten some tools and I am just carving some besic things right now. I got a set of carving tools real cheap at Michaels(Just to make sure I enjoy carving before spending lots of money) and I also got some Basswood blocks. I just got a hobby tool for sanding and can't wait to use it!

I'm gonna try to make it out the the store Z but as you know in Michigan, Its hard to plan ahead in the winter. But Im excited to check out the lumber that they have. Thanks for the heads up!

I took your advice drgoat and asked around. As luck would have it, the very next day my mother, who does meals on wheels, had someone on her route who just taken down a tree and told her that they were free for the taking. By the time I got there, the city had already came by and chipped them up :(. But we get some pretty good storms here in the summer so I should be able to find some downed trees then.

Thanks for the advice everyone!! I really appreciate it!

Good new( for me). I called of work one fateful day. I went back to sleep and was woken up by the sounds of a chainsaw. When I looked out the window, I saw that the city was cutting down a large tree, to my delight. Now I have 8 logs in the garage waiting for me to carve em up!! Tomorrow I am going to get a chainsaw, and hope to get started this week.

I will post photos once I get going.