Lake Tiki - 8/23/2013 - Red Cedar

Happy Happy birthday Lake,I sip my tea to your 39 and your health! (here is 6.00 am!...) :drink:

Clarita, Conga and laojia thanks so much for the birthday wishes!

I'm looking forward to a fun filled year full of more carving!

happy Birthday Lake, late as it is.
I'm Really enjoying your new pieces, Excellent pieces, well thought out and executed. I have a feeling you better make Lots of these!

im gonna up the ante on you lake.....i'd like to see these facades with a die cast vintage lookin car or 2 parked out front in perfect scale to your tiki temples.....

i wish you would have extended the carport just a little more to squeesze an ol 50's classic in there....

better yet, if you make room for them, whoever buys them can add their own cars to em for display....so if someone is into tiki and diecast car collecting it's a perfect combo...

otherwise great job though on these!!

Aloha Benz!

Good to see you out and about on the Carving Forum!

Hope you're feeling a bit better this week than the last.

Thanks as always Ben for the kind compliments... steady as she goes on these and every one is a new learning process.
A few more than a break for some logs, then back to the tiki architecture.

Dave, thanks for the props on this piece.

A good idea with the cars... I bantered around about other materials to try and use such as real rock and some sort of model palnt life, but I enjoy the all wood aspect of these and try to focus on the architectural. I've challenged myself to try and find natural solutions to building materials.

I've tried to follow my inspirations a little loose to allow for spontaneity in creating them... keeps it interesting!

Happy late B-day young man :)

Many thanks seeks!

Sorry I missed you... I've been doing real world work for a couple weeks. :(

Gotta pay the bills!

But back to tiki!

With outside temperatures finally between 40 and 60 the next few days I am going to get out in the driveway and wrestle around with a big chunk of tree I have had since last summer...

Middle of this Page

It has been in storage all winter and is getting in the way.

I swear the thing still weighs in at 400 lbs. I'm hoping it loses a good chunk of that in carving and drying.

Time to get it carved and stood up in the yard with the other guys!

The drawknife and chainsaw are sharpened up, the grinder is ready to go and I hope to have this thing tapered and sanded smooth by Sunday night.

Monday looks like a surf day finally, so by Tuesday I should have the log drawn out and ready to carve!

Updates to come...

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2009-03-22 00:51 ]

We are already eager to see it ...

let the chips begin

beautiful work on the miniatures, lake! The Polynesia turned out real nice. It'll be a treat to see these!

Have fun wrestling that 400lb monster log (!)

I can't wait to get one!

Aloha Jim!

Thanks so much for the compliments on The Polynesian and the other mini work!

I'm taking a break and going from one extreme to the other now!

Its been a while since I've had the chance to toss a big log around the backyard, and since the weather is somewhat bearable outside, no time like the present.

I spent about an hour and a half to two hours roughing this out... the log had a bit of a banana curve to it.

Then I attempted to get this beast standing up so I could get a good look at it.

Without a lift, or anyone around it proved nearly impossible to raise.

Grabbed some logs scraps after shaving some extra weight off of the thing and was finally able to get the leverage to stand it up.

Some fine tuning to the bottom and it actually stands now.

Pretty much looks like a giant phallus I'm standing next to. :wink:

But with some sanding and rough chiseling this log will actually start to look like my vision for it... The Mega Marq!

I hope to get the sanding done Monday morning and get it undercover for the 2 inches of rain we're getting on Tuesday.

Still looks like surf this week, but not sure yet of it will be Monday afternoon or Tuesday.

On 2009-03-22 22:27, Lake Surfer wrote:
Some fine tuning to the bottom and it actually stands now.

Pretty much looks like a giant phallus I'm standing next to. :wink:

LOL! My thoughts exactly when I saw the pic! So how did you fine tune the bottom? Do you hit it with the grinder?

Whale size, brother!!!!! (I think all guys think alike...)

either that or a giant shiitake mushroom.

Won't be long before this puppy is tikified tho!!!!

Here's hoping you get some surfin' time in. Have fun!

Big T... first I had to find a level spot in the driveway... the frost has done a number on it over the winter!

But then just some eyeballing with the chainsaw and the grinder as you mentioned.

Aloha Jim!

Yep, getting the gear ready for this afternoon's session!

Open water forecast for the next few days...

...GALE WATCH IN EFFECT FROM TUESDAY MORNING THROUGH WEDNESDAY
MORNING...

THIS AFTERNOON
SOUTHEAST WINDS 20 TO 25 KNOTS INCREASING TO 30
KNOTS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES 4 TO 6 FEET.

TONIGHT
SOUTHEAST WINDS TO 30 KNOTS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES
BUILDING TO 6 TO 8 FEET.

TUESDAY
SOUTHEAST WINDS TO 30 KNOTS INCREASING TO GALES TO 35
KNOTS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS. WAVES 7 TO 10 FEET.

Surf first! Tiki later!

Can't wait to see this one.

Nice challenge this logs! Mega Marq: it looks like a super hero name...

sounds like a great week ahead for you lake, the weather is turning to crap and the surf is up. you got your big guy up and the carving is about to start. looking forward to seeing the big guy done. good luck with the surf. i gotta use a cooler but i guess you just shove a few beer into the snow bank for after the waves.

bd

It's always good to see ya go big again! Got pounded surfing 36 degree water yesterday. c o l d. r-r-r-r-r-r-r...still recovering. Take it easy out there!

Its always fun to dive into those big logs. This one has some great potential.

Wore myself out last night playing on chest high wind chop. Water was 76 degrees and beautiful!

Aloha guys, thanks for stopping by!

big daddy, we've been known to stash the beers in a snowbank to keep 'em cold. :wink:
I can remember some early March sessions where there was snow around.

surfintiki, my friend John and I took some lumps yesterday in some solid chest to head high icewater. A tough paddleout to begin with then throw in a 6/4 wettie along with not surfing for 4 months. I watched John take 5 waves on the head paddling out once.

I surfed for about an hour and a half until I went over the falls on a nice a-frame and got flushed.

Water temp 35 degrees, air temp 40 degrees. Burrrr is right.

Waves are up again today, but the wind has chopped it all to bits again.

A.S. you are welcome up anytime you'd like to trade that 76 degree water for 35. :)

Rain today so now work on the big guy... but looks like I can get some chops in on Wednesday.

Swing by for an update!

YEAH A.S.!!! Come on up here!! HA :P You'll love it!
Lake, it seems both our spots are doing the same thing at the same time, and at the same temp! Today was "victory at sea" here too...

I like your term "flushed" HA!

Whats with the Large Mushroom growing in your driveway?

Surfin... that's serious Victory at Sea going on there... we just had a mini version of that.
I heard some guys went out here on Tuesday but I took a pass at it.
I'm getting too old for the slop.

Seeks, I was hoping to get out Wednesday and do some work on 'ol mushroom head, but the sun never came out and the temperature hovered around 40 all day.

I'm hoping for the sun and at least 50 degrees on Thursday so I can get out and work on it a bit.

This has to be on this page too:

I feel this mega marquesan will be a mega masterpiece !
It would be cool to do a photoshop pix with your mega and my very small marquesan :lol:

Mahalo Sir Lake,

Benjamin.

You gonna get High carving that giant muShroom?

Aloha Benjamin!

Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Though this guy nearly turned into Mega Firewood a few times yesterday!

Ben, as he takes shape he's looking more like a tiki than a mushroom.

So, on with the update...

We hit a tropical high of 56 degrees yesterday which allowed for a decent day to work on this guy. I was beat after chasing this thing around, and as I said it nearly ended up as firewood a few times.

Its a pretty crappy log, and wasn't my choice for carving wood. It came from the other half of a mini dugout canoe I carved last summer for my in-laws.

My brother in-law had this in his yard and one day came over and tossed it off his pickup in my driveway. So I was kind of stuck with it.

The first problem was the banana curve in it, the second being the structural integrity of the log. It had many bug holes in it and a few sections that had been tunneled by carpenter ants. There's also some funky sections where the grain is tight and where the grain is loose.

But I trudged on, hoping to get something out of it since it was here and was going to reside in the yard anyhow.

First was getting him to stand upright. I thought I had it last time, but had to do some more work on him. And I did some more shaping to get the form better.

With all that done, it was time to prep the surface so I had a smooth canvas to work on.

After a half hour of sanding...

Sanding done, I reached for a Sharpie and sketched out the Mega Marq.

The log still retains some water from the winter, so it has to dry a bit, but I was able to start carving the right side which was dry.
As I mentioned, the wood grain is real funky and crumbles and chips in places and carves smooth in others.

Sanding the detail right after carving does wonders, so I'll continue on and see what I can get out of this log.

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2015-03-22 12:26 ]

Lake, the curve in that log is really going to add to the look of that Marq, and if it's as crumbly to carve as you say, it'll look that much more ancient! Carve on!

nice piece of wood lake. like 4wdtiki says, the curve should be really cool looking, a just before striking pose. good luck with the weather. just gives you time for more temple work.

bd

Yay for another tiki temple!

Big work, small work...You're a complete carver! MegaMarq already promises many things and the retail on the doors of the new temple was very successful...The chimney is also very nice...

Good luck for the weather, sharp tool don't like the wet!
J.

All I can say Lake, is, the megaman looks cool already...so if it crumbles, and frustrates you...it ALREADY looks cool.

That marq is a great new project. I hope the wheater lets you get back on him soon.

Thanks all for the kind compliments!

I awoke this morning to snow.

Yep, Spring in Wisconsin. :roll:

Gonna be a few days until things melt and I can work outdoors again.

4WDtiki: I have to agree with you. The "Pre Aged Look." :wink:

big daddy: It is an interesting pose to say the least. The challenge was to get it to stand without tipping over backwards.
Good luck with the weather is right, it keeps one on their toes here. Summer one day, winter the next.

leleliz: Youbetcha!

laojia: An all-around woodcarver I guess! :wink: It keep things interesting switching it up. I enjoy the concentration of the small detail of the door carvings just as much as swinging away on a big 'ol log. They both offer fun challenges.

surfintiki: I hear ya, and thanks! I made up my mind to just keep plugging away at this guy no matter what the outcome. I'll get some thing out of the log!

Grapa-RuHa: Many thanks, and I also hope things improve on the weather front so that I can get back to working on it. Luckily I planned ahead last week and got it moved into the garage to stay dry and warm. Maybe by the end of the week things will melt off and dry up here.

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2010-12-22 19:55 ]

makin some good progress on that marq. Love the clean lines you got around the eyes.

this one really is a monster!

I'm assuming then, that the groundhog did not see his shadow all those weeks ago? :)

Polynesiac - putting the "F" back in "ART"

[ Edited by: Polynesiac 2009-03-29 23:08 ]

Mushroom head is taking shape! Looking COOL!

We has snow this weekend also in the Seattle area! crazy!

Polynesiac, thanks much!

It is a beast of a log. I love the stature of big tikis though, so it is worth all the work to see him guarding over our yard.

The groundhog? Hell, he packed up weeks ago and moved to Florida!

We got 7 inches of snow last Sunday... and again this Sunday we are looking at another snowstorm of 5 or more inches.
In-between that, it is just unseasonably cold here. Stuck in the 30's and 40's.

Thanks also, Seeks!
I have had enough of winter... though the active Jetstream has been bringing us lots of surf lately.

Phase 1 of a custom job for Sneakyjack... a new business venture of his... Idolmaker Films.

A Marquesan tiki that makes a killer logo!

Size: 20 inches

Stain and Paint to come...

Cool Lake looks like it was machine routed.

Yes there is something funny going on with all
this snow this winter and spring.

Thanks Seeks!

Freehanded with my trusty Bosch. It took about 2 hours apiece to carve out each sign.

Painting has taken the longest... Canary Yellow on Ebony stain...

Sneakyjack ordered 2 signs, one is complete and I've just started painting the other one.

A nice little change of pace as I love making signs and the detail work on these offered some nice concentration challenges.

20" diameter

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2009-04-10 09:05 ]

Sweet one Lake! Any progress on that big Marq?

Thanks Conga!

Sorry, no progress on Mega Marq.

Battening down the hatches for 6 inches of snow tonight.

Its been pretty damn cold outside lately, not friendly carving weather.

I think Mega is going on the back burner for a while, I've got to crank it up another notch and get ready for Bamboo Ben's Nooner on May 3'rd!

The wife and I will be flying out with all kinds of handcarved tiki goodies for the event, and we're looking forward to some sunshine and warmer weather!

Hot Damn - Lake is comin to town! Now I fer sure have to figure out a way up to Ben's.

California needs a little shot of some Lake Tiki.

i bow at every pic , nice job again....

Babalu... hope you can make it up! I would be good to see you again!

If we miss each other May 3rd, I'll be at Oasis in August!

drasticwagon, thanks so much for your kind compliments... the wood talks... it says "Carve me!"
The more wood you have laying around, the louder the voices are! :wink:

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer 2015-03-22 12:25 ]

Real nice Lake, the shell necklace is a cool touch. Our internet filters at
work are down right now so you made my day with this one. Good to see you
exploring PNG influences, I hope we'll see a lot more!

Pagui is just awesome, Lake. Via just the 2-D pics you post, it's always amazing to see how much 3-D you can put into a flat carving involving the depth of mere centimeters. You've got the touch, big time~
Fantastic, man!

Stay warm, a Wisconsin Spring will arrive soon (fingers crossed)

Cheers!

Andy

http://www.myspace.com/tikijoesocean
NEW Exotica CD release on July 11th!

Hey Lake Surfer- I love the sign and colors on it. It looks kind of like a big poker chip! Very cool...