Tiki Carving Methodology

I thought it would be nice to have a single post here where the carvers (or creators of any kind)of tiki could post sequence shots, tips, and knowledge on doing what they do. I will post some of my carving sequence shots here shortly to break the ice....Mahalo!

I'd show y'all, but then I'd have to kill you! Ah forget it.....it's easier to show the carving. I'll snap pics too, next time I carve 'em up.

Great! I'm looking forward to it!

TG

(from an old Carving Post sequence): A Maori piece.....I wanted him to be large so it came down to large figural with more inlay or smaller panelized figure with less inlay (pressed for time and wanted to demo this piece at Hukilau); I opted for the first. In the first photo you see the blank (which burned out a 1/2 hp radial jigsaw...I mean literally on fire). In the second you see my Abalone inlay pieces. The eyes I did by reversing a black fossil shell, cutting out of it two black pupils, and then inlaying them into abalone circles. I use a rotozip with a tile bit for this and a respirator (Bob Van Oosting told me the abalone dust can be very dangerous, like asbestos). The third is the view from my beat up old chair! Note the white glove on the floor...My dear sweet wife just bought that for me...Steel filament wrapped in polyester fiber. Guess she's had enough of my carving related E.R. visits! The last two are of the progress so far. Maori "scaling" relief effects...here's my method, for what it's worth. First I complete the plunge, or guide cuts. You must use a very thin flat bladed chisel (in this case a small one). Mark your depth on the blade with a magic marker so you'll have consistency. In this case all the plunges are 90 degrees. Tap carefully to avoid a grain split. Next, begin angling the scales in. Be mindful of the direction you want them to flow in. The best way to avoid damage is to proceed in layers, working just a little wood off each scale at a time, until you have a nice, clean slope which stops just above the guide cut depth (for a clean cut). Viola...a complete scale. Here is Hei Tiki as he appears today...getting his Moko right now. Upper body complete, palm parting tool work and all. The palm chisel work is something that you just have to do to learn...it can't really be explained, but requires good control of a parting tool; no slipping! All that is left is the legs and the inlay work! I stuck the eyes on with some floral clay for the photo. It will have abalone inlaid eyes, teeth, and knuckles. Here is the finished Maori meeting house image. I thought it turned out nice...what do you all think? It looks like a very old piece which was my goal. Each time I tackle a Maori piece I become more and more in awe of the craftsmanship in their carvings and the power of their imagery...it blows me away. I only hope I do them any justice at all. I'm going to put a pic on a regular thread so someone besides us carving nerds can see.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-11-24 12:41 ]

Gecko carves a Tongaroa (Also from old Carving Post) here is Tangaroa of the Cook islands. God of fertility, ocean and fisherman. He is 3 ft. tall. still in da making, still gotta put on a finish, rope around his arms, etc.

it'll look mo'betta wen it's done. Just gotta clean tangaroa up and he will be ready 'fo his finnish.

shoots AUWIE!

anyways, here is the one week old Tangaroa finished. I wanted him to look vintage like he jus wen come from da old Trader vics tree house in Waikiki.

shoots

Cookolossu's carving sequence: Here's the opening chisel volley on a huge 7 1/2 foot, 22-inch Marquesan...Kahuna in work duds! Can't decide to go full body single (easier) or a double godhead pole. White pine...carves like fresh drawn butter...very oily and full of resin, which should mean a clean go of it as this wood continues to dry. It will get about 4 coats of tung as well. We got face.... We got choppers..... Cutting in the chest and arms. Getting the chest contours right is pretty hard on a Marquesan this size...the geometric features should sort of "flow" into the more organic ones. I use a single cardboard template for each feature so it will be the same on both sides. The red marks on the straight chisel shown are for different plunge depths. This is a chisel I use all the time that I have ground down the first 1 1/2 inches of the tip on a bench grinder to about 1/16th of an inch thin, tapered like a duckbill, which allows me to cut guide grooves quite deep without cracking the wood. It makes the work go faster because you usually don't have to plunge grooves twice. The ear protectors keep my rather Roger-Miller-like rock band induced tinnitus from getting worse from all that hammering. One may also note that I changed the design a bit to better porportion the arms. Well, folks...here is the basic tiki, minus base decorations and general neatening and cleaning up. It's one hell of a big Marquesan, my first 7-foot pole. Certified pure, 100% chainsaw free. :) If I don't win, Cookollosu The Great jumps in! (I had to borrow Geck's Aka to have something to fight with!)

Lake's mailbox: The tiki mailbox project...
Debarking...

Chisel away...

Progress...

More progress...

Finished!

Closeup...

Great thread, I need it. This week I am going to debark and start in on my first Palm carving. Got a nice debarking tool (forget the proper name). Sharpened the hell out of it and then thought about the way to use. I mean I know as well as most just how dangerous carving can be but this seems deadly. Can you give proper tips on using this tool? I fear that razor sharp tool will slice me in half at the calves. Giving serious consideration to wearing my old Downhill Mountain bike shin pads.

Draw knives are generally a pretty safe bet (Check out lake's form in the above mailbox post). I just do one end at a time and use my body weight and momentum to do most of the work. Skinning logs is a bitch...one tedious motherf*cker. Worst part of tiki carving.

Uh, thanks:-)

I know...there should be a machine.

Does anyone have any thoughts on using pressure treated telephone poles for carving?

I'm chippin my way through my fist tiki out of 4' chunk of pole. It's white cedar, I think. In the beginning I thought I was feeling a little sick from being close to Kahuna knows what heavy metals but I might have just been sick from being sick.

It was discussed here previously... you can do a search on it, but a big no on the phone pole carving... the wood is treated with all kinds of nasty chemicals to keep out the bugs and rot...

Here are my tools of the trade,well... besides my noodle and two hands.

I use a box to keep the chisels from banging into each other, an alternative is a tool roll. I sewed one up out of some leather, but usually don't use it.

Robert Sorby chisels . They are about 12" long and nicely crafted. The big sucker is my most used chisel. This guy is flat so you have to mind the corners while carving. Makes things go faster, but you have to be careful. The mallet is a carvers mallet . I reason that it's round shape saves alot of time and pain, because it always hits the chisel properly( no regular hammer head)

These are some Henry Taylors that I use for the details. Notice where the metal blade meets the handle, it flares out like a cone. This is a sign if a good chisel.

It's best to put a sheet of plywood down or an anti-fatigue mat under your carving area. If you drop a chisel on concrete , it will mess up the edge and seriously piss you off. It's hard to do when you first start, but you have to carve loose and relaxed, don't tense up.

[ Edited by: thechikitiki on 2003-11-26 00:59 ]

That is good advice....I have dropped two of my Henry Taylors and had to re-edge, and a re-edge is never quite the same as the original. A damaged edge will leave ridges and scratches in your cuts that are tedious to reverse.

What you see here are two of my "duckbills" that I make. They are ugly as sin, but very functional. Their purpose is for plunging very deep guide cuts in a log very smoothly and quickly, so you don't have to remove wood in as many layers. I make them by taking old chisels as I need them that I bought at the flea or pawn shop and grinding them down on my bench grinder as shown to a very thin (appx.) 1/16th of an inch for a lenghth of about 1 1/2-2 inches from the tip. I then hone the chisel's new tip on all three edges to a razor sharp point. Why all three? This keeps the sides of the chisel from pushing away at the wood on either side of the blade (creating splits in the wood), instead slicing right through it for a nice, clean, split-free cut. The last photo is of my cheap foam stadium seat...these can be a lifesaver to the ass if you're straddling a log for hours on end! Foam is a good thing to have pieces of as well to rest your knees on. The two heavy iron log holders you see there are cut pieces of railroad track, available at many feed and seed stores for pathborder.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-11-26 23:01 ]

This is my favorite thread please share more.

Better yet someone needs to put this on video.

I also like these carving threads. Some of you ambitious carvers should pitch a pilot to The Learning Channel. It would be way better than another remodeling/decorating show.
Here's a question. Anyone carve dimensional lumber? I have a 4 foot Doug Fir 4x10 in the basement I was thinking about hacking away at.

Actually you could probably use those angles to do something cool, like the Beachcomber (Alberta) tiki. The wood is dry, so no worries about it splitting in bad spots. The only thing to avoid is pressure treated. That stuff is loaded with A R S E N I C, also known as Paris Green, that's the preservative and insect barrier in it (hence the greenish color). That's why a pressure treated deck lasts so long. And why a phone pole (as spoken of above) is so damned dangerous to carve into.

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna on 2003-11-27 10:31 ]

Started my first Marquesan yesterday morning... I'll do a progress post here...

Piece is a 16 inch tall chunk of Birch... the wood is like butter to carve!

Opening round...

More pics to come!

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2003-12-02 23:17 ]

Looks good Lake.

Some thoughts on quick sharpening...
If a chisel has gouges or chips in it I take it to the wetstone and reshape it. As long as it is not dropped there is an easy way to keep it razor sharp... here's how I do mine...

I bought this "Power Strop" from the Woodcraft store for around $20. I put it on my variable speed drill and clamp that to a stable surface...

Included is this sharpening compound that you hold to the strop before sharpening... it is this that sharpens the edge with the leather...

Then set your rpm to the recommended for the strop and hold the end of the chisel to the wheel... flip to the top to remove the burr edge also... final product should be a shiney surface with a razor sharp edge...

CAREFUL! The sharpened edge should be sharp enough to shave the hair on your arm...

Get back to work!

It is recommended that every 15-20 minutes you resharpen, though everyone will have their own timetable and it also depends on the hardness of the wood...
Sharp chisels make carving easier and deliver precise clean cuts!

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2003-11-30 23:40 ]

Slow progress on this one... too much going on lately to get back to carving... but here's a few evolutions...

Hey Guys,

Anyone out there able to advise an aspiring Tiki Carver, where he can get an inexpensive set of tools to try his luck at carving on the East Coast. If I really like it I will step up to some real tools, but I just need a "starter" kit for now.

Please cover your eyes BK, Chiki, & Lake Surfer.

Hey TikiGoon,

I saw a set of carving tools at Costco for $40 here in California. I forget how many pieces were in it, but seemed like quite a few for the money...can't speak for the quality though. I might go pick up a set this weekend & see what they're like. I'll let you know.

Goon...(Let it be known I at least said it) You can do much more with three or so good Sheffield tools than you can do with a twenty of the Chinese crap variety.

On 2003-12-04 09:18, Basement Kahuna wrote:
Goon...(Let it be known I at least said it) You can do much more with three or so good Sheffield tools than you can do with a twenty of the Chinese crap variety.

I think he means which 3. What, in your expert opinion, would be the best few tools for the beginner? Chisels, mallets, assorted other tools...

Well guys, dont yell at me too much, but I just ordered some "Cheapies" off Ebay. Here is a picture of them:
![](Well guys, dont yell at me too much, but I just ordered some "Cheapies" off Ebay. Here is a picture of them:
[img]http://i4.ebayimg.com/01/i/00/fd/10/ee_1.JPG)
For $16.50 including shipping to my house, I figure if they are too aggrivating to work with I will throw them in the trash. If I really get into it I will step up to some real tools.

[ Edited by: TikiGoon on 2003-12-05 10:00 ]

[ Edited by: TikiGoon on 2003-12-05 10:01 ]

I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for BK to advise as to the three carving knifes he would recommend to start off with. Christmas is just around the corner and I think I could get one more gift out of the wifey.

Maybe a thread labeled Tiki Carving 101 is needed and then some more advanced threads for the stuff that is presented here. (Just a thought).

Try these shapes: v ( /

Go to http://www.leevalley.com and order the 58D90.01 Sayer's Carving Tool Selection. 145.00 . These are good quality Sheffield tools and come ready to go. Do it once and you will never have to replace these. They will serve you for life. That's the best carving advice I can give, and I think anybody here with experience will tell you the same. The above pictured set of Chinese frustration tools will have to be honed to a useable blade pitch to start with and sharpened constantly. The handles will split, the retaining rings will smash and break off in a couple of uses, and the steel is so poor that the edges will never be straight and leave bad veining as you carve. Stay away...stay far away.

BK,

Have you ever bought anything from Highland Hardware in Virginia Highlands? I get a sizable discount there and was wondering if they had a good starter set?

Thx,

Scotty

[ Edited by: Scotty on 2003-12-05 19:25 ]

Those Flexcuts are pretty damned good...a lot of the tree wizard guys up here use them. This looks like the set to own: http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/product.asp?0=333&1=334&3=2299

For big work these look nice: http://www.tools-for-woodworking.com/product.asp?0=333&1=334&3=2300

Major progress on my little Marq tonight... he's only 16" H x 5" D... the grooves on the top and bottom are for rope that I'm putting in there...
I may just make a table lamp out of this guy with a rattan shade like my other lamps...

Sometimes brittle in spots, but I'm liking Birch... I have a few more thicker chunks to have fun with later...

[ Edited by: Lake Surfer on 2003-12-07 11:25 ]

So is it done yet Lake?

Oh man, chiki... I've been slacking... and busy making Mele Kalikimaka signs to ship out. I'm hoping to get back to carving him this weekend and I did find the lamp parts for him... have to buy those yet. But he might be a prototype for lamps I'd like to make soon in the future...

Thanks BK. Those are pricy! I'll see what kind of discount they give me. I might just have to start with your suggested Lee Valley set.

Scotty

Wow! I'm new at carving, and I'm finding these tips SO helpful. Thanks!

Figured I would bring this up for all the new carvers out there .

here is a question for you chissel guys. i have been using Home Depot chissels (Marples) and a while back a guy gave me a set of chissel made by Millar Falls, does any one know anything about them.

i have been using them and they are loads better then Home Depot's. they definatly get sharp as i found out today when one slipped out of my hand and of course as a reflex i reached out to grab it so it wouldn't hit the floor and the damn thing went right through my leather glove and gave me quite a bite. i really like the Millar Falls but i don't think i have seen them around or talked about.

Millers Falls tools have been around for many years. I believe they used to produce Industrial Quality tools back when quality mattered. Hang on to them.

thank you for the information on the millar falls chissels Ben.

my pleasure

To me this post is just amazing and maybe the most informative that I've seen so far here at TC. These step-by-step photo shoots are just the best! This is vintage TC stuff, at least for me, having only arrived here recently. As a side note, it's kind of funny if you read this post, McDougall had only just started, and look at the stuff he's doing now. Very inspirational.

So, are you carving anything these days, BK? Anything good to show us? And how did it go with the auction at Hukilau - Hopefully Jeanne didn't spoil it for everybody?

If you've got some new carvings going, I for one would love to see them.

Thanks so much for all the great info.

Aaron

AaronA, you're making me blush, thanks. I still haven't carved a Palm though, mine all rotted and I gravitated towards smaller stuff. Still have the shinchopper ready to go though:-) And as another sidenote I just saw that BK carving in person, pictures do not do it justice!

Hi, McDougall. Yeah, your stuff that you posted recently really looks great. I've got to get some mahogany, cause it really finishes up nice.

Just curious - It seems like a lot of these guys, BK, Gecko, Chikki, Cookolossu, & Lake Surfer used to post here pretty regular (before my time), but haven't posted much in awhile. Has anyone heard from them lately?

I think I saw in a recent post from BK that he hadn't been carving for awhile, but didn't really say why. I hope we see more of these guys. I feel like maybe I missed a really cool period here on TC when all of these guys were active and posting all of their great stuff, sharing with all of the other carving nerds like me.

I can't complain, though, cause we still have lots of expert carvers like Benzart, Octane, Cheekytiki, Polynesiac, and so many others sharing their knowledge & helping out all of the new carvers.

Just thinking out loud here...

A-A

Hi, Akua... I think a lot of us just got pretty busy with life in general..For me in particular I had a very uncustomary year. I just unloaded a six-foot log yesterday...my first new victim in 8 months...so as soon as I get time off I plan on pulling out the old draw knife and 'skinnin 'im down. I also have two small weapons blanks. As soon as I get carving again I'll update a lot.