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Tiki Central / Tiki Carving

For the Love of Tiki

Pages: 1 2 78 replies

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/20/2013

Hello everyone,
I've been admiring all of the tiki creations here from the sidelines for a while now. Been getting inspired & checking out everyone's various techniques as to how to go about it - and then, couldn't resist any longer & had to jump on in. The result being, that I've actually been carving for about a year and a half now.
I'll begin by posting some pics of my first tikis - until I get caught up to the present.

This was my first go at tiki carving. The wood is cedar - a soft wood.

Here's Tiki #2

A little stain and they really come alive.

Inlaid abalone for the eyes.

And here's a group shot of my first three tikis. #3 is on the far right. They're all from cedar, about 4' tall and 10" in width. #2 was real challenging - but all were fun to do.

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pjc5150 posted on 02/20/2013

very cool bro. nice firsties...

welcome to the party...

R
RIOTURBAN posted on 02/20/2013

Welcome aboard!the family is getting bigger!!!

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/20/2013

On 2013-02-20 12:40, pjc5150 wrote:
very cool bro. nice firsties...

welcome to the party...

Thanks :)

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/20/2013

On 2013-02-20 13:29, RIOTURBAN wrote:
Welcome aboard!the family is getting bigger!!!

Thanks, Rioturban. It has taken me a while to get signed up - but glad to finally be here.

H
hang10tiki posted on 02/21/2013

Great stuff
Keep going
More pics
Step by step pics too

Jon

C
cy posted on 02/21/2013

Nice to see some new blood for the love of tiki, an impressive first 3.

M
McTiki posted on 02/21/2013

Very nice work! Thanks for jumping in.

Well done

Mahalo and welcome

McTiki

A
amate posted on 02/21/2013

Off to a great start. Keep it rollin'

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/21/2013

Hey hang10tiki, cy, McTiki & amateā€¦. Glad to meet everyone and thanks for the warm welcome.

I call this tiki - Mort Jagger. Inspiration comes from the famous Trader Mort's Tiki but I wanted to give him a Mick Jagger tongue - although survey sez it turned out more like Gene Simmons of KISS. I had these short leftover bamboo pieces from another project and added a King Kukulele style crown. BTW, the "SD" Native sign is for San Diego - and not- South Dakota. :wink:

[ Edited by: For the Love of Tiki 2013-02-21 08:51 ]

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/22/2013

I've always liked this tiki style - so thought, I'd give it a try.

TT
Trailerpark Tiki posted on 02/22/2013

Welcome, great tikis. My first tiki sure didn't look that cool. But I guess I'm a little artistically challenged...

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/25/2013

I ran through all of the cedar wood that I had and then got a hold of some palm wood. This was my first palm wood tiki. It was a quickie. I really just wanted to cut into it and get a feeling as to what to expect from palm wood as compared to the cedar.

Here are Tikis #11 & 12.
Tiki #11 (Java Joe) is from a Mexican Fan Palm & Tiki #12 is from a Queen Palm.
I did a YouTube video on these if you'd like to check out the process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSH7KDQcnMo

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/25/2013

Here's Tiki #13 - from a Queen Palm. Check out the video for start to finish process. I have a feeling you guys might really like the song "Church of the Tiki God.'
For the Love of Tiki #13
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuzvlvjIdZc

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/25/2013
FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 02/26/2013

Here's my first go at a Marq Tiki.
Check out the video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3jNVhOJSYA

WP
Watango productions posted on 02/27/2013

Kool stuff! keep em com'n.

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/02/2013

On 2013-02-26 18:11, Watango productions wrote:
Kool stuff! keep em com'n.

Thanks, Watango!

[ Edited by: For the Love of Tiki 2013-03-02 13:52 ]

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/02/2013
FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/04/2013
FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/07/2013

Here is the current work in progress. Its a queen palm, 4' tall and 11" diameter. Its still a bit green. I'll make some cuts, then give it a couple of days in which to dry out a bit - then hopefully, be able to get back at it.

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Coffee Pirate posted on 03/07/2013

Wow! Lovely stuff! My Uncle Barry is thinking about trying his hand at carving Tikis. I suggested he start with cedar, but I suspect he will pick up a driftwood log from the beach since it will be free. I hope I can help him carve it. This thread is so inspiring!

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lunavideogames posted on 03/07/2013

I really like your Mort Jagger! I live right by Trader Morts, and I really like that tiki! You really made a good likeness to the original. Good job!

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lunavideogames posted on 03/07/2013

I see you are also in SD. Are any for sale?

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/07/2013

On 2013-03-07 12:36, Coffee Pirate wrote:
Wow! Lovely stuff! My Uncle Barry is thinking about trying his hand at carving Tikis. I suggested he start with cedar, but I suspect he will pick up a driftwood log from the beach since it will be free. I hope I can help him carve it. This thread is so inspiring!

Thanks for the kind words. I liked starting out with cedar. Its more like real wood - certainly as compared to palm. .. but if driftwood was readily available in my local, without a doubt, I'd be carving it too. Be sure to check out the recent post by 4WDTiki - he's been using driftwood for his latest tikis. I feel that searching on the beach for a good piece of driftwood to carve would be fun in itself. Ya know, finding a piece of wood that already sort of looks like something. It is a great hobby & am sure, you and Uncle Barry will have a good time at it. My recommendation: if you want to do it, is don't give it too much thought, just set some time aside for it & then start to let the wood chips fly. :wink: Of course, be sure to observe all safety precautions - but the main thing is to make it hands on. Anyways, thats what works for me - although, I read about how everyone else approached it on Tiki Central as well.
Good luck.

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/07/2013

On 2013-03-07 12:47, lunavideogames wrote:
I really like your Mort Jagger! I live right by Trader Morts, and I really like that tiki! You really made a good likeness to the original. Good job!

Hiya Lunavideogames, Thanks for the compliment. Mort Jagger gives a wink :wink: So far, my tikis have ended up as gifts for close friends & family - but believe I might be approaching that day in the near future when I'll be in a selling mode. Thanks for asking (you've just made my day) & I'll let ya know.

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/11/2013

For the Love of Tiki #16
Queen Palm - 3' height x 12" width

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[ Edited by: For the Love of Tiki 2013-03-10 19:44 ]

C
cy posted on 03/11/2013

Some good work goin' on there FTLOT, really like the time lapse photos.

A
amate posted on 03/12/2013

Sweet 16 rocks!

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Bay Park Buzzy posted on 03/12/2013

Thanks for the tour last weekend! You have a lot of ultra cool DIY things going on over there. (Just don't tell anyone around here its real name. :wink: )

Buzzy Out!

P
pjc5150 posted on 03/13/2013

cool stuff man....

I tend to avoid queen palms because they're so stringy....but looks like that one came out fine!

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/17/2013

Thanks Cy, Amate, BuzzyHere & pjc5150 for the encouraging posts.

Here it is - from start to finnish.
For the Love of Tiki #16
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lv-KwW1dWbM

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RIOTURBAN posted on 03/20/2013

nice! looks a bit like KAA from "The Jungle Book",hehe.
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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/21/2013

[Haha... Good one, RIOTURBAN. Don't stare into those eyes for very long - who knows what you might end up doing?

[ Edited by: For the Love of Tiki 2013-03-20 18:50 ]

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/26/2013

Here's an update for the current work in progress - Tiki #20. Now, ready for some stain.

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 03/28/2013

Tiki #20 is done! Here are the time lapse photos...
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And here he is, up close and personal...
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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 04/30/2013

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The bark had a real nice red color to it. I was hoping that the color would carry through into the wood - but that wasn't the case.

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This tiki is very top heavy and I finally decided to pour him in concrete to keep him from toppling over.

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 04/30/2013

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First drill out your somewhat oversized holes - about 3/16 larger than the rebar you intend on using. I used 1/2" rebar so, I drilled the holes at 5/8" and then reamed them out a bit more. I went extra deep (a strong 9") because the tiki is so top heavy. Usually, 4" or so would be plenty deep. Be sure to clean out the holes so that you will get good adhesion. Safety Precaution: Be sure to wear eye protection and gloves when working with epoxy. Apply the epoxy into the hole and then insert the re-bar - making sure that you don't have any air pockets. The epoxy gun with the nozzle makes this a lot easier - but if you don't have a gun - you can also do it by mixing the epoxy (2 parts) then applying it directly onto the rebar as you slowly "screw" or "turn" it into place. If you hear an air pocket "pop" inside the hole, then slowly reverse the rebar and pull it out some - add some more epoxy onto the rebar, then re-insert it into the hole - using the same turning technique. When it goes in all the way, some of the excess epoxy will kind of bulge out - this is the desired result. Take what epoxy is left over and spread it with a putty knife to seal the wood where it will make contact with any concrete.

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I like to give it until the next day for the epoxy to come up to full strength.

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 04/30/2013

Then, its up, up and away...

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Some improvised concrete formwork along with a footing... and there ya have it!

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 05/02/2013

Just posted a video, showing the process from start to finish.
For the Love of Tiki #20
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Vq7R_K_fPU

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 05/29/2013

Another root ball tiki. This one is a Mexican Fan Palm - and was way easier to carve than the last one I did, made from macadamia nut!

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 06/12/2013

Here's the latest work in progress-- a queen palm 4'-6" height x 1'-2" width.

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R
RIOTURBAN posted on 06/13/2013

nice stuff again!i like the carving progress pics.and the cat seems to like your tikis too!

[ Edited by: RIOTURBAN 2013-06-13 14:48 ]

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Hale Tiki posted on 06/14/2013

I really like the KAA tiki. It made me laugh, and I dig the style.

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 06/18/2013

Thanks Rioturban & Hale Tiki for the kind words & encouragement.

Here's the latest all stained up.

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 06/22/2013

A Quickie Tiki.

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FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 06/29/2013

Just posted a new tiki carving video on YouTube.
This one is #18 - the Big Mac Tiki (made from a macadamia nut tree).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZJXEu7LdWk

FTLOT
For the Love of Tiki posted on 08/12/2013

Here's my latest Tiki Carving video on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jM8VzGPPlgo
Music compliments of The Vooduo.

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