New stuff added!!

Another Smoking Hot Pepper grinder!! ITs all cool, but really like the way you stylized the legs and feet.

great stuff

man thats a niiiiiice. what do you use for the different tones? is that all stain or is there some paint?....its looks great. looks vintage and aged a bit.....

Keylo - the entire body is designed to be somewhat symetrical front to back. The idea was to make the body look normal no matter where the position of the head was left. The style also helps create a stable base. He can have his head turned backwards and it gives a slight illusion of being normal. I've been tweeking it with each one.

Chimp - The spalting of the mahogany gives it 2-differnt colors: the deep reddish brown of the center and the greyish/white colr of the sap wood. I've added stain and my other techinques to finish.

The grinders that Will and I have done are really two different approaches to the same goal. My use of the lathe makes the wood very symmetrical. Will has been drilling holes and shaping by hand. His latest is crazy good.

The holidays have been hectic and not quite over. The wife has a trip planned for to Disney for the New Year (Tiki Room - here I come). I managed to squeeze a little time in the shop. I posted an image of a WIP on Watango's thread a few weeks ago. Here's the finished piece - Glamour shots to come.

Half round of FL Mahogany

Nice lines on that half log, very impressive work ... I was thinking about halving one of my logs and trying to carve them in the likeness of a piece of bamboo ... and then carve a couple relief tikis between the segments ... seeing this nice piece makes me want to do it even more ...

Have a Great Day!

I always enjoy looking at how you capture the body and facial expressions in your work. Like it!

Wow, exceptional work. Super clean, and the finish is amazing!

Wow Tom....that mahogany is ridiculous. Another great piece bro.

Wish you coulda made it up to PSL the other day!

Another pair of fantastic pieces. I really like the mask...great design and awesome finish. Looking forward to seeing what you kick out this new year.

Hope you all had a great New Year. I've had several days off but no time to myself. I was a little disappointed that I couldn't make the meeting of minds that happened in PSL, but I had a 7th grade science experiment to supervise. Today I finally had an opportunity to spend the whole day carving - very refreshing. This is the other half of the Ku. It needs to be sanded and stained.

holy moly...7th grade?!?!? Look like you should at least be teaching high school shop class :wink:

Awesome work.

Oh, that's very cool. I don't see the same spalting on this side of the log.

I like it!

Alot!

But, then I'm from Florida where big teeth rule supreme!

Nice work brother!

Happy new year!

Mahalo

McTiki

Nice "days work" Aloha. I like the eyes.

Nixxon - I was the teacher assistant in Shop and Art during high school. College screwed it all up, with the introduction of computer graphics. Science was never my favorite subject.

BigT - I used the grinder to remove much of the sap wood, but the spalting is still there (wait till I hit it with a clear coat. The Marq style doesn't require deep cuts so much of this mask will have a lighter color to it.

McTiki - The teeth are out of proportion because of the angle I shot the photo. They are not that big (in FL tiki standards).

Conga - The mask was started around Xmas. I have 2 sessions on this one so far (approx 8 hours), only need one more session to clean up the cuts. Hope to have it done this weekend??

I have 2 more halves that I hope to use for more masks.

Ha! Nice.

Yeah they loves 'em some big teeth down here...

Looks good Tom. Savor those 7th grade science fair projects, I look back at those as some of the best times I spent with my kids :)

Did a little work last night...

Both sides are at the same stage.

Looking awesome Tom! Love the skull eyes!

Mark Twain once said" You can't depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus". Yours seems to always be in focus and is kicking cobwebs and skulls out of the belfry. Nice design touch!

Lookin' great as usual AlohaStation! Also thanks for the carved manatee pic.

[ Edited by: cy 2012-01-06 13:27 ]

Got motivated and started a commissioned piece. Just getting started and figuring out my proportions. Nice 9' log. I hope to get some time with it this weekend.

Is that a palm or a hardwood? Looks pretty solid.

Its Palm. Been sitting on the side of my house for over a year - and its still wet on the inside!

Looks gnarly! Can't wait to see the progress!

I thought Palm you can cut into right away?

Love the newest chops Tom!
The commission looks like fun, nothing like getting down and dirty with the big logs!

I miss carving outside already. I did a bit last Wednesday when the temperature was 50. By Thursday that dropped to 25 and we got 7 inches of snow.
Sent me packing back indoors again.

Good luck on the big guy... looking forward to updates!

You can cut right into palm - my schedule and other projects have kept me away from this log. There are a few spots that had started to turn the wood green. I think I started carving at the right time - any longer and it may have started to rot. Other than the color the wood is soft and loves the chisels.

Lake - I started the log outside - chainsaw and grinder work. Got brave (or was delerious) and jumped in the pool after grinding, the water was 68 - Brrrrr. Since then, I moved the log into the garage where it is more temperate and shady. Here's a shot of my daughter jumping in (we made a pact that we would swim every month this year). People may consider South Floridians "weather wimps" - well, you can find this weather wimp at the beach! Loving this time of the year, come on down!!!

More progress on the 9 footer. Not easy moving that log around!

Looking good Tom!

68... I suppose that's a bit chilly for a pool, but with a warm air temp I'd give it a go!
68 is getting at the top end of things for temperatures in Lake Michigan... we'd be surfing in shorts for sure!

Dang that thing is BIG! Looking cool so far...could probably bypass the pool and go for a soak in the hot tub after dealing with that sucker all day.

9 feet...I'd need a winch!

Lookin Good! Any particular style on this commissioned piece!

what a cool idea for the eyes! I'll take 68 any day. I hate January and February up here. 40 degrees is a good day!

Yeah Tom, this is the warmest winter I can remember in awhile...

78 & sunny all weekend!!! Lovin' it!!!

And the 9 footer is gonna be epic...

Amate - Moving this log around is not that difficult (also not easy). Here's what I use: a dolley, a floor jack and wood dowels (the dowels are the real trick). The dowels allow me to move the log lengthwise - figgered that out from the Egyptians. The log is still very wet and that makes it heavy - the more I carve on it the lighter it will get, but it really needs to dry.

Captian - I'm carving this in the Fowner tribe style. They are from the continental tropics, in the southeast peninsula. Their leaders have the tradition drinking ceremonial cocktails by the communal pool and carving elaborate figures in the native trees. You can find other examples of this style on my thread.

The weather here has been gorgeous, so I've been taking advantage. The skull eye Marg is almost done, carved more on the big guy and have finished up some pocket tikis that have been laying around.

Don't ask what I was thinking with the guy on the left. I just kept carving hoping that I would figure it out. The one on the right is scrap of Mahogany that I cut too deep. He broke in half and that left him without a body.

I am also going to be vending on Deerfild Beach next weekend. It should be a fun day - come say hello if you're in the area.
http://www.islandwatersports.com/blogs/2012/01/09/indie-craft-swell/

cool Tom...i love the middle one...are these pendants? magnets? i have your fridge magnets and would like one if your thinking of selling them...put me on your list.

you've been busy too this winter....great work.

[ Edited by: Creative Chimp 2012-01-20 08:01 ]

Great pocket tikis Aloha Station! The one on the left sounds like my thought process-Start hackin' and see what happens next. How long does it take you to do the small ones?

Great pocket tikis Aloha Station! The one on the left sounds like my thought process-Start hackin' and see what happens next. How long does it take you to do the small ones?

Chimp = Thanks for the comps. I will be getting all my stuff out and organizing it this weekend - I'll post pictures of what I have. I took a step back from vending last year - but I am now remotivated for the new year!

Cy - It doesn't take very long. If I sit down and focus I can finish an established design in a couple hours (depending on the detail). Love doing the small stuff!!

[ Edited by: AlohaStation 2012-01-20 12:11 ]

I finished the Skull-eyed Marq last night. Still needs another coat of clear. I carved a spot out on the back so it will hang flush against the wall. He's for sale - shoot me a PM if interested.

The big guy is progressing nicely.

That looks fantastic! Came out really great. How tall is that one?

always love how you finish your stain.....real nice tom

oh look, another masterpiece from the Aloha man. How unusual.

:wink:

On 2012-01-25 06:43, AlohaStation wrote:
I finished the Skull-eyed Marq last night. Still needs another coat of clear. I carved a spot out on the back so it will hang flush against the wall. He's for sale - shoot me a PM if interested.

The big guy is progressing nicely.

Fantastic job.. that guy is amazing. Love it.

Nice job! The skull eyes bring it to life .... or death?

The weather here has been beautiful - I'm spending every night out in garage. It is very refreshing being able to carve without easily becoming dehydrated. Here's a quick update on the big guy...

lookin' strong down there Tom!

I'm stoked on the 9 footer!

Looks to be progressing very nicely, cant wait to see more of this one.