Tikimecula's Clubs

Been wanting to try one of these for a while. I had a piece of 2" x 12" oak lying around so i decided to try it. Here is the step by step.

Sketched out the Club and rough cut it out with the band saw.

here it is after some shaping.

more to come.

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2007-05-21 20:50 ]

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2007-05-31 20:28 ]

Got it shaped the way I want it, and got the checking drawn out.

Started the checking with my 1/4" Parting tool

More to come....

Looking good, man.
I'm a club collector and that one will be a winner.

Excellent work! I am so glad to see someone else doing a war club! The Sali is one of the quintessential Fijian clubs...and looks dandy on a tiki bar wall, too.

Tikimecula-
"Started the checking with my 1/4" Parting tool"
What does that tool look like???
moon

On 2005-11-22 21:21, Moondance wrote:
Tikimecula-
"Started the checking with my 1/4" Parting tool"
What does that tool look like???
moon

Moon, It's a chisel shaped like a "V". Here is a link to a Pic.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=31116&cat=1,130,43701

T. Mecula- It's neat to see your project transform and take shape. That is going to be really cool when your finished with it. Oak!...that will knock a monster dead on his knees. Thanks for postin' the step by steps, it will be interesting to watch this progress.

Chongolio

That oak will cause a lot of pain and discomfort. You going to test it on anyone/- anyTHING? I meant anyTHING~.

Mahalo for sharing.

Is it the bent or the straight parting tool? Which do you find best?
Great Club youv'e made my friend!!
Thank you
moon

[ Edited by: Moondance 2005-11-23 06:54 ]

What stain are you going to use?
Moon

Here it is all finished up! I used a dark walnut stain.

Pablus, BK, Chongolio, ManoKoa and Moondance, Thanks for the kind words.

Chongolio, ManoKoa, I would not want to be hit with this thing. It's Heavy and if used right would probably be death with one blow. (SCARY!)

Next up a Kini Kini Club, gonna make this one out of Cherry.

good stuff tikimecula.....this club is one of the next items on my "to do" list....but I WILL NOT
challenge you or BK to a duel.

Nice looking club! Many of those clubs are ingenious in all their primitivity and simplicity, especially Fijian ones, as they devoted the majority of their artistic energy to warfare. The sali makes use of one of the oldest principles in physics/engineering- The fulcrum. I alwats liked the Sali...very graceful, beautiful club.

nice selection of weapon and also Very Nice execution of the Club. Another great carve.

Mecula-
Sweet tool you made there. It turned out great!
Moon

Conga, BK, Palm City and Moon Thanks again for the kind words!

Looks great! Nice job... one of these days I'd like to try my luck at a club like that.

[ Edited by: GMAN 2007-07-03 13:38 ]

Tikimecula,

I could never pull those photos up on my PC at home with the slow dial-up connection, so I finally had to view them at work. That club really turned out nice. I like the idea of carvings that can be done from nice kiln-dried stock with no splitting and cracking. Very clean piece!

BTW, I finally got to the part in your Maori book about the incantations the carvers used before starting on a carving to keep the log from splitting. I think I might have to try that...

Great walk through...you make it look easy...i cant imagine how you drew the checking? any hints?

On 2005-11-29 12:43, Loki wrote:
Great walk through...you make it look easy...i cant imagine how you drew the checking? any hints?

A ruler and a pencil, That's it. If you make a mistake with the pencil there is always the eraser:)

On another note, at Office Depo I picked up a 24" bendable ruler for about $5, Comes in real handy some times, for drawing a straight line on a round object.

I have to learn some of your patience for accuracy. It really seems to pay off. Nice piece, and functional as well.

Here is the Kini Kini I have been working on. I forgot to get any shots up to this point. It's 27" Tall. The wood is Cherry.

And here is a Samoan War Club (I think?), I am also working on. It's 41" tall. Cherry wood also.

More later...

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2005-12-04 18:57 ]

Hey TikiMecula!
That gonna be one bad boy there. I love cherry wood. How much did that cherry set you back?
Moon

Nice Kini, great, graceful sweep...and nice Apa Apai blank, Mec..Cherry is a joy to carve. It is super hard and tight, and fairly heavy. It holds detail very well..and in the case of your Kini Kini, it will also hold an edge very well...The edges and points of this club should be very, very sharp. It had a gruesome purpose! I carved one of these for Pablus and he makes a show of hooking limes from a bowl to use in friend's drinks at his Lagoon Lounge! It is a thrill to see someone else doing some clubs! Very important part of tiki decor. Tiki bars everywhere will thank you :)

Those look pretty sweet!!!!

... where do you put the bullets?...

Thanks guys! I finished the Kini up today and got it stained will post pics when it drys.

Moon, I can get cherry around here for around $6 a BF, not bad considering I found some Koa at the same place for $25 a BF! (Ouch......so i bought that too!)

Hey Tmec, that Samoan looks Awesome! What did you use to cut in all the lines? Excellent, straight lines and well perportioned. Thats a Killer Club( pun intended).

Thanks Ben, About 90% of it i used a 1/8" parting tool, and the other 10% i used my recip Weecher with a 1/4" parting. I seem to have more control with out that 2 foot spinning cable getting in my way. I love the Weecher but some times the hand tools are quicker and easier for me.

Here it is all finished up!

I had to hit the thesaurus to do it justice:
Crackerjack work! Jim dandy war club. I think it's splendid. Your carving is unsurpassed.

Thanks Pappy!

On 2005-12-05 18:01, tikimecula wrote:
Thanks Ben, About 90% of it i used a 1/8" parting tool, and the other 10% i used my recip Weecher with a 1/4" parting. I seem to have more control with out that 2 foot spinning cable getting in my way. I love the Weecher but some times the hand tools are quicker and easier for me.

When you use the hand parting tool, do you tap it with a mallet or do you just push it with your palm?

Well, eitherway, power or by hand, you did na Excellent job of keeping those lines straight, which is very difficult no matter how you do it. ..BRAVO!

I agree with Pappy. That piece is statuesque, stunning, superb & symmetrical. :)
I think I want to give a club a try. I wonder if I can do one in Oak as 2" cherry is not accessable.
Wes

Loki, I use a "full size" chisel if thats what you call them (not a Palm chisel) and use both hands for control.

Ben, A compliment from you is always held in high regard!

Moon, Thanks!

Good form on the carvings and I like how the lines are laid out. Do you push your chisels? I use two hands as well but I pull, kinda like a "hara-kiri" style.

Here is the Samoan Apa Apai club i started the same time as the Kini Kini club. I spent some time on it today and got one side of it almost done. I had to stop, I felt like i was going blind after looking at all those tiny lines all day!

I really appreciate the straight lines you achieved, I HATE my parting tool, I've never been successful with it. In my mind they work great, in reality...a mess of splinters all over... I think this is where I need the most education. I'm working on an Inuit Storm Paddle, and trying to dress it up...wrecked it. Tried 2 different parting tools, some hand tools, now I'm just gonna ink it in. Friggin' hate it, when I can't figure it out. Sorry to rant. I just love your clean lines, that's what I'm after. Maybe show a picture of the exact tool you used.

Bravo...very, very nice work, Tikimecula. I agree with what Ben said...a straight line is hard to find...you nailed it. I really like the Apa, too. God is in the details! The Apa Apai was also carved in Tonga with smaller serrated sections. I just picked up a suitable blank today for one...hard to find the 2"-2 1/2" thickness in hardwoods that are straight and problem-free enough to get a good war club. Great, detailed chiseling...keep it up, man!

[ Edited by: Basement Kahuna 2005-12-08 09:09 ]

Surf, I have been calling it a Parting tool, in reality It's a veiner. It's shaped like a parting tool but real small Check the pics. That is a 1/4" Parting "v" next to it.

BK, Thanks! I should have made the Kini a little sharper? I need to stop buying books, every new book i get i see a nice looking club I'm gonna have to try.

[ Edited by: tikimecula 2005-12-07 20:47 ]

Thanks Tiki-M,
I'm gonna get me one, and give'er a try!

Love those Henry Taylors..indestructable!

Tikimecula,
You have very good control over that chisel, very impressive!
What books are you using for reference and which would you recommend?

Thanks-- JP

Here it is all finished up!

Here they are posing for pictures!

TM-
Great job on those clubs and really clean lines.
I'm looking for some cherry to try one out. You can't find cherry like that at a homedepot.
Moon

Nice! Looks like a 300 year old pre-contact club...the way these should! You da man..