Tikiracer carving action [updated April]

Howdi all

Got me a 8" wide log, about 24 " long. It's from local cut red cedar and I picked it up from the saw mill at the weekend.

It's real wet. How long before I can start carving? I got a plan for it June but will that be too soon.

For your info - I'm in the UK, so it's cold, rainy and dark here. The log was kept outdoors and no long cut.

Hope you can help.

[ Edited by: tikiracer 2006-03-20 12:41 ]

[ Edited by: tikiracer 2006-04-06 02:03 ]

[ Edited by: tikiracer 2007-04-10 14:17 ]

Sounds like a Nice log tikiracer. REd cedar will split pretty badly if carved too wet. Maybe you can paint the ends with an acrylic paint and stash in indoors or in a garage for a few months or until your plans in June? That might give it enough time to dry.
Don't forget to post pictures as you go. Thanks, I hope this helps.

Thanks for coming so quick.

Our house is central heated, will that not dry the log too fast. It's in the garage now, but that is cold and draughty.

Should it be stored end [cut] on the floor or flat?

Will the paint help slow and even the drying process or is it for another reason?

Thanks.

I used to cut trees with a fella that used the wood for custom furniture making. He did the same thing saying that it kept the ends from drying too fast and splitting, evaporation having to come through the bark and evening it out. He dried his logs lying down on raised racks in a semi-enclosed shed. That all is for what it's worth, it's just what I was told and observed.

After all the great advice from you lot [benzart and jamie from cheekytiki] I decided to go with some seasoned wood, blagged from a mate.

This is my first carve and currently has only been done using a sand paper type attachment for my angle grinder.

This tiki is to be the figure head on a bike project that I have planned for a summer bike festival. As with a lot of my work, I like to add a little extra [in a hot rod kinda way] and wanted this tiki to become angry and breath smoke at the angry villagers.

So the nose is drilled [so will the mouth soon]. The goatie chin plug is for where the paintball smoke grenade fits. This allows the smoke to come out the nose and mouth. Here's some pics from a test we did [at night] on a log. We needed to me sure the grenade was not going to set my work on fire!!

Still more to do, but I always enjoy posters work in progress, so I thought I'd share with the class.

Got some more work done on the pele tiki.

Started carving away the back to lighten [as it's going to be bike mounted].

The nose and mouth holes are now connected to chin hole, for full smokin action.

I'll post pics of the bike soon.

Cool stuff racer, I'm about to score some heavy wet cedar real soon GMAN pmed me with carful instruction's on how to handle this stuff. I'll try to send it to you if I can figure out how to do it.

Looks pretty cool there Racer. I Love the smoke idea and the fact that it takes pre planning and that you are incorporating it Nicely into your tiki. Excellent first tiki, especially for the grinder alone.

thanks for pm, tfisherart

full of top stuff.

Here's the latest on the fire[smoke] breathing tiki head.

Just as I put the smoke grenade into the chin hole and plug it with bamboo goatee stopper[tm].

Show the staining from the smoke the day after.

It's getting mounted into the tikiboy bike now, ready for the event in the first weekend in June.

Here's a new carving.

Taken from some wood from my Nan's garden about a year ago. She has since pasted on and makes this piece very special to me. I was unsure when and where to start by just went for it, I'm pleased with the result.

still not found the right shade yet...

Find??

Make!!!

That's a cool lamp TR. Got a nice, oldschool look to it. You can make some really cool shades out of old wicker baskets and such and some lamp rod and other parts from a hardware store. I keep a box full of old lamp parts just in case.