Carving Tips for a possible beginner?

Alright so I've been looking throgh these forums for quite some time now and i've been bitten by the tiki bug very badly. Today i actually went into my dad's wood working shop and took up a chisel and a mallet and started chipping away on a piece of wood. My god, does your arm get sore! But anyways I realized how much skill and practice you need to carve these tikis! So too possibly start on the road to tiki carving I was wondering if you guys had any helpful tips and tricks. Mind you i'm not gonna be out 24/7 picking up big ol' logs. I'm probably gonna start with the 2x4's that are in the workshop. Just for practice.

PockyT,

First things first - find the carving safety thread and give it a read. After that have at it, but remember to carve safe. Tikis bite often and can attack if you do something careless.

If you want to give carving a shot and not spend big $$, grab a 2x4 and draw out a figurine in profile (on the 4" surface). Maybe find a cool design from a PNG art web search. Use a sabre saw to cut it out and then use whatever you can to round it out and cut in the features. If you can get your hands on a sabre saw, a rasp, and some exacto knives, I think you will likely be able to make something very nice. Be sure to post progress pics and keep us all informed. You can always PM me if you have questions. Carve safe.

-Gman

well my dad builds his own stuff all the time, he has many saws and MANY exacto knives. And trust me, i won't go crazy until i have my dad around me to keep me informed with what i'm doing without chopping off my hand. Alright so lemme see if i can clear this up. If i'm looking at a 2x4 layed flat on the table top, i'd want to draw the profile on the side, then?

PockyT,

Go to JohnnyP's thread and pull up page 1. Scroll down until you see his caving of the Yipwan figure. Maybe try something like that, only smaller. I would draw it out in profile, on the 4" side of the 2x. Then use a saber saw or a coping saw to cut it out. After getting it all cut out you could either use a coarse file or an angle grinder to grind it down to shape. Then sand it up and slap on some stain and poly. There you have it! Lemme know how you do.

-Gman

If i carve anything worth posting, you'll be the first to know! :)