Beginner's advice to another Beginner

Hi everyone, I'm fairly a new member, but have been bitten by the tiki bug for a while.

It's spring break so I decided to try my hand at carving a tiki. Here's what I learned from my personal experience, which may be hopeful to other newbies. By all means if you have anyother suggestions, please add them.

1. When starting off instead of buying your own set of tools, ask around ie friend, neighbor if they have a set of carving chisels to loan to you. This way you wont have to dish out $$$. Good tools are costly.

2. When borrowing chisels try to get

• 45 degree gouge
• flat chisel
• U shaped gouge
  These are the basics and will help you create basic shapes and details.

3. Always keep your chisels sharpened well. A dull chisel will only give problems and may cause accidents. *Note most tools when bought new do not come pre-shaprened.

4. Look around your neighborhood for cut lumber to carve out of. Of course some prefer to dry the lumber before carving. It's up to you.

5. For a beginner one should start off with a soft wood like basswood to familiarize oneself with carving and chisels. Basswood blocks can be found not only in lumber specialty stores but in craftstores also.

6. Choose a simple tiki to carve first. I know it's tempting to start off with a fancy, wicked subject. After a first failed attempt, I carved a Moai. See pic below. He's carved out of mango wood.

Hope that helps. By all means, please input your tips. I would like to read them.

You may want to make your way over to the carving thread and post this there as well. There are a lot of great carvers around the site that will be more than happy to offer pointers and critique your stuff. Keep showing your progress in the meantime.

On 2008-03-25 11:38, ganthis wrote:

1. When starting off instead of buying your own set of tools, ask around ie friend, neighbor if they have a set of carving chisels to loan to you. This way you wont have to dish out $$$. Good tools are costly.

Nobody's gettin' my chisels because "good tools are costly". I caught my wife using my flat as a screwdriver once to tighten up the faucet handle on the kitchen sink....I miss her already. :lol:

I hear ya Brad... I cringe whenever my Dad and I are doing a project around my house and he says "go get one of your chisels."

He has a Tourmek now...

so I make sure when he leaves he takes the damaged tool home with him. :wink:

The Tourmek is a big equip investment but that's one sexy sharpening system.

You would have a better chance borrowing my wife than my tools. That tourmak is sweet!!!!

Yeah the Tourmek IS Sweet but I'll stick with the cheep sandpaper.
Carving tools are difficult to loan out (except at a Chop or other public carving event) and anyone who does loan them out would prefer to sharpen them themselves as even a Tourmek can do Bad things to a chisel.

Howland has the right idea as does The Tiki Shop, wives are easier to find than a good set of chisels, Except for MY wife that is!! :lol:
Good start on the tiki Ganthis, keep us posted.

I love my Tormek. I used to dread sharpening till i got that machine. it is a big investment but worth it, if you plan on doing alot of chisel work. Jet came out with a copy cat macine. It's a little cheaper and all the Tormek jigs will work on it.

Hi all, I started a separate post for my progress, it can be seen here:

http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=27876&forum=7&1

Thanks

I can't even afford the TOOLS, yet alone a hi tech sharpening system! :lol: