Book - Carving for Kids: An Introduction to Woodcarving

mwilleson · #1 09-05-2006, 04:20 PM

I am curious if anyone has this book by Robin Trudel.

I'm on the lookout for interesting kids projects and am hoping this has some nice ideas in it.

Tom H · #2 09-05-2006, 05:59 PM

Mike, I don't have the book, nor have I seen it. But I did just spend several days with my 11 yr old grand daughter and began to teach her to carve. Safety was first, but the following projects followed. Quilt squares were done with a V tool and a bench hook. She picked it up right away, and did 28. She painted them and glued magnet on back. The stick with the propeller was next. This was the first project with a knife. She cut the notches in the stick. I did the propeller. I think this may be called a "wammie-diddle". First in the round was the pig. I sawed the blank and she began using the knife to finish it. She learned a lot, had some fun stuff to show for it, wants to do more, and did not cut herself.
Was great fun for me too. Tom H

AlArchie · #3 09-05-2006, 07:34 PM

Tom, that little propeller stick is called a "Gee-Haw Whimmy Diddle" or a "Hooey Stick".

I'll dig through my files and see if I can find my rendition of the story behind them.

Al

AlArchie · #4 09-05-2006, 07:43 PM

The Hooey Stick Story

The Hooey Stick was developed by a gent from the Yukon Territory, by the name of Jake, Yukon Jake. (You may know his cousin, Yukon Jack!) Now Jake was cabin-bound for the entire winter, due to the bitter cold and wind driven snows of the cold-season Yukon. This meant that he was stuck in that cabin with nothing to do for almost 9 months, every year.

For some reason, (no one knows exactly why) Jake made this notched stick with a propeller on one end. Then for some reason, (no one knows exactly why) he began rubbing the notched stick with another stick. He rubbed this stick for almost three and a half days. There wasn't much else to do in that cabin, in the dark, with the wind blowing the snow around outside, but after a while Jake got a little bored and said "GEE"!

Glory be! The propeller started rotating to the right. Now jake was a musher, and he ran a team of dogs, and he thought (right away)! "When I say "gee" to my dogs, they turn to the right; when I said "gee" to the stick it rotated right. When I say "haw" to my dogs they turn left, so I wonder if I say "haw" to the stick, will it turn to the left?" Well, he did. And the stick did! Right then and there Jake decided to call the thing a "Gee-Haw-Whimmy-Diddle" (No one knows exactly why)

Jake had a friend, Zed, from Loosiana: any of you folks from Loosiana? I don't want to insult anyone from Loosiana, but down there they call themselves "laid back" because it so hot and humid, and they just move a little slow. Well, up here, we call them just plain lazy!

Anyway, Jake sent Zed one of his "Gee-Haw-Whimmy-Diddle" sticks and asked him to try it out. So, Zed, sittin on the bayou, started to rub the stick, but nothing happened, except it made a rattling sound. Zed may be a bit "laid back", but he is not imparted with the patience that Jake developed while spending 9 months of the year in the dark, in a cabin with a team of huskies for company, so after about 20 minutes of rubbing, Zed sighs a big Loosiana sigh, and says "HOOEY"!

The little propeller started to turn! Zed remembered that Jake told him there were two words that would make the thing go and reverse, but he couldn't remember what they were. After another 20 minutes or so, he sighs "HOOEY" again. The prop stops and goes the other way! In a burst of Loosiana recognition, Zed realizes that he may have hit upon something, so he hollered "Hooey" again, and the thing actually stopped and reversed direction again.

After a minute of "Loosiana" thinking, Zed re-christened the whole contraption a "Hooey Stick"! That way he wouldn't have to remember that "Gee-Haw-Whimmy-Whatcha-Callit" thing that Jake made up!

HENCE WAS BORN THE "HOOEY STICK"

Here it is....took a while tofigger out how to post it.

This is a copyright story (by me) so use it for your own "Hooey", but please don't use it for a sales pitch for Hooey Sticks. That's what I do!

Al

Tom H · #5 09-05-2006, 09:15 PM

Al, What a wonderful story. Glad you shared it. I'll surly have to tell it to my grand daughter. Thanks a lot. Tom H

AlArchie · #6 09-05-2006, 10:35 PM

Tom, if you don't know the secret to making the prop reverse, let me know and I'll send you the instructions.

Al

squbrigg · #7 09-06-2006, 06:19 AM

Tom...great work by your granddaughter, love the pig! All those quilt patterns are great practice. She'll be a entering in the world class competitions before you know it.

Bob

Old_Gord · #8 09-06-2006, 09:54 AM

I haven't had a chance to look at this book so I can't really say anything good or bad about it, but...
Take a look at Old Joes web site, he has a number of patterns for beginners, especially look for the shelf mouse and the hedgehog, the latter doesn't require a cutout just a rectangle of wood and very few tools, mostly knife work.
Here's the Url;
http://www.oldjoe.org/BeginnerProjects.html

.

OG

Quote:

Originally Posted by mwilleson

I am curious if anyone has this book by Robin Trudel.

I'm on the lookout for interesting kids projects and am hoping this has some nice ideas in it.