[Linda L]

This is my first attempt at “real� carving on a walking staff. By “real� I mean I’ve played with a pocket knife for years, carving names and small stuff on found wood while out camping, but I’m stuck. This is my first “large carving,� I’ve been working on feathers, eggs, and small things before tackling this.



This is my first staff and it has all but killed me! First, not knowing any better, I chose a maple branch I found in the woods. It was pretty dry, just a bit of moisture left. First thing I did was try to carve without power, and pulled all the tendons in my holding hand. I couldn’t carve for 8 weeks. Now I’m back at it--- using a hand brace. I have since learned that maple is a very hard wood, so purchased some burrs for my Dremel. Before I started with the Dremel, I had roughed in the entire snake that wraps around except for the head and tail. I wasn’t happy with it, but figured I could “fix� it with the power. (Can you tell I’m a beginner??? Dumb, huh???)



As you can see from the attached pictures, it is a mess. Some parts of the snake are down to 1/4� width and others are at almost 5/8�. The more sawdust I make trying to fix it, the smaller it gets. I‘m just not sure if I can salvage this. By the time I try to round the snake, I’m afraid it will be ¼� wide and look ridiculous. Rounding is where I got into trouble. I even did it in clay first, but still messed it up. I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. It got narrower because I was trying to undercut the snake. I’m really unhappy with the way it looks .



The first picture is the full staff. From a distance not too bad. The snake spirals, then at the top winds back on itself around the limb. The second picture is a close-up showing how uneven the carving is on both the snake and the staff. I don’t know whether to carve down the staff any further, it’s getting pretty thin for a staff. It started at almost 1 ½� diameter and is now down to an inch in some places under the snake. The third picture shows how I managed to almost remove the snake in some sections. The dark area at the top is where the head will be carved; it still has the inner bark showing. I just don’t know where to go from here. Hand tools, more power, fire pit???



I would just chalk this up to learning, but this was supposed to be a birthday gift for my 11 year old grandson. His birthday was in June, and I hurt my hand 4 weeks before. He is asking when it will be finished; he’s really excited about it. Maybe the lesson for him could be that adults screw-up when they’re learning something new, too???



So … please, give it to me straight guys, is it time to start over on a more reasonable softer wood and have a nice fire in the fire pit? I could really use some help here, I have other things I have backing up to carve and this piece is pressuring me to finish it. I really don’t even want to look at it at this point! I’m starting to lose interest in carving because of the frustration, and I was so excited and hooked on this when I started carving last March !



Anybody? I don’t mind criticism, let it fly!



Linda

[MelNM]

To be honest with you Linda I can't tell from the pictures, to me it looks like you have a good start, as far as diameter goes, do you have a set of calipers, these are great in keeping your dimensions consistent, they are also great for keeping things like eyes ears the same size.

If it were me, I would I would keep carving until I thought it was done, I bet your son will like it even if doesn't meet your expectations, besides you can always do another.
Have fun
Mel

[decoycarve]

Linda,
I can't tell a whole lot from the pics but I would hold up on the dremel and start rounding everything up with sandpaper and files. Change the snake into a ribbon snake these are small green snakes about a 1/4" in diameter. Whatever you do don't put it in the fire pit. Stay with it, do the best you can. Call that staff your learning staff when it is done. Give it to your son and look back at it in few years. I wish you weren't on the other side of the States. We get together on any given weekend at my shop and work on carvings and when someone needs help with a carving theres usually someone there to help.
Goody

[Mitchell]

Linda, first thing to remember is that you learn from your mistakes and you cannot let fear keep you from moving forward.

Now to the stick...you can save it. Maple IS hard and you must take small cuts with a knife. I suggest using the knife and taking your time as opposed to the power bits as most people have a tendancy to get too aggressive with power. Once you get the dimensions right, then you can touch it up with the dremel. You may have to scale down the length of the snake to get the proportions right, but it's a little hard to tell from the pics. Some snakes are long and slender, so you can use that to your advantage. Overall, I think that you have actually gotten off to a good start.

If you don't feel comfortable and can't "see" how to finish, I would not throw the stick away, but save it for later and work on a softer wood. I really think it's too early to do that.

[Ashbys]

Linda,

Yes. So before you do anything else , I want you to stop, take some deep breaths and stop for today. Then put the staff out of sight for at least 24 hours. And do not think about it at all. Your still in good shape and we'll get you where you want to be.

Now, that said I doubt you will do it but please do it. Frustration leads to more frustration, and causes mistakes.

Ok now I will tell you what we going to do and how we will get there. The snake wraps up and around your staff, first how would a real snake be if he was going up a staff? He would be large in some spots and flat in others, a bit streached in some and a bit fatter in others. That being said look at your staff. If you notice he is very much like that so that is a good thing.

Now You have cut deeply into the maple is some areas and still light in others. This is fine, but now you want to cut more of the staff and less of the snake. I am not sure how you pulled the tendons, but maple needs a light touch , with power or with chisels. No deep cuts, think slivers like hairs. The power tools are great but they often cut much faster than we want. So here is what I want you to start with. Go to the to of the staff, there where the snake is very thin. Take your knife and lightly like a fine lead pencil stroke a light line from the wider two points while increasing the body width. IF IT FEELS LIKE IT IS Pulling your cutting too deep . Lighten your cut. Keep your knife in the center of the wood and keep it straight at a 90 degree to the staff, do not pull it beyond either radius or it will slip. Rotate the staff not the knife.

Once you have the first cut , go back over the cut again , your making stop cuts , keep them light it is almost like scratching glass with a diamond. Do this all the way down on the outline.

Once you have done this on both sides of the snake it will start returning to your orginial form. Once you have the new cut lines return to the top and make an angle cut very lightly with the knife handle away from the snake and the tip in to the stopcut. Your going to releive the wood on the out side of your stop lines.

Once you get this far post again and I will give you the next step.

Ash

Linda, In addition to all the above, here is a real great site for walking sticks with snakes, take a look at his snakes as they curl and twist along the stick, keep working at yours, don't throw it out. Goodluck

www.artsticks.com

[Colin_Partridge]

All great advice and yes anything can be saved from the pictures it looks as if you are far from having taken off too much wood. My biggest incentive would be the faith your grandson has in you he thinks it is the coolest thing in the world and grandma he is right. Grandma's and Grandpa's can fix anything didnt you know that, it is what we do. Take all the advise here and heed it well you have a mentor in Ash he will guide you right his advise it the best. He has done many staffs let him guide you thru. It is better to have one teacher than a whole bunch of teachers.
Colin

[Ashbys]

Linda,

What your going to do is to add body in the really thin sections by cutting down into the staff. Then with the knife your going to round and flaten the snake in these sections first and if need be well loop him just a bit to give a natural effect. It is very hard to undercut with power unless you are use to it , so lets get him back into a bit of body shape, then will lay in the undercuts and finially we will use the scale texture to help blend in some of the thinner areas.

Ash

[AlArchie]

When carving maple, birch, oak, hornbeam or ANY hard wood (not hardwood, which ain't always hard wood) don't be afraid of power or even (shhhhh......don't tell anybody) rasps and a good rat tail file. They will work wonders on that spiral helix you are working on, and a lot of other carvings, too! I keep a couple 4-in-hand rasps and a couple round and rat-tail files right on my bench. They come in handy a lot of times.

So far your project looks like it is coming along just fine.

Al

[Callynne]

Well Linda, you and I certainly have something in common. When I first started carving I didn't know anything about wood at all....or carving....for that matter! I started out on the only wood I could find, the ends of 2x4's. Ended up with tendonitis in both my hands, which took two sessions of therapy to correct!! I have both day and night type braces for both hands....thankfully....I haven't needed to wear either types for a long time!

This tip may be of help to you, it won't hurt to try. I often use a 50/50 mixture of water and rubbing alcohol. I keep this in a spray bottle and mist the wood, layer by layer as I carve. It works great, when I hit a section of wood that doesn't carve as easily as I want it to. This is only to use with hand carving, not when you're using power, of course!

The moisture helps to soften the wood, the rubbing alcohol will keep it from molding and help it to try more quickly.

Another thing, when doing power carving, the very fine sawdust makes it easy to think you have more wood left to carve but it's actually the sawdust. I keep a round paintbrush handy and keep brushing the sawdust off from around the area I'm working on. I also keep my sweeper setting beside me and actually sweep the carving often while working. Be sure to use either a shop vac or, if like me, my regular sweeper, which is a bagless one. Definitely couldn't use a bag type, it would clog up right away.

Don't get discouraged, as I mentioned on another posting today, we are really our own worse critics!! Keep us posted, good luck!! Callynne