First Ball in a Cage

[Nomad]

Here's a little tutorial I did a few years back. Sadly, you can no longer buy those carbon steel made in the USA Old Timers.

[RUssL.]

Very nice tutorial, Nomad.
Nice ball-in-cage, too. I never tire of whittling or seeing this old whimsy.
A true classic.

Your images are outstanding. What do you use for a camera?

You can still get carbon steel Old Timers on ebay quite frequently.
Sometimes the sellers know, sometimes they don't.
But if it was made in the US (and it says so on the box/blade) then there is a better than 50/50 chance that it is carbon steel.
I have shopped carefully and successfully on ebay for several to give to carving & knife-liking friends.
I didn't pay all that much for them either, which made it even more rewarding.



Russ

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by RussL.

Very nice tutorial, Nomad.
Nice ball-in-cage, too. I never tire of whittling or seeing this old whimsy.
A true classic.

Your images are outstanding. What do you use for a camera?

You can still get carbon steel Old Timers on ebay quite frequently.
Sometimes the sellers know, sometimes they don't.
But if it was made in the US (and it says so on the box/blade) then there is a better than 50/50 chance that it is carbon steel.
I have shopped carefully and successfully on ebay for several to give to carving & knife-liking friends.
I didn't pay all that much for them either, which made it even more rewarding.



Russ

I hear ya about ebay Russ. I've picked up quite a few OTs there. Great place for old knives. I'm a bit of a knife collector and that tutorial was originally written for a short-lived knife magazine put out by an online knife forum.

Actually, those pics were taken quite a few years ago and my photo setup was not all that great. I used a Nikon Coolpix 995 for those pics, IIRC. The color balance was not too good and I used ambient room lighting. I've done a lot better since and mostly I use a Canon Rebel XT SLR now. Whenever possible, I take my shots in a "light cube" which is a big white vinyl tent illuminated with spot lights from the outside. The tent scatters the light so you get nice diffuse light and good detail.

[RUssL.]

Nomad,

Thanks for the reply on the photography set up.
You photographs, and your carvings, are stunning.

You seem to be one who does not do things half-way! :-)

All the best,

Russ

[Nomad]

Originally Posted by pallin

You're off to a good start. At the risk of confusing you, I've included a link to a photo in my gallery: This one is carved of butternut.

Ball in Cage - Wood Carving Illustrated Photo Gallery

I usually bore through the blank at both ends and in both directions. Then I leave those curved openings as part of the ends. You can also embellish the corner posts and the ends. I like to leave the ball loose but tight enough to "stick" in the middle. It emphasizes the "ball-in-cage" aspect.

That's a great idea boring the ends and the BIC is a stunner!