Flat Plane Nativity question

[cseymour]

Hi All,
I am working through the book "Flat plane Carving The Nativity by Lynn Diel. In the intoduction he mentions the following tools:

V Tool 60 deg 3/8"
#3 1/2"
#7 1/2"
#7 5/8"

My question is where can you get a #7, I am assuming it is a sweep?

Also, kinda directed to Rick at Littleshavers, are there comparable tools in your Beginner's Kit?

Thanks in advance.

Chris

[PeteM]

Hi Chris,

Sorry I can't help with your question, I just wanted to mention that when I made the set I found that a knife and v-tool were the only tools I needed/used.

But I used 3/4" blanks rather than 2", so there may be a difference there.

Pete

[Plain_Ol_Ed]

Littleshavers is as good a place as any and better than most to pick up any tool. He stocks the 1/2 #7 by Denny (among others) which is an awfully good tool.

That being said, I did three of those for early Christmas presents and only used a knife. A V tool would be handy for some of the cuts, but the whole thing can be done with a knife. That's the traditional way to do flat plane carving.

[cseymour]

HI Guys,
Thanks for the tips. I will try using only the knife.

Thanks again.
Chris

[PeteM]

Chris,

I found a v-tool very useful for defining the curves of the robes, holding it so that one side if the V was flat against the vertical side of the robe (if that makes sense).

I did use a small U gouge to define the lower part of the face on my first one, but couldn't really see the point when this part (between face and hands) was all removed at a later stage.

Pete

[Mitchell]

The # 7 does represent the sweep of the tool. It is a versatile sweep and would be recommended for a beginner. I don't know that you would need both the 1/2 and 5/8" versions just yet. The # 3 is almost flat and a knife could suffice.

[dielle]

Chris
The others are right, you can use basically any tool that you want to round over the face. Since I was limited to the amount of space for the book, I needed to keep it simple

Before my illness when I was teaching classes, I had several students who made the face faceted (line a diamond) and they looked good.

My goal was to keep it easy and allow a person carve as many as they would like. I have done a bunch, (I have quit counting) and I still have fun carving them. I do a lot in 1 inch block (just reduce all the numbers in the book by 2). However, I do say the sheep are fun to carve I finally ended up gluing them to a dowel rod and then carving off the dowel later.

If I can be of any help, please give me yell. My email is carvers_creek@yahoo.com or lynn.diel@gmail.com

Blessings and Peace
Lynn

[BobD]

OT:
Hi Lynne! Glad to see you back! Hope you're feeling better!!!

Bob Duncan
Technical Editor

[cseymour]

Wow, I am continually blown away by the friendliness of the carving community. From dealing with the nice folks at Heinecke Woods, to Mike Shipley and all the many people who have answered my many questions on these forums, I can't say enough about this great new hobby I have discovered.

Thanks to you all.

Lynn, thanks for taking the time to respond to my post. I am thoroughly enjoying your book. I can see progress with each step.

Glad you are feeling better.

Thanks again.

Chris

[dielle]

Chris & Bob
Thanks for the kind words. I am still on chemo and taking it a day at a time.

Bob
I haven't been very diligent checking the forums. I received an email from a gentleman asking about a design that was posted on the woodcarving illustrated's site, so I thought that I had better log in and check things.

I will try to check in more often. (Tell Alan I said Hi!)

Chris
As I mentioned in the earlier email, I was limited to a certain number of pages so there were two things that I had to leave out, one of the actual stable and a photo of me. Not adding my photo probably helped with the sales (LOL!) but I wish I could have added the stable. I will post a photo on my site and post a message.

If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to email.

Thanks to all!
Blessings and Peace
Lynn