too old to carve.

AlArchie · #11 09-04-2003, 02:34 PM

Ya, it keeps drawing 'new blood'!

Al

Kenny_S · #12 09-04-2003, 03:57 PM

Teri,
One shouldn't say 'stab at' to a carver.

#13 09-05-2003, 02:47 PM

Joe,
Your only too old if you say your too old it doesnt matter what you do in life. I consider myself a young at 61 I go to the gym five days a week for two hours half of that is a spin cycle class. I climb up scaffold and scale tree's and carve them. Sure I get tired sometimes and yes I ache a little after a days carving but I cant ever not imagine myself not doing it. So get yourself a book or ask any questions you want to on this board and I am sure that like all of us here you will find wood carving very relaxing. By the way you know that the good Lord gives back to you two fold the amount of time you spend fishing and carving. Sorry Callynne and making pickles.(private joke Joe)
Colin

Callynne · #14 09-06-2003, 09:36 AM

Hey Colin, if that's true I've stored up one heck of a lot of years!!

Used to say the only good cucumber is a PICKLE, apologies to all you cucumber lovers out there!! Actually, still feel that way....apologies again!! :

Joe, you told me you didn't have a bandsaw and had tried using a coping saw, without much success. Do you possibly have a friend or family member that does have one and could cut them out for you. I didn't have one to start with (that was terrible!) and then I was given a little one (too small for most of what I'm cutting out now). Anyhow, having a 'real' bandsaw has made a huge difference in getting my pieces to actual carving stage. Unlike Colin, who sees trees bigger than four story buildings and thinks 'Hey, it's ready to carve!!'

I like to get as much 'waste' wood off as possible before starting to actually carve, much easier on my hands! Good luck! Callynne

#15 09-06-2003, 09:45 AM

Joe
Where do you live.
I could cut some out for you if you live close.
Also I have 4 members in the carving club I am a member in that are 70 or older. One that has been carving for 70 years.
I live close to Rockford IL. Good luck
Mick

#16 09-06-2003, 04:27 PM

Joe - I think you're being too hard on yourself ... just carve/whittle to please yourself and to heck with the rest of the world, somebody will like it no matter what it is. Case in point: I was fooling around one day just following the grain on a piece of scrap 1X6 with a gouge. When I finished I layed it on the work bench, rather than toss it in the trash, and forgot about it. One day my daughter came to visit and saw it and told me how beautiful it was and asked if she could have it when I finished it. I never said a word about it being scrap! So please yourself and enjoy.

#17 09-17-2003, 12:35 AM

none one is every too old to carve there are members in my clube in bradento, florida that are well in there 80's and a a couple that I would say have to be at least 90 from the things they talk about and even heard one say he was in his 90's

hope this helps 8) :

santagibbs · #18 09-18-2003, 12:28 AM

Gee Joe, Curtis and I are so glad that you put your message up as being to old to carve! We were thinking we were the only ones that were oldies in the group. When we told our age the other day........... I said, Curtis we shouldn't have told our age, now they will say, awhhhhhhhhhh we don't want to get those old oldies in our group. Now, we see that there are some more in our age group and that makes us feel lots better. Curtis is 75 and still carving away and he said to tell you that just carve what you like and it will come to you. It just takes time to get the feel of the wood and learn the grain but one day you will be carving away and it will all come naturaly. We agree that Ron Ransom's books are good for the beginner. That was one of the first books that Curtis bought. You should see his first Santa...It looks like it has a stomach ache or something.. Ha. I am going to put it on our Picture Trail site soon. Keep carving and stay happy and you are as young as you feel.. WEll, oops, I should say, as young as you WANT to feel.Curtis and Charlotte

santagibbs · #19 09-18-2003, 10:07 PM

Joe, this is Curtis and Charlotte again. We put Curtis' first Santa on our picture trail site and the address is under this message. He even has a hole in his pocket. Curtis only carved one Santa a year until he retired. It was for me and my collection. When he retired in 1990, he really started carving then. If you saw his second Santa you would really laugh. It was worse than the first one.. No one in our family seemed to want to claim it, so our daughter took it out of pity, I think. He had a big block head. lol

Colin_Partridge · #20 09-18-2003, 10:49 PM

Charlotte,
I dont think Curtis's first carving is too bad at all I think it has a lot of character. I would have been very happy if my first carving had been that good. You should have seen the first bear I carved it looked more like a pig my first tree spirit was pathetic but my wife wont let me get rid of it, even worse she has it in her garden.
Colin