total newbie to carving!

Marc Barger · #31 08-25-2006, 11:34 PM

"IMHO the entire thing would be sturdier and easier to carve if the grain ran up and down."

Ummm...sorry but that's not totally true. Actually the majority of the piece is stronger since the grain is running the longer length of it as it is now. If it were running the opposite way, then the length of the piece would be more prone to breaking in half. As it is now the feet and trunk may be a little 'delicate' but the rest of it is stronger with the grain running in this direction.

As for being easier to carve? On a piece like this it would be personal preference more than anything. Either way creates it's own set of circumstances and issues. As with any carving. And I must say that in all the carvings I've done and woodworking projects I've done, 99% of the time the longest measurement of a piece suggests that the grain run in that direction. For strength.

FWIW

artolver · #32 08-26-2006, 04:53 AM

Anita, I think you are an artist who hasn't quite mastered woodcarving.The elephant looks fine to me. The shadows are in place and the expression on his face is just plain sweet. The red cedar is good for you, it has color and grain to work with and the whitish color placed well across the bottom. I think wood that is pretty is best for you. I carve cottonwood bark faces and many other things. Faces is my favorite. I will send you some bark.
art

Kenny_S · #33 08-26-2006, 10:02 AM

I haven't been following this very close but read back through the thread this morning and viewed the pictures.
The sharpness of your tools will make a big difference.
Keep on carving gal, And shapen those tools.
Now, to smooth it up without sharp tools, try sanding it. I like the color and the grain.

For a first carving, You are doing great.

I still have mine and would hate to show it.

mikeg · #34 08-26-2006, 11:39 AM

Annita,

It's looking great! And nobody is going to have to say "It looks good, uh what's it supposed to be?"

That's been my first standard!

Keep up the good work and get those tools sharpened!

mikeg

Chahlie · #35 08-26-2006, 04:53 PM

Hi All,

Looks like your elephant is coming along nicely, Anita. Lots of good advice from all here...learning to sharpen would be tops on my list, as an alternative you could contact Rick at Little Shavers,(I'm sure somebody has already "linked" his web site) I believe he still offers sharpening service for a quite reasonable fee. Oh and if you buy his beginners set which comes ready to use and wickedly sharp, one of the services he offers or used to was to sharpen any carving tool you bought from him free except for postage which is only fair for you to pay...imho! Hope this helps some...and again nice going on your elephant!

I went back through this thread and find that no one has "linked" for Rick-in-Seattle....so here they are,

rick@littleshavers.com

www.littleshavers.com

www.hobosinwood.com

Chahlie

knightflight · #36 08-28-2006, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wood-whittler

anita,
he is looking good, the one thing you wanna do with this when you are finished is to sign it and date it as your first carving and keep it or keep it in the family so you when you are more experienced you can look back and see how far you have come as a carver,and beleive me it will not take long for you to see a difference in your work if you continue to practice,practice and more practice.
bart

Thanks for the great advice Bart!

knightflight · #37 08-28-2006, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlArchie

It looks like some wood has been torn off, rather than sliced or cut. Please don't take that as criticism, but if you can find someone near you to sharpen those things, you will have a much more enjoyable time carving.
Al

No "criticism" taken, Al, other than constructive. I did have to basically "tear" a lot off. I will have to take a pic of the tools I used so everyone has an idea of what I mean by "cheap."

Anyway, sharpening is a major goal of mine, but I do believe my next step is to get new tools!

knightflight · #38 08-28-2006, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chahlie

Looks like your elephant is coming along nicely, Anita.

Thank you Chahlie!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chahlie

you could contact Rick at Little Shavers,(I'm sure somebody has already "linked" his web site)

Actually, after being referred to him several times already, I sent him an email a couple days ago. Have to wait till payday now to get some new tools!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chahlie

I believe he still offers sharpening service for a quite reasonable fee....one of the services he offers or used to was to sharpen any carving tool you bought from him free except for postage

That is good to know!

knightflight · #39 08-28-2006, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mikeg

Annita,

It's looking great! And nobody is going to have to say "It looks good, uh what's it supposed to be?"

That's been my first standard!

Keep up the good work and get those tools sharpened!

mikeg

Thanks for the encouragement and tip ;-)

Marc Barger · #40 08-28-2006, 08:43 PM

Like I said Anita, your tools may not be 'bad'. Just not sharp. Don't condemn the tools until you've put a razor sharp edge on them and they fail to hold that edge for any length of time. I also offer that I have some really good chisels that will hold a pretty good edge for quite some time but I'm always honing them a little when I carve (when I used to use chisels) to keep that edge perfect. So degradation does occur even on the best steel and of course how quickly depends on the wood you're using.