[Anthony Filetti]

Thanks for all of the great comments guys. Gene, I used a 1 3/4" Helvie with the bevel removed and a rounded spine and it is still tough to get a good long pull, I can only imagine how long it has taken him to 'tune' his knife in order to perform his magic. The nicest thing about this style of carving is that you can rapidly produce some nice carvings, which would work well if ya be sellin' 'em!!!

Eddy, Blake, ...nothing special about the lighting its just an overhead flourescent swing arm lamp and posterboard as the background. The camera is a 7 megapixel so I think that helps. I also used the macro lens to allow for crisp closeups...sometimes this photography thing is hit and miss, this time I did something right.

[Just Carving]

Nice work Tony! Thanks for the info on the DVD. I thought about getting a while ago, but I put it off. I'm glad.

I know flat plane carving is done with a knife, but would it be better to use a skew knife or chisel? I wondered about this especially since you're pushing away rather than pulling towards you.

Bob L

[Anthony Filetti]

Bob,
I don't believe this style intends for you to cut using a pull or a push cut, the idea here is to create large facets through making decisive cuts. On an in the round carving I would do, I strive for close to round in doing so I create many small cuts producing a large numbers of facets (or planes) and in this case to achieve a rounded look the idea is to make an octogon (as he describes) to achieve this. In doing so much fewer cuts are required and the size of the facets is increased.

In Harleys video he says you can make many small cuts to get close to round and then go to large cuts to achieve the larger facets.

The one thing he describes in detail is how the cut is achieved. Most people do not realize that when we cut we leave the knife motionless with the exception of the direction in which we are cutting. In this he suggests that we also move the blade in a sawing action as well as in the direction of the cut. So the blade moves across the wood while progressing in the direction of the cut. This method of cutting was also taught to me by Marv Kaisersatt.

The company selling the video also sells his knives as well, but I am not sure as to what would make them special, other than what Gene suggests that they are much thinner.

As I mentioned earlier I tune my knives by removing the bevel and rounding the spine, this can help any carver immensely as it allows the knife to pull/push easier and also diminishes the chances of breaks leaving much cleaner cuts.

If I were to do this again I would reduce the size of the carving until I got the hang of creating long sustained cuts.

Also the intention here is that the carving only requires a very sharp knife. In the video he shows what sharp is in clear terms and you can see the wood shine. If you are not sure what I mean about shine, then you most likely have not achieved the level of sharp needed to carve cleanly and I would recommend you try to learn this as it can make a big difference in your finished work.

Hope this helps...

[gene messer]

Tony .. You are right .. Flat Plane carving is a series of agressive cuts that form the shape of the figure ...

As far as knives .. I use the Ron Wells for the blade thinness .. but a any good carving knife will do in the process


But I do suggest if anyone has not carved in falt plane before .. then watching the video is a must ..

The key is to learn how Harley does it and then create your own style with flat plane and a mixture of carving normally ..

Gene

[Eddy Smiles]

Rocket...

What color poster board...dark or light? When I use white I seem to get a more whitish return but then when I use blue things come out too dark.

[Anthony Filetti]

Eddie,
The color currently used was greenm it was part of a variety pack (couple of $$) but this color seems to work.

[Eddy Smiles]

Thank you for the tip!

[Mark N. Akers]

Tony:
Great job on the flat plane carving,looks great,I'll have to try one some day,as soon as Christmas is over.

[chpster90bu]

Tony...I can't believe I missed this! What a great job you did on him...really clean cuts, and a superb job on that flat plane style all the way around. I have tried a couple of these, but I just don't get the hang of it. Looks like I need this video, too, and all of your comments were a huge help. Wonderful job on this piece! And by the way...the slowest carver award goes to ME...LOL Bonnie

[mwilleson]

Awesome Tony! Love the flat plane style and you did a great job!