[mik1947]

I've developed a pattern for a manatee (my next project). I'm ready to put the block on the bandsaw and I've come to the point where I need to decide whether I will carve the flippers and insert them into the piece or carve them integrally(?) with the piece. I've never carved inserts before, but it seems like the best way to proceed. What has been your experience with inserts and how do you attach them to make them look natural? As always, thanks in advance for your help!

[AlArchie]

there are two considerations when doing inserts of fins.

1. Painted

2. Natural finish.

Inserting fins into a carving that is to be painted is a lot simpler, as it doesn't require the precise fitting of a naturally finished piece.
Start by making sure youhave carved the surrounding muscle where the fin will fit. Then cut a slot, either with a rotary cutter or a sharp blade, about 1/4 inch deep, under the muscle area. Leave that same 1/4 inch extra on the body side of the fin, around the same width as the slot you cut. Then simply apply some fast setting glue to the slot and insert the fin, making sure it reamins where you want it till the glue sets.

You can now use any wood filler to smooth around the insertion point, filling any gaps you may have and build the filler into the fin.

Same process for inserting into a naturally finished piece EXCEPT, you have to be a lot more careful about carving the muscalature surrounding the insertion point, getting the insertion angle cut properly and then fitting the "in end" of the fin to the body.

I'd suggest using clear, quick set epoxy for either, but specifically for the natural finish, as it fills any small gaps and smooths itself to the body contours.

Al

[mik1947]

Al -
Sorry this took so long to respond to!! Thank you for you advice. I've decided to use inserts for the front legs (flippers) because I feel I can pose them better that way. I haven't decided how I'm going to finish the piece, but will spend more time on the muscular detail to make sure I can cover either finish. I'll let you know how it turns out.

[mdallensr]

I carved a manatee mother and baby (what do you call a manatee baby?). I chose to carve them from one piece of wood. It's a chore, since you have a lot of rough work to do to clear out the space between the flippers, and they're so fragile. But, I wanted to finish the butternut manatees with a natural finish, and it's tricky to hide the inserted flippers. I've carved dolphins both ways, and carved a large sea turtle with integral back flippers and inserted front flippers. I do the equivalent of a mortise and tennon in the wooden parts, wood glue, and reinforce with metal dowel pins on big carvings.

I think it's best to get them attached pretty early to leave enough wood on the body and attachment to allow a nice, carved transition. It's pretty tough to make the attachment fit perfectly when your carving is complete.

There are a lot of new glues and wood fillers on the market. Seems like a new one hits the shelves everytime I visit the hardware store. This might be a good time for an evaluation of the new glues and stainable fillers and a WCI article to get us educated, huh Bob, hint, hint?