[Just Carving]

Thanks Kenny! I love the look of the butternut grain--in fact the grain of most wood. That combined with the fact that I'm not much on painting anyway, so it works out great for me! Cedar looks pretty neat once I get the finish coat of lacquer on it. Check out the pic--the one in the upper right corner is red cedar. Here's a link to the pattern that I used to get the profile for the bears. Then it's just carving away everything that doesn't look like a teddy bear!

http://www.woodcarvers.org/patterns1/1teddy.gif


Bob L

[Eddy Smiles]

Bob...

What's the thickness of your stock? It looks like you're putting a lot of detail and dimension into the pin.

[Just Carving]

Eddy,

I'm using 3/4" thick stock. I'm using just enough to make the pins look like teddy bears. It's really a matter of how much work you want to put into them.

Bob L

[Kenny_S]

I was thuinking 3/4. I have some as well as 1/2 and more 1/4. The 3/4 " can have the back of the teddy rounded and give it some depth also.
Thanks Bob. Really like your bears. Yes cedar is some pretty finished wood and the smell while carving but then I like plain old yellow pine smell also.

Thanks again kind sir for the picturesof your Teddy Bears and your link to the pattern.

[Eddy Smiles]

Bob... Thanks! I had cut some blanks out of 1/2" empress wood to take on vacation with me but after looking at all the detail that you had on yours it struck me that they might need to be a little thicker. I believe that I'll go out tomorrow and cut blanks out of 3/4" pine and take them with me too!

p.s..... Thanks for the pattern.... I had freehanded one from one of your photographs!