What's everyone working on?

squbrigg · #1 04-04-2005, 07:38 AM

Good morning folks, On this rainy April, spring, Monday morning, I am curious as to what new ideas everyone is working on. Spring means change, and while the snow and ice in my yard, makes it "a reach" to think of spring, the rain falling will help that idea grow. Fresh ideas for carving are also growing.......what are you creating today?

Bob

Anthony Filetti · #2 04-04-2005, 08:05 AM

Bob,

Just finished another set of busts made using Marv K.'s method and have bundled up my tools to ship to Rick for sharpening...I will most likely be sitting down over the next couple of weeks to draw up patterns for a couple of carving ideas i have...(hope to get it done before the lawn needs mowing)

tbox61 · #3 04-04-2005, 01:16 PM

Bob,

The weather has been too nice to carve here in Kansas. Not that I don't want too, just that there are too many priorities in the yard!

I, like Rocket, have been working on doing busts using Marv Kaisersatt's book. My love is holiday carving, so I am never too far from a snowman or Santa Claus. Just finishing up a Santa from Mike Shipley's book, and getting ready to paint that.

Recently purchased Mike Shipley's latest book, Carving the Country Bear, and have some blanks cut out for several of those projects. I re-cycle my scraps and end up having several small caricatures in several stages of completion in the Jack Price style.

Tim

Kenny_S · #4 04-04-2005, 01:50 PM

Just finished mowing and triming here in SEKansas. Nice sunny 75 degrees and heading up. Mowing season has started anyway.

Finished up 5 pinewood derby cars for some Cub Scouts who are fatherless or have deadbeat fathers. Enjoyed working with those boys. You can learn a lot from them. Always amazed at those adults who don't talk to the younger generation and only cut them down. They have a lot of ideas and our future leaders despite their surroundings. Ok, Off my high horse.

Drew out a couple of bark designs and ready to execute them but may have to wait as we are heading to Dallas/Fort Worth area for a couple of weeks again.Only a 5 1/2 hour drive from here, four lane all the way. Just hate the traffic in that area.
Presented the wood badges to those adults finishing their woodbadge ordeal.

Carvity_Carve · #5 04-04-2005, 02:39 PM

I recently finished a weasel head from poplar, and I've just barely started another one because I didn't like the mess ups on the first. That, and I want one stylized AND one burned and painted. I also need to get around to transfering that chip carving pattern....

Mitchell · #6 04-04-2005, 04:29 PM

Unfortunately, I haven't been carving too much lately. Work mostly (even Saturday).

I played golf on Sunday. It was brutal - shoulda' carved. Actually I did a little last night - doodled on a stick that turned out to be a man about 3" tall.

Can't carve tonight - 18th wedding anniversary!

There's a small show in Statesville NC on the 9th, so I may try to put some things together during the evening hours of the rest of the week. It may involve pulling some things off the shelf, however I do have 5 or 6 caricatures that need painting. Maybe one or two is good enough to put in that show.

Lightningbolt · #7 04-04-2005, 06:14 PM

I just brought home a big load of bark from one huge poplar tree that God decided to explode with lightning last summer. I've been air drying it at work under my school woodshop all winter and decided that I will soon give it a whirl. (There will be plenty for the kids too!)

I was excited mainly because it seems hard to locate bark east of the Mississippi that is thick enough to fool with, unlike the cottonwood out west or some of those thick-skinned species I've found during my many travels to Alaska in the coastal rain forests of the northwest. The bark on this old poplar is some of the thickest I've seen and it appears to be quite strong after drying.

I cut up the pieces into various rectangular shapes with the band saw then sanded the edges smooth and clean which should take on a beautiful finish. The pieces have enough curve in them to be idea for face carving such as woodspirits and the inward curve on the back makes it just right to attach a piece of stove wire for hanging on the wall or such.

Yeah, I think that's what I'm gonna tackle next!

Kenny_S: Good job on helping out the kids on the Pinewood Derby cars. Our troops annual race will be on June 8th which is greatly anticipated by everyone. I have as much fun with all the "trash" talk as I do carving out and building the cars and it really gets the kids reved up for the event which is BIG here. I proudly hold the adults category 1st place for 2003 and 2004 and don't know if I can hold on to the throne angain in '05! Also planning to get my Woodbadge training at the next opportunity in '06.

Kenny_S · #8 04-04-2005, 07:40 PM

Understand the reving up the Cubs. Problem I have is that each one wants his the be top dog and one Cub, I have worked with for the past 4 years has won every race and went on to district. Funny, I built pinewood derby cars for my son for a number of years and never a winner. Equally funny, is I do the same thing to this young lads that I did for my son's car. Anyways, I treat all those I have worked with the same and try to explain airodynamics and placement of weights and the importance of polishing the axles. Anyway, sadly, I will not be able to attend the Derby as we will be Iin Texas the weekend they plan their Derby. Yes Lightningbolt, it is very rewarding working with both the Cubs and Boy Scouts.
My hat is off to you sir for your work with them.

Ky_Whittler · #9 04-05-2005, 12:52 AM

Mostly My garden. Spring has sprung here in western Ky and it's beautiful already. A few trees are already in bloom and smelling pretty sweet.

I have been thinking about a twist in predator calls. That last issue of WCI with the duck call article got me too thinking about it. Game calls is another hobby of mine and why not combine the two. I'm thinking about a howling coyote. Pressure chamber would be at the back of the neck and the exhaust would be the open mouth. Can't decide on which reed to put in it though. Hich pitched cottontail or jackrabbit.Should be a hot item for call collector's.

Other things in the works are some turkey calls and bark wood spirits.

Anybody ever work with bone? I would like to make some inlay's to go in my calls to make them more collectable and valuable. Whittler

squbrigg · #10 04-05-2005, 07:09 AM

Thanks for all the replies folks.....sounds like your weather is way ahead of ours. The snow is going and the bets are on as to when will the ice break up in the river. I wouldn't have to worry about grass for quite some time yet!

Sounds like some interesting "do'ings"....what with coyote calls, bark carving, Cub Scouts, busts and even weasels. Don't call your first weasel a mess up/failure, it's just a practice for the real one! Practice makes perfect.

My congratulations to Mitchell and your wife on the celebration of your 18 Anniversary.......may you have many more years of happiness!

Looking forward to pictures of the new stuff everyone...don't be shy, your pictures, good and bad, offer pointers for new carvers and old alike. Perhaps they should have a gallery of "what's in the works"? Na.....enough galleries now. Be nice to be able to see how folks do things though....but then, that's what the magazine's for, eh!

carving.

Bob