Show n' Tell Weekend!

Irish · #1 06-01-2007, 07:56 PM

The photos posted here are literally "Once in a Blue Moon" pictures. I spent most of yesterday shop cleaning. So I thought I would post that I do occasionally rout through all the wood chips to discover what I have covered up.

Some of my favorite tools include a couple of old leather awls that are great for working very tight vertical corners, my collection of old calibers, a huge assortment of sharpening stones and an antique wide sweep gouge that you can see hanging at the bottom of the peg board - center. In the top center of the peg board is my Dad's handmade bow sander. The antique hammer and the antique plane I got from Mike's Dad.

The gourde basket holds my Dad's collection of rifle checkering tools. The rest of the baskets and boxes are just sets that I have picked up over the years. The amazing part to me is that I have about four more large boxes of tools that are not shown ... these are just the ones that I use regularly.

Ok ... what I believe would be considered the most unusual tools in my carving kit are two porcelain/ceramic kiln stilts. Stilts are high fired porcelain triangles. Out of each triangle leg sticks a pointed 1/4" long high-temperature wire. The glazed ceramic pot is placed on the stilt during firing to keep the glaze from adhering to the kiln shelve (permanently). They are perfect to setting pieces that have just been sprayed or coated with any wood finish. I can easily coat the bottom of the wood, set the wood on the stilt and not worry about either messing up my table, messing up my carving or having to stand around for about an hour while holding a damp finished piece.

So, I admit it. I am just as addicted to collection carving tools as to the process of carving.

Your turn ..... What's in your tool kit, your work shop and/or what odd tool do you use often? I, personally, would love to see some power carving set ups, router set ups and even the old used fishing box tool kit. Please, show what ya got!

Susan

decoycarve · #2 06-01-2007, 08:16 PM

Darn Sue you have more old tools than I do. I have been collecting old carving tools for years. A couple of my favorite spokeshaves I bought out of a box up in Vermont Paid $2.50 a piece for them. I restored them and They cut better than any modern day tool I own. I have one guy that uses that spokeshave to pull down all the walking stiks he makes. Wants to buy it off me but its not for sale. My pride and joy is my saw it was traded to me with the agreement that I would never sell it and one of my outlawed Harley Santas. The other is my carving bench made from the dental chair from the State Pen. (Don't ask)
Goody

Irish · #3 06-01-2007, 08:47 PM

Oh Goody! You realize that I cheated when it came to the old tool collection ... part is my Dad's collection, part is Mike's Dad's collection and then there are the ones we have added. So I sort of had a head start.

That scroll saw is a beauty! If you can't ever sell it can I get on your Christmas list or in your Last Will and Testiment .... PA-Leeeese!

My Mike is notorious for routing through the cardboard boxes at yard sales and has come across a few select choice goodies that way too.

Susan

chuckt · #4 06-01-2007, 09:07 PM

Wow! Nice stuff guys. I am still trying to get my garage "shop" (i.e. cluttered mess) organized and set up for carving. I've been acquiring tools (some old from flea markets) over the last couple years knowing that I wanted to set up a shop. Most recent aquisitions just came today - 2 Lignum Vitae carving mallets from Ebay. Before that was my big blowout purchase of 24 Pfeil Swiss Made gouges back in January.

Now I am looking at getting a bench made and some tool holders built so that I am all set up to CARVE. Oh yeah - that's the whole idea right?

Sometimes I get so caught up in the tools and planning my set up that I forget about the actual carving.

ChuckT

Irish · #5 06-01-2007, 09:15 PM

OOOHHHH - AAAHHH, Chuck! Now those are true works of art in themselves!

Susan

(Carving ... we're actually suppost to use our antique/favorite tools for carving???)

chuckt · #6 06-02-2007, 12:21 AM

Heh heh - yeah, the guy who makes these down in Elizabeth NJ does a great job. Uses antique bowling balls made of Lignum Vitae to make the heads of the mallets and then turns handles from various exotics. Really nice work. A little pricey for a mallet but then . . . what the heck. Beautiful tools to inspire beautiful work. I hope! ;-)

It IS awful easy to get lost in the tools and forget why we're getting them though. So before long I am going to have to start actually carving somehting with them so my wife will let me get more. :-)

ChuckT

BobD · #7 06-02-2007, 09:14 AM

So YOU got those mallets!!!! I was bidding on those too!!!

I'll clean up my shop and get some photos later today!

Bob

Hi_Ho_Sliver · #8 06-02-2007, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chuckt

Heh heh - yeah, the guy who makes these down in Elizabeth NJ does a great job. Uses antique bowling balls made of Lignum Vitae to make the heads of the mallets and then turns handles from various exotics. Really nice work. A little pricey for a mallet but then . . . what the heck. Beautiful tools to inspire beautiful work. I hope! ;-)

It IS awful easy to get lost in the tools and forget why we're getting them though. So before long I am going to have to start actually carving somehting with them so my wife will let me get more. :-)

ChuckT

Geez, he makes those out of antique wooden bowling balls? that seems like taking an antique worth $$ and making it into a mallet worth pennies? I have never seen a wooden bowling ball? Nice work on them tho...wonder why he just doesn't buy the hardwood from an exotic wood dealer?

santagibbs · #9 06-02-2007, 10:00 AM

Goody. that is a neat looking shop .. I am curious about that cabinet in the back as I know someone who has one like it..Where did you find that? The one with all the small drawers .. Her's has the original tools in it.. Charlotte

chuckt · #10 06-02-2007, 10:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BobD

So YOU got those mallets!!!! I was bidding on those too!!!

I'll clean up my shop and get some photos later today!

Bob

Doh! Sorry Bob. If I had known we could have collaborated and perhaps we could have each walked away with better deals. Small world ain't it?

I will say though that the larger darker mallet has a defect in it that wasn't shown in the photos so you may have been better off. The maker says it won't affect it though. So we'll see.

Regards,
Chuck