[rick-in-seattle]

Fiction?

While visiting a street fair I met a woodcarver selling his work. The prices were unrealistic, ten dollars for a Santa that wasn’t even a foot tall. I knew I could carve a Santa for less than ten bucks.

Finding the necessary materials should be quite simple, a length of 4x4, a couple wood chisels, and I would be ready to carve. The only items I could come up with were a chunk of cracked fence post and some cheap lathe tools.

Clearly I was not going to carve a recognizable Santa with these tools. After a week the fence post looked less like a Santa than when I began. The lack of quality tools was really hampering my artistic genius.

So I drove down to Sweeny’s hardware and bought a thirty dollar set of carpenter’s chisels. Sweeny convinced me a wooden mallet was necessary to protect my chisels from damage. He also had a vise on sale at only forty-nine dollars; that would make carving much easier.

Three days later, I concluded that without gouges I could not carve a decent Santa.
I also needed a new piece of wood and perhaps a bandsaw to rough shape the block.
In town there was a woodworking store that carried gouges, wood, and saws.

Early Saturday I drove to town; the selection of tools was incredible!
Since I had driven 230 miles to get here, I decided to get everything I might need.
Luckily I had brought my truck.

With sharp carving tools, it required much less effort to make cuts; and I spent more time at the hospital getting them stitched. Carving has a way of bringing people together from all walks of life.
Over the next several months, I met doctors, nurses, and paramedics who enjoyed the regular reports on how the Santa was coming along.

[squbrigg]

ROTFLMAO....Rick's at it again! The " I can do it cheaper/better" bug infects another one! There must be an epidemic out there, good for the business community. Tales from your past Rick?

Bob

[AlArchie]

Yer, absolutely right, Rick! I ain't spending no 10 bucks of my hard earned cash for some wooden Santa that I can carve myself. How long can it take, anyhow?

Al

[Kenny_S]

HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! Good one!

[Bill]

I hear things like that at every show I go to, if they only knew how many hours......
Bill

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Ha ha ha ha ......."wull, ifn he kin do it, i kin do it!"

[don]

Originally Posted by Hi_Ho_Sliver

Ha ha ha ha ......."wull, ifn he kin do it, i kin do it!"

That's right, it's just a piece of wood!

[mbevington]

Ha Ha.... Good one Rick, I would love to see the finish santa

[Thomp]

Hummmm

that $10.00 santa cost you month of time and how many hundred dollars? HAW~!

but you got a new shop out of the deal and you could set and admire your new tools while you healed,, heck i call that a fair trade...

[decoycarve]

To continue Ricks story:

Another $500 for equipment to sharpen the tools when they become dull.

Still takes too long too carve for $10.00. I Know, Ill buy a Fordom and a bunch of cutters. $245 for the Fordom and about the same in bits.

I know, I know, Ill build a duplicator and knock those santas out by the bushel basket full. $3.00 for the basket, $5,000 for the duplicator and dust collector.

I just may go broke trying to carve that $10.00 Santa. but I will figure out how to do it.

PS: Moving to China Next Week Look for My $10.00 Santas at the next Show!!!
Goody