Holding a carving

[rick-in-seattle]

The other day; I was thinking about all the ways of holding a large carving while working on it. By trial and error carvers have found the need for “bench dogs”, rotating vises, a carver’s screw, and many other ways of holding the wood while removing chips.

With the multitude of modern holding fixtures; vises, clamps and more; why would we regress back to one of the earliest methods ever tested? Saving time is most often given as the reason. That hardly explains the cuts on the “holder’s” hands and arms, and areas of the body where you wouldn’t expect to find cuts.

Earlier (that other day) I was busy watching TV when my neighbor Creten Divots poked his head into my den.
His first question was “why do you watch the TV in your garage?” I replied; okay Crete, what do you want this time, I’m kind of busy.
“Just need you to hold my carving while I make a couple cuts; it won’t take but a few minutes; it’s too much trouble to set up the vise for just a couple cuts.

No doubt this conversation has occurred many times since the very first carver asked someone to hold his carving.
I can even imagine those two cavemen having the discussion. Our hero Lug Nuts is sitting in his den watching the fire when his neighbor Creten Divots pokes his head into the cave. His first question would be something like “why do you watch the fire in a bear cave?”

After a little urging, Lug would leave his den to help Crete; (much like my own story.) We soon find our hero holding a large log while Crete works above him with a mallet and chisel. You might think this was a recipe for disaster, but Lug escapes without a scratch, (unlike my own story).

[Joy]

Don't leave us hanging.....what happened?

[xsailer]

Yeah. Did Creten do a number on our Lug stand in?

[rick-in-seattle]

Clearly you two have never read Hemingway's "For whom the bell tolls"

[xsailer]

The whole story was interesting and informative until "(unlike my own story)" came into play............teaser.

In the 7th grade
Read it........Didn't like it......Forgot it

[rick-in-seattle]

Bob, I didn't care much for it either. What I meant was for a ending so abrupt that it makes you think pages are missing, Hemingway takes the cake.

I simply wanted you to ponder the possible outcomes; plus I wrote it at lunch so I was limited to 30 minutes.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

lol not near as good as the banana tree story ha ha.....

[susieq]

Rick, this brings to mind an event that happened between my husband and I years ago....

Hubby and his brother were building contractors 30 years ago. Once, while setting up the wood forms to pour a concrete slab, hubby asked brother to hold the stake while hubby drove it into the ground with a sledge hammer. I was standing by as a helper and witnessed the whole thing. Hubby was driving the stake and missed, clobbering brother's hand brutally......

fast forward to another project years later.....hubby needs me to hold a stake while he drives it into the ground...... He was absolutely irate when I refused! This has played out several times since then and my memory still won't allow me to hold that stake no matter how mad hubby gets.........

[Old_Gord]

Geeez susieq, what ever happened to Love , Honour and Obey!Star Wars


Cheers

OG

[susieq]

Obey? snort, chuckle, ROTF!!!!! Love and Honor, yes. If you want "obey", you better send for a bride from the "Cherry Blossom' catalog. You can have a very obedient little woman who will speak only when spoken to, who will walk 3 paces behind you, etc.... at least until she gets her citizenship, then look out!