[foundwood]

I visited a friend who lives at the junction of Snow's Cut and the Cape Fear River to scavenge some wood from above the high tide line. He had been telling me for months that the last hurricane had deposited some enormous timber on his beach. Long story short; I have what could be a lifetime supply of some of the most beautiful wood I have ever seen. I have no idea what the stuff is, but I hope it is oak. I will send a picture of the tree the next time I harvest from the trunk. There wasn't any bark or branches, and no visible rot. Beautiful stuff.

The following pictures are progress to date on a life-size bust of my seventeen year old son. It is extremely heavy, and very hard, but it tools and sands well. Any suggestions as to what this material may be?

I have put the Bonsai project in the back of my mind until I have some success with a traditional bust. This is my way of saying that I needed to step back and learn a little more before I take another ambitious leap over my skill level!

[wade clark]

Found,
Beautiful carving! It will be a family treasure for generations to come, I'll bet.
I think it's very likely oak.
You're handling your skill level just fine! Nicely begun! Take your time, study every cut, don't worry about how long it takes; this is worth all that time!
Wade

[Mark N. Akers]

Foundwood:
Very good job on the bust,and I'll have to agree with Wade and say the grain looks like oak.