[doris]

ah hello dan, keoma, sharon and liz, so nice you all join in :-) but i hope i not made too high expectations, this is only a very small project, i will show one more step before final...

[susieq]

Hi Doris,
We have all come to expect wonderful things from you and you never disappoint.... Can't wait to see the next picture.

[doris]

thank you for the compliment, susieq, i try to keep the rule :-) ... when i finished working today, i thought this is a step where you can see best how i work on this relief... there is not much wood to remove, since the carved depth is only 5mm, so breaking off a tiny chip would be a big desaster here. so i am really taking my time, make tiny cuts, and more important even, try to make no pressure at all while carving. so far, all went fine, nothing broke off...

oh, yes, as you can see (maybe ?) what helps also is, that i have reshaped my chisels (not for this project particularly, but i did sometime ago, since i have so weak hands) and made the bevel considerably longer (even more on the larger tools) than it comes from pfeil originaly. this means less wedge put into wood, so less effort and less pressure. makes for cleaner cuts, and contrary to all what i read, the edge hold really well even when hit strongly with mallet and even in very hard wood...
another advantage of such longer bevel is that the tool is easier to control, as less force is needed to do the actual cut... just my thoughts to what works for me....

[Keoma]

It is so beautiful,doris. You truly have a gift!

[Fred Zavadil]

Doris,
I love the way you approach carving - just as Mark says, you go for it! Every time I get to read the posts, I find something new and totally different from you. And the more you try the more you actually learn - the best way. Looking at your work now, it feels like you have been doing this for a long time. This one, as usually, is coming out very nicely.
Fred

[Thor]

Doris, I like the photo with the carvings tools on it. It puts the size in perspective. I had thought it was larger, because of the details you are adding.
Interesting project, as usual from you, and I'll look forward to watching your progress.
Thor

[doris]

ah keoma, makes me happy :-) ... fred, yes, i love doing different things, but often i get feeeling i slow down, too many similar projects...lol... yes, thor, it is small ! often i need loupe to really see where to cut. but is fun, and i hope the detail will hold, and add to the carving..you know, i usually not carve that much fine detail...

[JimSawyer]

Yay!! Doris is at it again! I love watching your progress. It gives me something to think about. Every piece you do looks like you've been at it for years. What fun Doris, and thank you for including us on your journey!
Jim

[Ron T]

Hi Doris,

It's coming along very well, as expected.

I never would have thought you have weak hands. I will try to remember to take of small chips and not put too much pressure when I carve to avoid chipping. There's always a lesson to learn from you.

If you get a chance, please look at the photos of the sticks from Germany my wife got for me. Maybe you know what kind of wood this is.

[doris]

ah you guys are wonderful...and i was thinking my wips become boring ...lol... yes, jim, i always try to make it look professional :-) ... ah ron, certainly not as yours, but yes i do things to make carving easier for my hands. ...oh, i looked at the thread when you just posted it, the "germany" grabed my attention, ron, but i have no idea what sticks those are, from one i was thinking it might be yew (the second from right), but i was not sure, so i thought better not say, and it might be really something else than yew. i am not good in these identifications