[Lightningbolt]

I know, I know, I know that I've got a whole bunch of irons in the fire and I know that I'm outa' control, sort of a loose cannon just having too much fun! Yeah, I'm in the middle of the Jenga Block Challenge, the 2 X 4 Challenge, and probably something else that has slipped my mind for the moment butttttttt... I just have to go with "how it hits me" at any given moment and this afternoon "something" told me to pick up a piece of well cured river birch about 2" across at the base and there I went again trying to make something out of it.

Without doing any research and just making a crude sketch on the spot of what my mind conjured up a fish to be I just cut it out with the bandsaw. It's not meant to be any particular species of fish (although I'm already calling him "Flipper" ) it's more in line with my own wacky concept of a fish jumping outta the drink. Just something fast, quick, and uh... well, fairly nice I hope.

After transfering the sketch to the wood I further cut out the basic shape of the fish then used my power carving tools to easily remove the remaining waste wood in no time at all. Tonight I've begun to smooth it up with my gouges and it's getting close to done.

I was possible thinking about just using them for something like a paper weight or just something that might be amusing to place on the desk. I'm sure that I'll end up giving them away for Christmas presents or donating them to the Boy Scout camp museum at Camp Raven Knob nearby.

Feel free to "hijack" this thread to your hearts delight if you have any such thing to add at any time between now and eternity!

[Lightningbolt]

Yeah, I'm WAY outta control because here comes another such carving... just a simple ball-in-the-cage. These are gonna make some nice and quick Christmas gifts this year!

[Claude]

Great fish, Dave! Are you leaving it as a stylistic "smoothie"? I think it would look great that way.

Claude

[Mottles]

Dave, Flipper is going to be nice--will you paint or woodburn him? I think it would be fun to woodburn in the scales and fin lines. Yeah I know it probably will take up to much time. Well maybe when you retire from teaching.
Kathy

[Lightningbolt]

Well, I finally got the fish done and what a joy it was!

Claude and Kathy: I decided to go with the "smoothie" (I like that word ) since it just seemed like the way to go with this particular piece. I did think about burning in the scales because I'm always looking for an excuse to play with the woodburner :-) but I just thought that this birch would look good in the realm of a more "pure" sculpture, sorta like Ian Norbury's fine art... granted, I'm certainly no Ian!!

I do greatly enjoy working with river birch and I use it a lot in projects turned on the lathe. Such beautiful wood and it's all over the place around this part of the country. I ended up calling the piece "Projection" since I'm a teacher and that will provide me another teachable moment with the kids.

Also, I bet that I probably spent as much time sanding as I did carving! Whew! I do need to pick up a new wood file on my next trip into town but I did have some of those fingernail files that the ladies use which Susan Irish reccomended some time back. Those little thingey's are a godsend when it comes to sanding a little carving about the size of the fish! I especially find the ones with the "cushion" inbetween a great help!

I ended up putting a couple of coats of clear gloss polyurethane which suits me fine. Now I've gotta get back to the Jenga Block's, or maybe the 2 X 4's, or... gosh only knows what is next!!??

[Ron Davidson]

Great job on the fish Dave!! Pretty impressive work. Thanks for sharing.
Ron

[whitecree]

I like birch as well. Dense and it polishes up well. Nice work! It almost looks like a stone carving.

[Lightningbolt]

Thank's Ron and whitecree! Yes, that birch does finish well and is a pleasure to admire when all the elbow grease has been spent on making it shine! Nuthin' but pure joy!

Well, there was a good Robert DeNiro movie on today and the weather was just chilly enough to make it "just right" for roosting myself on the sofa with some pop corn, plenty of hot columbian coffee, and my carving tools so I just managed to finish up the ball-in-the-cage, also from the same limb of birch. I got done and the movie was still on so I took it a step further and decided to carve something on each of the four cage bars.

On two opposing bars I carved in two little woodspirits, then put a little tree and a four leafed clover on the other two.You know, just something to make it a little more interesting for the admirer and then I decided to name it "Guarding The Tree". That should give 'em something to ponder upon if it ever makes it to the Antique Road Show a hundred year's from now!!

Although the pictures don't yet show it I do plan to polish it down with a few coats of gloss polyurethane. I was just too anxious to post what I already had. It's amazing what you can do with an otherwise pretty simple project!

Welp, it's back to the drawing board and I think I'll cut off some more of those birch limbs. That was fun!

[Keoma]

OK! The first thread said"...from now untill eternity" ...so I hope no one minds I bring this up! I really want to know how to do the ball in a cage and where do you find all these cool challenges?!

[tucker1931]

Settle down Dave, yer out of control. Dang, it takes me a whole day and a half to carve a 3/4 inch square Santa and yer knockin this stuff off like it's going out of style. Speaking of style. "I like your style" both projects are great, keep 'em commin buddy.
Cliff