[Banjo]

Mark, amazing, as usual. Man, would I love to see the kitchen those are going in to!!! Please post some more pics as you go along.

[Doug Ridley]

More good work, Mark. Looking forward to seeing the finished product.
Doug

[Treever]

Just curious to know if you would adopt me. I have parents, a wife and kids, but I'd like you to adopt me and let me hang out in your shop.

[mark yundt]

Joy,,good eyes!.That's actually a parting seam. I did this piece in three sections ,total of 50 + blocks now and that's where the trunk meets the branches. I have 1/2 inch bolts holding the sections together (hidden behind)and they'll get glued.Right now they're not bolted tight and you can see a gap as I shift them around to carve. If though it were a split or something,,it wouldnt' be too difficult to fix

[doris]

mark, thank you for encouragin words.. twist and curl you said, and yes that gave me idea how manage my leaves...i started this, and it is much improving now :-) thanks :-)

[squbrigg]

Great work Mark. I'm following along with your progress and look forward to each step. Keep up the good work. I'm learning a lot as you go.

Bob

[Dundee]

Hi Mark,

It looks fantastic. Have you ever done a table like that? A round table with a glass top supported by a tree carving. So you could see the carving through the top. I'm thinking of making one using a strangler fig for the base.

Thanks
Dundee

[mark yundt]

Not exactly like this Dundee.All sorts of variations though. Glass covered Climatis blossoms,,gaming tables with glass covered memory boxes cut into them along with family crests and the like.Friends have done very deep reliefs of the island of St Martins with the castle and all carved into it, about 4 ft square..the possibilities are endless. Let your imagination go and have fun with it,,I'd like to see it .

[susieq]

I am always inspired by your work, Mark. Wonderful.
susieq

[mark yundt]

Sorry Joy,,missed the second part of your question.My wrists are fine.Every so often,after a long day ,my elbow lets me know I went too far,,but no real concern. I don't think I have to push or mallet too hard.That's why I like to keep the chisels the same as I use for bass or any other wood.I guess some like to keep a steeper angle ( that was discussed on a recent post) but over all these years I see no reason for it.The theory is more metal is left on the edge,,can take more cuts through hard wood,,etc.etc. but I feel it just makes the going harder with more effort required. I'd rather touch up the edge every so often (every couple of days) and strop the edges as often as once or twice a day,than fight with a chisel.Some can debate theories and give reasons all day long on how and why something should work,,,I prefer to just do what actually works in practice and carve all day long, year in and year out.I think you'll find that many of the well intentioned posts of reasons,theories,tools ,techniques and ideas that sound good simply fall apart when pressed into service.
Is Cherry harder than Bass?,,sure,,it's a lot harder than the hardest Bass you could find.Is it hard to carve,,not really. Tools and technique play a big part in this. Just simply do what actually works.