Workers Of Wood

I've wanted to carve since - well- I don't know when, but I've pined to carve for a long time. Problem is, I'm not allowed carving knives... I'm barely allowed to use regular knives, as I have a history of trying to slice digits off with kitchen knives

Remember that wood I asked help with in identifying? Well, I asked Ken to cut me a piece of it last weekend, and sat down with the tablet and YouTube this afternoon. There are tons of carving videos, but most are hand carving, and I know I have no business with manual knives. There is one guy, Jordy, who has quite a few videos, and even I was able to follow. Took quite a few hours, but here's the final outcome.

I have burrs Ken had bought for me some time ago, but I don't have the one recommended, so the results aren't quite what I was hoping for. This was my 3rd attempt. The first two, I tried on wood that (I think) were too small. Maybe when I get some experience under my belt...

Nicely done, Barb! You're a natural.
The members in our Guild up here use some kind of wood or bark I think, for doing those faces. Mostly because it's pretty much grainless, from a carver's perspective. I'll try and find out what it is.

Ha! I found it! It's Cottonwood. Locally available here (as in wander around in the woods and get your own) or commercially available also. In Canada for instance...
https://www.chippingaway.com/cat/woodca ... wood-bark/

Thanks, Dan. It was fun (once I got down to actually finding the video for help and got to carving.) Did get a boo boo out of it, however... seems my left ring finger is glutton for punishment; it likes to get in the way. The burr slipped, and as it hit, I said "there goes my finger...." luckily, it was more nail (that then ripped down to the finger) and just a little nick to the very tip. I have to watch how I hold the wood for such slips.

Cottonwood seems to be popular with carvers, as well. While basswood is the go-to, I saw a lot of carvers using cottonwood. If I can find some, I'd like to try it.

This wood was a bugger! Once dry, it's H A R D! I wanna try another wood spirit and maybe an owl today, but first, I have to get the other one motivated and do our running so I can get out in the shop again.

Was Ken modeling?

Barb, are you using a Dremel, or a trim router, or flex shaft pens, chainsaw?
Good job, that face looks familiar, can't seem to place it though.
Herb

@Herb Stoops LOL

Using my Dremel(s) 4000 and 4300 with flex shaft and using Kutzall-style burrs. I also used my regular cutters, but used those on detail cuts that I didn't have the proper burr for. I'll posts pics later. Ken got them for me years ago, and for the most part, they've sat there.

Shop is calling... time to play.

Cottonwood is considered a nuisance species here. I have some big ones on my place and my neighbor has bigger ones. One large one fell down last year luckily not hitting anything. They are bad for being rotten inside, much like some oaks. The wood has some unique properties. Old timers used it for cisterns and septic tanks. If it stays wet it doesn't rot. They also used it for barn floors where animals would be kept for that reason and that it doesn't sliver like other woods. It also doesn't sand. It keeps fuzzing and won't get smooth. The government forestry research facility in town had a local sawmill saw some to see if there were ways to make it commercial. One of the things they tried was heating and case hardening it. I never heard if that worked. I have also heard that Scott Paper uses it to make toilet paper in their mill down near the coast. It is extremely heavy when green because it is saturated with water. It's fairly light once it dries, which can take quite a while.

It normally grows where it is very wet. It loves beside creeks, swamps, and rivers. One cousin had a piece of land where Cherry Creek and the Shuswap River join here and the creek was starting to cut the corner off. He tied a cable around the trunk of a 24" cottonwood and the other end to the stump and cut the tree off so that it would lie in the creek against the bank on his side. As soon as the tree was cut off a stream of water shot out of the center of the stump about the diameter of the base of my thumb and 9" high. We went for lunch and 45 minutes later it had only slowed to about a 2" high stream.

You did a great job, by the way. My attempt would probably look like a dog just upchucked his kibbles. I do intend to give it a try at some point. I have chisels and gouges. One wood I want to try is white pine. It is a soft pine with pretty straight grain and I have some good sized pieces of it.

Weyerhouser & Scott planted plantations of cottonwood here in Western Washington, for paper pulp because there is no sap in the pulp. Now we have cotton woods growing everywhere, even in the gutters of the houses. It looks like it is snowing in the spring when it blooms. Along the shoulders of the roads,shoots of it can be seen growing up. Even had to remove from the cracks in the concrete walkway.
Barb, I meant one of those 12v. mini hand held chainsaws that are out now, they use for pruning. I have seen some spectacular large chainsaw carvers work.
https://www.amazon.com/mini-chainsaw/s?k=mini+chainsaw

Herb

Nice work, that looks pretty neat Barb . Especially seeing as your in a cnc free zone

Herb Stoops wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 11:00 am Barb, are you using a Dremel, or a trim router, or flex shaft pens, chainsaw?
Good job, that face looks familiar, can't seem to place it though.
Herb

Looks like an Antz from "Lord of the rings" or Stick.

Bushwhacker

Is that cottonwood the same as the one from which the Alamo took its name? If so, it must have a very large geographical dispersion.

@Bushwhacker that's what I was laughing at - I was wondering if Herb was trying to drop that hint or not.

@Herb Stoops If I used a chainsaw, I would have to find one light enough that I could hold for some time, and find a bar for carving. (I looked into it last week sometime.) Those 12v chainsaws, like the one Ken uses for limb removal, I don't think would be able to carve. But then again, I could try it on pine or a soft wood of some sort.

@honesttjohn no, I was using a mental picture of you as I was carving...

I did one more, but told Ken until I get the burrs I need, I'm done. One: The last one, I thought my wrist was gonna freeze up from the strain, and two: this wood (I swear) is part brick! Still heavy after drying! If I wanted, I could flatten the back, and use the two as book ends (if people still use those things, anymore.) The other thing is, I really need something to capture the flying debris. I made a small downdraft, but it didn't do as well as I hoped it would, and it's airtight as it's gonna get around all the seams inside. Even redid the port hole for my big vacuum, and it didn't work any better. I ended up having to hold the wood at the edge of the table, with the vacuum hose held up to the side to capture the debris and dust. Did pretty good, but it would be nice to have a better mechanism to hold the vacuum hose than the tie-up I created on the side of the table.

Oh, that last one is gooder, you are improving on it.
I can understand the wrists and thumbs locking up, mine do that with certain movements too.
On the downdraft box, a regular one is good for sanding, but the larger chips from carving might be a problem. Maybe an outdoors task, just let them fall on the ground.
Maybe you are using oak or elm. Pine, cedar,cottonwood,spruce ,poplar, might work easier. Seems like a lesser grain wood might carve easier than a all hard, or hard/soft grain.
You are very talented, you pick up things really fast.
Herb

Very nice, Barb...you picked up your new craft rather quickly...you're a natural...!

On the dust collection, I am thinking that instead of a down draft box, a 3 sided box with the hose in the side or back might be a better solution. The 3 sides/no top,would contain the chips better and the hose would keep a negative pressure inside the area. When I put 3 sides on my regular downdraft box, it improved the results 100%.
Herb

When you carve do you stand the block upright, or lay it down on it's back?
Just curious.......
Herb

@honesttjohn no, I was using a mental picture of you as I was carving...

Goes to show your memory ain't so good - - and I won't say anything about your mental state. double

You need a CNC!!

@RainMan Thanks. I always wanted to carve like this. That's why Ken got me the Dremel after I moved on to other woodworking so many years ago. I can't be trusted with knives and gouges and such. I'd be missing a digit before the first project was done.

@Herb Stoops Thank you. It was a bugger, though. My wrist was sore. Almost didn't make through this one. Found out today why it was so taxing.... I was trying to aggressive cut away this brick wood with a fine burr, not aggressive As for dust collection, maybe I'll look at taking this one apart. It's not even getting the sawdust like it should. Big disappointment. I lay it on it's side, on it's back... it moves around.

@Nickp Thanks. This really was fun. Ken is gonna try and get me some softer wood, and once we get a little money in, he's gonna get me the burrs I need, and replace the cutters that need replacing. It will help with detail cutting, too. The few burrs I have are Saburrtooth, and can get a starter kit for around $70. A lot of those on YouTube recommend Kutzall, though. I'll probably look and see which will be worth the money.

@honesttjohn No, don't need a CNC for this... I like doing the carving. Yes, for other things, however. It's comin, it's comin! As for my mental state... that's what being married for so long causes.. Deb can attest to that - after being married to YOU for so long!