Dec
13
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
anonymous asked:
Once a gouge has been correctly sharpened, it doesn’t take much afterwards to bring the edge back to absolute sharpness. This refers to the natural wearing away of the edge from use and not as a result of it being damaged. When all it needs is some honing, a bringing back to razor-sharpness, and not a true sharpening, there’s something very handy that you can do about that.
One way to bring your edge back to pristine condition is to make a gouge honing board. Instead of using a fine grade sharpening stone all of the time, you could use your very handy honing board to bring back an edge. These are the things you’ll need:
?Solid rectangular block of softwood, 3″ x 2″ x 1″ (l x w x h)
?Rouging compound, fine abrasive powder or paste
?Bench knife, fixed blade of less than 5″ long
?Tool with a non-sharpened edge/an old knife
?Gouges for honing
The block of wood doesn’t have to be of the specified dimensions, just close enough. If you want better control, it could easily be longer or wider. The honing section that you’ll create can be placed anywhere on the block that suits you best. After all, that’s what making this honing board is all about: your comfort and ease in honing gouges.
There are many types of rouging compounds. What you want is a material that can coat a surface with an easy application, especially in troughs and tight corners. You definitely don’t want a rouging or polishing compound that comes in the form of a solid block. That would be nearly useless in this application.
A bench knife is preferred because of the small fixed blade. You don’t need much of a cutting edge to make the honing board. You just need something sturdy and sharp. Be sure this knife has been sharpened before you begin.
Here we go. Take the wood block and decide where you’d like to create the honing section. If you follow the given dimensions, just start about a half inch inwards from the width-wise side. Take the gouge to be honed and cut a concave or positive profile into the wood. Using the exact dimensions of the gouge as your guide, be careful not to widen the trough further than the gouge is wide.
Now you’ll cut the convex or negative profile into the wood. Take the same gouge used to make the positive profile. Move further inwards along the block of wood by about a quarter of an inch. That would be a quarter of an inch inwards from the positive profile. Take the gouge and turn it over so that the trough is upside down. In this position, cut the negative profile of the gouge into the wood. Take care not to widen the convex curve further than the gouge is wide.
You have just made a gouge honing board. Well done. Use the bench knife to square the edges between the carved profiles. It wouldn’t be difficult for you to create a special honing board with positive and negative profiles for each of your regularly used gouges.
Now you’ll prepare it for honing. Take the rouging compound and, using an old knife or a tool with a non-sharpened edge, evenly lay the compound all along the trough of the positive profile. When you’re done, apply the rouging compound evenly over the convex surface of the negative profile. Take the overturned gouge to softly pack compound into the tight corners of the negative profile. And now your gouge honing board is ready.
When it’s time to use it, just follow the bevel of the gouge. For the positive profile, lay your gouge in the trough, which should fit nice and tightly with the rouging compound added, and pull your gouge through the trough with the outside bevel flush on the honing board. For the negative profile, turn your gouge over and fit it over the convex surface and into the tight corners. With the inside bevel flush on the wood, pull it smoothly through the profile. Apply more rouging compound when necessary. Only use moderate pressure when pulling your gouges over the honing board.
There you go. You have successfully made yourself a gouge honing board. And you know how to use it correctly. Just remember, it isn’t actual sharpening but it will get an already sharpened, undamaged edge back to good working condition. It’s very simple, yet very effective. Just imagine what other types of quick-fixes could be made for carving tools.
GORDON
Once a gouge has been correctly sharpened, it doesn’t take much afterwards to bring the edge back to absolute sharpness. This refers to the natural wearing away of the edge from use and not as a result of it being damaged. When all it needs is some honing, a bringing back to razor-sharpness, and not a true sharpening, there’s something very handy that you can do about that.
One way to bring your edge back to pristine condition is to make a gouge honing board. Instead of using a fine grade sharpening stone all of the time, you could use your very handy honing board to bring back an edge. These are the things you’ll need:
?Solid rectangular block of softwood, 3″ x 2″ x 1″ (l x w x h)
?Rouging compound, fine abrasive powder or paste
?Bench knife, fixed blade of less than 5″ long
?Tool with a non-sharpened edge/an old knife
?Gouges for honing
The block of wood doesn’t have to be of the specified dimensions, just close enough. If you want better control, it could easily be longer or wider. The honing section that you’ll create can be placed anywhere on the block that suits you best. After all, that’s what making this honing board is all about: your comfort and ease in honing gouges.
There are many types of rouging compounds. What you want is a material that can coat a surface with an easy application, especially in troughs and tight corners. You definitely don’t want a rouging or polishing compound that comes in the form of a solid block. That would be nearly useless in this application.
A bench knife is preferred because of the small fixed blade. You don’t need much of a cutting edge to make the honing board. You just need something sturdy and sharp. Be sure this knife has been sharpened before you begin.
Here we go. Take the wood block and decide where you’d like to create the honing section. If you follow the given dimensions, just start about a half inch inwards from the width-wise side. Take the gouge to be honed and cut a concave or positive profile into the wood. Using the exact dimensions of the gouge as your guide, be careful not to widen the trough further than the gouge is wide.
Now you’ll cut the convex or negative profile into the wood. Take the same gouge used to make the positive profile. Move further inwards along the block of wood by about a quarter of an inch. That would be a quarter of an inch inwards from the positive profile. Take the gouge and turn it over so that the trough is upside down. In this position, cut the negative profile of the gouge into the wood. Take care not to widen the convex curve further than the gouge is wide.
You have just made a gouge honing board. Well done. Use the bench knife to square the edges between the carved profiles. It wouldn’t be difficult for you to create a special honing board with positive and negative profiles for each of your regularly used gouges.
Now you’ll prepare it for honing. Take the rouging compound and, using an old knife or a tool with a non-sharpened edge, evenly lay the compound all along the trough of the positive profile. When you’re done, apply the rouging compound evenly over the convex surface of the negative profile. Take the overturned gouge to softly pack compound into the tight corners of the negative profile. And now your gouge honing board is ready.
When it’s time to use it, just follow the bevel of the gouge. For the positive profile, lay your gouge in the trough, which should fit nice and tightly with the rouging compound added, and pull your gouge through the trough with the outside bevel flush on the honing board. For the negative profile, turn your gouge over and fit it over the convex surface and into the tight corners. With the inside bevel flush on the wood, pull it smoothly through the profile. Apply more rouging compound when necessary. Only use moderate pressure when pulling your gouges over the honing board.
There you go. You have successfully made yourself a gouge honing board. And you know how to use it correctly. Just remember, it isn’t actual sharpening but it will get an already sharpened, undamaged edge back to good working condition. It’s very simple, yet very effective. Just imagine what other types of quick-fixes could be made for carving tools.
GORDON
Dec
8
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
anonymous asked:
If you’re just starting out as a wood carver, you’ll quickly discover how wood chisels are used all the time. There are many kinds, many sizes. They’ll need periodic sharpening and it’s good to be able to do them yourself. It isn’t very fitting to have to bring your tools to a professional sharpener whenever they become dull. You lose money, you lose time. And best of all, straight chisels are the easiest wood carving tools to sharpen.
Straight chisels can be sharpened in two steps. The first is to get the tool’s edge to sharpness, and the second is to strop that edge to silky smoothness.
?traight Chisel Sharpening. This is sharpening for straight square chisels and it’s very simple. Start with a coarse grade sharpening (honing or whetting) stone. Make the shaft vertical with the edge touching the stone. Slowly lower the end facing up until the edge’s surface touches the wood. Stop right there. With the beveled face flush on the stone, you have achieved the correct sharpening angle.
While holding the chisel’s beveled face flush against the stone, place your index finger on the top of the beveled surface for better control. Pull the stone towards you, away from the edge. Do this 10-20 times and then check for the burr. A burr is a feather-like sliver of wire that will come off the chisel’s edge when you have achieved absolute sharpness. You slide your finger across the edge (never lengthwise!) and a burr will feel like sand or grit on your edge. If there isn’t a burr, do another set of strokes until you’ve correctly raised it. If the tool has a second bevel, sharpen it as you have just done with the first bevel. Sharpen until you’ve correctly raised the burr.
After sharpness has been achieved with a coarse stone, move to a fine grade stone. You can do this with just one fine grade stone or with a succession of increasingly fine grade stones. Perform the sharpening strokes in the same way until you get a burr. If you’ve got a second bevel, do the same until a burr is raised. Be very sure that you’ve raised a burr along the entire length of the chisel’s edge, and on both sides. If you won’t make sure, just stop what you’re doing and go watch television. I’m not kidding. If you’re going to sharpen, do it well or not at all. It will affect how well you’re able to carve. (If that doesn’t matter to you, really, then what are you doing?)
There are a couple of different stroke techniques that are commonly used when sharpening straight chisels. With your index finger on the top of the beveled surface as you grip the shaft, place the fingers of your other hand on top of the first. Instead of pulling the tool towards you, you run it in circles. If not that, you can also push the tool sideways in one direction and then sideways in the other. There is no one specific method. Experiment and see which technique is best for you. I like the stroke that pulls away from the edge best. It’s the simplest way to raise a burr and then detect it.
?kewed Chisel Sharpening. Skewed chisels are just a bit different from straight chisels. A skewed chisel’s edge is at a slanted angle, a skewed angle, and joins the side of the chisel head at an acute angle of less than 90 degrees.
Sharpening a skewed chisel is done in just the same way as sharpening a straight chisel. There is only one difference. The skewed edge needs to be made parallel to the forward edge of the sharpening stone. Or the edge can be made perpendicular to the side edge of the sharpening stone. Either way works fine. Just be consistent if there is a second bevel.
?hisel Stropping. Your well-sharpened chisel now has burrs all along its edge. Well done. Stropping will remove those burrs and all other micro-bits still clinging.
You’ve got a couple of choices when it comes to stropping. First choice: You can use a free strap of leather to strop your edge in one direction and then the other. Lay the beveled face of your chisel’s edge flat on the strap and pull away from the edge, parallel to the length-wise surface of the strap. Near the end of the strap, lift the chisel and turn it over. Place the opposite face of the chisel’s edge flat on the strap. Pull in the opposite direction, away from the edge and parallel to the strap surface. Back and forth and back and forth until your edge is silky smooth.
The second choice for stropping your chisel edge is to use a stropping board, also referred to as a honing board. This could be in the form of a flat rectangular board, a paddle, a wooden bench or it could be one you make yourself. The technique for using a stropping board is just the same as the technique used on a free leather strap.
Leather strops and stropping boards are usually combined with a polishing compound. It facilitates the stropping process and makes carving much easier. It may be in the form of a liquid, a paste, powder or even a solid block that fits in the palm of your hand.
Stropping is a very important step in sharpening and shouldn’t be dismissed. Think of it as you using a chisel with a dirty edge. It surely doesn’t perform as well as a clean edge. And because it’s dirty, using it will cause you to have to sharpen it much quicker than you usually would. So strop, and strop well. Your carving will be better for it.
Beginners need to be very careful when stropping. As novices in this art, the edge is often rounded instead of being polished smooth. That’s because the edge isn’t truly flat during the stropping process. A secondary bevel will be produced that thickens with each sharpening. Eventually, the only way to save the edge is to remake it. That would be a great loss in time and effort. Pay close attention.
When you’ve trained those hands to do a good job, you’ll be able to sharpen any straight chisel, any skewed chisel in your tool collection. That’s a lot you already know about sharpening carving tools. Keep it up. Just be so careful and watch out for secondary bevels.
BORIS
If you’re just starting out as a wood carver, you’ll quickly discover how wood chisels are used all the time. There are many kinds, many sizes. They’ll need periodic sharpening and it’s good to be able to do them yourself. It isn’t very fitting to have to bring your tools to a professional sharpener whenever they become dull. You lose money, you lose time. And best of all, straight chisels are the easiest wood carving tools to sharpen.
Straight chisels can be sharpened in two steps. The first is to get the tool’s edge to sharpness, and the second is to strop that edge to silky smoothness.
?traight Chisel Sharpening. This is sharpening for straight square chisels and it’s very simple. Start with a coarse grade sharpening (honing or whetting) stone. Make the shaft vertical with the edge touching the stone. Slowly lower the end facing up until the edge’s surface touches the wood. Stop right there. With the beveled face flush on the stone, you have achieved the correct sharpening angle.
While holding the chisel’s beveled face flush against the stone, place your index finger on the top of the beveled surface for better control. Pull the stone towards you, away from the edge. Do this 10-20 times and then check for the burr. A burr is a feather-like sliver of wire that will come off the chisel’s edge when you have achieved absolute sharpness. You slide your finger across the edge (never lengthwise!) and a burr will feel like sand or grit on your edge. If there isn’t a burr, do another set of strokes until you’ve correctly raised it. If the tool has a second bevel, sharpen it as you have just done with the first bevel. Sharpen until you’ve correctly raised the burr.
After sharpness has been achieved with a coarse stone, move to a fine grade stone. You can do this with just one fine grade stone or with a succession of increasingly fine grade stones. Perform the sharpening strokes in the same way until you get a burr. If you’ve got a second bevel, do the same until a burr is raised. Be very sure that you’ve raised a burr along the entire length of the chisel’s edge, and on both sides. If you won’t make sure, just stop what you’re doing and go watch television. I’m not kidding. If you’re going to sharpen, do it well or not at all. It will affect how well you’re able to carve. (If that doesn’t matter to you, really, then what are you doing?)
There are a couple of different stroke techniques that are commonly used when sharpening straight chisels. With your index finger on the top of the beveled surface as you grip the shaft, place the fingers of your other hand on top of the first. Instead of pulling the tool towards you, you run it in circles. If not that, you can also push the tool sideways in one direction and then sideways in the other. There is no one specific method. Experiment and see which technique is best for you. I like the stroke that pulls away from the edge best. It’s the simplest way to raise a burr and then detect it.
?kewed Chisel Sharpening. Skewed chisels are just a bit different from straight chisels. A skewed chisel’s edge is at a slanted angle, a skewed angle, and joins the side of the chisel head at an acute angle of less than 90 degrees.
Sharpening a skewed chisel is done in just the same way as sharpening a straight chisel. There is only one difference. The skewed edge needs to be made parallel to the forward edge of the sharpening stone. Or the edge can be made perpendicular to the side edge of the sharpening stone. Either way works fine. Just be consistent if there is a second bevel.
?hisel Stropping. Your well-sharpened chisel now has burrs all along its edge. Well done. Stropping will remove those burrs and all other micro-bits still clinging.
You’ve got a couple of choices when it comes to stropping. First choice: You can use a free strap of leather to strop your edge in one direction and then the other. Lay the beveled face of your chisel’s edge flat on the strap and pull away from the edge, parallel to the length-wise surface of the strap. Near the end of the strap, lift the chisel and turn it over. Place the opposite face of the chisel’s edge flat on the strap. Pull in the opposite direction, away from the edge and parallel to the strap surface. Back and forth and back and forth until your edge is silky smooth.
The second choice for stropping your chisel edge is to use a stropping board, also referred to as a honing board. This could be in the form of a flat rectangular board, a paddle, a wooden bench or it could be one you make yourself. The technique for using a stropping board is just the same as the technique used on a free leather strap.
Leather strops and stropping boards are usually combined with a polishing compound. It facilitates the stropping process and makes carving much easier. It may be in the form of a liquid, a paste, powder or even a solid block that fits in the palm of your hand.
Stropping is a very important step in sharpening and shouldn’t be dismissed. Think of it as you using a chisel with a dirty edge. It surely doesn’t perform as well as a clean edge. And because it’s dirty, using it will cause you to have to sharpen it much quicker than you usually would. So strop, and strop well. Your carving will be better for it.
Beginners need to be very careful when stropping. As novices in this art, the edge is often rounded instead of being polished smooth. That’s because the edge isn’t truly flat during the stropping process. A secondary bevel will be produced that thickens with each sharpening. Eventually, the only way to save the edge is to remake it. That would be a great loss in time and effort. Pay close attention.
When you’ve trained those hands to do a good job, you’ll be able to sharpen any straight chisel, any skewed chisel in your tool collection. That’s a lot you already know about sharpening carving tools. Keep it up. Just be so careful and watch out for secondary bevels.
BORIS
Dec
1
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
Len Q. asked:
If you’re going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?
Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, first we sharpen and then we carve.
At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. Diamond coated slipstones are very nice. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or be as small as a credit card. So very convenient.
A strop is meant to remove the burr and all micro-bits still clinging to your well-sharpened blade edge. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.
If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. The need for smooth sharp edges is a constant in wood carving. Knowing how to achieve them will put you way ahead of the game.
Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.
◦ Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.
It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.
◦ Wood chisels. Most chisels are ground on both sides but it is possible to find them with a bevel on only one side. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.
◦ Wood gouges. This is one of the most used tools in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.
◦ Wood Rasps or Riffler files. Shopping for these tools could be a bit confusing. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.
Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.
◦ Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.
◦ Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.
These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (Wonder how big that’d be.)
Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.
◦ Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.
◦ There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.
◦ Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.
Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!
WILFORD
If you’re going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?
Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, first we sharpen and then we carve.
At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. Diamond coated slipstones are very nice. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or be as small as a credit card. So very convenient.
A strop is meant to remove the burr and all micro-bits still clinging to your well-sharpened blade edge. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.
If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. The need for smooth sharp edges is a constant in wood carving. Knowing how to achieve them will put you way ahead of the game.
Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.
◦ Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.
It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.
◦ Wood chisels. Most chisels are ground on both sides but it is possible to find them with a bevel on only one side. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.
◦ Wood gouges. This is one of the most used tools in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.
◦ Wood Rasps or Riffler files. Shopping for these tools could be a bit confusing. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.
Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.
◦ Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.
◦ Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.
These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (Wonder how big that’d be.)
Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.
◦ Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.
◦ There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.
◦ Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.
Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!
WILFORD
Nov
24
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
anonymous asked:
Most wood carving tools are cutting tools. Every cutting tool has at least one bevel. This is the sloping surface coming off the edge. But it’s more than jut a sloping surface. It’s actually a cutting angle. So the bevel supports a specific cutting angle that determines how the tool can be used. Experienced carvers know about bevels and how they affect cutting efficiency.
If you’re just starting out as a wood carver, and you’re going to purchase carving tools for the first time, here are some things you should know.
?Some carving tools leave the manufacturer without a bevel. This means that you’ll have to be the one to make the cutting angle, which determines the shape of the bevel. Many experienced wood carvers prefer new tools this way because they want to put the cutting angles on themselves. They don’t want to have to remake an edge.
?Non-beveled edges are only recommended for those wood carvers who already know how to sharpen knives or similar types of cutting tools. Beveled edges are essentially wedges and every metal wedge is, in effect, a knife. When you know how to sharpen knives, you can make the cutting angle (AKA the sharpening angle) just the way you want it. You control the bevel exactly.
?It’s pretty easy to find new carving tools with pre-set bevels already ground in by the manufacturer. Nevertheless, the new carver must be aware that, even though the cutting angle was created by the tool maker, it may not be the correct size or shape that they want. Don’t just assume that the bevel is correct. Know your needs, i.e. your specific carving tasks, and get the right tools. You shouldn’t rush this.
The cutting angle of your carving tool, or the length of the bevel, determines the strength of the wood you can carve. At its very basic, the greater the cutting angle, the steeper and shorter the bevel. The greater angle means more cutting strength on the edge. The stronger the edge, the harder the wood to be cut. What does it all mean?
?If you’re going to cut soft woods, you’ll want a small cutting angle on your tool’s edge. This is a very thin edge and makes for a very large bevel (a long backwards slope).
?If you’re going to cut hard woods, you’ll want a large cutting angle on your tool’s edge. This makes for a much thicker, slanted edge and a small bevel (short and steep).
Here is another important point to keep in mind. The size of the cutting angle on your edge can determine how much control you’ll have when carving.
?If you’re using a carving tool with a small cutting angle and a large bevel, more of your hands can rest on the wood. This provides better control and, therefore, better carving. Unfortunately, your edge isn’t as strong as it could be.
?If you’re using a carving tool with a large cutting angle and a small bevel, less of your hands can rest on the wood. This could make carving a bit clumsy because you’ve got much less control of your hands. It’s a curious thing. You’ve a strong edge that cuts fast but mistakes are easily made.
Because we’re talking about bevels, here are the three main types of bevels that can be found in wood carving: straight (square) bevels, rounded bevels (convex) and hollow (concave) bevels.
?Straight bevels. As the name sounds, these bevels have a straight square edge. They provide the most efficient cutting and the greatest strength to the edge for its sharpness. Many wood carvers prefer this type of bevel.
?Rounded bevels. The profile of a rounded bevel is convex and looks the exact opposite of a hollow bevel. More effort is needed to cut the wood because the wedge is normally thick. Therefore, cutting angles are large.
?Hollow bevels. Hollow bevels are concave and look the exact opposite of a rounded bevel. It’s a very unique shape but working with it isn’t very easy. Oftentimes, the hollowed bevel will unknowingly ride up on the edge of a cut so you’ve got to watch every part of it all of the time.
When you know the fundamentals of how cutting angles on beveled edges affect cutting efficiency, you’ll know so much about any cutting tool that you hold in your hand. Simple mistakes can be avoided and you’d be well on your way to becoming a skilled wood carver.
ISAIAH
Most wood carving tools are cutting tools. Every cutting tool has at least one bevel. This is the sloping surface coming off the edge. But it’s more than jut a sloping surface. It’s actually a cutting angle. So the bevel supports a specific cutting angle that determines how the tool can be used. Experienced carvers know about bevels and how they affect cutting efficiency.
If you’re just starting out as a wood carver, and you’re going to purchase carving tools for the first time, here are some things you should know.
?Some carving tools leave the manufacturer without a bevel. This means that you’ll have to be the one to make the cutting angle, which determines the shape of the bevel. Many experienced wood carvers prefer new tools this way because they want to put the cutting angles on themselves. They don’t want to have to remake an edge.
?Non-beveled edges are only recommended for those wood carvers who already know how to sharpen knives or similar types of cutting tools. Beveled edges are essentially wedges and every metal wedge is, in effect, a knife. When you know how to sharpen knives, you can make the cutting angle (AKA the sharpening angle) just the way you want it. You control the bevel exactly.
?It’s pretty easy to find new carving tools with pre-set bevels already ground in by the manufacturer. Nevertheless, the new carver must be aware that, even though the cutting angle was created by the tool maker, it may not be the correct size or shape that they want. Don’t just assume that the bevel is correct. Know your needs, i.e. your specific carving tasks, and get the right tools. You shouldn’t rush this.
The cutting angle of your carving tool, or the length of the bevel, determines the strength of the wood you can carve. At its very basic, the greater the cutting angle, the steeper and shorter the bevel. The greater angle means more cutting strength on the edge. The stronger the edge, the harder the wood to be cut. What does it all mean?
?If you’re going to cut soft woods, you’ll want a small cutting angle on your tool’s edge. This is a very thin edge and makes for a very large bevel (a long backwards slope).
?If you’re going to cut hard woods, you’ll want a large cutting angle on your tool’s edge. This makes for a much thicker, slanted edge and a small bevel (short and steep).
Here is another important point to keep in mind. The size of the cutting angle on your edge can determine how much control you’ll have when carving.
?If you’re using a carving tool with a small cutting angle and a large bevel, more of your hands can rest on the wood. This provides better control and, therefore, better carving. Unfortunately, your edge isn’t as strong as it could be.
?If you’re using a carving tool with a large cutting angle and a small bevel, less of your hands can rest on the wood. This could make carving a bit clumsy because you’ve got much less control of your hands. It’s a curious thing. You’ve a strong edge that cuts fast but mistakes are easily made.
Because we’re talking about bevels, here are the three main types of bevels that can be found in wood carving: straight (square) bevels, rounded bevels (convex) and hollow (concave) bevels.
?Straight bevels. As the name sounds, these bevels have a straight square edge. They provide the most efficient cutting and the greatest strength to the edge for its sharpness. Many wood carvers prefer this type of bevel.
?Rounded bevels. The profile of a rounded bevel is convex and looks the exact opposite of a hollow bevel. More effort is needed to cut the wood because the wedge is normally thick. Therefore, cutting angles are large.
?Hollow bevels. Hollow bevels are concave and look the exact opposite of a rounded bevel. It’s a very unique shape but working with it isn’t very easy. Oftentimes, the hollowed bevel will unknowingly ride up on the edge of a cut so you’ve got to watch every part of it all of the time.
When you know the fundamentals of how cutting angles on beveled edges affect cutting efficiency, you’ll know so much about any cutting tool that you hold in your hand. Simple mistakes can be avoided and you’d be well on your way to becoming a skilled wood carver.
ISAIAH
Nov
1
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
Joe Will asked:
How The Nutcracker Came To Be.
Finding tools for opening or removing the shells of nuts challenged our ancestors. The earliest nutcrackers that have been located were simple and functional objects. Through the years beautifully crafted brass and even carved characters emerged as an art form in the 15th and 16th centuries. Many carved characters took on the image of animals, birds, and human doll forms. When a nut was placed in the “mouth” of dolls, levers or screws on the back could be worked to push the lower jaw up against the upper jaw to crush the nut.
The Story of the Nutcrackers Begins.
The nutcracker story began with the creation of European nutcrackers in Switzerland, France, Germany, and England during the 16th and 17th centuries. In the German regions of Sonneberg and Erzgebirge, near the Bohemian border, the Ore Mountains were rich with mineral deposits. Many villagers worked in mines. During the winter months wood carving became popular until the miners could return to work. Life was tough for those people who worked long hours as miners. They also endured hardships and poverty. Often the miners watched as the fruits of their labor were taken by their superiors. The dolls were cleverly designed to resemble powerful people like kings, policemen, and soldiers. The townspeople enjoyed the caricatures of their rulers, because they were placed at their service to perform the lowly task of cracking nuts. When mineral deposits expired, miners began to make wood carvings the dolls all year. Eventually, these one-of-a-kind standing soldiers and kings became a symbol of the region and were sold all over Europe. Nutcracker pictures of the period recorded these early wood creations. A holiday table setting was not complete without a bowl of holiday nuts and a handsome doll standing beside it!
History of the Nutcracker.
The combination of useful tools and a figural form with a human appearance was well accepted by the mid-18th century. In the toy making center of Sonneberg in the Thuringian Forest there was a reference mentioned in 1735 of “nut-biters” that operated according to the principles of leverage. These nut-biters were described as sturdy, energetic forms with large heads and two moving arms. The body holds a long handled lower jaw that allows the jaw to push the nut against the upper jaw to ***** it. In a carnival parade in 1783, students from Freisingen, Germany presented large models of Berchtesgaden wares, including a nut-biter in the form of a little man whose mouth and stomach were one and the same.
It is in the 18th century Sonneberg and Erzgebirge regions of Germany that the term “nussknacker” appeared in the first dictionary of “High German” by the Brothers Grimm (the dictionary was begun in the 1830s), and is described as “often in form of a misshaped little man, in whose mouth the nut, by means of a lever or screw, is cracked open.” Many different authority characterizations–monks, police, not-so-popular political leaders, even Napoleon–were created to amuse people, but the popular king and soldier figures undoubtedly inspired the famous 1816 nutcracker story publication of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale “Nussknacker und Mausekönig.” Hoffmann wrote a story of Marie’s prince nutcracker.
Thirty-five years after the publication of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic story, it reappeared as a central character in Heinrich Hoffmann’s story “King Nutcracker and the Poor Reinhold” (1851). In this version the poor Reinhold becomes acquainted with the King in a dream.
The early story did not always portray the characters in a role of the good-hearted fairy tale king. More often they wore a monk’s robe or were made into the form of a mean-looking policeman, master of the watch, a Turk, a cavalry man or some other grotesque helmeted figure with a long nose. These nutcrackers appeared, for example, as a caricature of Napoleon on a 1813 Parisian nutcracker picture sheet. By the end of the 19th century their pictures appeared almost consistently in the catalogs of the toy wholesalers as a representative of the contemporary authorities. What started out as a practical nut cracking tool usually ended up as an expression of light irony and a social critique by the common people.
Producing Classic European Nutcrackers:
It should be noted that any one of these characters is a result of carefully planned production. Each character is created from “living” wood and may take up to three or four years to produce with over 100 separate procedures. Craftsmen with years of experience must devote their efforts to several steps in the process. Hand carving is still seen on modern figures, with native craftsmen and their families using centuries-old techniques to create the stunning results now available.
MARVIN
How The Nutcracker Came To Be.
Finding tools for opening or removing the shells of nuts challenged our ancestors. The earliest nutcrackers that have been located were simple and functional objects. Through the years beautifully crafted brass and even carved characters emerged as an art form in the 15th and 16th centuries. Many carved characters took on the image of animals, birds, and human doll forms. When a nut was placed in the “mouth” of dolls, levers or screws on the back could be worked to push the lower jaw up against the upper jaw to crush the nut.
The Story of the Nutcrackers Begins.
The nutcracker story began with the creation of European nutcrackers in Switzerland, France, Germany, and England during the 16th and 17th centuries. In the German regions of Sonneberg and Erzgebirge, near the Bohemian border, the Ore Mountains were rich with mineral deposits. Many villagers worked in mines. During the winter months wood carving became popular until the miners could return to work. Life was tough for those people who worked long hours as miners. They also endured hardships and poverty. Often the miners watched as the fruits of their labor were taken by their superiors. The dolls were cleverly designed to resemble powerful people like kings, policemen, and soldiers. The townspeople enjoyed the caricatures of their rulers, because they were placed at their service to perform the lowly task of cracking nuts. When mineral deposits expired, miners began to make wood carvings the dolls all year. Eventually, these one-of-a-kind standing soldiers and kings became a symbol of the region and were sold all over Europe. Nutcracker pictures of the period recorded these early wood creations. A holiday table setting was not complete without a bowl of holiday nuts and a handsome doll standing beside it!
History of the Nutcracker.
The combination of useful tools and a figural form with a human appearance was well accepted by the mid-18th century. In the toy making center of Sonneberg in the Thuringian Forest there was a reference mentioned in 1735 of “nut-biters” that operated according to the principles of leverage. These nut-biters were described as sturdy, energetic forms with large heads and two moving arms. The body holds a long handled lower jaw that allows the jaw to push the nut against the upper jaw to ***** it. In a carnival parade in 1783, students from Freisingen, Germany presented large models of Berchtesgaden wares, including a nut-biter in the form of a little man whose mouth and stomach were one and the same.
It is in the 18th century Sonneberg and Erzgebirge regions of Germany that the term “nussknacker” appeared in the first dictionary of “High German” by the Brothers Grimm (the dictionary was begun in the 1830s), and is described as “often in form of a misshaped little man, in whose mouth the nut, by means of a lever or screw, is cracked open.” Many different authority characterizations–monks, police, not-so-popular political leaders, even Napoleon–were created to amuse people, but the popular king and soldier figures undoubtedly inspired the famous 1816 nutcracker story publication of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s fairy tale “Nussknacker und Mausekönig.” Hoffmann wrote a story of Marie’s prince nutcracker.
Thirty-five years after the publication of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s classic story, it reappeared as a central character in Heinrich Hoffmann’s story “King Nutcracker and the Poor Reinhold” (1851). In this version the poor Reinhold becomes acquainted with the King in a dream.
The early story did not always portray the characters in a role of the good-hearted fairy tale king. More often they wore a monk’s robe or were made into the form of a mean-looking policeman, master of the watch, a Turk, a cavalry man or some other grotesque helmeted figure with a long nose. These nutcrackers appeared, for example, as a caricature of Napoleon on a 1813 Parisian nutcracker picture sheet. By the end of the 19th century their pictures appeared almost consistently in the catalogs of the toy wholesalers as a representative of the contemporary authorities. What started out as a practical nut cracking tool usually ended up as an expression of light irony and a social critique by the common people.
Producing Classic European Nutcrackers:
It should be noted that any one of these characters is a result of carefully planned production. Each character is created from “living” wood and may take up to three or four years to produce with over 100 separate procedures. Craftsmen with years of experience must devote their efforts to several steps in the process. Hand carving is still seen on modern figures, with native craftsmen and their families using centuries-old techniques to create the stunning results now available.
MARVIN
Oct
26
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
anonymous asked:
going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?
Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, if they aren’t sharp, what’s the use? You’ll drive yourself mad.
At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. There are diamond coated slipstones that work very well to sharpen an edge. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or as small as a credit card. So very convenient.
A well-sharpened edge will have a burr and micro-bits of metal still clinging to it. A strop can easily remove all of these. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.
If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. When it comes to wood carving, you always want smooth sharp edges. They determine your efficiency. When you can achieve them, you’ll be worlds ahead of the rest. No kidding.
Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.
?Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.
It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.
?Wood chisels. Chisels can be found with a bevel on only one side of the edge or they can be found with a double-sided beveled edge. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.
?Wood gouges. You’ll find yourself using these tools all the time in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.
?Wood Rasps or Riffler files. It’s easy to get confused when you’re shopping around for these tools. Not all merchants agree. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.
Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.
?Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.
?Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.
These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (… Wonder how big that’d be.)
Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.
?Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.
?There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.
?Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.
Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!
STEVIE
going to be a wood carver and not just a whittler, you’ll need to select a number of tools. There’s just no way around it. So what are the right tools for wood carving?
Tools for Sharpening. Before the carving tools, it seems appropriate that tools for sharpening them should come first. After all, if they aren’t sharp, what’s the use? You’ll drive yourself mad.
At the very minimum, you should have a sharpening stone and a strop. The sharpening stone is used to get your edges to sharpness. Many sharpening stones come in different shapes and in different sizes. Some are very accommodating to the typically short blade lengths of wood carving blade edges. There are diamond coated slipstones that work very well to sharpen an edge. Some sharpening stones can even be found on a key chain or as small as a credit card. So very convenient.
A well-sharpened edge will have a burr and micro-bits of metal still clinging to it. A strop can easily remove all of these. This is very important in wood carving. Anything added to the edge will only slow your progress. You’ve got to get everything off. If you prefer, you could use a honing compound or a honing board to smooth out your edges.
If you’re really serious about becoming a wood carver, it is highly recommended that you learn how to sharpen and strop a knife. Once you’ve learned that, you’ll also be able to sharpen most other carving edges. When it comes to wood carving, you always want smooth sharp edges. They determine your efficiency. When you can achieve them, you’ll be worlds ahead of the rest. No kidding.
Tools for Shaping. Each type of carving tool that is meant to shape wood has a specific function. At the very minimum, you should have carving knives, wood chisels, wood gouges, wood rasps and rifflers, a mallet and maybe even a power drill.
?Carving knives. This is your most basic of all carving tools and there are many kinds. There are straight-edged knives, skewed knives, bent knives, chip knives, detail knives, special pocket knives modified for carving and folding knives with lockable blades. And these aren’t all of them. There are even micro-knives or micro-tool kits, if you’d like.
It’s a matter of functionality. Each edge is target specific. When you’ve learned what each type of knife can do, and you’ve considered the carving project ahead of you, then you’ll know which knives are best for that job. The best knives used for one specific task may not be the same knives that are best for another. That’s why you’ve got choices.
?Wood chisels. Chisels can be found with a bevel on only one side of the edge or they can be found with a double-sided beveled edge. The head may be slanted or square in shape. They may even be bent forward or backward. You’ll have quite a selection.
?Wood gouges. You’ll find yourself using these tools all the time in wood carving. There are many shapes and sizes. Some are very short and stout while others extend for a few inches with an extended blade edge. You’ll probably end up with several kinds. That’s not a problem. Surely, you’ll use each one at some time or another.
?Wood Rasps or Riffler files. It’s easy to get confused when you’re shopping around for these tools. Not all merchants agree. Really. Some stores call it a rasp, others will call it a riffler. And yet another will call it a rasp riffler. How to know, how to know. Well, the majority of merchants appear to agree that a rasp is a very coarse, straight file. The tool itself may be thick and rectangular like a sharpening file but don’t be surprised to find those that are slender with a curving head, looking just like a riffler.
Rifflers, on the other hand, are usually slender with a curved head. Many times these curved heads can be found on both ends of the riffler. You can even find kits that offer you different shaped heads and at different sizes.
?Mallets. These little hammers are invaluable in the right circumstance. They are a must for chip carving, relief carving and intaglio carving. (What am I saying?) Mallets are a must for all wood carving. You may need just a few millimeters off of here and no more, maybe add a little notch there, an indent over here, maybe create a shadow. It really is such a valuable tool.
?Power tools. There are some pretty nice power tools for wood carving. There are power drills, rotor saw burrs, power chisels and mini grinders. You can even find power carving kits. There’s even a wood carver’s kit that offers its own selection of power grinders.
These tools are quite extraordinary in how much time and labor they can save wood carvers. Many consider them only for life-size or extremely large carvings. It’s all up to the carver. Hey, how about a carving created entirely by power tools? (… Wonder how big that’d be.)
Tools for Sanding and Smoothing. When all the wood carving and shaping is done, you’ll want to sand and smooth all surfaces. This is an important step that precedes any painting or varnishing. In doing so, you’ll remove any remains from any previous finishing process and you’ll also prepare the wood to bond with any non-penetrating chemicals. Sanding can be done using sand paper, sanding clothes or sanding sticks.
?Sanding is often accomplished using sand paper. There are many grades, from very, very coarse to very, very fine. There’s quite a selection. Something very similar to this is the defuzzing pad. It does as it sounds. It removes all fuzz still clinging to the wood surface.
?There are sanding clothes that come in a roll and are available in varying grit sizes. Sections may be cut from the roll and rolled or folded as you wish. Best thing is, you don’t have to worry about it cracking or falling apart on you.
?Sanding sticks may also be found in varying grit sizes. You can also find sanding stick kits or sanding detail kits that can remove glue or minute remains of your finishing products. Mini-belt sanding sticks or sanding belts may be used for large sanding jobs.
Wood carving is an amazing craft to develop. You could use just a handful of tools and work with small projects. Or you could use a bunch of tools, including power tools, to work on really large projects. Either way, it’s very relaxing, oftentimes exhilarating and extremely satisfying. Have fun!
STEVIE
Oct
2
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
Len Q. asked:
Wood carving is a special craft. It requires extreme patience that could flourish with a fine imagination. If you decide to become a wood carver, you’ll have several styles to choose from. You could use just a piece of wood and a small knife. Or you could go so far as using power tools. So how can you know which style is best for you?
There are five main styles of woodcarving. Each style is distinctly different from the other. These styles are whittling, chip carving, relief carving, intaglio carving and carving in the round.
◦ Whittling. Whittling involves the removal of pare shavings or bits of wood with a cutting blade. It is the simplest form of wood carving, but not actually the art of wood carving. This is a significant distinction because whittling is, and should always be, very simple. All you need is a piece of wood and a knife and you’re set to go. And because it is so simple, whittled objects don’t have much detail, as is the case in all other styles of wood carving.
When you’re holding a whittled object in your hand, you absolutely know it. You can plainly see each knife stroke. It remains as simple as when it began centuries ago, during the time of cavemen. Isn’t that amazing?
◦ Chip Carving. Chip carving involves the use of several knives to remove small pieces of wood (chips) from a flat wood surface. These are specially made chip knives that are used to push or pull at the wood, cutting upwards or downwards to free each chip.
Chip carving has expanded to become its own art form. The main technique is to chip varying triangular shapes from the wood. This is done in a way that creates intricately detailed patterns that are often geometric in nature. Free form lines are regularly used to accentuate these chipped patterns. You could really let your imagination go.
◦ Relief Carving. This type of carving is done on a flat back cut of wood with images cut in 3-dimensional fashion. These are the wood carvings you see on walls or sitting on tables or surface tops.
There are two types of relief carving. A low relief carving is identifiable by the visual effect that is created. Without shadows to imply deep carving, the product appears very shallow and is thus considered low relief. In high relief carvings, a spectacular depth effect is created by the addition of shadows throughout. Both types result in carvings with good dimension and detail. The end product is polished to create a very smooth surface. Then it may be painted, waxed or varnished.
◦ Intaglio Carving. This style of wood carving is very similar to relief carving. But instead of looking as though it is above the wood surface, it looks as if it is part of the wood. This is because the design is actually carved deep into the wood, below the surface. Think of old wooden rolling pins. Remember the cute little pictures that were carved into it? That’s intaglio carving.
Intaglio carving has been very popular with furniture makers. It has come so far as to be fitted for a blank space, carved separately and then inserted into the furniture. How about that? It can even be found in dining tables and in bedroom furniture. It’s wonderful for wood paneling. You can even see it in specialty plaques, as part of an existing decorative item or as the actual surface of coffee tables and end tables.
◦ Carving In The Round. This is the most advanced style of wood carving. It involves a completely detailed carving that can be viewed from all sides. It is carved out of the wood and its base serves as a supporting platform or as a pedestal. The carving could be a person, an animal or a landscape-nearly anything you can imagine. It could be life-sized or to scale. The sky is almost the limit with carving in the round.
This style of carving requires quite a number of tools. A variety of knives, gouges and chisels are a bare minimum. The use of power tools is not surprising and often expected. The final product then is usually quite spectacular. Oftentimes, a product of carving in the round is easily mistaken for a porcelain creation. The details are that impressive.
Wood carving has been around since the days of cavemen. With time, it has become quite an impressive art to behold. It’s very relaxing, often exhilarating and extremely satisfying. If you’re looking for a hobby, wood carving could be just what you’re looking for.
DEMETRIUS
Wood carving is a special craft. It requires extreme patience that could flourish with a fine imagination. If you decide to become a wood carver, you’ll have several styles to choose from. You could use just a piece of wood and a small knife. Or you could go so far as using power tools. So how can you know which style is best for you?
There are five main styles of woodcarving. Each style is distinctly different from the other. These styles are whittling, chip carving, relief carving, intaglio carving and carving in the round.
◦ Whittling. Whittling involves the removal of pare shavings or bits of wood with a cutting blade. It is the simplest form of wood carving, but not actually the art of wood carving. This is a significant distinction because whittling is, and should always be, very simple. All you need is a piece of wood and a knife and you’re set to go. And because it is so simple, whittled objects don’t have much detail, as is the case in all other styles of wood carving.
When you’re holding a whittled object in your hand, you absolutely know it. You can plainly see each knife stroke. It remains as simple as when it began centuries ago, during the time of cavemen. Isn’t that amazing?
◦ Chip Carving. Chip carving involves the use of several knives to remove small pieces of wood (chips) from a flat wood surface. These are specially made chip knives that are used to push or pull at the wood, cutting upwards or downwards to free each chip.
Chip carving has expanded to become its own art form. The main technique is to chip varying triangular shapes from the wood. This is done in a way that creates intricately detailed patterns that are often geometric in nature. Free form lines are regularly used to accentuate these chipped patterns. You could really let your imagination go.
◦ Relief Carving. This type of carving is done on a flat back cut of wood with images cut in 3-dimensional fashion. These are the wood carvings you see on walls or sitting on tables or surface tops.
There are two types of relief carving. A low relief carving is identifiable by the visual effect that is created. Without shadows to imply deep carving, the product appears very shallow and is thus considered low relief. In high relief carvings, a spectacular depth effect is created by the addition of shadows throughout. Both types result in carvings with good dimension and detail. The end product is polished to create a very smooth surface. Then it may be painted, waxed or varnished.
◦ Intaglio Carving. This style of wood carving is very similar to relief carving. But instead of looking as though it is above the wood surface, it looks as if it is part of the wood. This is because the design is actually carved deep into the wood, below the surface. Think of old wooden rolling pins. Remember the cute little pictures that were carved into it? That’s intaglio carving.
Intaglio carving has been very popular with furniture makers. It has come so far as to be fitted for a blank space, carved separately and then inserted into the furniture. How about that? It can even be found in dining tables and in bedroom furniture. It’s wonderful for wood paneling. You can even see it in specialty plaques, as part of an existing decorative item or as the actual surface of coffee tables and end tables.
◦ Carving In The Round. This is the most advanced style of wood carving. It involves a completely detailed carving that can be viewed from all sides. It is carved out of the wood and its base serves as a supporting platform or as a pedestal. The carving could be a person, an animal or a landscape-nearly anything you can imagine. It could be life-sized or to scale. The sky is almost the limit with carving in the round.
This style of carving requires quite a number of tools. A variety of knives, gouges and chisels are a bare minimum. The use of power tools is not surprising and often expected. The final product then is usually quite spectacular. Oftentimes, a product of carving in the round is easily mistaken for a porcelain creation. The details are that impressive.
Wood carving has been around since the days of cavemen. With time, it has become quite an impressive art to behold. It’s very relaxing, often exhilarating and extremely satisfying. If you’re looking for a hobby, wood carving could be just what you’re looking for.
DEMETRIUS
Mar
28
Kris Bond asked:
In Southeast Asia, a cluster of islands numbering 17,508 is known as Indonesia. Only about 6,000 of the islands are actually inhabited but there are over 222 million people living here. The five largest islands consist of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, New Guinea, and Sulawesi. This Muslim country is known in particular for the hand-carvings that represent many of the beliefs they lived by in the past and still do today. The unique carvings that are a part of the history of Indonesia are sought after for what they represent as well as the unusual gifts that they make.
Buddha
Among the unusual and unique carvings in Bali one of the most-carved items is the Buddha. The religion in this area is mainly Hindu but Buddha is recognized in this area as a reincarnation of the Hindu God, Vishnu. The temples on this island have many statues of Buddha and these elaborate carvings are some of the most beautiful in the world. One in particular is carved from rain tree wood. The tranquility of Buddha as he meditates raising his left hand to ward off evil and the right one to show that he is indeed in meditation is one of the more popular. This Buddha is sitting on a lotus flower with a lotus bud on his right and left side. One of the more unique gifts, this is a favorite of many.
The Dakon Game
Another item that would make a wonderful conversation piece is the Dakon game. This feature that stands out on this wooden carving is the horse spirit that is 35 inches long and 11 inches tall. An item native to an area in Sumatra, this is a popular game of strategy that can be compared to chess. This item is hand carved from teak and stained. Even if you never learn how to play the game, this exquisite piece of history from Indonesia is a wonderful carving to own.
Hampatong Pair
This carving can either be made of wood or bone and are from two inches to six feet tall. Carved on the Island of Borneo, by the Dayak people, this pair is intended to be placed at the entrance of the home to keep the evil spirits away. They can be carved to resemble a family member who has passed. The Hampatongs are carved from ironwood and are an interim home for dead souls.
The Dragon
Carved from the rain tree which is a hardwood with interlocking grain that keeps it from cracking, the dragon shows the influence Chinese traders had on the Indonesian people. This is a wonderful representation of a dragon which is 21 inches long and 22 inches tall.
Ganesha
A sand cast carvings brought back to the original lava rock, this is the Hindu Elephant God of Prosperity. Ganesha is the favorite of many. The son of Shiva and Durga, worshiping Ganesha before activities such as an educational undertaking is thought to bring good luck. This flat-backed carving is meant to be hung on a wall or placed on a shelf.
The Queen - Tribal Wood Stick Puppet
The Queen, wife of the Chief, is an exotic puppet which was based on the Dayak civilization on the island of Kalimantan, which was previously known as Borneo. A reversible puppet made from water buffalo hide, this Wayang Kulit is carved and painted on each side. Wayang Kulit means shadow puppet and was most likely used for Puppet Theater in Borneo. The puppet theater is not only a source of diversion of fun for the people of Java and Bali but a source of education. By teaching the age old Hindu classics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabaratha, which are two of India’s two greatest epic poems about the war between the Pandava and the Kaurava families and the incarnation of the god Vishnu, the puppet theater teaches the history of the people who lived many years ago.
Chinese Kirin - Hand Sculpted Terra Cotta
The Chinese Kirin is an animal that is a cross species of a dragon, a horse, and a dog. The body is covered with scales and the Kirin is smiling - all teeth - as if it really was not a chubby, scale-covered misfit. This animal was sculpted in terra cotta clay in the village of Kasongan in central Java. Used in gardens, on patios, and anywhere else in the home, it is about 15 inches tall.
DAVIS
In Southeast Asia, a cluster of islands numbering 17,508 is known as Indonesia. Only about 6,000 of the islands are actually inhabited but there are over 222 million people living here. The five largest islands consist of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, New Guinea, and Sulawesi. This Muslim country is known in particular for the hand-carvings that represent many of the beliefs they lived by in the past and still do today. The unique carvings that are a part of the history of Indonesia are sought after for what they represent as well as the unusual gifts that they make.
Buddha
Among the unusual and unique carvings in Bali one of the most-carved items is the Buddha. The religion in this area is mainly Hindu but Buddha is recognized in this area as a reincarnation of the Hindu God, Vishnu. The temples on this island have many statues of Buddha and these elaborate carvings are some of the most beautiful in the world. One in particular is carved from rain tree wood. The tranquility of Buddha as he meditates raising his left hand to ward off evil and the right one to show that he is indeed in meditation is one of the more popular. This Buddha is sitting on a lotus flower with a lotus bud on his right and left side. One of the more unique gifts, this is a favorite of many.
The Dakon Game
Another item that would make a wonderful conversation piece is the Dakon game. This feature that stands out on this wooden carving is the horse spirit that is 35 inches long and 11 inches tall. An item native to an area in Sumatra, this is a popular game of strategy that can be compared to chess. This item is hand carved from teak and stained. Even if you never learn how to play the game, this exquisite piece of history from Indonesia is a wonderful carving to own.
Hampatong Pair
This carving can either be made of wood or bone and are from two inches to six feet tall. Carved on the Island of Borneo, by the Dayak people, this pair is intended to be placed at the entrance of the home to keep the evil spirits away. They can be carved to resemble a family member who has passed. The Hampatongs are carved from ironwood and are an interim home for dead souls.
The Dragon
Carved from the rain tree which is a hardwood with interlocking grain that keeps it from cracking, the dragon shows the influence Chinese traders had on the Indonesian people. This is a wonderful representation of a dragon which is 21 inches long and 22 inches tall.
Ganesha
A sand cast carvings brought back to the original lava rock, this is the Hindu Elephant God of Prosperity. Ganesha is the favorite of many. The son of Shiva and Durga, worshiping Ganesha before activities such as an educational undertaking is thought to bring good luck. This flat-backed carving is meant to be hung on a wall or placed on a shelf.
The Queen - Tribal Wood Stick Puppet
The Queen, wife of the Chief, is an exotic puppet which was based on the Dayak civilization on the island of Kalimantan, which was previously known as Borneo. A reversible puppet made from water buffalo hide, this Wayang Kulit is carved and painted on each side. Wayang Kulit means shadow puppet and was most likely used for Puppet Theater in Borneo. The puppet theater is not only a source of diversion of fun for the people of Java and Bali but a source of education. By teaching the age old Hindu classics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabaratha, which are two of India’s two greatest epic poems about the war between the Pandava and the Kaurava families and the incarnation of the god Vishnu, the puppet theater teaches the history of the people who lived many years ago.
Chinese Kirin - Hand Sculpted Terra Cotta
The Chinese Kirin is an animal that is a cross species of a dragon, a horse, and a dog. The body is covered with scales and the Kirin is smiling - all teeth - as if it really was not a chubby, scale-covered misfit. This animal was sculpted in terra cotta clay in the village of Kasongan in central Java. Used in gardens, on patios, and anywhere else in the home, it is about 15 inches tall.
DAVIS
Jan
25
Custom-Made Wood Chess Sets
Filed Under Art And Entertainment | Leave a Comment
Keith Londrie asked:
Chess is a very old game that pits two simulated “armies”, evenly matched, across a simple terrain. Each game is a fierce combat fought by foot soldiers, knights, kings, and queens. Although Chess does not deal with numbers and equations, it is like math in many ways. Playing chess has always involved problem-solving skills, which are imperative when working out math equations that have many steps. However, unlike math, the ultimate aim in a Chess game is to vanquish the opponent by “killing” the opposing King. Chess is one of the most popular board games in the world, and possibly the most time-consuming. Truly, life’s too short for chess, and because players spend hours staring at the Chess Board, it is small wonder they are willing to invest large sums of money for purchasing intricately carved, stylish wood chess sets.
Chess can be easily played anywhere. For just a few extra dollars, you can purchase beautiful wood chess sets that enhance your gaming experience. Many varieties of wood are used to make wood chess sets. The traditional or commonly used woods are Golden Rosewood and Boxwood. Some of the more exotic woods include Ebony, Red Sandalwood, and Rosewood. The riches of wood chess sets seem to be inexhaustible. Many chess aficionados prefer wood chess sets because of the elegant feel and natural look of the units. It is indeed astonishing that even after centuries of analysis, Chess poses us with ever new and ever more profound questions.
Although Chess is the fairest of games, the rules of chess do not keep score of accumulated interim results. A player can build up a sizeable advantage over his opponent and keep it during most stages of the contest. But a few seconds lack of attention can squander all his hard work. In chess no one counts advantages, only the ultimate result matters. There is a well-known saying among chess players: “You learn more from the games that you lose than from the games you win.” Of course, to learn from your lost games you must have the strength to face up to them rather than trying to forget that they ever happened.
Chess is so popular that there are actual chess tournements that happen all around the world. These tournements challenge even the best chess players. There is usually a monetary award given to the winners. These awards range from small financial rewards and go as high asa you can imagine.
REID
Chess is a very old game that pits two simulated “armies”, evenly matched, across a simple terrain. Each game is a fierce combat fought by foot soldiers, knights, kings, and queens. Although Chess does not deal with numbers and equations, it is like math in many ways. Playing chess has always involved problem-solving skills, which are imperative when working out math equations that have many steps. However, unlike math, the ultimate aim in a Chess game is to vanquish the opponent by “killing” the opposing King. Chess is one of the most popular board games in the world, and possibly the most time-consuming. Truly, life’s too short for chess, and because players spend hours staring at the Chess Board, it is small wonder they are willing to invest large sums of money for purchasing intricately carved, stylish wood chess sets.
Chess can be easily played anywhere. For just a few extra dollars, you can purchase beautiful wood chess sets that enhance your gaming experience. Many varieties of wood are used to make wood chess sets. The traditional or commonly used woods are Golden Rosewood and Boxwood. Some of the more exotic woods include Ebony, Red Sandalwood, and Rosewood. The riches of wood chess sets seem to be inexhaustible. Many chess aficionados prefer wood chess sets because of the elegant feel and natural look of the units. It is indeed astonishing that even after centuries of analysis, Chess poses us with ever new and ever more profound questions.
Although Chess is the fairest of games, the rules of chess do not keep score of accumulated interim results. A player can build up a sizeable advantage over his opponent and keep it during most stages of the contest. But a few seconds lack of attention can squander all his hard work. In chess no one counts advantages, only the ultimate result matters. There is a well-known saying among chess players: “You learn more from the games that you lose than from the games you win.” Of course, to learn from your lost games you must have the strength to face up to them rather than trying to forget that they ever happened.
Chess is so popular that there are actual chess tournements that happen all around the world. These tournements challenge even the best chess players. There is usually a monetary award given to the winners. These awards range from small financial rewards and go as high asa you can imagine.
REID