A little project before I get back to carving!

Last year flew by and no carvings to show! Carving outside our motorhome was too handy. Open a bay door, pull out a chair and carving kit and I was good to go. I never thought much about dust and wood chips. About 95 percent of my carving is with a rotary tool. Power carving creates mostly dust rather than chips which is fine when you're outside. However, now that we've moved into our new (to us) home, I just can't carve without giving some thought to all the dust I create. Well, thanks to Kirsten and Ed Walicki www.fishcarver.com carving indoors will be a pleasure. I just had to come up with a vacuum system that didn't cost a fortune or sound like a 747 on take-off. While surfing the http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/ website I happened upon Ed's outstandingly informative website. (I urge you to check out their website. You'll see some incredible fish carvings.) Ed posted a link to, The Silent Dust Collector Plans: ttp://www.fishcarver.com/making_a_dust_collector.htm All last year I studied his website and began my hunt to put together the parts that Ed listed.

We visited with friends, Darlene and Buzz in Indiana and "Buzz" introduced me to the local appliance repair company but with no luck. Ed's plans suggested finding a discarded clothes dryer motor, only finding the right configuration for the plan turned out to be frustrating. The motors were good but the sheet metal design is typically configured to mate to other parts, so that didn't pan out. I decided to go for a new motor at Granger's.

Naturally, Granger's replaced the Dayton 4C444 motor Ed suggested with the Dayton 1TDR7 which just so happened to be higher priced than the motor Ed suggested. However, it is worth it and Ed is right, "these motors are truly silent in their operation."

This past summer I was on a mission! The Granger's store in Manchester, NH was my first stop. We stored the Dayton blower in our motorhome, enjoyed our company and travels and I began to plan out the rest of my "Silent Vacuum System plans."

Arriving home I couldn't wait to hit the local Lowe's store for the wood, hose and hardware to put this baby together. Here's how it started...

The lapboard and two of the three flange attachments.

I could have used less rugged 4" PVC flanges (they're toilet flanges) but the Dayton blower had a much larger intake than the one Ed listed.

I've got to confess, I had to redo a few of the wooden pieces due to mistakes (grrrrrr).

The most frustrating part of the system to find was the 4" duct hose. Ed listed a dryer hose which is just what I wanted. However, no one sells them  anymore due to the fire hazard resulting from lint. I "bit the bullet" and headed to the nearest WoodCraft store for their heavy duty dust hose. It's excellent, but its also very expensive. $33.00 to be exact. It comes in a 10' length. Ed suggested a six foot hose. I cut it at five feet and that'll do just fine for the way I've set this system up. To boot, I now have a spare five foot duct hose.

As the system came together I added a couple of ideas that helps make the unit more portable.

....and here's what I ended up with.......

The blower, mounted on 3/4" plywood with its wooden attachments and intake and exhaust flanges and wired for business.

The blower on its base is mounted to a wooden stool. The lapboard is mounted on the legs and held in place with twist locks for storage.

Above is the finished project. The bag is a laundry bag. When carving, I typically sit in a chair. This set up allows me to sit a few feet from the dust collector in easy reach of the on/off switch. And, it really is quiet.

I spent more than I thought but the two big items were the Dayton blower and the hose.

Motor:          $159.00

Hose:            $  33.00

Wood:           $   6.00 (mistakes cost me another $6.00)

Hardware:    $  30.00 (screws, Elec. box, wire, etc.)

3-4" flanges: $  15.00

Bag:                   0.00 ("stolen" from the guest bedroom)

Stool:           $  20.00

Time and fun: Priceless!

Total:           $263.00

Here's what it looks like while running....

Now its time to get carving!

"Boots"

Finally, I finished "Boots" way back in April but I held off posting it on the blog until I had given the piece to its next owner. Well, we finally took the drive north to hand "Boots" to Dawn.

"Boots" was actually started at the same time I started "Eeyore." The plan was to let Angela (Eeyore's owner & the previous carving in this Blog) to think I was working on "Boots" for Dawn (her daughter).

At the outset, "Boots" seemed fairly easy to "rough out" and get the basic shape.

The basic shape was coped out and I put the Dremel to work.The "Boots" took shape quickly, but as the saying goes, "the devil is in the details." Cowboy boots have stitching and seams. That's where I let the burrs "fool" your eyes.

The seams were easy.

The stitching was trickier! However, Dawn has a pair of "Antique cowgirl boots" to add to her western motif!

Oh bother!

My next piece, "Eeyore" was a bit more tricky to carve than I thought. "Eeyore" is Pat's Sister, Angela's favorite Disney character. The only catch with "Eeyore" was that he was a total surprise for Angela. I devised a plan to be carving another piece so that I'd be able to keep "Eeyore" a secret. (The next piece will be a surprise for someone else. Once I've given it to the person, I'll post the story on our blog.)

As always, "Eeyore" started out with a drawing and some rough cuts.

Then, more wood reduction and you begin to see him taking shape.

"Roughing" "Eeyore" was fast... until I needed to work toward his belly!

It was soon evident that I'd need to consider removing his "base" so I could shape the inner area of his legs and belly. You'll notice that "Eeyore's" tail is to be standing up and not supported by his backside. That meant I'd need to support his tail with a "bridge" to his backside or it would surely break.

Nearly finished, I mated him to his new base.

At last, "Eeyore" is ready to be "brought to life!"

I'm sure "Eeyore" will be safe and sound and right at home with his new owner, Angela!

"Megara"

Carving "Megara" was a new and exciting challenge for me. "Megara" is the frst human figure I would attempt to carve. "Megara's" sultry and slender shape would leave me scratching my head during more than a few carving sessons. "Roughing" her out was not all that difficult but her voluminous flowing hair, although tricky, turned out to be the "key" to make her look like herself.
"Megara" is gifted to a good friend and wonderful person I work with. It just so happens that her name is "Meg" as well. The fun part of giving a "One of a Kind" carving to someone is when you find just the right subject to make for them. However, the best reason to give a hand made piece is that you're giving something to someone that no one else has that may well be in their lives forever. In this case as in my last three carvings, each person had a Disney character they truly like and perhaps sees more than a little bit of themselves in each character.
"Megara" started out like every carving, a block of basswood. First a drawing is sketched out to give the carver a front and/or rear view to allow the carver to "rough cut" the bulk of wood.

Above, "Megara is drawn on the front and rear.

With a coping saw you can cut out large "slabs" to help reduce the bulk.

Here "Megara" is beginning to take shape. I leave the areas to be thinned (arms and sash) thick so she can be handled without worrying about breaking them off.

Now the fun begins. You start to reduce the shape and size and the figure begins to show it's own "personality."

But, what do you notice? For days, I pondered over her right arm while carving the rest of her. If you take a good look at "Megara's" right arm, her upper arm is considerably longer than the forearm. I finally deceided "surgery" was in order. I removed her "deformed" arm above the elbow and the wrist.

Boy, did I have a difficult time making that first cut! Using a toothpick, I made "dowels" to fit into the upper arm and the wrist at the hip. Then, with the help of "Elmer" (glue that is), her "new" arm was fitted into place.

In a way, her "new" arm resembles Roman wrist armour!

At last the surgery was a success and with a bit of carving "Megara" was ready for her final trimming and shaping prior to painting.

 

Above, "Megara" is finish sanded and given a delicate brushing to prep her for her transformation from a sanded piece of wood to a "One of a Kind Carving."

All but "Megara's" face and protective coat are complete.

Here is "Megara"...

Her "signature" hair and sultry stance belie her strength and determination. She is born of Ancient Gods and a story for all of time.

I began working on "Megara" months ago. I never count the hours I work on a piece. Instead, I plan out "stages" to complete each session of carving. By working a lengthy piece in "stages" I can "control" the patience needed to complete a carving. I must admit, getting to the point of final sanding and shaping gives me a huge boost psycologically. I see the end in sight and I can slow down to render the piece with color and "life"... and enjoy the fruits of my labor.

Stitch

After a "carving free" summer, I finally made the time to finish Stitch. Stitch presented me with somewhat of a dilemma last spring. As with all projects, you start out with a sketch and proceed to reduce the bulk of the project so that you can begin to "see" the general project shape.

From there you begin to cut away anything that doesn't look like "Stitch!"

You can see my dilemma in the above photo. Stitch's left paw and foot were in serious trouble. I had cut too much away! Over the summer I dreaded trying to complete Stitch with such a mistake. (You might say I developed "carvers block!") I had to restore a large enough section of wood to the paw and foot area that would allow me to match his right paw and foot. "Surgery" was in order! I cut away the left paw and foot to make a 90' wedge that would allow me to glue a similar shaped "chunk" of wood into the area.

Ready for color, Stitch's left foot and paw "surgically" repaired put me back on track for finishing.

With mimimal mess, Stitch is just about ready. All that's needed is his "protective" coat.

Stitch made it through his "surgery" in great condition and was given to his new owner where he will have a special place of honor.

The next "One of a Kind Wood Carving" is ..."Megara"

Whittling in the '60's

My first year as a YMCA Resident Camp Counselor introduced me to "whittling." My mentor and friend, Jim Goodwin II was a man of many talents. All of which he shared with anyone and everyone he could. At first, I admired the fact that he could have our youngest campers handling and working with an Exacto knife with confidence in very short order.
Thanks to my Dad, I am somewhat artistic and can visualize three dimensional aspects of objects to be carved or drawn. Seeing my first wood carving of a ball cut into a box out of a solid piece of wood did it for me. I was hooked. Here is a sampling of my pieces "whittled" in the mid 1960's.
The "Rabbit in the Wood" is one of my first pieces.
"Four balls in a cage" fascinated me to no end. I saw it in one of the whittling books Jim provided us with. Like many carvers, my first pieces are unpainted and not sanded. Some prefer the knife cuts for that "carved look." As you can see, the one thing I could have done is stain or protect the wood. Well, I didn't, I think all the handling and aging has given them a patina for protection. Most of my first pieces were carved with a Swiss Army knife. That "multi-purpose" knife went with me as I headed to Florida and Iceland for my tour of duty in the Naval Reserve. While waiting for a clearance to continue my Naval training, I was assigned a "Gate Guard" duty that enabled me to practice carving. My post was at one of the training buildings and once the classes commenced, I simply manned the gate until classes were over later in the afternoon. Sporadic visits by Chiefs or other personnel made for a lot of quiet time. I came up with an idea that made the time fly by. Our base used thin wooden spoons for coffee stirrers back then. ( They were thin, much like a tongue depressor only shaped like a spoon.) As a "Gate Guard" you're not allowed to do much of anything other than stand and watch. Carving on a thin wooden spoon was perfect. Both my knife and "spoon" could be easily hidden in my hands when someone approached. I came up with the idea of carving "names" out of the spoon. There was hardly any "chips" to see, and once again, it could be easily "put away."
Many of the Naval personnel who passed by me came to know me. I developed a good rapport with a number of Chiefs and Officers. In the morning, I'd sketch out the name of the person whom I was going to give the "spoon" to. That afternoon, on their way out, I'd offer it to them as a memento. I'd like to think that somewhere around the USA there are thin, wooden spoons with names carved on them setting on some one's shelve.
While on duty in Iceland, I show only a couple of carvings. Actually, I was really busy taking in the uniqueness of Iceland, so carving became a "fill-in" activity.

I carved in our room so I had to keep the "mess" to a minimum.













Some of the carvings have a distinctive feature that, at that time, came to be a "sign of the times." Here are the carvings that started it all...





Through the '70's and early '80's, I carved several relief name signs/plaques and in time, I put my carving case away... until February, 2009
I still have my Swiss Army Knife and the only two Exacto handles I ever bought. I guess age has the better of me and I admit that I enjoy working with the speed and fast "wood reduction" I can obtain with the Dremel, but I still find myself making a finish cut with my Exacto knives.

Wood Carving, Astronomy and RVing

Here are several of my latest pieces. I started wood carving way back in the 60's while working as a camp counselor. I got away from carving in the late 70's. While wintering in the south I thought that if I packed my carving kit I may get back into carving. I rarely painted my carvings until this year. Character carving needs color and paint to make the carving come to life. With some help of a friend, Rose, who spent years restoring dolls, she directed me toward the proper paints, brushes, etc. and I like the results.
I, like many carvers started out with Exacto knifes and a variety of blades. This year I stepped into the Dremel side of carving. The Dremel has help not only reducing my time on the piece but has allowed me to delve deeper into detail than I would with a blade alone.
I have several more pieces in the works. So far, all of my pieces have been and will be gifts. At some point I may find a piece that I may be able to sell. In the mean time, I'm proud to have a number of carvings that are being enjoyed by my friends in a few different states. Each of the pieces are "One of a Kind Wood Carving!"