woodsculptor

Intrigued by this one, looks good already :-)

Kim

Badger!! T'weren't that mine WeeDee :-).

Looking good Si :-)

Kim

Thanks everyone. Yes Si they were dead chuffed :-) Best part of the job is seeing the clients face when the sculptures finished :-)

Kim

Two Wind in the Willows benches that I completed just before Christmas for a Pre School in Wiltshire. They're Oak and are 99% chainsaw with a little bit of sanding. The boat one was riddled with nails but luckily they all fell on the side that was going to be the bottom so it wasn't too much of a palaver!

Kim

Wake him up!! Its the only thing that gets him to sleep :-)

Kim

Cool, thanks for all the replies. Lots for me to have a sift through, I'll let you know what I end up going for and if its any good.

Kim

Cracking stuff, don't normally like the highly shiny finished stuff but this is ace :-)

Kim

Great form and really like the cocked wrist.

kim

Lovely, really like the head :-)

Haven't your family/friends got fed up of wood based gifts yet? I know mine have :-)

Kim

Have you used one of the mask Dan? Is it comfortable for all day use? Is it comfy with ear defenders!

Ah if only if not failed my Sith licence!

Ive tried to use a bit of material over my nose and mouth JLA but it's not too helpful when chunks fly towards your face!

Kim

Hi Everyone

Well I've got to the stage where I'm really happy with all my equipment choices, things don't break left right and centre and if they do they're easily fixable (cost a lot of money in equipment to learn this!) but the one thing I've not found an adequate solution to is the problem of protecting my face/ lungs. I've tried various things from mesh visors (hate not being able to see what I'm carving super clear through them) to all kinds of things that fog up from just looking at em! Dust masks too are an issue, feel so much better after a days carving when I use one but they are so irritating.

What does everybody use? Anybody struck on a winning formula?

Kim

Hi Chris

All our smaller saws are Echo's. Granted they cut slower and are more primitive but I'm not caught up in the whole "I've modded it to cut super fast" thing. I just want something to work reliably so I can create my art. The Stihls you mention are all homeowner saws and so their engine and reliability are what you would expect (not very long lasting). All the smaller Echos are rated as professional saws and come with a 2 year warranty, when they fail (and because we're professional carvers they do), they fail reliably i.e. its a specific weakness that just isn't quite up to carving and you can fix it yourself as you've got the parts knowing that you'll replace a lot of that part (like the oil pump on the CS270WES).

For our larger saws we use Husqvarna's (395xp). We would also use (if we weren't happy with the Echo's) a 346xp and a Stihl 026 but I'd be buggered to find a saw to replace the Echo CS270WES for detail work.

Kim

Our experience of Mitox is very different. We tried them as cheaper alternative once (you have these daft ideas sometimes in life!). The build quality was horrendous with the exhaust baffling inside the exhaust constantly failing. We got through 3 of them in a two week period, granted we were a little bit harder on our saws then due to lack of money but we weren't numpties :-). Most (not all) of the new Stihls are horrendous (again experience, not hearsay) from a reliability perspective too, its Husqvarna or Echo all the way for us.

Kim

Hi

If you cut a ring off a log it will split in a beautiful doily like pattern. Never cut it down grain but if it splits the same then you could have something really stunning on your hands if you make a feature of the splits.

Kim

A few more pics as requested Ray

Thanks for the kind words everybody :-)

Terry, my pre natal phase was very similar but a bit less refined (like the badger). I never used anything other than a chainsaw but I'm slowly turning to the dark side! Its a constant battle I have with every piece WeeDee, do I leave it just sawn or crack the other tools out!

Kim

Love these Si, definitely worth the crick in the neck!

Kim

Been a bit busy since starting back carving after giving birth. Here's what I've been up to :-)

Kim

Brill, thanks :-)

Kim

Hi

I've got a project for a Pre School in Wiltshire to carve two Wind in the Willows benches. I need to source two piece of 3ft diameter Oak (around 6ft in length each) and need them delivering to Snaith, Yorkshire. Please PM me if you can help (there's budget for it, I'm not asking for freebies :-))

Thanks

Kim

Gorgeous :-)

Kim

Thanks :-)

Hi Dervish, due in May.

It did weigh a fair bit, could just manhandle it about though, just!

Kim

A commission I've just finished of a Pit Pony out of Beech. It was a struggle in the subzero temperatures and with being 6 months pregnant but i'm pleased with the final sculpture. As always its done with just chainsaws.

Kim

Hi Gee

Personally speaking I think everything looks better natural with just a lick of oil. If you're going to apply colour you have to be extremely talented and subtle with their use otherwise you're just covering up the natural beauty of the wood and exchanging it for block colours which end up very childlike. It's not often I see carvings that have been painted and think that its added anything (a select few of the American carvers are the only people I've seen use it well).

I do however like a bit of scorching now and again as it can really highlight feathering detail and give the piece more depth. I would never attempt to paint my work as I wouldn't be able to do it justice but using a blowtorch is fairly foolproof and in the right circumstances highly effective.

Having said all this I would ignore all my advice and do what you feel :-D

Kim

Thanks everyone :-)

I cut a slot for the back to sit in and at the moment its 'tacked" on with 4 screws as the client needs to sort out its final position before we make everything permanent.

Kim

The Hare is bob on Si, really like it

Kim