blakes11

thanks for that James. I'm borrowing use of a lathe to do this one so i just want to check that they'll fit ok then i'll drop you another message once i know. Cheers Steve

Spooky still, I went to School in Chew Stoke!! :-) Brilliant input guys, thanks. James - One of your burrs could be ideal and i'd definitely be happy to collect in Chew. I was thinking of something along the lines of a nice fruit bowl if you've got something that kinda size? My sister knows I making something so isn't expecting anything on the day so no massive rush. Cheers again all. Steve

Hi there I'm planning on turning a nice bowl for my sisters wedding gift and I was hoping someone near Bristol might have a decent size burr I could use for this purpose? I'm thinking a nice fruit bowl or something along those lines. No real idea of what wood i'd like to use so pretty open to suggestions as long as its got a bit of colour to it. Cheers all Steve

Hi, I'm in Bristol too. Have you considered the Wood Project by Temple Meads? Also could try Tyntesfield (National Trust place) near Wraxall. I know they do courses in wood craft. Could be a go'er. Be really interested if you find anything. Upcycling wood is right up my street. Cheers Steve

yeah like that. good work with free hand lettering too. One slip and its ruined so you did well to do all that!

Brilliant! Would love to be able to make a rocking chair like that.

Nice one guys, thanks Yeah i've got a dremel and did end up using it this time. Completely agree with the 'go steady' comment though as my initial experience with it on another project resulted in gouges to the surface where i'd completely misjudged the effect it would have. Much better this time around though. Applied some neutral coloured bees way and buffed it with the dremel too and its come out quite nicely. Cheerss again!

Afternoon all, Does anyone have any adive regarding sanding into tight gaps? I'm just finishing up a newel cap and I'm pretty happy with it. All I want to do now is sand it. Trouble is I can't get into some of the spots easily and the contrast between a poorly sanded area and a good one is pretty noticeable. Should I just be attaching the varying grades to a lollipop stick or something and doing as good a job as possible or are there any tricks to it? How do you avoid sanding against the grain too? Hope you can help. Cheers

Hi all, got hold of some flexcut hand gouges a while back and decided to try my hand at some wood spirits. Clearly a lot more progress to be made but fun to do. Definitely recommend the flex cut range if anyone is thinking about getting some hand tools. Want to move on to some bigger carving projects soon once I can afford a decent big boys carving set. Any recommendations? The one attached was out of a piece of lime I found. First time I've used lime. Such a great choice of wood to carve. A similar carving feel to bass wood in my opinion.

that all really helps, thanks. I'll let you know how i get on with the next one!

Thanks for the kinds replies guys. I'm certainly gonna have to find stuff to put in it, i've only got two sets of cufflinks! Lots of lttle areas that can be improved upon but the hinges were the biggest headache. Wanted some nice little brass ones which weren't too imposing. Haven't had much experience with them before so assumed that one hinge was much like the next in terms of quality so got a couple of flush hinges (which aren't flush when the screws are inserted by the way!) from one of the big shops. I drilled a couple of pilot holes and with no effort whatsoever one of the screws sheared off leaving most of it in the wood. Figuring i'd cut my losses and take it back for a refund 3 more sheared off taking them out!! Absolutely gutted! Ended up using a dremel to sink the broken screws into the wook and buying two, bigger, butt hinges with a different hole pattern, with what appeared to be better screws on the advice of the shop (a different one). did the job ok but still not massively happy as the hinges are now scratched to sh*t and i'm scared to take them back off. Is the general consensus to use different screws than the ones that come with a hinge? I think i'm going to start another one for the missers and want to improve on all these areas. Great forum by the way. Been carving little bits for years (to a low standard) and i can see this would be a great resource for ideas etc. Cheers

Hi all, Just finished up with a box i've been making out of some cut oak. Be great to see what people think. I've loaded some photos here:Blake Photography | Wood Craft The wood was great to work with but the hinges were a nightmare! Hope people like it. Goes to show that no wood is waste wood. Cheers

Cheers guys, great load of info to keep me going for a bit!

Hi all, I'm looking to achieve a shiny gloss finish to my wood carvings. I've read various different suggestions online starting with sanding of various grades which I get but does anyone have any suggestions with regards to adding a bit of colour then a nice shiny finish? I've generally used boiled linseed oil initially but now I don't know whether to use teak oil, bees wax, polyurethane varnish and or a final lacquer layer I don't want to lose the colour / texture of the wood I'm carving, only enhance it. Cheers Steve

Just carved another. Much happier with this one. Untitled | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

Thanks very much for taking the time to reply gents. I'm quite happy to plod on with the wood spirits for the time being as mine have a little way to go as they are still fairly angular. The one i did in the photo only took about and hour or so once the bark was off and the top rounded so its a nice little project that doens't take too much effort time wise. I do actually prefer the vintage chisels. I've got some old marples ones i seem to have acquired which are nice and i do have some ropey palm tools i was given but they aren't very good which is why i was looking to upgrade. If i ever do anythign bigger then I will definitely expand on the marples collection i think. We've got a great little shop called Bristol Design in Bristol (funnily enough) which sells all the vintage stuff but i think i'll stick with my pen knife for now. Thanks again for the wood adivce, i'll have to get out and find some now :-) Steve

Hey everyone, I'm new to this forum but a friend suggested i register and ask for your advice with regards to suitable wood for carving. I've always whittled bits and bobs with no great success but have recently had a go at wood spirits which have come out ok so now i'm buzzing to do some more. Hopefully i've added the link below correctly, this is my first attempt at a wood spirit. Photo Link I've read that Lime is the best type to carve for beginners as its fairly forgiving but aside from specialist websites selling fairly expensive blanks, i can't find any anywhere. Does anyone have any opinions on an alternative? I've been reading about Jelutong but don't know an awful lot about it however my preference is to use rough rustic looking wood rather than machine carved blanks. We own a small woodland but its full of hazel and there is only so many walking sticks i can make and i've found that its a very moist wood and larger pieces can't be easily carved when green and the wood tends to look like a bruised apple when left. I've also considered buying some hand tools by Flexcut. If anyone has any opinions to share there i'd be grateful to hear them. Thanks in advance Steve