FriarsGorse

Thanks all for the kind comments... always much appreciated. Dervish .... got the powerfile off e-bay £35 + £5 p&p ...(£60 at B&Q !!!) I would highly recommend it ... great for getting into tight spaces but it does bigger contoured areas well when you get used to it .. its pretty feisty!! Thanks Munksapp for your next tip ... I will certainly think about an orbital next as you have whetted my sanding appetite ... its all about the funds as i'd fancied gettin an 8 or 10 inch carving bar.. we'll see ... thanks again for your help.

Finally managed to get to carve something for the first time in months... and after seeing lots at woodfest thought i would try a Luna hare!! I have never sanded a piece before as i only have a cheap belt sander but thought a smooth hare would be right... so on the recommendation from Munksapprentice on "Tools Tips and Techniques" i invested in a Black & Decker Powerfile. WHAT A TOOL ...(the powerfile not Munksapp) thanks a lot for the tip!

Thats good news ... congrats... I was interested as you were askin about assessment on a previous thread . I did cs30/31 with Phil Dunford about two and a half years ago.... I found him a top bloke although he was frettin back then as he had just learned he was having wind turbines very close to his property ... have they happened ?? I did 5 days but i didnt do the assessment as I couldnt justify the cost ... I only cut fell and carve on my own land ... would liked to have done it but the cash bought me a saw carvin bar sprocket and chain ... ready to go .... i'm sure i would have been very nervous back then ... anyway well done its nice to achieve !!!

It looks great ... How did Assessment go ... Can I ask ???

Thats Fantastic ...very stealthy !! Nervous ? Is this your first piece "for a customer in situ" ? I can imagine that would be a bit of pressure especially if they keep peekin out the window !!! Eucalyptus ... does it smell nice and did you leave the cubs tail til last ???

Very nice to look at and ponder ... about the pecker and you carvin him out. A nice piece of creamy sycamore makes a nice change from all that grain sometimes !

Good Luck with it

Stunning ... and as usual draws you in and captivates.

I see what you mean ....... we need an instructor to instruct us..

Does one exist ??? If you have a basic instructors qualification you can make up your own course and call it what you want i would think ??? As long as your legal

I had it with an owl... right where his big round eyes needed to go ... so i turned it into a "Short necked flat top Dudley quarry owl" ... a very rare local species !!

Did you grind this ?? I presume its not a purchased product .... and do the cuts in the edge make it more stable and/or cut better ???

Great Shape ...very impressive

Rob D ... your boards look really impressive ... do you not oil them ??

Thanks Wisewood thats a real eye opener !!! Sorry .... thanks for the help

I'm lookin forward to tryin the "cup of tea and iron fish supper" method... thanks for sharing those tips ....... I'm still struggling with eyes ... can anyone post pics of the tools or bits that they use for eyes ... i'm floundering with my cheap crappy copy of a dremel !!!

Lookin forward to seein it ....

Fab ... He looks very proud !!

I dont know what carvers screws are but if you can screw a piece to any solid surface and its secure then it would work... you could screw a batten to the bottom of the piece you are carving and clamp the batten in a workmate .. if the piece is not too big ...

These are wonderful .... I dont understand why anyone has said you are stupid ???? Surely just those types who you learn to ignore in life.

This thread should be interesting ... I am not in the arb industry so when i decided to have a go at carving about 3 years ago, equipment was a bit of a mystery! (Still is) I was a professional guitar player for 10 years and earned a living with the most basic equipment...so I applied the same logic. I did a chainsaw course with Phil Dunford (to protect myself from myself) and got some PPE and a MS 171 with 14" Cannon carving Bar. Rest of my kit... File Kit & file clamp Wire Brush Soft Brush Ratchet Straps (For holding a piece with plunge cut through a stump) Cant hook Turning Bar Old Workmate with crudely modified top.. (Crap but just about works) And thats about it !!! I bought a cheap copy of a Dremel (Parkside from Lidl supermarket) and this can be useful for a bit of small detail but to be honest thats crap and just about works !! Think I would like a die grinder (Thanks to Wisewood for tellin me what this was in earlier post) for doing some nice eyes...but as always its the cost !!! .... So what does everyone else use for eyes and small detail ?? Think Ive realised that each piece deserves consideration as to how detailed you want to get so I dont have any chisels or knives. I told myself I wanted to do chainsaw only carvings and while ive only done about 8 carvings in 3ish years ... i do wonder about going to the next phase on some with chisels. I guess thats what determines whats in your kit bags.

I repeat .... should be blue or green (or maybe red) .... or maybe metallic copper orange !!!! Splinters ..What colour is that ??? cos I do like ... very duracell !!

Think jrose is right !!! Should be blue or green (or maybe red)... I'll wave at yo, whatever colour yo am !!

I believe before and after charge around £500 ? I may be wrong ... I had some quotes around £300 (some with comments of we don't really like doin it ... its a horrible job !!) I am not really havin a go at the cost ... as with anything a job really well done is worth a good price - I just couldnt really afford it.. its a defender and i could throw £300 for a number of reasons! My main point is i dont think this product works... i ended up cutting the top off the can and reaching for a brush ... and swapping the other can for some aerosol to get where my brush couldnt. i followed the instructions to the letter ... made sure it was hot and thinned it with white spirit. (I shook that bloody can til my moobs could take it no longer !!) While I'm happy I covered everything I didn't get inside the chassis which was the main reason i tried this. I've ended up with what I paid for .. an amateur job. Thanks for all the advice... it would seem compressor is the way to go for anyone with this dilemma .... and Ive learnt a lesson.... ask before you try not afterwards .

Fantastic ... I agree with splinters... the best carvings make you think i wanna have a go at that. Was it a big chunk o wood or is it quite a small piece ..