dervishcarving

nice idea with the dust, might try that. it might wash off tho, let me know in a few weeks? given you have clearly mastered the blocking AND the shape/form of a bird, for your next one study feathers and how they lie on the wings, you can get seem nice effects 'layering' feathers on top of each other, really makes them 'pop out'

love that GeeSaw, welcome to the club looks like an eagle so its definitely an eagle. what did you use to colour the dark parts?

Hi RTS there have been a few threads recently about which saw and which bar to use. You should find answers within them as for which wood, mainly we carve what we have I do a lot of softwood carvign at the moment simply 'cos i can get loads of it for free. given the choice i would go for oak or sycamore but beggars cant be choosers as for 'pay well', i guess top end carvers get paid a lot for their work. I do a lot of community-work (unpaid) but if i sell stuff its usually based on how-long-it-takes. roughly 100 a day plus extras but i am not in it for the money my best advice would be (assuming you are competent with chainsaws) get a saw (and all the PPE) and any old lump of tree and start carving. start off simple (mushrooms) and get an idea of how to block-out and then how to carve curves etc. once you get the hang of the basics you will progress pretty quick. if you are not experienced with chainsaws then you should get a basic course in chainsaw use/maintenance first there are probably one or two places you could get some training. I know Simon O'Rouke (he is a member of this site and one of teh best carvers around) used to run carving-workshops, maybe try contacting him?

Well done for running this mate! and thanks to all the sponsors

Hi guy'e in an attempt to increase the database of 'hints and tips' i thought i would start another one regarding dremel tools. I use them for fine detail work, often just using the sanding 'bits' but occasionally i also use some of the wee little carving 'bits' but I only have a cheep set i got off Ebay. Does anyone have any recommendations of good carving bits for the dremel (or similar) tools?

Wish there were more up in Scotland! Have contacted WoodFest to see if they would take 'newcomer' carvers but no reply yet, will let you know if i get any reply

I think we have all had pieces that started off as XXXX and ended up more like YYYY

Good on ya! I love carving stuff for community groups/places. In some ways its much more enjoyable/rewarding that doing private commissions. Mind you, I only charge for the private ones so i have to do both to keep the saws running

Are they dressed in fabric or did you carve the clothes as well?

well done, splendid first carvings

not tried the Liberon stuff but let us know how it goes eh? The Ronseal stuff is v good but expensive

Thanks for the feedback guy's, keep it coming. Gee i had one of the go-systme torches and i agree, the flame is a bit poor (and not hot enough). i also had one of the auto-model ones and it was great: lovely flame, v hot, great for precision burning BUT it kept going out after 2 or 3 minutes (not blowing out, just going out even though teh gas was still going). Eventually i broke it (melted it) so yesterday i got another one and this one seems fine. if it stays fine it wil be great love the roofers burners Dick but arent they a little on the indiscriminate-side? i usually burn for detail and i dont know i could be sufficiently precise with one of them.

love this piece

Hey all. Been doing this carving-lark for a fair few months now and so far i just haven't found the ideal blowtorch. I have tried a few of the B&Q gas-jobbies and found tehm to be a mixed bag. I found one that gives a lovely 1600C fine point flame that is lovely to use BUT it cuts out after about 3 minutes and has to cool down again (v tedious). another one i tried gives a very diffuse flame and is just not hot enough. So my question is.... what do you use? given that i dont like carting around masses of heavy kit and i cant transport big gas cylinders (or an oxy-acetylene rig) i am mainly looking at hand held blowtorches or something that runs off small gas bottles. cheers Dave

Im with Kim on this. I use colour on cartoon-pieces (kids favorites like gruffalos etc). Other than that i just use oil I do use a blowtorch tho to scorch the wood. The advantage of this is that you can bring out details that might be missed with out the contrast of the scorching and, if you make a mistake and scorch the wrong bit you can remove it with a quick swipe of the angle grinder/sander there is an alternative using vinegar (not malted). get a jam jar or similar. half fill with vinegar. add 1 nail or a bit of wire-wool and leave for a few days. there is a chemical reaction that rapidly oxidises the metal (releases hydrogen gas to leave the jar with the lip placed on but NOT tightened in a shed or something). You then paint this solution onto the areas of wood that you want to darken and slowly it will begin to darken. Add a few more coats and you will get a nice dark effect BUT this only works with wood that has a high enough tannin content. For other woods paint the area with a strong tea solution first, let it dry and then paint on the vinegar/metal solution. Have tried it myself and found its fine but sloe. Blowtorch is immediate and you can control where the scorching is. Oil is better than varnish as it penetrates nicely and can be easily re-applyed. Varnish will crack and you will need to sand it down and re-apply or the protection will be negated. I use either boiled linseed oil or Ronseal decking protector (it has a wax dissolved in it that gives a nice finish). both expensive but worth it Im now gonna start a new thread about blowtorches 'cos mine is a pain and i wonder what everyone else uses Main advice would be... try things, see what you like. Some people like the painted effect so dont feel it is anathema to carvers, its just a matter of personal choice enjoy carving

Definitely a good idea to get the basic saw-ticket, just to make sure you know the maintenance (plus you need it for shows and to work on other peoples land) then I would suggest watch a few videos and then get a lump of wood and start cutting. Im (like the big man Hamish) self taught and learning by your own mistakes is a great way to do it. Get all the PPE tho, i find its best to avoid teh mistakes that involve loss of body-parts The people on here are v friendly and helpful and so you can get plenty of advice/

like that, good proportions and an excellent pose

I like the idea of an owl pointing to the bird hide if this is your idea of 'mistakes along the way' then you cant moan too much! each mistake you learn from is worth making

fealt he same ;ast year Friargorse. had a chance to carve at Carrbridge but i bottled out (was a last minute invite) as i hadn't been carving long and hand't even seen anyone else carve, never ind seen a competition. I regret it, i should have entered and certainly will this year. Have contacted woodfest but nto had a reply yet, they dont seem to do novice entrants but have asked if they would consider it. if i get a reply i will pass it along

Do let me know if you ever do Simon, i would be down like a shot!

cheers chaps i had already recommended makita over bosch or any other 'lectric cutters. he has placed his order and hopefully will remember the oil this time, and to only run it a couple of minutes then give it a wee rest to cool down!

Hi Peeps My father (in his late 70s now) needs a new electric saw. dosnt use it extensively but it does get some use cutting logs for firewood. do any of you have any suggestions as to what would be a decent reliable saw. he tried a ryobi (didnt ask me) and it died. tried some other make, no idea what, and it dies too. both within about 1.5 years of purchase cheers

what do you use to do the eyes Thomas?

v true Si I am constantly surprised at what is popular and what isnt. I thought my angle carving would attract a lot of interest and the daemon was less-good. I currently have 4 daemons on order! between them they more than pay for my new saw too

love these, gonna have a go when i get some time