dervishcarving

you know,. when i read the subject title i was concerned, i have never looked at my Hysqvarna's but... i didnt even know she had one! i have a husky and a stihl, both have good points and bad points. i love the power of the 440 but i love the ease-of-starting of the 181

No idea Guss (you are based neer me by the way, im in Portlethen). Im doing the training with Phil Dunford down in north wales (Im from down there and have to go there for a few days so figured ... 2 birds, 1 stone). Will be somebody based down there. As I dont have any publications or such (as i said, im coming form being a carver not somebody entering the Arborial-industry) I dunno what i should have. Im sure I can buy anything i need off Phil, he seems like a good man. Im quite happy to make as many cuts as needed (boring or exciting:) ), I will spend most of my time down in wales carvign so i will be most definitely in 'cutting mode' Thanks for the comments everyone, Im a scientist who also carves so i hold you proper wood-cutters slightly in awe

I was going to suggest Mick, having spoken to him earlier this year, but he has given up all instructing now. The only active carving-instructor i know is Simon

Hi all I am doing my basic mainatainance/cross-cutting course end of the week plus the CS30 assessment. can anyone give me an idea of what happens on the assessment? Im doing it so ic an carve on forestry commission land so i am not coming from an arborist-background so I have no idea what to expect Cheers D

lovely fell there

I think Tom is considering becoming a carving-instructor and is asking for advice on what qualifications might be needed

i would suggest you Simon

where in the NW?

I meant to ask u Tom, do you have to clear up the shavings etc when you leave a show?

So i have had a few people asking me about carving a dolphin-type thing for them (after the dolphin i carved back in march) so i thought that rather than just make more carvings the same i would try some other ideas. This idea was for a pair of dolphins entwined. Partly i liked the idea but also i thought it would be a good training exercise as its definitely a complex shape, figuring out where one ends and the other begins. I had a nice lump of oak which had a side branch which, when i removed it, turned out to be hollow. Unfortunately the rot from teh branch had penetrated the trunk right through where i wanted to carve Ho hum, i changed teh balance slightly to avoid the worst of it but it did mean i couldn't carve any tail-details. Today i learn't a good lesson, wood that might appear sound can have defects and, if you don't notice them early enough, they can spoil a carving. I think it came out ok but 'could be better' All carved with a couple of chainsaws before sanding

Lovely Bowl. I am using a pole lather but only for shaping chair/stool legs. How do you change it to allow bowl-carving? I would love to have a go at that

Aye, thanks

the left-most of the two together is splendid, very Tolkein_esque if im bored and i have a little spare time and soem wood lying about, i carve a shroom. Im building up a nice little Forrest of them and once i have enough I'm going to plant them in the local woods For no reason other than it will amuse me. Keep up the carving

agree on the whole 'talking to loads of people knackers you out' thing. I regularly do open days for work or training days for SCUBA (Im a SCUBA instructor in my, increasingly limited, spare time). I cant help thinking a joint display between 2 carvers or a carver and another wood-shaping related person would be the best approach. Ok, so there are possibilities for disagreements on who-gets-the-business but for those of us who don't do this as a full-time job this shouldn't be a problem

totally inspiring Canoehead, totally

the tower is splendid mate

apparently to make the stain even darker you can increase the tannin level in teh wood by painting on a strong cup of tea first (I'm not joking) and let that dry THEN paint on the Iron-solution. not tried it myself tho.... anyone tried this? im tempted to try it on a piece of spare wood but its pishing down

rusty wood good tip Tom only downsides i can see are 1- does it soak into the grain? along the grain? im wondering if it lets you get details (like spots) 2- Does it leave everything smelling like a fish supper? 3- will it work on all woods? I know it will work on wood with a high tannin content (i think its called 'ebonising') but is that all woods? the alternative i think would be to buy iron sulphate (also called ferrous sulphate) and make a solution of tat in water and paint that on, will have the same effect. oh..teh gas it gives off will be Hydrogen, so don't leave it close to a flame

thats a heck of a lot of sanding to get from that HUGE trunk down to 2 tea-light holders! lovely end result tho

Mate, ignore the negative people. Most of the Carving i have done have been pro-bono, free work. For community spaces or children's-education stuff. i have heard a few people say 'why you doing that if they aren't paying you?'.... money is NOT the only reason to do anything. For me carving is a hobby that sometimes brings in a few quid. Doing free work is good for the soul and I admire anyone who does it. now...can i have a free deer?

Thats a lovely piece of work

might have to try get a pair. for now i have a pair of muffs built into my helmet and wear in-ear earphones playing music whilst i carve

how cheep is 'bargain'? Im quite happy with my current saws but always consider an addition to the stable

yus, got there eventually looks like 5/32 files see...this is why this forum is handy! i would have bought a big fat file and discover it was WAy too big

might help the discussion a bit. Im maybe confused which is why im askin for advice