Jmzey

Its been a while since my last post, for some reason the app on my phone just wont work and have only just got access back to my desktop - Arg. But aye, was lucky enough to pick up my first commercial commission just before Christmas - The guys at Airspace East Kilbride asked me to carve a 5ft christmas tree to display in their main lobby.. This was by far my largest carve to date and was great fun. Its carved from some massive Lawson's Cypress we felled back in summer - A beautiful wood to work with - nice smell and a lovely grain. Was also my first proper try-out of the 20" Sugihara Q-Tip bar I got from Rob. This was for my Huskie 560xp, which i've read is pretty overpowered as far as carving goes, but I absolutely love it. I'm certainly no expert on saws or carving set-ups so been using it pretty carefully - not wanting to cause ridiculous wear on the sprocket or the bar. However, its all but replaced a standard bar for the blocking out process, being able to comfortably use the tip for more intricate areas is brilliant, I got pretty much this whole piece finished with it, a lot faster than I expected to. I did learn pretty quickly to keep a closer eye on both chain tension, and how much of the cutter heels I ground off, as i found it heating up quite quickly initially. What do you guys use as mid-range saws? looking to add something with a 14-16" bar to my arsenal! Any feedback or advice welcome as always! Cheers,

Saw both of you carving away there. Outstanding work lads. It was the first time ive been to watch a full carving comp.. Was mega impressed.. Eye opening seeing everyone's different workflows and styles also. Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Its hard enough to draw from poor quality ref, let alone render forms in 3d. Some skill ma man! Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

The spalted wood makes brilliant cammo. Excellent stuff.. Although... Since its a land rover shouldn't it come complete with an open bonnet and a puzzled mechanic?!!! Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Incredible work... Must be very hard to do without a load of HD ref photos from various angles! Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Thanks for the kind words all. Its gone pretty weird after oiling - not sure if this is the precursory stage of rot or not? Any ideas. Moony - quality mushrooms mate! Love the chunky forms, you gunna sand/oil them or keeping a more rustic look? Ian - thanks for the advice! Yes its my intention to achieve as much as i can with the saw alone! Ive only been using chainsaws for 8 months so im hoping my saw control will improve through tree work and through carving and benefit both. The ms211 is just so light and easy to fling about id be daft not to make the most of the speedy stock removal eh! Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

Hi all, Ive been watching this forum from the shadows for a little while now, so thought id sign up! Decided to give chainsaw carving a bash a couple of months ago and have been absolutely loving it! This is my third carve and my most challenging to date! Used a big chunk of waste Lime that has been lying about the yard of the company i work with for ages. (Have more pics but not sure how to add more than one!) I used my "trusty" husky 560 to block it out, refined with an ms211 with a sugi dime tip, then pulled most of the details with a file belt sander, saburrtooth grinder wheel and finally a lick with the Dremel. Im no expert on timber but am under no illusion that greenwood lime is durable and this will rot away pretty quickly ... although i used wood preserver and then some teak/tung oil to give atleast some protection Wondering if anyone can give any criticisms on this carve, and also any advice on what preservatives, oils stains etc people use to protect and preserve carvings they intend to sell. Cheers, James