Mike,
I'm not a carver but if I elect to do so in the future on some of the furniture I'm planning on building, you tutorial will be an immense help!
Contributor
Mike,
I'm not a carver but if I elect to do so in the future on some of the furniture I'm planning on building, you tutorial will be an immense help!
Ken
So much to learn, so little time.....
In Memoriam
Thanks Mike
I've got to file this away for later after I get some other projects done but I've got a question on the carving tool sizes. I currently dont have any so sizing a carving to the tool isn't really an option. So for example if I wanted to locate one on the center of something and pencilled in a circle or two until I found a size that looked right, is there an on-line chart or formula somewhere that I could use to determine which gouges I would need to get for that size? Something that converts a circle radius to a carving tool sweep?
TIA
Use the fence Luke
Member
Well, I got a few chisels "sharp" and I've got the inner circle done and about halfway around the outer circle (using a scrap of cherry). Hope to finish it & post a photo Friday or Saturday. What is the reason for not using a mallet around the inner circle? Also, do you know if Two Cherries chisels are marked the same way as the Pfeil chisels?
Member
Newbe here. Excellent tutorial, Thanks Mike. I've been carving on and off for a few years and am still a novice in training. My biggest problem is drawing and visualizing the carving on the wood. I can trace and follow a pattern transferred to wood such as relief carvings but visualizing a carving in 3D I find very difficult and become frustrated. If you can post tutorials or tips would be great.
Again thanks!
Moderator
I will probably start work on it this weekend. I think each student should keep his/her progress pictures in one post, this way the details of each participant stays in one place. You can edit your post after the initial message to add more in progress pictures and text. This I guess will be my message
The means by which an end is reached must exemplify the value of the end itself.
Contributor
Mike,
I have read your recomendations about what tools to get, and I am in the process of trying to find some Pfeils or maybe Ashley Isle (or something in that vein). But which ones would you recomend for this project?
Thanks
[OP]
Contributor
By "which ones" I assume you mean "which brands?" All of the name brand carving tools are good - I don't find any significant difference in the steel. There are differences in the overall tools - the handle, the thickness of the steel, and probably other things, but they're minor issues.Originally Posted by Jacob Mac
As I discussed in an earlier posting, there are two systems for sizing carving tools - the Sheffield system and the Swiss system. You're going to have to choose between them eventually - it's difficult to mix the two systems. I chose the Swiss system for my use and that's why I have a lot of Pfeil (Swiss made) tools.
If you have the ability to handle, or better yet, to use, some different tools, that will help you make your decision.
But you won't go wrong with any major brand.
Mike
[If your question is "which sizes?", I tried to explain that in the tutorial. If you have a store near you, draw your flower and take the panel to the store with you and fit the tools to the drawing. Alternately, get some tools and draw your circles to fit your tools.]
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
When the gouge is pushed into the wood, it displaces the wood (pushes it apart). The center button is so small that what can happen (it's happened to a number of my students) is that the button pops off - the whole button gets pushed to the side and it breaks off. It can be repaired fairly easily with white glue but it takes 30 minutes or so for the glue to harden enough to go back to carving.
The smaller you make the center, the more likely that is to happen.
You can use a mallet for that cut if you're careful and don't hit too hard. But I often find that beginners don't know how hard to hit and they wallop the gouge - and break the button. So I just recommend to not use a mallet for that cut.
If you want to see this, use a mallet fairly hard and see if your button pops off. You can repair it easily if it does break (use a clamp - don't just press it back in place). This is a learning project so you should seek mistakes as well as good techniques.
Mike
[I don't have any Two Cherries carving tools but see here. It looks to me like they use the Sheffield system.]
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 10-30-2008 at 1:58 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
Dino - I'm not a 3D carver. All I do it carving for furniture, which is mostly relief carving. I also have zero artistic talent which means that I stick to geometric designs.
So I'm afraid I can't offer you any advice. You could probably teach us.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
I see charts of sweeps of carving tools but I don't know if they are actual sizes, especially when displayed on a computer monitor. The absolute best thing to do is to take your design to the store and fit the carving tools to your drawing. Put your design on the wood and take that to the store. Every store I've ever bought from will let you take the tools and match them to your work.
Once you get a few tools, you'll find that you're missing a tool between two of your existing tools. You can usually buy with confidence without trying the fit in those cases.
Your suggestion of a formula for converting the radius to a sweep is good but I don't know of anything. Note that a sweep number, like a #7 sweep, is not a constant radius. That is, a #7/5 has a different radius than a #7/20.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Moderator
Mike, your instructions say the lines between the petals should be defined/cut by a V-tool. But looking at the pictures it almost seems like they were drawn by a streight chisel held vertically, I don't see a slope on the edges of the petals.
The means by which an end is reached must exemplify the value of the end itself.
Member
Mike,
Well, here it is (lots of room for improvement). Suggestions welcomed. A couple things I had trouble with:
1. The v-tool- had a heck of a time with this. Shallow grooves are ok, but it is really difficult to get them deeper. Any ideas?
2. Skipping- mostly with the v-tool and tapering the petals with the gouge. The tool would want to skip and I'm surprised I didn't take the center out.
[OP]
Contributor
The line between the petals is indeed laid in with the V-tool, Zahid. But remember that at the outside of the petals we cut the curve with a curved gouge and we cut directly downwards. So on the outer part of the separation between petals, the cut is directly downwards - but when you get further in, the cut is a V-cut. You should use a small flat gouge to make the transition between the directly downwards cut on the outside and the V-cut towards the inside. I use a #2/5.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
[OP]
Contributor
The most common reason for the problems you're describing is that the tools are not sharp. It could be the wood, but if you're using basswood, I'd suspect the tools. [Update - it looks like you're using maybe cherry. Cherry is a bit more difficult to carve than basswood so that could be the reason. But check the sharpness of your tools.]
Sharpening the V-tool is especially difficult for beginners, which is why hands-on teaching is so much better. When I have a student having problems with the V-tool, I let them use one of mine so they can see what a sharp V-tool cuts like. I also help them sharpen theirs.
I can't be absolutely sure your problem is lack of sharpness, but that's my best guess without being able to see and handle your tools.
Mike
[That's not bad for a first attempt. It's a bit hard to see the details in your picture so I can't give any specific suggestions. You might try another picture with better lighting and make it as big as you possibly can so the details can be seen.]
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 11-01-2008 at 8:16 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
I am on my 2nd flower as the first though nice It wasn't like yours. I seem to have a bit of trouble on the "V" tool. When I make the petal separation cut to the 1/4" depth of the flower, the top of the cut is 1/4" apart on the surface edge. From your photos it appears to be 1/8" between petals. I am sure that I need to have a more natural, optically pleasing look, not the 1/4" between petals. What did I do wrong? I understood from the instruction that I was to make the entire depth of cut with several strokes using only the "V" tool. Did I misunderstand?
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