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Mike Henderson
10-28-2008, 6:18 PM
Let me make a few preliminary comments before starting the tutorial. When you carve an object, you're not trying to make a photographic reproduction of it - you're trying to "represent" the object, which means that you need to decide what the important aspects of the object are and make sure those are included in the carving.

People see objects in clouds. The shape of clouds is just random, so why do people see objects in clouds? The human mind is a wonderful shape matching device - so if the clouds have a shape that is even close to some object that you've seen before, the mind matches to that object and you see the resemblance.

When we carve, we take advantage of that aspect of the human mind - we don't try to carve every aspect of an object, but only the "important" aspects of that object. If we select well, other people will see the object in our carving.

So with our flower. The "flower" we're going to carve probably doesn't exist in nature, but someone looking at it will say that it's a flower.

The other point I'd like to make is that your carving can vary quite a bit and it'll still look good. I'm going to give you some tools and dimensions but you should feel free to adapt my recommendations to your tools, needs, and taste.

++++++ Tutorial ++++++

I'm going to use a piece of basswood. I have a piece here that has some defects in it, so I'm going to use half of it for this project. The piece is 12" by 5 1/2" so I'm going to work with a 6" by 5 1/2" work area.

CLAMP YOUR WORK!!! I don't show the clamp in these pictures but the work is always clamped, as yours should be. NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, work on a loose piece of wood - you'll eventually wind up in the ER with a gouge through your hand.
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What I did was draw two circles that I though would look good for a flower. The outer circle has a radius of 1 7/8" and the inner has a radius of 3/8". I just drew these without measuring. Then I measured the radius and adjusted it to an even fraction - that's why you see two circles in the picture.

For your flower, you may want to go larger or smaller, especially to match the gouges you have. I'll talk more about that later.
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I now need to find a gouge that matches the inner circle. With my tools, the best match was a #7/14 gouge. Note, however that this gouge is a Henry Taylor and not a Pfeil, and I've marked the Henry Taylor (which normally is a Sheffield system gouge) with the Swiss system equivalent. What you need to do is find a gouge that matches your inner circle. You can adjust the circle to fit your gouge.
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Cut downward around the inner circle. Do not use a mallet at this time - just use hand pressure. Then use your #2/5 gouge to cut inward to your circular cut, as shown in the picture.
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You can use your #7/14 to make those inward cuts, but it's easier with the small gouge. But once you get the initial trim made, switch to the #7/14 and cut downward and inward until the center circle is sticking up about 1/4".
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Mike Henderson
10-28-2008, 6:33 PM
Now we need to find a gouge that matches the curvature of the outside circle. With my tools, that was a #3/20. You can adjust the size of that circle to match your tools - just don't make it too large or too small. The #3/12 I recommended earlier was close - with a small adjustment to the outer circle, that gouge would have worked.
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Outline the outer circle with your #3/20. Here, you can use a mallet on the gouge - just don't go crazy with it. Once you've made the downward cut, use the #7/14 to cut inward. When you cut inward, make your cuts towards the center of the circles. You're going to leave those tool marks so you want them to look good. Also, space the cuts so they show up well.
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Keep cutting downward and inward until you've cut downward about 1/4". There's nothing magic about 1/4" and if you cut more or less you're going to be okay.
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Now, use your #7/14 to cut between the two circles, tapering the cut between them. So on the outside circle, the height should be the original height. Next to the inner circle, the height should be down about 1/4"
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This step is optional, but if you want to, you can use the #3/20 to smooth out the marks from your previous cuts.
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Mike Henderson
10-28-2008, 6:51 PM
Our next step is to layout the flower petals. The first question is "How many petals should we put in?" For a small number of repeated elements, an odd number looks better than an even number. I'm going to use five because it's odd and it's not so many that the carving gets tedious. You can use seven if you want.

Next question: "How should the petals be laid out?" Since we're using an odd number, I use a full petal at the top. So I put a mark at the bottom of my flower, on the outer circle. Then I use a set of dividers to find five even divisions of the outer circle. When I find the divisions, I put a mark at each landing site of the dividers.
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Then draw a line from each of those marks towards the center. Don't take your line all the way to the center. Sometimes it's hard to get rid of the marks where they meet the inner circle so just don't mark that.
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Using your V-tool, cut along the lines. Don't dry to make the cut all in one pass. Make a light cut and come back to deepen the cut.
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After that, we'll round the ends of the petals with the #7/14. Align the edges of the gouge with the side and ends of the petals and push downward hard. This will give you the cuts shown in the picture.
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Use your #2/5 to clean up the cuts.
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Mike Henderson
10-28-2008, 7:04 PM
Once you trim all the ends of the petals, your flower should look like this.
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Now we want to dome over the center circle. It's important you make the cuts correctly or you'll split the wood. Since the grain runs horizontally, you need to make your cuts as shown by the arrows in the picture below. If you get confused and make a cut opposite the arrows, you'll know it.
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Use your #3/20 to make the cuts. I use the gouge reversed, with the curve of the gouge downward. This picture shows half the dome cut.
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When you finish doming the center, it should look something like this.
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Next we're going to crosshatch the center dome. You can do it in any direction but I find that it's easier if all the cuts are about the same referenced to the grain. So I make the cuts at 45* to the grain direction.

Also, it's hard to make the cut all the way across the dome in one cut, so I start in the center and cut downwards to one side, as shown in the picture.
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Mike Henderson
10-28-2008, 7:16 PM
To complete the cut, go back to the center and cut down the other side.
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Do the same with cuts spaced evenly across the dome.
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Then do exactly the same cuts perpendicular to the first set of cuts. This gives you the crosshatching in the center.
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I don't have a picture of the next step but what you want to do is slightly "hollow" each petal just a little bit. I actually did that earlier, before I domed the center, but it's better to do it here. If you slip while doming the center and mark a petal, you get a chance to remove that mark with this step. Even though I have pretty good tool control, it would have been safer for me to do the "hollowing" step here than where I did it.

Once you have the petals hollow a bit, you can sand them - I use P150 grit sandpaper. If you like tool marks, you can skip this step, but for beginners I always recommend sanding because it removes some of the roughness that always creeps in. Try it both ways and see what you like.
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After sanding this is what it should look like.
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Mike Henderson
10-28-2008, 7:20 PM
The final step is to put the decorative lines on the petals with the V-tool. Try to do them in one cut - that is, don't restart your cut because it'll show. Also, try to space the ends of the cuts evenly as they meet the center circle. You do not want them to all come together in a point.
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That's all there is to it. Let's see your flower.

If there's something I didn't explain clearly, please post a question and I'll try to expand on it.

Good luck and good carving!

Mike

Jacob Mac
10-28-2008, 10:17 PM
That is a great tutorial. I am just starting to learn about carving, and this helped immensely. Thanks a lot.

Julian Barr
10-29-2008, 1:31 AM
You said, "It's important you make the cuts correctly or you'll split the wood. Since the grain runs horizontally, you need to make your cuts as shown by the arrows in the picture below. If you get confused and make a cut opposite the arrows, you'll know it."

How do you know which way to draw the arrows?

Julian

- Art is long, life is short...

Mike Henderson
10-29-2008, 1:59 AM
You said, "It's important you make the cuts correctly or you'll split the wood. Since the grain runs horizontally, you need to make your cuts as shown by the arrows in the picture below. If you get confused and make a cut opposite the arrows, you'll know it."

How do you know which way to draw the arrows?

Julian

- Art is long, life is short...
The best way to understand it is to make a button like the one in the flower in scrap and try cutting both ways.

The grain is running horizontal and you're going to cut downward. If you cut opposite to the arrows, your gouge will be going into the grain of the wood and it will try to follow the grain. The wood will split and the side of the button will break off if you're making a heavy cut. You can glue it back on with white glue. I use white glue because it doesn't dry hard. If you use CA glue, it dries pretty hard and you can damage the edge of the gouge when you go to cut it again.

The way you learn that stuff is to do it wrong a couple of times. After you break the button a couple of times, you start to get a feeling for the direction of the grain of the wood and what it feels like to cut the wrong way. When you don't know what's the correct direction, you should make a light cut. If you're going the wrong way, you'll break off a piece of wood but it won't be enough to cause problems. Then reverse your cut and see how it cuts that way. Continue cutting in the direction that "works".

You'll run into this same problem on some other projects that I may offer if there's interest. You need to learn how to read your cuts and when you're cutting the wrong way. Experience is the best teacher. Try it both ways and you'll learn more.

Mike

[You always want to cut "down grain" and never "up grain". You'll see what those terms mean when you make a few cuts. Sorry I can't explain it better - I could show you easily on some scrap.]

Phillip Bogle
10-29-2008, 3:32 AM
I had plans and built a bracing table. Do you recommend using a clamp instead of the table? I am not a particular fan of the bracing table, but I want to do things right.

At some point do you cut the flower free for mounting on an object?

Charlie Schultz
10-29-2008, 7:11 AM
As a follow-on to Phillip's second question, what is the recommended thickness of the blank? I guess for practice, it doesn't matter, but if you were going to mount it on something, how thin a blank would you start with?

Chuck Saunders
10-29-2008, 8:23 AM
Excellent Mike, thanks!

Mike Henderson
10-29-2008, 10:32 AM
I had plans and built a bracing table. Do you recommend using a clamp instead of the table? I am not a particular fan of the bracing table, but I want to do things right.

At some point do you cut the flower free for mounting on an object?
I'm not exactly sure what you mean by a "bracing table". I've seen carvers use two boards at right angles and always carve into that corner. I don't like that because you have to keep moving your work to keep your cuts into that corner.

I've also seen benches where a wedge is used to "jam" the work. Those work fine. I'd consider the work "clamped". Anything that will hold the work securely.

The carving, as I've done it, is not intended to be applied - it's intended that you would do this carving directly on the furniture. I have some other projects that are intended to be applied so I'll discuss the issues there. But basically, you don't carve "in the solid" if you want to apply the carving.

For now, since this is a learning project, assume that this flower is going to be carved directly on to your furniture project. I'll discuss applied carving later.

Mike

Mike Henderson
10-29-2008, 10:35 AM
As a follow-on to Phillip's second question, what is the recommended thickness of the blank? I guess for practice, it doesn't matter, but if you were going to mount it on something, how thin a blank would you start with?
I'll discuss those considerations in a later tutorial, Charlie. For now, assume your flower is carved directly onto your furniture.

Mike

Mike Henderson
10-29-2008, 5:24 PM
We had four people who signed up to carve the flower and show their work. But if anyone else decides to carve it, please post a picture of your work. I think it will encourage others to see people doing the carving.

Mike

Ken Fitzgerald
10-30-2008, 1:16 AM
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!

Doug Shepard
10-30-2008, 5:43 AM
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

Charlie Schultz
10-30-2008, 6:35 AM
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?

dino parato
10-30-2008, 9:27 AM
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!

Zahid Naqvi
10-30-2008, 9:44 AM
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

Jacob Mac
10-30-2008, 1:33 PM
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

Mike Henderson
10-30-2008, 1:45 PM
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
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.

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.]

Mike Henderson
10-30-2008, 1:54 PM
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?
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 her (http://www.diefenbacher.com/Sweeps.htm)e. It looks to me like they use the Sheffield system.]

Mike Henderson
10-30-2008, 2:02 PM
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!
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

Mike Henderson
10-30-2008, 2:10 PM
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
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

Zahid Naqvi
11-01-2008, 1:19 PM
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.

Charlie Schultz
11-01-2008, 2:05 PM
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.

Mike Henderson
11-01-2008, 4:39 PM
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 straight chisel held vertically, I don't see a slope on the edges of the petals.
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

Mike Henderson
11-01-2008, 4:43 PM
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.
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.]

Phillip Bogle
11-01-2008, 5:18 PM
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?

Mike Henderson
11-01-2008, 6:35 PM
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?
You may be making the V-cut too deep. Remember that your prior step is to shape the overall flower from the outside to the center bump, where it is about 1/4" lower. That doesn't mean you are going to make your V-cut 1/4" deep. Your V-cut only needs to be deep enough that it shows the separation between petals - you need to decide how deep that is.

Did that answer your question? Maybe one of the other carvers can jump in if I'm not explaining it well.

Mike

Zahid Naqvi
11-01-2008, 9:14 PM
Ok, here's mine.

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I realized after the picture that side lighting doesn't show the slopes of a V cut very well. I just deepened the cut with a V-tool and they looked good with a side lighting. Although the cut are relatively shallow.

Mike, I was reading an article from the FWW CD written by Nora Hall, she had a tutorial on the same flower. She didn't have a step by step like yours, but she had an interesting method of separating the petals from the outer circle. It looked rather interesting so I copied that. I didn't sand the final shape, I kinda like the chisel marks, plus I figured I got all the learning I need out of it anyway.

I agree with Mike about the depth of the separation V-cuts. They don't look as deep when seen from naked eye but if you take a picture with side lighting they look quite good. I think mine are about 1/16 if not less.

Mike Henderson
11-01-2008, 9:21 PM
Looks good, Zahid. You did the absolute right thing and made your flower "yours". My tutorial should only be used as a guideline to help you carve your vision.

Mike

Phillip Bogle
11-02-2008, 2:51 AM
I hope the photos upload correctly as this is my first time doing this. These are my first and second attempts. The first is in Basswood. The second is in Pacific Yew. I like the cleaner cuts in the Yew but I think the grain actually distracts from the carving. In a couple of spots the grain and the cuts make the shape look distorted. I think the yew is the better of the two. I did not cut as deep between the petals on the 2nd flower. I misinterpreted the photo in the original lesson photos.

I really do not like the rough edges on the flower. On the first one I undercut the petal edges to compensate. I do not own any rifflers but if I continue carving I am getting a set. I like the look of the carving marks the best but on the yew adding the carve marks and the grain only makes the carving too confusing to look at.

Any tips?

Mike Henderson
11-02-2008, 11:40 AM
Your work looks good, Phillip. The pictures are a bit small, however. If you have a way to make them about 800 dpi and still keep them within the size limitations, we'll be able to see them better.

Regarding rifflers - the problem I have with them is that they're either to coarse or too fine. The coarse ones will really hack up your work - you almost have to come back with sandpaper after you use them. And the fine are just too slow. If you find some good ones that work for you, let me know.

Congratulations.

Mike

Charlie Schultz
11-02-2008, 12:38 PM
Hmm, I thought we were cutting all the way down (1/4" at the outside) with the v-tool too.

Mike Henderson
11-02-2008, 1:17 PM
Hmm, I thought we were cutting all the way down (1/4" at the outside) with the v-tool too.
Thanks for posting that. I'll have to make sure that I do a better job of explaining the next time I do the tutorial. I don't think I can edit my earlier posting so I can't go back and correct it here.

Mike

Eric Leitner
11-02-2008, 1:31 PM
Mike, this tutorial is so well written, I think even I can do it. I havent tried carving before and I am looking forward to it. Going to order my chisels tomorrow, so it may take a week or two but I will definitely update when I do.
Thanks for taking the time to present this so well.
Eric

Charlie Schultz
11-02-2008, 3:27 PM
Hi Mike,
Here's another photo- I can't get more resolution w/o exceeding the 108kb limit (and yes, it is cherry).

Zahid Naqvi
11-02-2008, 9:39 PM
Thanks for posting that. I'll have to make sure that I do a better job of explaining the next time I do the tutorial. I don't think I can edit my earlier posting so I can't go back and correct it here.

Mike

Mike, if you are on SMc and logged-in you should be able to see an EDIT option just below your messages, in case you want to go back and change any text of the original posts. I think verbally you did a very good job, most of us are not used to seeing pictures of carving that may have caused some confusion about depth of lines etc.

Mike Henderson
11-02-2008, 9:42 PM
Mike, if you are on SMc and logged-in you should be able to see an EDIT option just below your messages, in case you want to go back and change any text of the original posts. I think verbally you did a very good job, most of us are not used to seeing pictures of carving that may have caused some confusion about depth of lines etc.
SMC has a timer on the ability to edit a post - I think it 48 hours or something like that. The posts I made for the tutorial, proper, have exceeded that time so the "edit" option is no longer available to me. That's what I was referring to.

Mike

Phillip Bogle
11-03-2008, 1:40 PM
I got to looking on the catalog and I was wondering if my "V" tool is wider or the broader angle than you might have been using? I noticed that there are 60 and 45 degree - so that the cut when made to the total depth of the tool is wider on one tool than the other tool.

I am unsure of systems but I am using all Henry Taylor tools. I was noticing that the gouges had some of the same sort of challenges. A 1/4" #9 Henry Taylor was not the same as a 1/4" #11 even though they are the same "size" the shape allows a deeper cut with an 11 than the 9.

I did notice there is a very important relationship for sharp edges and grain. I still no matter what, can not get tired of the feel of cutting wood with a sharp carving tool. I love the feel of a well sharpened turning tool cutting a ribbon of wood. Even feeling the smooth edge of a cut from a saw. Odd how the "feel" gets addicting. I wasn't totally happy with the flowers I made but I feel compelled to work harder until I perfect them -- which I know I never will.

I feel like I am half a step away from a 12 step program.:eek:

Gord Pat
11-03-2008, 5:58 PM
Phillip, the Taylor woodcarving parting tools(which are my preference too (G)) or "V" tools as they are also called can be 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees. Just to confuse and force the carver to buy many more tools.(G)

#9's are gouges and #11's are generally called veiners, which have a higher side wall than the #9's.

Hope this helps.

Doug Mason
11-04-2008, 12:23 AM
here it is..my first time posting an image on SMC.........

Mike Henderson
11-04-2008, 12:56 AM
here it is..my first time posting an image on SMC.........
VERY nice! I like the way you did the scallops on the petals. Good idea - I'm going to use that in the future.

I don't know if you intended this or not, but I notice that your petals are of different width. That's quite okay because that's the way nature is.

Mike

DEBRA BOEHMER
11-10-2008, 11:38 PM
That is a nice flower.
Thank you so much for sharing this information.

Mike Henderson
11-11-2008, 6:59 PM
There's one more thing you can do with the flower, and that's to add some shape to the petals, as shown in the picture below. I used my V-tool to make a downward cut, then smoothed the curve with a #2/12 (if I remember correctly).

Mike

Chuck Jones
03-30-2009, 11:34 PM
Late or not I'm going to post this anyway. If Mike can put that much effort into a tutorial, least I can do is prove that I used it.

Actually, "using it" requires explanation. My internet connection is in my house and my workshop is almost a quarter mile away. I don't have internet connection there. It wouldn't print legibly (without more effort than I wanted to put into it). So I read the tutorial last night and tried to remember it today when I was at the shop. HA! Fat chance at my age. But it was a good opportunity to get familiar with my new knives.

This is carved in butternut. The wood seemed to work pretty good (as if I'd know), but certainly not easy to photograph.

Thanks Mike.

Mike Henderson
03-30-2009, 11:59 PM
That's an excellent first effort, Chuck. I doubt if my first effort was as good. You'll find that as you go along and do more flowers, you'll develop your own style - your sense of what looks right and good. Just go with that and the carving steps will become automatic for you.

Congratulations!

Mike

Mark Maleski
05-10-2009, 8:58 PM
Here are my first two attempts at this. The one on the left was my first attempt, and I really didn't follow instructions...was just amusing myself with the novelty of carving. It was not a serious attempt. For the second one, on the right, I took a more methodical approach and am fairly pleased with the initial results. A few things I don't like:
- Edges of the petals are rough
- I had difficulty doming the center and didn't end up with an even result
- Grooves in the center are not clean/consistent

But still, fairly happy so far. I'm planning to carve several more before moving onto the fan. I would welcome some constructive criticism.

Mike Henderson
05-10-2009, 9:24 PM
Not bad at all for first tries. For the center, if you have problems doming it with the carving tools, use some coarse sandpaper to dome it.

And if you have problems cutting the grooves on the dome, use a small nail set and make a bunch of holes in the dome. It actually looks more like a flower than the grooves, but the grooves are faster.

Congratulations!

Mike

Cody Colston
05-10-2009, 11:48 PM
Mike,

I've read that one should never sand a carving until finished with the carving part as the sandpaper grit will lodge in the wood pores and dull the carving tools quickly. I do it anyway and just blow the piece off well with compressed air before resuming carving after sanding. I haven't really noticed any premature dulling of my tools but then, I'm not that much "in tune" with them yet.

What are your thoughts on the issue?

Mike Henderson
05-11-2009, 12:11 AM
Yeah, I've read the same thing. But when you think you've finished the carving - and maybe sanded a few parts - then decide you want to change the look, you just go ahead and carve. If the tools dull, you just sharpen them.

But I never noticed that my tools dulled really fast if I carved after sanding. I think it's more of a theoretical thing.

Mike

Brian George
06-05-2009, 10:17 AM
It's amazing how simple you make it look. Obviously, simpler than I ever thought. I have some basswood that I got from an Amish sawmill about 5 years ago. I'm going out to the shop and try the flower. Thanks so much for the GREAT tutorial...

Doug Duffield
07-06-2009, 9:48 PM
I'm new to this forum, and I've got to thank Mike for his tutorials. After going through them, I had to try the simple flower. Mike, you said,"Let's see your flower," so I'm posting my first attempt at the flower. I got the carving bug after I took a chip carving class, and it rapidly spread to relief carving. I really love doing this.

Oh, well, the photo - (I'm not real good at photos!)

Mike Henderson
07-06-2009, 10:03 PM
Looks very good, Doug. You're a natural. Keep up the good work.

Mike

Doug Duffield
07-08-2009, 5:18 PM
After viewing your web site, your comments mean a lot to me. Thanks for your tutorials. It takes quite a bit of time to put them together. I'm anxious to see the next series.

Doug

Dewald van Lamp
08-06-2009, 3:00 PM
This is a great thread.

I have just acquired a 2nd hand carving set of chisels and I'm going to try them out once I've sharpened them. These are Marples, so prolly not the best there is, but it's what I've got...

Thank you...

:)

Brian Kent
08-07-2009, 9:55 PM
Mike,
Well, here it is (lots of room for improvement).


Hey Charlie, that looks like a flower!

Brian

Eric Robert
11-15-2009, 9:21 PM
Awesome tutorial Mike. I have never carved wood but always wanted to. This is a great guide and I'll try it soon. Thanks

Bill Whig
10-10-2011, 9:04 PM
This isn't the first time I browsed this thread, but I understand it better each time I visit it. I've just about finished reading Paul Hasluck's old book on carving and I'm getting more serious about getting some carving tools. I think I learned much of the Swiss system of measuring sweep this weekend, and now I find out there's a Sheffield system too! Gosh! :eek: Thank you --to Mike Henderson and everyone else who helped made this lesson educational and interesting!

I think I would like to build a decorated coffee table ("architectural relief-carving"?). That's probably a tall order, but it gives me something to think about! : ) I have found thinking about trying to "fill space with wood and space" in an artistic manner to be more intriguing than I might have expected.

1.5 years later, this thread is still teaching! Thanks! :)

Bill (in Indianapolis)

randall rosenthal
10-11-2011, 9:36 AM
the first sentence should be put in bold letters across the top of the page. thats what its all about.

Nick Stokes
08-13-2017, 10:12 PM
I realize this post is 6 years old... but it has good info in it. Recently picked up a set of pfeil chisels. This was the first link I found of a tutorial. So I carved this flower, using these directions. I carved it in a scrap piece of cherry. I don't want to carve basswood, I want to learn to do it in furniture woods, because that's what I would eventually carve anyway...

Great tutorial. I was able to get this in my first attempt. Far from perfect, but easy enough for a beginner. Thanks Mike.

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Craig Hoehn
08-18-2017, 7:56 PM
Thanks for the tutorial! Just picked up a set of chisels and this was my first piece
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Nick Stokes
08-19-2017, 12:17 PM
Thanks for the tutorial! Just picked up a set of chisels and this was my first piece
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Wow, that is very impressive. Good job Craig.

Bill Berklich
08-28-2017, 10:55 AM
I'm going to try this over the weekend- thx