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Mike Henderson
11-05-2008, 5:07 PM
I'm going to do this tutorial over time. That is, I'm going to post some information today and I'll post more tomorrow, etc. as I complete the tutorial. I hope this gives you more time to digest the information and think about the process. Let me know how it works for you.

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Initial Discussion of Applied Carving

First, why do applied carving? Why not just carve your design into the wood directly?

It's possible to carve a design into wood and have the design stand proud of the surface by cutting back all of the wood except that of the design (this technique is known as "carving in the solid"). But there's some problems with that approach.

The first problem is that it's wasteful of wood. Let's say you want your design to stand proud by a half inch. That means you have to buy thicker wood, which is more expensive.

The second problem is the amount of work required to work the wood down (the area that is worked down is called the "ground", perhaps a short hand for "background"). It's also very difficult to get the ground flat with carving tools. Additionally, if the design is one that required cutting downward to outline the design, it's very easy to slip and put a "gouge mark (or ding)" into the ground. It takes very good tool control to carve things "in the solid".

The third reason is that applied carving allows for mistakes. Let's say you have multiple things to carve, such as the multiple shells on a Townsend chest. You want to carve it "in the solid" and you complete one of the shells. But on the second shell, you make a bad mistake. You now have to start completely over. You not only have to re-carve the second shell, you have to also re-carve the first shell. This puts a lot of pressure on the person doing the carving so they're less likely to carve fast or with abandon (which might be more creative).

And, in general, there's no real advantage to carving "in the solid". It's true that the grain will be continuous but with carved elements and the wood that's generally used for carving, you won't see the grain to any great extent.

Our woodworking ancestors of the 18th Century almost always used applied carving - there's only a few examples of "in the solid" carving. Our woodworking ancestors were business people who needed to minimize costs and labor in order to make a living.

Okay, so we're going to do an applied carving - what wood do we choose for the carving. [Answer] We should use a cutoff from the wood that the carving is going to be applied to. That cutoff needs to be selected well - you can't just take the scrap. You need to carefully select a cutoff that matches in grain and color. You want that piece of cut off to look like it's part of the wood where you will apply the carving. As the wood ages, it will change color. By using the same piece of wood, you have a greater chance that the carving and the ground will "age" the same. If you use a piece of wood from another board, there's a good chance that it will age differently and will "stand out" from the ground and not look like it is part of the ground. You may not see this problem for years. It's really discouraging to see a piece that you put so much work into look worse with age, instead of better. So when you buy a piece of wood that will be used for applied carving, make sure you buy enough that you can get good carving blanks from the same piece of wood. And make sure you can get a couple of carving blanks from it. If you make a mistake in your carving, you want enough wood that you can start over and not have to buy a whole replacement piece.

The next question is "Which way should the grain of the applied piece run - vertically or horizontally?"

The answer is "it depends on the way the grain is running on the wood you will apply the carved piece to". That is, you want the carved piece to have its grain running in the same direction as the ground. There's a couple of reasons for this. The first is that it looks better to have the grain all running in the same direction. If someone can see the grain and the carving is applied cross grain, it looks odd and it's an absolute tip-off that the carved piece is applied. You want your applied piece to look like it's part of the ground - you want it to look like it's carved "in the solid."

The second reason is that the applied piece will stay attached longer if it is not applied cross grain. Wood moves and if the carving is applied cross grain, the two pieces will not move together but will always be moving opposite each other. Over time, there's a good chance that the glue may give out because of this movement and the applied piece will fall off.

So when you're doing an applied carving for furniture, take your carving blank from the *exact* same board as it will be applied to (and choose the piece carefully), and orient the grain on the carved piece so it will align with the grain of the wood that it is applied to.

These considerations do not apply to the wood you use for this tutorial. You're probably not going to use the shell you carve - it's just a learning project. If you have one you want to use, it should probably be the next one you carve.

More to come...

Mike

Mike Henderson
11-05-2008, 8:23 PM
All, right, now we're ready to do some actual carving. The first thing we have to do is prepare the carving blank.

100299
I found some scrap mahogany in my shop. Some of it is 3/4" and some is 1/2" and one piece is between. I think 3/4" is a bit thick, although you can thin it down during the carving. The 1/2" is a bit thin and doesn't give the amount of relief that I want.

100300
So I chose the piece that's about 5/8" (it's actually a bit less than 5/8"). Note that this piece consists of two pieces that I glued together some time in the past. I wouldn't use this for a piece I was actually going to apply, but since this is just used for this tutorial, I'm going to use it.

100301
We need something to give us the approximate shape of the shell. The thing I did for the first shell I carved is to get a picture of a scallop shell from the Internet. You find that real scallop shells are not symmetrical - they're bigger on one side than the other. Using photo software, I cut the picture in half, created a duplicated of that half and flipped the duplicate. Then I put the original half and the flipped half back together to get a symmetrical shell, and used that for my first outline.

After that, I used a picture of my previous carving and just worked from that.

If you go to the first picture in the shell proposal (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=95894), download it, and print it at about 35-36%, that will give you a template about the same size as I used - the shell is a little but more than 3" high.

100302
Roughly cut out the picture of the shell.

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Put glue on the back of the paper and glue it to the wood, taking care to have the grain running horizontally since that's the most common case.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-05-2008, 8:39 PM
100306
Here's the wood with the template glued to it.

100307
Next, take the mahogany to the band saw and cut out the carving blank using the template as a rough guide. And I stress the word "rough". You don't need to - and don't want to - follow the template exactly. You will use your eye later to shape the blank to your taste.

100308
Now, we need to fasten the carving blank down so that we can carve it. To do this, we glue it to a larger board with cardboard between that board and the blank. One thing that works well for me is the cardboard at the back of those realtor pads that they keep sending you to keep their name in front of you.

100309
The cardboard must be larger than the carving blank. That is, you don't want any of the carving blank "unsupported" around the outside. There are two problems if the carving blank is unsupported. As you cut around the outside, you are creating a lever arm and the carving blank can come loose (this is a low probability event). The more common thing is that as you cut around the outside, the bottom of the carving blank "tears out" since the wood is unsupported. That is, you make a cut downward and as you complete the cut, the wood breaks on the back of the carving blank. So make sure the cardboard is larger than the blank. If the cardboard is smaller, use two pieces of cardboard to make a large enough support for the blank.

100310
Put glue on the back of the cardboard and press it in place in the center of the board.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-05-2008, 8:52 PM
100311
Next, put a small amount of glue on the back of the carving blank and press the carving blank on top of the cardboard. Don't use too much glue - you don't need it and all it does is squirt out around the outside and make a mess.

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Use a clamp and clamp the blank in place for 30 minutes or so (for PVA).

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When the glue is dry, clamp the board down and you're ready to start cutting wood (carving).

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Using a #2/19, I begin to rough out the shape of the shell. Note that the grain is running side to side, so you need to be careful about your cuts. You don't want your gouge to get "under" the grain because the wood will split. So you should be cutting downward towards each side and being careful at the top of the shell. Make light cuts until you get the feel for how to cut without the wood splitting on you.

100315
Keep working your cuts toward the hinge. I've put a mark on the template which shows the approximate location of the highest point of the "shell". That is, a scallop shell rises upward from the hinge to a high point, then gradually tapers down towards the outside. This mark is just approximate and I'll adjust my cuts by eye as I work on roughing out the blank.

You want to take the wood down until it's about 3/16" thick at the top of the shell. It'll be thicker as you move towards the hinge - we'll work that part down later.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-05-2008, 9:11 PM
100317
I'm now going to start carving the hinge. I use my #2/19 to cut along the template where the hinge is indicated. You can go by your eye, but the template is a good place to start and you can adjust from there. Don't use your mallet and pound on your gouge - you'll break off the wood - just use hand pressure and make relief cuts into your downward cut.

100318
Next, use your #2/5 to outline the little bump in the middle of the bottom of the shell. I find a lot of beginners have problems cutting this round feature for some reason. You might cut it large to begin with and then trim back to the size you want. It's just a decorative feature so if you mess it up, just cut it off and continue.

100319
Use your #2/19 and your #2/5 to cut away the wood and rough out the hinge of the shell.

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Keep cutting until you have the hinge roughed down to about as shown in this picture.

100321
Now, cut the bottom part of the shell so that it tapers downward from the high point we marked earlier. I said that point was just rough - in making my cuts, I decided to move the high point upwards a bit.

To carve this shell, you need to have in your mind an image of what a scallop shell looks like and carve to that "vision" or "image". Carving is the mechanical process of shaping the wood to the image in your mind. Some people can translate with their hands from a mental image to wood and others have a lot of problems with the concept. You'll get better and better the more carving you do but you have to work on that aspect of your skills. You can't just "carve to the line" - you must carve to what you see in your mind. Of course, you must be able to visualize the object - and I can't help you much with that. Look at things in nature and get to know what they look like and you'll be able to translate that to wood.

Remember that you're not trying to create a photographic reproduction of a scallop shell - you're trying to create a carving which has the important elements of a scallop shell - what I call a stylized scallop shell.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-05-2008, 9:14 PM
100322
The final thing I did today was to shape the outside of the shell to my mental image of a stylized scallop shell. I used my #2/19 and cut downwards around the outside of the blank to get a shape that I liked. Actually, I left it a bit large so I could trim it more as I went along.

continued tomorrow...

Jim Koepke
11-06-2008, 3:53 AM
Shells are one of the carvings I have been thinking of doing.

Still got a lot of projects ahead of it on the honey do and gotta do lists.

jim

Phillip Bogle
11-06-2008, 10:38 AM
Mike: Do you have a copy of the shell art that you used that we can download? I think it helps for us to be all on the same page with the same piece of art. Others may have a different opinion but that is my thought.

I also did not notice the size listed. I saw the thickness of the board but not a radius or diameter of the shell, or does it matter?

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 1:01 PM
Phillip - you can use this one.

100385
When you go to print it, reduce it to maybe 35 -36%. You can carve any size but a good size is about 3" high (or maybe a bit more than 3"). Make sure you're measuring the actual shell and not the picture since the picture has space above and below the picture.

If you have any problems getting this one, let me know and I'll put it on my web site and give you a pointer to it.

Mike

Phillip Bogle
11-06-2008, 5:11 PM
That works but I printed it at 58% for a 3.5" shell. The original size that pops up is 6". I wanted a little bigger.

This brings up another item. I see the Mahogany in the photo. I have some that looks like the wood in your photo but it carves worse than Spanish Cedar. Shreds galore and rough edges on everything except with the grain cuts. The pieces I have are 1" thick X 8" wide flooring left overs. Are there different grades of Mahogany? Which grade is the one to carve?

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 6:03 PM
That works but I printed it at 58% for a 3.5" shell. The original size that pops up is 6". I wanted a little bigger.

This brings up another item. I see the Mahogany in the photo. I have some that looks like the wood in your photo but it carves worse than Spanish Cedar. Shreds galore and rough edges on everything except with the grain cuts. The pieces I have are 1" thick X 8" wide flooring left overs. Are there different grades of Mahogany? Which grade is the one to carve?
There is a thing called African mahogany but it's really not mahogany - it's another species altogether. That's why I specified Honduras mahogany.

You can use basswood for this carving .

The size of the carving is up to you - you just need to consider where it would go (not that your first will go anywhere but the consideration is the same). It'd be best to practice on a piece about the size you'd use.

I recommended about 3" because any smaller than that is harder to carve (the elements get too small which makes it difficult), but much more than 3" is fairly large for an applied element.

But it's just a learning project so 3.5" will do.

Mike

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 6:23 PM
Okay, let's get back to our carving. The first thing I do is to carve off the rest of the paper, just to get rid of it.

100402
Then I use a flexible straight edge - a piece of cardboard works well - to draw a vertical line on the shell. Just eyeball that line - you should be able to tell whether it straight up and splits the shell in two. If you don't like it, use some sandpaper as an eraser and draw it again.

100403
Then get your dividers to step off the flutes. Every shop should have a good set of dividers. This one is a Starrett that belonged to my dad, who was a machinist prior to and during WWII. You should buy one that has an adjustment wheel - not one that just comes apart with nothing to hold it in place.

100404
Use the dividers to step off six points between the vertical line and the bottom of the shell. The tricky part here is to leave enough on the bottom to make a flute. A lot of beginners leave too little to be able to carve a flute on the bottom. It's better to leave too much because you can carve up to make the flute smaller, but you can't add wood to make the flute larger. See some of the later pictures to see how much I left.

100405
Put a pencil mark at each landing site of the dividers and then use your flexible straight edge to draw a line from the center to your pencil mark. The "center" is not the lowest spot on the bump at the bottom of the shell. If you draw to that point, the bottom flutes will not work. Put a pencil dot about in the middle of an imaginary circle made by that "bump".

100406
This just shows all the lines drawn.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 6:35 PM
100407
Now, use your #12/6 V-tool to carve along the lines. Don't make your first cut very deep - especially back towards the bottom of the shell. You can't cut deeply at the bottom of the shell because the lines are too close to each other. If you cut deeply, there won't be room to place all the lines. And you can't cut your lines all the way to that center spot - again, the wood won't support lines that fine. Start your line maybe 1/4" away from the center spot. Go too far away from the center spot - you can always come back and make the line longer. If you find you make a mess here, just sand it down and re-cut the lines.

100408
Your lines should be cut deeper towards the outside of the shell.

100409
Once you have all the V-cuts done, take your #2/5 and round over the flutes. You'll have to be very careful on the flutes towards the sides. It's easy to get under the wood and split it out. Take very light cuts on those flutes and watch how the wood cuts. It you have to, cut "downward" on those flutes instead of along the flute.

100410
Then take some P150 sandpaper and sand the flutes. This is a project that really requires sandpaper. Sandpaper is just another tool and should be used with judgment, just like a carving gouge. But my opinion is that you need to use sandpaper on this project. Fold your sandpaper and sand along the sides of the flutes to get them evenly rounded over.

100411
In this picture, all of the flutes have been sanded.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 6:42 PM
100412
When sanding, sand the hinge also, and the underside of the lowest flutes.

100413
Next, we're going to cut the ends of the flutes round. We do this by cutting inward at the lines with a heavily curved gouge. I used a #9/6.

100414
Here, all of the cuts have been made. Watch when cutting the space between the lower flutes. You don't want to cut away the second flute.

100415
Then use your #2/5 and round off the ends of the flutes.

100416
Here, I cut the sides of the hinge inward to better show the lower flutes. This is one of those cuts that you make or don't make based on your preferences.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 6:48 PM
Now we're going to remove the shell from the board.

100418
Get the widest chisel you have, and place it just under the shell. Tap your chisel lightly with a mallet. Just tap - you don't need to rap the chisel.

100419
The shell will separate along the cardboard.

100420
And you'll be left with a shell with cardboard glued to the back of it.

100421
Take a sheet of sandpaper - I'm using P100 sandpaper - and put it on something flat. I'm using my table saw.

100422
Rub the shell on the sandpaper and the cardboard will come off.

continued...

Mike Henderson
11-06-2008, 6:58 PM
100423
This is what it will look like after a bit of sanding.

100424
You can now sand the ends of the flutes a bit more. I roll up a piece of sandpaper and sand the lower parts of the ends of the flutes. Since I'm going to throw this shell away, I didn't spend a lot of time sanding it. For a shell you're going to use, you should sand it smooth and take it to at least p240 grit.

100425
Here's the finished shell. It'll really pop with some finish on it.

100426
And here's the finished shell against a piece of mahogany. Note that this is just a scrap piece of mahogany and it's not from the same board as the carving blank. But the match is not bad.

When you glue the shell to the ground, just use a small amount of glue - the one thing you don't want is glue squirting out everywhere when you clamp it down. It's better to have no glue around the outside of the shell than excess squeezing out all over. I just put a small amount of glue in the center of the shell and clamp it down. Otherwise, put a VERY thin layer on both pieces and clamp it.

As you get better, you can make the shell thinner, which will make it look even more like it's part of the ground. The risk you take (and it's not a big risk) is that the shell will break when you take it off the support board. It looks better when it's thinner, especially around the edges, but I didn't want to start you carving it too thin. This way, if you make a mistake, you can cut the blank down and keep carving.

Now, let's see yours.

Mike

Robert Rozaieski
11-07-2008, 8:13 AM
Ok, I'm going to try this one but it may be a week or two as I think the #3 gouge (your #2s) I have is sized wrong. I have Henry Taylors but my #3 (your #2) is ½". I may be able to use this in place of your #2/19mm (would be a ¾" #3 HT) but I will still need a smaller ¼" #3 for the flutes. My curved gouge is a ¼" #7 which I think will work where you used a #9/6mm.

Mike Henderson
11-07-2008, 10:17 AM
Ok, I'm going to try this one but it may be a week or two as I think the #3 gouge (your #2s) I have is sized wrong. I have Henry Taylors but my #3 (your #2) is ½". I may be able to use this in place of your #2/19mm (would be a ¾" #3 HT) but I will still need a smaller ¼" #3 for the flutes. My curved gouge is a ¼" #7 which I think will work where you used a #9/6mm.
Yes, you're right about the gouges. In fact, the "#2/19" gouge I used is a Henry Taylor and is a #3 in the Sheffield system. If you look at the pictures that have the gouge in them, you'll see there's a "3" stamped on the blade.

As I discussed earlier, a carver needs to choose one system (the Swiss system or the Sheffield system) and put all of his/her gouges into that system. I chose the Swiss system and therefore re-marked that Henry Taylor as a #2.

The width of that gouge is not critical - you just need a flat gouge that's medium wide. And to trim the flutes, it's easier with a narrow gouge instead of trying to use the side of a wider gouge.

I think, however, that you might need a gouge with more sweep than a #7 in the Sheffield system to cut the ends of the flutes. A #7 in the Sheffield system would equal a #5 or #6 in the Swiss system. I would look for a #9 or #10 in the Sheffield system. But you can try it - this is just a learning exercise. You can also use a narrow gouge with sweep and make several cuts instead of just one.

I know you've already done some carving, Robert, so this shell may not be that difficult for you. If there are people who would like a more challenging shell, I can put up some pictures showing how to do the second shell in my proposal (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=95894). Or maybe I'll do that one after people show their work on this one.

Mike

Robert Rozaieski
11-07-2008, 10:51 AM
Yeah, you may be right about the #7. I'll probably try it and see before getting another one but I may end up needing one with more sweep in the end. The 1/4" #3 or #4 I think will definately be needed though so I will definately get that one and I want a larger #3 (1") anyway for a few other projects so I'll be getting that one as well.

As for the complexity, I doubt I'll find it too easy. Yes I've done some carving but by no means am I skilled at it. I have actually had a lot of trouble carving a simple Massachusetts style fan, though I think a lot of this was rushing through it and trying to carve African mahogany, which I've found out the hard way is horrible carving material. Since I've not done any shells yet I plan on progressing through all 4 of yours to get plenty of practice.

Thanks for putting these together Mike!

Bob

Charlie Schultz
11-09-2008, 12:06 PM
Well, here's mine (h. mahogany). Found this pattern in an old FWW magazine. I think I could have been more aggressive on the overall shape (i.e. taken it down more around the outside). Other observations: the mahogany was much easier to carve than the cherry, and I've got to get some seriously better lighting in my shop.

Height is 3 1/4".

Mike Henderson
11-09-2008, 4:56 PM
Well, here's mine (h. mahogany). Found this pattern in an old FWW magazine. I think I could have been more aggressive on the overall shape (i.e. taken it down more around the outside). Other observations: the mahogany was much easier to carve than the cherry, and I've got to get some seriously better lighting in my shop.
Well, Charlie, that's a bit beyond "beginning carving". If you're a beginner, you're a natural. Keep at it.

It's hard to tell how big the shell is, but the only suggestion I'd make is to try to put your lines at the base of the shell a bit closer together. It's hard to do but I think you have the skill to do it. If the shell is small, the lines are already close together.

Mike

Mike Henderson
11-10-2008, 12:23 AM
For the people who signed up to do the shell - want to give a status report? How's the project going? You don't have to post pictures - just let us know how you're doing.

Mike

Zahid Naqvi
11-10-2008, 10:26 AM
I had a very busy weekend, so couldn't get much done. I got the basic out line and the shaping of the scallop done but have not started working on the individual "rays" (if that's what you call them).
As a side note I had a lot of trouble shaping the front and back slopes of the shell, the #2 gouge kept digging it's corners in. I have the Mat Headly DVD on carving a shell, he makes it sound and look so easy. Interstingly the easiest shaping chisel was the an older Marples (blue handled) flat chisel I had ground to a skew. If I get time tonight I will start work on the rays.

Also noticed how different Mahogany was when compared to Basswood for carving, you really have to be wary of the grain.

Zahid Naqvi
11-12-2008, 5:34 PM
Just to let you know, I'm still working on this, I do not have a #3 or a #4 gouge so I was having some difficulty with shaping the outlines with the #2. I will try and get some work done tonight if time allows.

Mike Henderson
11-12-2008, 6:04 PM
Just to let you know, I'm still working on this, I do not have a #3 or a #4 gouge so I was having some difficulty with shaping the outlines with the #2. I will try and get some work done tonight if time allows.
Zahid - if you're having problems shaping the flutes with a gouge, remember that's why sandpaper was invented. All you have to do is get close, then use some P150 sandpaper to smooth them out. If you go back to post #13, third picture, you'll see that my flutes were somewhat rough before I sanded them. I know I'm going to sand, so I don't even try to make everything really smooth with the gouges.

If you want to have tool marks in the finished shell, go back and put some tool marks in it after you sand it. You have to always be pragmatic when carving.

Mike

[I'll add a comment that it's much easier to learn carving if you can see someone make the actual cuts and get direct feedback on your technique. It's difficult to teach a manual skill like carving with nothing but words and still pictures - and no way to see you doing the cuts.]

Zahid Naqvi
11-13-2008, 3:51 AM
[I'll add a comment that it's much easier to learn carving if you can see someone make the actual cuts and get direct feedback on your technique. It's difficult to teach a manual skill like carving with nothing but words and still pictures - and no way to see you doing the cuts.]

Agreed, I have the Mat Headley DVD which helps me a lot. I think I may have bit more than I can chew. If you know me I am a little impatient with learning, so I jumped into a slightly more elaborate shell than what you have used here. I'll post pictures soon. Since we are only using this as a learning exercise I am not too concerned about the final look as long as I get to try varuous tecniques, that's why I am trying to avoid sanding. I'll probably have something before this weekend starts.

David Keller NC
11-13-2008, 10:12 AM
Charlie - A comment about getting better lighting in your shop. I always considered my shop well-lit before I took up carving. Like you, I found that fluorescent overheads just don't cut it. Typically, you're leaning over a carving, which casts a nice shadow just where you don't want it.

So - here's a very inexpensive solution that I've used for the last couple of years - go to one of the big-box stores and buy 3 or 4 "clamp on" utility lights. These are designed to take a round screw-socket bulb, come with a 10" parabolic aluminum reflector, and cost about $7 each. Then - and this is important - fit them up with "200 watt" fluorescent spiral bulbs. The point here is that the fixtures are limited to 60 watt bulbs of the incandescent type. By using the 200-watt equivalents in the fluorescent spiral variety, you're getting sufficient light, but only using the equivalent wattage of about a 20-watt incandescent bulb, which is safe to use in the cheap fixtures.

I've got four of these clampes in various positions on the shelves behind my workbench, which prevents me from casting a shadow over my work. And re-positioning is simply a matter of reaching up, squeezing the spring clamp, and letting it go in the new position. All for about $50 total, and no electricians needed. ;-)

Charlie Schultz
11-13-2008, 11:49 AM
David,
Excellent, thanks. I'll be visiting the hardware store soon.

Matt Bickford
11-14-2008, 11:54 AM
I have used a couple spots of hot glue to attach the will-be shell to the backerboard. I take it off by sticking it in the microwave for a couple seconds. It works really well because the glue can be pulled off with your fingers and the shell can be sanded properly with about 5 strokes. Just another option...

Mike Henderson
11-14-2008, 1:21 PM
I have used a couple spots of hot glue to attach the will-be shell to the backerboard. I take it off by sticking it in the microwave for a couple seconds. It works really well because the glue can be pulled off with your fingers and the shell can be sanded properly with about 5 strokes. Just another option...
Thanks for the tip. I never thought of that - and never saw anyone else use it. Good idea.

Mike

Robert Rozaieski
11-14-2008, 5:28 PM
Ok, well I was making good progress but split my hinge off trying to define the hinge area :mad:. Have to start over :o.

For anyone else attempting this, be careful in the hinge area, it's delicate and splits off easy ;).

Mike Henderson
11-14-2008, 5:35 PM
Ok, well I was making good progress but split my hinge off trying to define the hinge area :mad:. Have to start over :o.

For anyone else attempting this, be careful in the hinge area, it's delicate and splits off easy ;).
Unless it broke really bad, just use some white glue and reattach it. It'll carve fine once the glue sets.

Mike

Doug Mason
11-14-2008, 5:37 PM
Hey Robert--that is exactly why I have prepared three pieces--If I screw-up the first too badly, move on to the second and if worse comes to worse, I go on to the third!!! This is my weekend project.

I'll be posting my pictures on Sunday/Monday.

Robert Rozaieski
11-15-2008, 2:21 PM
Ok, here's my second attempt. As mentooned earlier, the first one broke. For some reason my version seems wider than yours Mike. Could be because I had to trace an image from the computer screen rather than printing (no printer at home). This may have distorted the picture and made it proportionally wider. Wood is cherry, size is about 3" tall by about 3-5/8"wide. I had one oops at the end where the top of the center lobe split off so the end of the lobe got a little wider as a result. Other than that, I think it turned out ok.

The gouges I had workerd out ok. Rather than shape the lobe tips last, I backgrounded the piece first (like Mack Headley does in his shell carving video) using my 1/4" #7 to define the ends of the lobes. I used the 1/2" #3 to create the curved and sloped surface, a 1/2" #5 to define the outer wings of the hinge and the 1/4" #7 to define the "bump" at the bottom. Not having a 1/4" #3, I used 1/4" and 1/8" bench chisels bevel down to round over the lobes and finished with a little sanding with 220 grit.

Thanks again for putting this together Mike!

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Phillip Bogle
11-15-2008, 3:27 PM
Looks great to me. I love the way the grain looks so much like the growth rays on a real shell.

I have been tied up with other business and haven't even started mine yet. Soon though.

Great job.

Mike Henderson
11-15-2008, 4:22 PM
It looks very good, Robert. It does look a bit wide to me, also, but not so much that it would be "wrong". I especially like the way you finished the ends of the flutes - looks very realistic. And the grain of the wood looks like a real shell.

Very good job - congratulations.

Mike

Zahid Naqvi
11-17-2008, 2:59 PM
ok, here is mine. I messed it up a lot. As usual I bit more than I could chew. I was trying to make the shell shown in the Mat Headley DVD. First of all I didn't draw it quite correctly, second I did the concaved first which made the shoulders too weak and some of them broke off.
I also felt the need for a #3 gouge, currently I have #2, #7, and #9 (3 widths in each). I could do this again but I think I am holding up the rest of the group, and I probably got all the learning I need to get out of this already so I'll probably call it done.

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Mike Henderson
11-17-2008, 7:33 PM
ok, here is mine. I messed it up a lot. As usual I bit more than I could chew. I was trying to make the shell shown in the Mat Headley DVD. First of all I didn't draw it quite correctly, second I did the concaved first which made the shoulders too weak and some of them broke off.
I also felt the need for a #3 gouge, currently I have #2, #7, and #9 (3 widths in each). I could do this again but I think I am holding up the rest of the group, and I probably got all the learning I need to get out of this already so I'll probably call it done.

101304
Zahid - you did bite off a more complex project - that's not really a good "first shell" project. But considering that, you didn't do too bad.

My recommendation would be to do the simple shell first. It (and other projects) will give you experience in handling the tools and in making certain cuts. You can then build on that knowledge and experience to take on more complex projects.

In teaching carving, I (and I think other carving teachers) try to select projects which are within the capabilities of beginning carvers, and which will give them a foundation. It's tough to try to jump immediately to complex projects - and the difficulty can make people think they can't carve, when all they need is a bit more foundation work.

Carving is a manual skill that takes time to develop - there's no royal road to knowledge or skill. But if you keep at it (and moderate your projects) you'll soon be able to do shells like that without difficulty.

Mike

Doug Mason
11-17-2008, 11:16 PM
ok - here is mine. My first attempt--I just kinda went at it without thinking about it too much. A few observations:

1) I used a #9 for roughing out - as I found the the wide #3 to be too slow--maybe it was my technique; nonetheless, after roughing out with the #9, I smothed it with the #3.
2) I used a back bent gouge to round over the flutes (not the #2/5) - and found this to be very effective and the results attractive. However, I needed a bigger size than I had to match the size of the flutes. So is this a correct application for this tool?
3) Like the Back bent gouges, I sense if I had a few more sizes of the V tool I could achieve better results. The flutes look really great in "high relief" (is the the right phrase?)--and so the deeper the V-cut here the better the result.
4) I used a #9 gouge to round-over the ends of the flutes. In hindsight, I was thinking I should have sized the ends of the flutes to match my #9.
5) I have mixed feeling on using sandpaper; whereas it does erase some of my mistakes--but it also does take a "little something" away as well.
6) In softwoods, I am finding the 25 degree bevel of the phiel chisels to be too much--as I have to elavate the chisel too high to take a shaving. Perhaps a 20 degree bevel would suit me better; but then again, I have only been carving in pine.
7) Practice makes perfect; with each project I am learning more about using the tools. A skill well-worth learning - and fun too.

Mike - thx again for your efforts here. Great tutorial. What's next?

Mike Henderson
11-18-2008, 12:17 AM
Doug - please see my comments in your text and below.


ok - here is mine. My first attempt--I just kinda went at it without thinking about it too much. A few observations:

1) I used a #9 for roughing out - as I found the the wide #3 to be too slow--maybe it was my technique; nonetheless, after roughing out with the #9, I smothed it with the #3.
2) I used a back bent gouge to round over the flutes (not the #2/5) - and found this to be very effective and the results attractive. However, I needed a bigger size than I had to match the size of the flutes. So is this a correct application for this tool?
A back bent gouge will certainly work. The problem is that the width of the flutes change as you move from bottom to top so you have to use the gouge differently as you cut along the flute.
3) Like the Back bent gouges, I sense if I had a few more sizes of the V tool I could achieve better results. The flutes look really great in "high relief" (is the the right phrase?)--and so the deeper the V-cut here the better the result.
What I think you want is a V-tool that is made in a more acute angle. The standard V-tool is 60*. To go deeper, and not wider, you'd need maybe a 45* V-tool. I don't know if they make any with angles smaller than that.
4) I used a #9 gouge to round-over the ends of the flutes. In hindsight, I was thinking I should have sized the ends of the flutes to match my #9.
5) I have mixed feeling on using sandpaper; whereas it does erase some of my mistakes--but it also does take a "little something" away as well.
That's true but it makes life easier when you're just getting started. There's plenty of time to eschew sandpaper after you gain more experience.
6) In softwoods, I am finding the 25 degree bevel of the phiel chisels to be too much--as I have to elavate the chisel too high to take a shaving. Perhaps a 20 degree bevel would suit me better; but then again, I have only been carving in pine.
If you go too small with your bevel angle, you'll risk the edge bending on you. There's nothing wrong with holding the tool at a bit more of an angle - it's just something you need to get accustom to.
7) Practice makes perfect; with each project I am learning more about using the tools. A skill well-worth learning - and fun too.
Yep, you'll get better with each project you do.

Mike - thx again for your efforts here. Great tutorial. What's next?
I'll do a tutorial on the carved fan.


There's two things I'd recommend to you. The first is the shape of the shell. When you're looking at the rough blank, think of what a shell looks like and shape the blank to the shape that's in your mind. It's too late to try to shape it after you start laying in the flutes.

Also, it looks like you have the grain running vertically. There's nothing wrong with that except most applied carvings go on wood with the grain running horizontally. It would be good to get some experience carving with the grain running across - it changes your technique just a bit.

But all-in-all, a good effort. Congratulations.

Mike

John Keeton
11-19-2008, 7:28 AM
Mike, although I am not actively participating in your "carve-alongs", I do want you to know that I am extremely appreciative of what you are doing. I know that you have invested a good deal of time and effort, and your photo assisted instructions are very well done.

I don't have the time at the present to begin my carving education, but have enjoyed viewing these tutorials, and they will make great reference material for me and for others as we undertake our beginnings at wood mutilation. Thanks again, and please continue with other projects. These are great fundamentals.

I also have appreciation for those that are participating and posting their efforts - including their "challenges." Sometimes, one learns more from those than from a successful attempt.