So I've Taken Up Wood Carving....

To combat the depressive state I'm in at the moment and here's my first attempt. Bit rough around the edges, but it gives me something to improve upon in the future.

 

Cor, that's brill Jane

 

that's lovely, you keep at it and before you know it you'll be carving owls etc!!!

 

Looks pretty excellent to me. I wouldn't know where to start. What tools do you use?

 

I think it's fab. You could carve lots of interesting features for your garden.

 

I started off with an outline drawn on a 2' thick piece of wood, then made vertical cuts up to the outline using a bandsaw. Then cut out the shape using a coping saw. Then really just rasped it until I had the rough shape, then bandsaw'd it again to reduce the thickness and then finished it off with sandpaper, increasing the grit number as I went to give it a smooth finish.

So I didn't really carve it, I have and don't use carving chisels as I find them a pain. A rasp is much more effective and I don't have to worry about grain directions and always keeping it sharp.

I'm thinking about carving a bee to mount onto my shed door today. Weathers too hot to do much else today.

Thank you for all the nice comments. It really does make me feel a lot better about what I'm doing.

 

A bee would be great!

 

I have a couple of different sized toadstools and a fantastic owl that have been carved by chainsaw! when I find out how to put pics on here, I'll let you see them, the possibilities are endless for you, I wouldn't know where to start but you're doing great!

 

Love it!!!

You are clever. (I wouldn't have a clue where to even start ... nor would I start: way above my talents )

Do you have a place in mind for it JJ? What wood did you use? Do you plan to leave it in its natural state (as it is now) or, will you varnish it? Paint it? Stain it? Roughly, how long did it take you?

 

Aw thank you.

I'm hoping to put it in my bathroom, a bit of a cliche really, as it seems everyone puts shells, boats and anchors in their bathrooms. I didn't really want to buy a real starfish as that's cruel and I didn't want a plastic one from ikea as I hate ikea.I still don't have a shelf in my bathroom to put it on but I have been meaning to make one for about a year now.

I just used a small but thick piece of pine offcut, which was left over from when our gates were built.

I would like to leave it in it's natural state but I think it's a bit dangerous leaving a bit of wood exposed to such high humidity that you get in bathroom. I do like the way the grain has come out so would oil it but pine doesn't oil up very well. I probably will oil it in the end with some linseed oil, which will give the pine a slightly yellowy colour that starfishes usually have.

I would say it only took me 4 hours to make from start to finish. My current project with the bee is taking me a lot longer as it's more complex and is made from oak which doesn't like to be rasped, so am having to do a lot of removing the waste by hand with a chisel.

I should really post up the process as some point when I make a simpler one.

I've seen chainsaw carving and building something to that size is a bit beyond me at the moment. I'm trying to keep things small and simple to begin with. I've never seen the attraction of carving an owl either. It seems that's what every caver does but I don't feel a desire to do one.

 

Didn't do a bee in the end, a bit too complex for a beginner like me. So I did a swift instead.





Need to give it a lick of paint still though.

 

Wow Jane....they are fantastic so clever.....keep it up....i love to see things like this

 

Brilliant! It looks fantastic on your shed door.