The toe blog starts today step by step. I will be working on refining the videoing too.
While the top of your shoe is still flat, I’d like you to isolate your laces area so you don’t carve into it while shaping the toe/instep/body.
1.Position or reposition a nice bow where you’d like it to be – remember, you’re going to be carving this so the less complicated, the better.
2. Measure your shoe from the finished heel section to just above the first eyelets and draw a matching line on your wood.
3. Now measure to the bottom of your laces (not eyelets) and draw a line. Mine ended almost where I cut the rise but I know that Manilaboys are close to the toe and anyone doing a wingtip will have a shorter lace length.
4. If you notice, the first eyelet is generally above and parallel to the inside arch, so draw a line where your laces meet that eyelet to the bottom one – and using any curves that may take – meaning, some bottom laces extend far beyond the top lace (right to left) depending on the shoe style and how wide your foot is compared to how tight you tie them up.
5. Using that line, measure to where the outside of the lace area follows. If you eyeball it from the top, you should see that there is more shoe left towards the baby toes than the big toe.
At this point you may also draw where your bow will be – of course it will round later but this is just to isolate the area that you will NOT carve into while you are shaping your shoe body and believe me – we will definitely learn more about laces later!!!!
6. Before I carve I pay close attention to the angles of the toe – which slants in similarly to the heel…
...as well as the sides…
...and the angle from inside to outside looking from the front. In my opinion, angling this area is what makes a shoe look like a shoe. I’ve seen many a carved foot item where the outside and inside are too close to the same height. Remember, the outside toes are thinner than the big toe and the instep bone is generally closer to the big toe.
I’m going to take a video now of how I carve this area. There are bends and dips in the top of the toes area but I won’t worry about them yet until I have a nice shape. Refresh your page if need be to see the video.
Thanks to a suggestion from MsDebbieP, I used a fan to keep the dust away from the lens. The lighting, however is what I put up with everyday!!!
Anyways, just as with the heel, I was more concerned with my shape than detail. One thing to pay attention to here is whether or not your toe area extends past the sole – probably not but in some cases it does. I did carve the shoe a bit more than the end of the video but I hope you get the idea.
end of blog
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
15 comments so far
BritBoxmaker
home | projects | blog
4012 posts in 1208 days
#1 posted 961 days ago
Gulp!
-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging. http://www.theartofboxes.com
Jordan
home | projects | blog
1336 posts in 1297 days
#2 posted 961 days ago
It’s not as difficult as it looks in preparation, Martyn, you know me, just want to let you guys observe before you cut!
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
BritBoxmaker
home | projects | blog
4012 posts in 1208 days
#3 posted 961 days ago
OK then.
-- Martyn -- Boxologist, Pattern Juggler and Candyman of the visually challenging. http://www.theartofboxes.com
hairy
home | projects | blog
1763 posts in 1704 days
#4 posted 961 days ago
My powers of observation are showing me how different one side of a shoe is from the other.
-- It must be jelly baby, cause jam don't shake like that...
manilaboy
home | projects | blog
177 posts in 2107 days
#5 posted 961 days ago
And my power of observation is going to be tested… It is getting trickier :-)
Rico
-- "Real jocks do it on a bench"
Hix
home | projects | blog
161 posts in 1450 days
#6 posted 961 days ago
OK, Ok, OK! I give in…..I have been following this since you started it. Bought the wood, will pick up the bits Thursday or Friday, I have the template reduced. This looks like too much fun to pass up. Do I get detention for being tarday?
-- ---call me---- Mark
Jordan
home | projects | blog
1336 posts in 1297 days
#7 posted 961 days ago
No you don’t Mark – as a matter of fact you get a C…for Congratulations!!!! Good luck, I’m here!
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
TJ65
home | projects | blog
1332 posts in 1221 days
#8 posted 961 days ago
Ok Jordan, you remember how I told you that I inadvertently kicked started the carving passion in a 90 year old. Well I told her about this tutorial of yours and showed her what I had done on the shoe so far. She thought it was a grand idea and wanted in on it. (However she is STILL waiting for the arrival of her dremel from a tardy supplier) Anyway I have just sent off an email to her daughter with the address of the first set of instructions (#6) that I am assumiing she will then print off so Joan (the 90 year old lady) will be able to follow along without having to use the computer.
...it will be interesting, she has the idea of a 3D object but not the ability to easily get the wood off as she is using blunt chisels. Hopefully when she gets the dremel it will be a lot easier for her to do, and not quite as dangerous.
-- Theresa, https://sites.google.com/site/tmj65treasure/
Jordan
home | projects | blog
1336 posts in 1297 days
#9 posted 961 days ago
Wow Theresa, isn’t that amazing?! Wouldn’t it be lovely to have her show her finished piece on the unveiling day. I’m sure there will be loads of time as if she’s using chisels, she’ll be a wiz with power!
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
Eli Adamit
home | projects | blog
322 posts in 1461 days
#10 posted 960 days ago
jordan, what kind of Rotary Tool Accessory do you use in this video? can you write the name/ cat. No ond the company (dremel?)
Thanks
Eli
-- Eli Adamit, Israel
MsDebbieP
home | projects | blog
18320 posts in 2332 days
#11 posted 960 days ago
I was a little confused with the lines in this lesson… but I just telling myself “isolate the laces”... “isolate the laces” so hopefully I did that correctly. Maybe I’ll have a sandal when I’m finished! ha.
-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)
Jordan
home | projects | blog
1336 posts in 1297 days
#12 posted 960 days ago
Eli, yes, it is the Dremel 100 rotary tool, with a flexible hand shaft.
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
Jordan
home | projects | blog
1336 posts in 1297 days
#13 posted 960 days ago
Deb, you’re right to say that and hopefully today it will make more sense.
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
Aaron McCain
home | projects | blog
93 posts in 1011 days
#14 posted 949 days ago
Done! The toe has emerged from my block of basswood. The transition to the laces area is still a bit rough, but I think that is okay. We will see how it goes from here.
Jordan
home | projects | blog
1336 posts in 1297 days
#15 posted 949 days ago
Good for you, Aaron, glad you’re still with us! I know your laces are a tad higher so pretend they’re not there until you get there and give the beginning of your instep lots of attention, then it’ll be fine.
-- http://www.jordanstraker.com
Have your say...