Woodspirit in Poplar

Amazing work. Poplar? I took a stab at carving into pine recently cause it was cheap and around. I have a lot of poplar, does it really handle well for carving?

Again, Nice work!

-- MRod, Henderson, Colorado by way of Brooklyn!

Thanks for the comments MRod. I love poplar. When my gouges are sharp, which isn’t as often as I like, it carves like butter, plus it leaves a fairly smooth cut line so my sanding is minimal to get a nice finish. This carving is darker than usual poplar because I rubbed a light oak stain on it for contrast to help bring out the depth of the face hair and cheeks.

I’ve tried pine as well, but it gums up my tools.

Thanks again!

-- Craig, North Carolina

Great carving. Nice job.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

Very Cool! Do you carve it on the base of does the base come after?

-- Chris N, Westford, MA - "If you won't eat something from your fridge that turned green...why would you eat something that started out that way?"

Chris, I carve the log mounted to a carvers vise, then mount it on a slab section using a solid brass rod. The carvers vise is an amazing tool as it give 360 degree access to the carving while you’re working on it.

-- Craig, North Carolina

I have never been a big fan of carvings… Until I saw this.. Looks wonderful.. Can I ask, how many hours do you have into something like this? Again, wonderful work….

Thanks David, I’ll put around 3 to 4 hours into one of this size. Of course, the larger they get the longer they take due to the amount of wood that has to be removed. On the larger pieces, say 3 to 4 feet in height, I’ll start with a chainsaw to do the roughout, then move on to gouges and mallet.

-- Craig, North Carolina

Excellant!

-- Never board, always knotty, lots of growth rings

Wonderful carving

-- Ben Kahmann Dayton, OH

You do some beautiful carvings. Thanks for posting.

God Bless
tom

-- Mc Bridge Cabinets, Iowa

Craig T, this is easily one of my favorite carvings. What would you recommend for carving tools? I really want to buy a set but I really don’t know what is good quality but still reasonably priced.

-- "That Government is Best that Governs The Least."-Jefferson

Christopher, glad you like it. As far as carving tools, if you’re just starting out, Woodcraft has a great set of 6 for about $40.00. Here is the link. http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/2003000/3760/Beginner-s-Carving-Tools.aspx. I used these years ago when I started out and still have my original set, and use them on occasion when working in small areas, like when carving in the eyes. The steel is good and holds an edge for a long time. There are cheaper sets out there, but you wind up resharpening all the time due to poor quality steel. They’re also on the small side so the handles fit your hand well, which is good for control when you’re learning.

If you have been carving for a while, I would suggest the Pfeil brand. They’re Swiss made and are longer than the earlier set I described so they can be used with a mallet without splitting the handles. Pfeil gouges run between $20.00 and up per piece, depending on the sweep size of the cutting end. I’ve been collecting them for years, and they’re all I use. If you go this route, you might also want to get a small mallet, say around 8 oz for delicate work, and a 20 oz for use when removing large amounts of wood. Pfeil also sells a set of 12 for about $250.00. Hope this helps. If you have additional questions, please ask.

-- Craig, North Carolina

Bartholomew Looks Awesome. Well Done

-- ~ Inspiring those who inspire me ~

NOW there’s a spirit with spirit. great job.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Fantastic. Love your carvings.

Keep it up.

Scrappy

-- Scrap Wood's the best...the projects are smaller, and so is the mess!