Chain Link

Neat job well done

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Nice job, I want to do that some day too ;-)) Just for the heck of it.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Pardon my ignorance but how do you to that, please don’t tell me you carve them out one by one…

Tell me you have a jig and a router or something :)

-- 100 fois sur le metier remettez votre ouvrage

I suppose you could use a drill or rotary tool to hog out some material, but they are carved one link at a time ;-))

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

That’s some really advanced whittling there, Dietmar! Nice Work!
I saw one that Roy Underhill had years ago, he said his late Uncle had made it. It was about 18-20’ long, with a pair of wooden pliers on one end, and the old ball in a cage on the other end…Depending on how you look at it, it was either an insane waste of time, or an unbelievable demonstration of skill…or perhaps both… :)

-- Mike in Manchester, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.

Cool not sure I could take the time to pull this off! Great job.

-- Ken, "Everyday above ground is a good day!"

Good work Dietmar. They really aren’t all that easy to make. My brother used to do this when we were kids. I also read an article in a Norwegian DIY magazine about a farmer here who has been making some huge and very long chains as a hobby. Each link was 7 of 8” long as I remember. Amazing stuff.

-- Mike, American in Norway

Back home in Italy, there I attended a school that tries to preserve the craftsmen traditions and I saw a chain carved out of granite each link was about 12” long….Veeeeery heavy!!!
They also had smithing and wood working shows

Very impressive and humbling experience…

In our carving group, carving a chain means you think you need a lesson in patience and a bit of therapy. The number of links carved is determined by how much therapy you decide you need.
I enjoy carving chains and have carved two of them about 15 links each. The patience I have gained along the way is unmeasureable…...lol
Thanks for sharing your work…..you have done a very nice job!

-- Can't never could do anything, to try is to advance.

When I serve as a counselor at church camp, I find a good stick the first day and begin carving a chain during the down times. The older I get, the harder it seems to be to connect with the kids. I’ve found this to be a good “ice breaker” for me. “What cha making?” “I’m making a chain.” “A chain?!” “Yep.” They will watch for a while and it gives me a chance to casually visit and build relationships for the week. They will check back often on the progress of the chain during the week.

-- Paul, Texas

Litlescope, there were plenty of long winter nights for this before radio, TV and the internet :-))

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Mike, did he start with a log or is he cheating and using glue ;-))

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.

Lesson in patience! I hope there is no test at the end of this lesson because I would fail.

-- If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail!

TS: I’m not really sure what his Uncle had done, but I don’t think he glued it. That particular program was about what Roy called “Slip Joints” or “Hinge Joints”. He had trotted out the old wooden chain to show the pair of pliers at the end, then made a set real quick, and then went on to make a sort of book holder with the same type joint. I made one, and would show you a picture, but I can’t find it… Here’s the beginnings of one I started but abandoned
The joints are chiseled out on both sides, alternately leaving and removing the wood on the opposing sides. When you cut all those, you then saw the board down the middle to the joints, say a little prayer, and crack it open…The end result is a single board that lies flat, but opens up wide to a sort of squashed X, and will hold a book open for you…
As far as the Uncle’s chain, it’s been a long time, and I’d have to go through the Archives, but I want to say it was actually longer than 20’! Seriously, Roy was reeling it out practically…And the links were really thin and delicate too…a truly superb job and an exercise in patience!

-- Mike in Manchester, NH---Unpleasant tasks are simply worthy challenges to improve skills.

I remeber that now:-)) A good carver could make it going back and forth on a shorter piece of lumber. You could get close to 20 feet on a 10 foot board going strainght down it.

-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.