| Project by linjay | posted 168 days ago | 648 views | 2 times favorited | 10 comments |  |
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My 1st totem pole is finally done. The top half was done about 1 year ago. see http://lumberjocks.com/projects/58564
I really have no idea how many hours are in this. It’s probably somewhere around 250 I would guess.
This pole was made for my wife and she wanted a deer on it. The deer was a real struggle. I couldn’t find much out there that I liked so it was hard to come up with the vision of what I was trying to accomplish. It took too much time because I had no idea where I was going. The ears helped make it look a bit like a deer.. I don’t like the front legs—the front shoulders are too low. I’‘m still trying to figure out how to add eye brows that might be appropriate.
In contrast, the beaver on the bottom was fairly easy. I had seen some examples that I kind of liked and I had a pretty good vision of what I wanted. I added some material for the nose to give it more depth and I hadn’t ssen any done that way.
My neighbour is a linesman for a power company and brought me a part of a power pole to use for my next attempt. It is western red cedar about 14” diameter on the bottom x ~11 ft. long. It’s very heavy—about 300 lbs. I can lift the smaller end but not the lower. One of the issues of using power poles for carving is that they collect a lot of dirt and dust over time and they can really dull carving tools quickly. My plan is to put is to put it between centers and remove about 3/4” using my router and the biggest diameter cutter I own.
-- It's easy when you know how. Ontario, Canada
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10 comments so far
a1Jim
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87039 posts in 1744 days
#1 posted 168 days ago
This is a very cool and unique project,a great job. I never would have guessed this was for inside a home.
-- W James Brokenbourgh Custom furniture maker http://artisticwoodstudio.com/
IndianJoe
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386 posts in 417 days
#2 posted 168 days ago
vary good work nice I have carved a lot of them most just light carving for them that do not have a lot to pay
like I sad good work
Nimkee
-- Nimkee** Joe
Monte Pittman
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7054 posts in 505 days
#3 posted 168 days ago
Great work. The wife should love it. Can’t imagine that much time on one project.
-- Mother Nature created it, I just assemble it. - It's not ability that we often lack, but the patience to use our ability
Jim Jakosh
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7251 posts in 1273 days
#4 posted 168 days ago
Outta sight!! That is a beautiful totem pole and you can sure be proud of it!!
What is the story it tells?
-- Jim Jakosh.....Practical Wood Products...........Learn something new every day!!
Greg The Cajun Box Sculptor
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3766 posts in 1476 days
#5 posted 168 days ago
Excellent carving. A piece of art to be proud of.
-- Every step of any project should be considered your masterpiece if you want the finished product to reflect the quality of your work. http://www.FineArtBoxes.com
deon
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1175 posts in 1193 days
#6 posted 168 days ago
It sure looks impressive. Great work!
-- Dreaming patterns
Michael
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#7 posted 168 days ago
Friggin’ awesome!!!!!!!!!! I’ve been wanting to make one for several years just haven’t settled on a design.
-- "A woodworking project is either a masterpiece or a POS" Dr. Lang
linjay
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87 posts in 791 days
#8 posted 167 days ago
I was asked about the story it tells. It doesn’t have much story. The thunderbird is there because a totem pole just has to have a thunderbird on top and the fox, deer and beaver are things we see regularly where we live. On the chest of the thunderbird is a polar bear and lady bug that represent our son and daughter.
-- It's easy when you know how. Ontario, Canada
3DBMe
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128 posts in 1851 days
#9 posted 165 days ago
Nice job linjay. Good info and suggestion about using power pole.
-- http://www.brucemgil.us/
GUR
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30 posts in 551 days
#10 posted 156 days ago
Very good work.
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