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as some of you might remember awhile ago i decided to hang up my knife and go back to scroll sawing which i did, however i didn't completely put any the knife and since have learned a lot bout carving i didn't realize before. I am going to present some observations and hope i don't violate anyone sensibilities but if some of these things help someone great.
I carved for probably 20 years never being as successful as i wanted it want until iu stepped away from the craft and looked back in did i see some things i did wrong. I struggled with a lot of stuff which i will try and list and explain what I might have done better.
First I never wanted to use a rough out I always figured that was somehow cheating so I spent hours and hours (before bandsaw) chopping off waste and when I finally got to the subject I was tired of the piece and it made it immensely harder to do a good finish job. Like dave sable says the last 10 percent requires 90 % percent of the effort. Since I quit carving I have tried a couple of rough outs in violation fo my own principles and its much more rewarding and the end result is much better. So iff your a beginner, or struggling try a rough out you might be glad you did
Second sharpening. I have probably 20 stone from cheap hardware stuff to japanese water stone, I have every widget and doo dad on the market and always struggled to get a really fine edge. I mean I can put a edge on a gouge to die for, a knife its a three day tourney. Here is what I learned save your money buy a tormek. In the long run you will save money and not have 20 stones and sandpaper lying around. I can put a really great edge on a knife in three minutes with the tormek even if i freehand it.
third knives and such I have ended up with a couple brands I like and believe me I have had and still do, probably 30 to 50 of them. My requirements for a knife isn't everyone else.s but my advice is to know first off what you want in your knife and how it applies to how you carve. I like long thin blades and in the past have spent hours cutting a thick blade down to what I wanted. Some folks like them long and some short I like them long> I won't recommend one over the other but again like the tormek thing don't fiddle around too much with making knives buying cheap stuff adapting this to that and fiddle fiddle. There is about 30 knives that re going int he garbage as I speak and I will stick with the two I have learned to like. Likewise gouges. IN Europe everything is the gouge, great for them if you can afford all that i have learned again the hard way get one gouge and work it at every conceiveable angle you can learn to work that tool and get everything you van out of it before you plunk down money on another gouge. I carved a lot of bowls in my carving days and I spent money on deep gouge this and bent gouge that and blah blah, I have made a couple bowls since I "quit" carving and went right to the die grinder and turned it out in a afternoon. No gouge needed. Not the purist idea of carving to be fair but there are 10 bowls gouges gathering rust in the garage that I might use again so IM not going to toss them but essentially they were a waste of money.
Lastly I stuck a gouge thru my index finger a few years ago and severed a tendon, after four surgeries it is still severed I don't care how good you are if you carved the mona lisa or whatever donte believe the hype nor the advertising get a chain mail glove and wear it like you love it.
Hope I didn't offend anyone or bore you and I got to run my wife wants me to take the pizza out of the oven. Peace to all of you you were all good guys ( well most were) and I hope your carving is rewarding and safe.
I carved for probably 20 years never being as successful as i wanted it want until iu stepped away from the craft and looked back in did i see some things i did wrong. I struggled with a lot of stuff which i will try and list and explain what I might have done better.
First I never wanted to use a rough out I always figured that was somehow cheating so I spent hours and hours (before bandsaw) chopping off waste and when I finally got to the subject I was tired of the piece and it made it immensely harder to do a good finish job. Like dave sable says the last 10 percent requires 90 % percent of the effort. Since I quit carving I have tried a couple of rough outs in violation fo my own principles and its much more rewarding and the end result is much better. So iff your a beginner, or struggling try a rough out you might be glad you did
Second sharpening. I have probably 20 stone from cheap hardware stuff to japanese water stone, I have every widget and doo dad on the market and always struggled to get a really fine edge. I mean I can put a edge on a gouge to die for, a knife its a three day tourney. Here is what I learned save your money buy a tormek. In the long run you will save money and not have 20 stones and sandpaper lying around. I can put a really great edge on a knife in three minutes with the tormek even if i freehand it.
third knives and such I have ended up with a couple brands I like and believe me I have had and still do, probably 30 to 50 of them. My requirements for a knife isn't everyone else.s but my advice is to know first off what you want in your knife and how it applies to how you carve. I like long thin blades and in the past have spent hours cutting a thick blade down to what I wanted. Some folks like them long and some short I like them long> I won't recommend one over the other but again like the tormek thing don't fiddle around too much with making knives buying cheap stuff adapting this to that and fiddle fiddle. There is about 30 knives that re going int he garbage as I speak and I will stick with the two I have learned to like. Likewise gouges. IN Europe everything is the gouge, great for them if you can afford all that i have learned again the hard way get one gouge and work it at every conceiveable angle you can learn to work that tool and get everything you van out of it before you plunk down money on another gouge. I carved a lot of bowls in my carving days and I spent money on deep gouge this and bent gouge that and blah blah, I have made a couple bowls since I "quit" carving and went right to the die grinder and turned it out in a afternoon. No gouge needed. Not the purist idea of carving to be fair but there are 10 bowls gouges gathering rust in the garage that I might use again so IM not going to toss them but essentially they were a waste of money.
Lastly I stuck a gouge thru my index finger a few years ago and severed a tendon, after four surgeries it is still severed I don't care how good you are if you carved the mona lisa or whatever donte believe the hype nor the advertising get a chain mail glove and wear it like you love it.
Hope I didn't offend anyone or bore you and I got to run my wife wants me to take the pizza out of the oven. Peace to all of you you were all good guys ( well most were) and I hope your carving is rewarding and safe.
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