JJ - on the dark side of the force

[JJF]

I used a small piece of wood that was patiently patient in my workshop without knowing its essence. A red heavy wood, also a member of a forum [i] (with solid knowledge in the matter) [/ i] offered to help me identify it. It is therefore Muiracatiara (a tree of the Anacardiaceae family that comes from South America).

[JJF]

[pallin]

JJF - You're teasing us! I see a very coarse grained tropical wood with wide growth rings, apparently a cut-off from an illegal harvesting & milling operation in the Amazon basin. The later shaping with a chainsaw reveals tearouts and shredding that tells me "This is terrible wood for carving!" But I've seen what you can do with doubtful wood before. . . Janka hardness - 2170
Phil

[woodburner807]

Looking forward to a creation from it, JJF. Work your magic.

[JJF]

Thanks to you two. Palin is a piece of wood that I recovered a few years ago from a carpenter who has retired.
A very hard wood but very beautiful if the tool is sharp.

[JJF]

[Randy]

If is as hard as Pallin shared it is going to be like working with Manzanita which is hard on the carver and the tools. Look forward to seeing your progress. May the Force be with you JJF.

[JJF]

yes, yes very hard this wood but also very beautiful when the tools are sharp

[JJF]

[pallin]

Wow, what a difference between the saw marks (both mill & chain) and your chisel cuts. What I thought were growth rings now appear to be the edge lines of the chisel cuts. The tool marks tell me you're using a mallet. The wood also looks familiar. That tear near the corner nearest the camera says a lot about the color & texture. Give us a clue like a dimension. Darth Vader?

[Brian T]

JJ has the patience to stop and take lots of process pictures.
There's a big lesson, besides the subject which we might anticipate this time.
Note the center line.

JJ: How big is this? 200 x 200 x 200 mm?

[JJF]

In fact Brian, I like to share on forums and inspire others to do the same. It's true, it forces me to put down the tools often to take pictures ... but it's for a good cause.

[JJF]

[JJF]

[JJF]