Carving Position

[Brian T]

Here's another one that I had forgotten about in the dust under my big bench.
> The platform is nothing but a piece of lumber with a pattern of 3/8" holes.
> Clamp that to any bench.
> The carvings have 3/8" holes drilled in the perimeter waste wood.
> By moving a couple of additional pegs, I can swing the carving around to work on it in any direction.
> Here, I'm cutting a lot of Vee groove with 1S/12 skews. I can turn the carving to get around the curves.
Platform III .jpg

Of course, what -35C winter day would not be complete without the supervisor, the constant critic of a cold shop, Heidi-cat!

Platform IV small.jpg

[Arthur C.]

[QUOTE=Brian T;n1193876]Here's another one that I had forgotten about in the dust under my big bench. SNIP

LOL, Brian your remark about the "big bench" made me think of the use of that term amongst those who practice my other hobby, that of clocksmithing: Clocksmiths use the term "working on the big bench" to indicate the floor, as we too frequently find ourselves on the floor looking for an errant part.

I have a large board and pegs with the holes drilled in a random order, which is useful in holding carvings with an irregular shape such as a Bellamy eagle. I've also drilled holes in my bench to keep my bench hook from sliding when I carve with my mallet.

[Brian T]

"Big Bench." Too funny. I'm too old to grovel on the floor any more.
I can get down there but gravity is my enemy now and standing up is the real puzzle.
My big bench is all 2x6. 36" wide x 96" long and one foot-height shelf underneath for hiding things.

With a black marker, I drew a grid of lines on the lid of my top-loading deep freezer.
Can't ever store anything there, the lid is my assembly site.

[gittyup]

My new carving bench - Veritas. It's very well made and quite stable. I'm preparing my first project to use on it.
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[Brian T]

Looks like somebody was thinking when they designed that. I wonder how many carvers had words to say. So long as it doesn't "walk" around. Any place down below for sand bags?

[gittyup]

Looks like somebody was thinking when they designed that. I wonder how many carvers had words to say. So long as it doesn't "walk" around. Any place down below for sand bags?

I haven't used it yet. But, I don't thing It's going anywhere. It weighs over 250 lbs. Legs are thick cast iron with tension rods. I don't see it moving. It's rock solid. But, yeah, if it does sand bags should be an easy fix. Raises to 90 degrees and rotates 360. Locks where ever you want it. Raising is spring assisted.

[Claude]

Gary Burns, TreeWizWoodcarving, does mostly relief carvings. Here's a photo from Instagram showing him working at his "bench": https://www.instagram.com/p/B-kUc8NDC35/

Claude

[pallin]

I haven't used it yet. But, I don't thing It's going anywhere. It weighs over 250 lbs. Legs are thick cast iron with tension rods. I don't see it moving. It's rock solid. But, yeah, if it does sand bags should be an easy fix. Raises to 90 degrees and rotates 360. Locks where ever you want it. Raising is spring assisted.

The Veritas description says it weighs 150 lbs.

[gittyup]

The Veritas description says it weighs 150 lbs.

That's just the top, when you buy it without the legs. It's misleading, I know. The legs weigh close to that again. I would estimate each of the 4 legs weighs 35 to 40 lbs. I regularly handle 40 lb weights. So I have a good idea what 40 lbs feels like to lift. I would say that 250 lbs is likely an underestimate of total weight. It came in 4 boxes. The lightest was the 2x2 pegged top, and I would guess around 60 lbs. It was slightly lighter than the box with 2 legs in it. The smaller wooden under-table attached to the cast iron turret was probably the heaviest, heavier than an 80 lb bag of concrete, for sure. I had to hand carry each box 300 feet through the snow to my shop. I was beat.