Ode to Simplicity

[Rodster]

A flat plane carver may indeed have a wife.
It is more or less optional, but he must have a knife.

He carves long smooth cuts that show off his skill.
He sneers at sandpaper; he thinks that's going downhill.

When asked about his craft; he quotes old...

[Rodster]

Are you sure Old Buck has no home of his own.
Has no family; that he lives all alone.

He's dressed pretty natty for a guy on the skids.
I'm hoping he has a wife and one or two kids.

But perhaps that was before he had a spell of bad luck.
When he made good...

[Rodster]

This is a carving that's expertly done.
Carved by a guy who we call Myron.

Another caricature from the old Wild West.
I haven't seen many, but it's one of the best....

[Rodster]

Here's a cute Butcher, and a story that tells,
of a previous carving that Eddy did sell.

There were a lot of mis-'steaks' that Eddy bemoaned
When he attempted to carve a knife and a hone.

Eddy told us the details of how the wood he did split.
He felt so discouraged,...

[Rodster]

He's pretty cute and he's not very tall.
You provided great detail in a carving so small.

I like his mustache, his cap and the bushy eyebrow.
As for carving his eyes, I'd like a few comments on how?

All in all a great carving, I'll award you a plaque.
For...

[Rodster]

Another great carving with another lovely story. It's too much to 'bear'.

[Rodster]

Great little guy! Nicely done.

[Rodster]

Lovely piece of work. Nice little story too.

[Rodster]

I like them. And the little story that accompanies them.

[Rodster]

Bubba's a good one.

[Rodster]

Just great carvings.

[Rodster]

I like your bear.

[Rodster]

A nice bunch of carvings.

[Rodster]

Lovely bear!

[Rodster]

I like your Dr. Fu. It surprises me that customers would want a carving fashioned as a bottle stopper. Will you add some kind of base when you send it to them?

[Rodster]

How do you drill a hole in a nail. Did you find a drill bit that works with steel? Thanks for your help. I like your practical approach....

[Rodster]

Good thought Arthur. I have three nail sets and I'll experiment to see how it works. Advice appreciated....

[Rodster]

Thanks TBox, I think I'll try your technique. I like the eyes in your little guy. I'd be interested in how you carved the eyes and nose before you used your Dockyard gouge. I cut a V-cut for the eye socket, but I don't think you did that. What size of gouge did you use? I appreciate your...

[Rodster]

Randy writes in the Wood Carving Tutorials Forum that he uses brass tubing to cut in eyeballs. BobK noted a few pointers for doing eyes in the Holiday Forum. These suggestions aren't much help for carving eyes on smaller figures. I wondered if using a nail set to imprint the eye might be a good technique....

[Rodster]

We who carve little figures don't have much space.
To cut in eye sockets and whittle eyes in a face.

So we take out our paints and dab on two eyes.
That often don't do justice to our little guys.

Still they look pretty good!! As for flaws, no one notices....