User Profile

[Brian T]

Here at 53N, it's about the end of September sees most broad leaf things colored up. Mostly yellows, a few pinks, oranges reds and purples. Douglas maples are wild colors but a week and that's over.
Snow on the peaks up top, the elk bulls are not starting to bugle yet. Bull moose wont' be calling...

[Brian T]

G'Day.
Four years in a wood science research lab, PhD LaTrobe, '72.

[Brian T]

It's like sharpening techniques. This matters to some people and not to others.

Probably, the most readily recognizable and iconic carving style is the art and carvings from the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. Various woods, Haida argillite, copper, silver and gold. In wood,...

[Brian T]

Very elegant (says a cane user). Your choice of colors is spot-on.
I can imagine body, legs and tail carved in shallow relief on the stick.

[Brian T]

Good coffee slurping morning! I actually have a choice of 2 roasters within 2 hours of my place. One is just a couple of miles away. I like the aroma and taste of dark roasts done in a Lagostina press. It's more of a ritual in the mornings but I don't seem to wake up with an urgent thirst any more....

[Brian T]

I think of wearing this near Hallowe'en. Some sort of a pin on the back so I can put it on my coat.
Gotta show off good stuff like this!

[Brian T]

Seeing is believing. There's no guess-work expended speculating on what the edge MUST be like because Google said so. At least a 10X magnifier and a really bright LED light bulb.

I can feel by the effort when a gouge edge is "going away." Just more push needed.
I wear...

[Brian T]

Which species of 600+ species of Eucalyptus interests you? Many woods go from cheese to bone as they dry so allowing them to season first can be a colossal mistake.

Down Under, I'd suggest Camphor Laurel and, or course, Jelutong in particular as good carving woods, old or fresh.

[Brian T]

Welcome, Yolli. Do you see a style of carving that you like best of all?

[Brian T]

There's a couple of those in my village = all hat and no cattle. If one of them did everything he claims, he would be about 147 years old. That is one very good carving and good paint.

[Brian T]

Bots. One day, I decided to Google a search for PacNW crooked knife carving tools.
Just to see what might be new, just to see who might be doing what. The usual pages of pictures.
What pops up but images of my own tools in my shop!

Retirement: Took about 2 years to untangle...

[Brian T]

It's good that we all find tricks that work in a productive way for the carvings we make.

I used to make graphite paper using graphite sticks for pigment. Then, I found the graphite paper packages and the carbon paper packages side by side in Staples Office Supply store. Enough in a package...

[Brian T]

I vote for sitting. I just can't stand for hours doing some tedious fine shaving carving thing.
I have tall rolling stool/chairs that came out of an old drafting business as they went to digital.
All I have to do now is sweep enough chips away so the chair rolls and turns.

...

[Brian T]

Many of the things that I see in the wood need to be explored with pencil and paper.
I like to do everything, even little drawings, on 11" x 17" white copy paper.
Always must have a center line to work around. Always. I do 50 sheets at a time.
That very same center line...

[Brian T]

Lee Valley/Veritas has a massive tilting easel for relief carving. Very expensive, I think you are paying for the shipping weight! The angle is adjustable and the working deck rotates as well.
Several First Nations carvers here in the Pacific Northwest work 36" - 48" cedar medallions...

[Brian T]

I carve what I see in the wood. A prediction made by my grandmother, 60 years ago. I can't "time" anything. If I don't see it in the wood then make many pages of drawings, the subject never leaves my mind.

[Brian T]

I can't tell you. If it wasn't for a few pictures, some carvings, I have totally forgotten about. Some turned out to be really quick and easily done, others collect dust. Some got stuck at the drawing stage (this is never going to work!) etc. Some were never finished. How should I estimate those?...

[Brian T]

That's wonderful. I can appreciate how tedious it must be to paint the plaid.

[Brian T]

Prehack, this place was lavishly illustrated with long strings of process photographs. Not so much any more. I haven't got much new to show and even less motivation to do so. Age related?

If you've seen one crooked knife, you've seen them all, sort of. Some carvings are deadly tedious...

[Brian T]

That's wonderful. I can appreciate how tedious it must be to paint the plaid.