# Wood Carving Projects - Show us Yours



## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

It was suggested that a new thread be created to show some of our wood carvings. I will get some photos and post soon.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

To get thread started here are a few of my whittlings. The first one was my very first carving.
The second is a few of the mountain men and spirit faces
Also there is a photo of two of the walking sticks I made, I love making them and hiking sticks.
Also a heart neckless make of cherry I carved. 
Sure would love to see some of y'alls carvings. I am not good but I sure have fun.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

nice work, Jim !

well - 99% of my carvings are sign related.
I am just now getting the urge to advance beyond the commercial business aspect and do some fun projects. such as carving in the round.
the most recent project was a John Bellamy style eagle carved in bass wood and the silver military insignia is cast resin. dedicated to the surface warfare sailors - still haven't decided what to do with it yet.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

First off, these are my every day carving tools. Of course, I only use the adzes at the beginning for rough outs. I buy the blades and there's substantial wood carving involved in the final shaping of the handles. The snail on the D adze is a reminder of how fast I am.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I buy all the blades and make up the knife handles to fit my hands. The glue-ups are rosewood and mahogany. All other handles are birch. The handle tapers are 15 degrees. I've got maybe twice as many knives as you see here. The blades are all surface hafted in a puddle of JBWeld. Tomorrow I would carve off the squeeze out and do the whipping to cover my sloppy workmanship.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

OOPS! here are some knives


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Some close-ups


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

and a few more


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

So, what did I carve?
Back about when I was 14 or 15, my grandmother said that I would carve what I see in the wood.
I have no control over that. I see what it is and carve it. No more, no less.

This is the beginning of a massive dish in yellow cedar. Nose-to-tail about 18" and 12" wide, maybe 2.5" thick.
Just about so big that it's not very useful. I always do no more than round eyes. no pupils, no eyelids..
The copper indicates wealth and prosperity.
Can you see the concentric circles on the wood? Just about to cut into the slab.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Lots of carvers like the smell of yellow cedar. I don't. It stinks.
Nothing unusual about all the middle work.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Here you can see the size.
Got it done and had to make a pie for it. My apple pies are wonderful.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

My kids had a silly tin box for an umbrella stand. I split out some 24" x 1" cedar planks, smoothed them and pegged them together with silicone for a nicer umbrella stand.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Next, I got busy and did some form line relief carvings of water animals: Orca, salmon, beaver and frog.
I'm told it's water tight.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Ravens are my constant winter companions here. Smarter than most children. They form lifetime pair bonds.
Maybe 5-6 pairs visit in my big front yard spruce trees. They roost in there to shelter from the winter snow storms.
I don't feed them unless the temperature drops to colder than -20C and/or there enough snow to bury all the road kills. The they have to wait for the wolves, coyotes, cougars, Lynx and Bobcats to dig it up again for them and the bald eagles.

So I saw a Raven pair holding the bow drill cord in their beaks. They have copper eyes and the stain is the antique iron/vinegar stuff which just makes the birch look dirty. Some working tools there, too.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Here's the little hearth board with the drill.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

John Smith_inFL said:


> nice work, Jim !
> 
> well - 99% of my carvings are sign related.
> I am just now getting the urge to advance beyond the commercial business aspect and do some fun projects. such as carving in the round.
> ...


That is nice John, I have never taken on a carving project that large yet.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Brian, those are some great looking tools, they had to be fun to make and fun to use. Where do you buy the blades to make those, do you have a link? Is the wrap leather or something else. When and if you make some more tools, would you show how you made them. I have been wanting to make a adze for a good while. Thanks for shearing your projects, they are great looking.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

extremely educational, Brian !!
looking forward to seeing how you use some of those tools as they are all new to me.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Years ago, I decided that I wanted to try to learn why the distinctive wood carving tools pf the Pacific Northwest First Nations were so traditional and popular. Believing that the carvers made their own tools, I discovered some PacNW bladesmiths with the expertise that I didn't have.
Long standing forge:
Kestrel Tool
Kestrel sells blades.
Relative newcomer with very economical prices:
Wood Carving Knives by Jamie Sharp
Jamie sells finished knives and the yellow cedar handles are big enough for some people that they can carve them down to fit. They fit me right out of the box. Need realsharpening.

Vendor for a BC bladesmith:
http://www.leevalley.com/en/home/page.aspx?p=47715
Just Haida-style blades. I have all of them. OK but need sharpening for cedar.

There are a few others. Most every farm store carries some kind of farrier's hoof trimming knife. 
Those are very good to use for blades in your own handles.

I use adze handle patterns from Kestrel as the starting point to make some changes to suit me.
The black whipping material is #18 tarred nylon seine twine than you can buy in 1 lb spools from any chandler.
The yellow is #18 nylon survey cord from just about any hardware store.
The application is exactly the same as whipping the guides on a custom made fishing rod.

The D-adze is cool because you can push it like a jack plane to get nearly transparent shavings.
Otherwise, both it and the elbow adze are chopping tools for the rough-out work.

On the elbow adze, the different colors are not for decoration. The upper yellow/black change is the place for your first finger (Holm Constant) to get maximum controlled swing with minimum effort.

You can see how the adze handles have been thinned in the grip area to 7/8" to fit my hands (Kestrel Constant).
All my knives are shaped to that size as well. They look different because I was experimenting at the time.
And I'm too damn lazy to replace a couple that are a bit skinny. 
I can fatten them up with Vet Wrap bandage if I really wanted to.
It's a dimension that you must figure out for your own hands.
= = = 
Use:
Commonly palm up. fist grip in a sweeping motion towards yourself. You will learn not to hit yourself in the chest as that wrecks your shirt and the cut really stings. I wear a XXX heavy canvas apron made from junk. A welder's apron would be good except in hot summer weather. Most carvers learn to push with their other hand for power. I like the farrier's blades for the blunt spine edge BUT, you really need to buy both the right-hand and left hand blades.
All the PacNW blades are double edged.

You will need to relearn sharpening and honing all over again. Every edge has a sweep that water stones can't touch. Most of us use all sorts of different 3M wet&dry fine automotive finishing sand papers up to 1500 or 2,000 grit. I have some natural rocks, river cobbles, that I have picked up that work OK. Very paleo experience.
= = =
What to do first?
Look into the Kestrel website. Your first knife should be the J-shape of the 'C' Kestrel blade.
Get the booklet "Adzes and Ends", 12 pages of info and patterns. Very useful.
= = =
Lots more dishes and other carvings if there's any interest.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Brian T. said:


> Years ago, I decided that I wanted to try to learn why the distinctive wood carving tools pf the Pacific Northwest First Nations were so traditional and popular. Believing that the carvers made their own tools, I discovered some PacNW bladesmiths with the expertise that I didn't have.
> Long standing forge:
> Kestrel Tool
> Kestrel sells blades.
> ...


Oh I am interested, by all means please do post more of your projects. I really appreciate the links, that is a big help. I have a spool of the tarred nylon seine line, I used it for trot lines.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I think I said that I carved 70 spoons and 30 forks in birch. 
I have pulled a spoke shave, to shape the handles, more than a mile. They sing in the wood.
I wanted to know if there was something that I could carve, cheap and fast, that I could sell.
At that same time, I was offered lots of very clean birch, perfect for a spoon project.
I carved some prototypes and passed them around to decide on a design shape. 
Each blank cost me $0.15 and I sold the spoons for $12.00 each.
In batches of a dozen, each spoon took 90 minutes to finish then the oven baked oil finish.

I don't give acrap if I ever carve another spoon or fork in my life. This ruined my enthusiasm.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

yeah, $7.80 an hour for a skilled craftsman is not much milk money !!
I'm trying to find some photos of projects that I have done in the past that are not sign related and so far nada.
carving signs was my talent and business - so that's all I ever did.
as I was telling Jim the other day, it is time to just slow down and do some fun stuff just for me.

*this is one of my sign projects that was the most profitable as it is more "involved" with all the elements.*



























*and the ones like this - simple and quick - were my bread-n-butter styles







*

so now is "play time" just for some fun projects.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Very complex designs. I can never keep all that straight in my head. 
What's your preference for those? Bass wood?


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

exterior signs were mahogany or redwood. very rare to use cedar or cypress.
I used to do a lot work around big boats and that is where I really got into the marine aspect
of teak and mahogany. inside signs were bass wood or HDU (High Density Urethane).


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Brian, I can see why making spoons kinda burned you out, I couldn't have stood to do that as I hate repetition. I have made several cooking utensils, but we use them just about everyday. Most were made out of cherry that I had left over from a double set of stairs I built a while back. I think I have a spoke shave or it may be scrappers, I will need to check as I have never used them. I can see where a spoke shave would come in handy though. I do have a couple of draw knives, one of which I made.

John, that is really very impressive, beautiful work. You have to be pretty versatile to do that kind of work. That is way above my skill level.

I am going to give carving with a micro-hand held carver a try. I love details in things. Just plain things seem to me to be cutting it short to get finished. Now that I am retired, I want to take my time and carve things with more detail.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Spoke shaves are a joy to carve with. You can hear them sing in the wood. I used two of them.
One was set to cut thick for rough shaping. The other was set to cut thin to kiss off the ridges left by the first one.
Sure, they are adjustable. BUT, I would have wasted hours and hours fooling with the settings instead of carving.
The trick is to count the cutting strokes, to get the 4 corners rounded off the same.

A local wanted to build a dog cart, he bought the wood and I made the set of wooden spokes for the wheels.
Same, I made a buggy spoke for a horse-drawn carriage restoration.

Here are the tools I used:


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

oh wait - I remember one now that I did just for fun a few months ago.
dedicated to the Tired Old Brush. (carved out of bass wood).


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

That's more like it! I have owned my share of paint brushes that looked exactly like that.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

That looks great John, I love it.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

Jim - I tweaked the thread title a little to hopefully draw in other carvers to share their projects with us.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Lots of lurkers, lots of reads but just 3 of us are carvers?

This carving is an example of a common principle in Pacific Northwest First Nations art and carving.
Sometimes, it makes understanding really difficult because of the displacement of key pieces.
Called "restricted design," the work has to fit the size of the available ground ( stone/paper/wood.)
I didn't have a wide enough pine board and I was in no mood for a glue up. 
I wanted to see what the paint combination would look like.

Once I had a drawing that I liked, I cut off both the head and tail and moved them to fit the wood.
There's some shallow body relief cut-outs, abalone for the eye and 38 pieces of copper for the spots..
About 18" long. Australian Mangrove Jack fish, acrylic paints.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Cool John, I hope some other carvers will jump in and show some of their work.

Thanks Brian, that is interesting.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Because I like to carve the things that I see in the wood, I have a lot of wood stock, piles of it indoors and out.
Blocks, posts and planks.
I got lucky in Home Depot one spring day ( best season to shop). 
Bought two clear, straight grained 4x4 x 12' fenceposts in western red cedar. Just about perfect specimens.
First the caterpillar.
I carved this as a straight body then cut it up with a table saw then pegged and glued the pieces back together.
I used to take this to artisan shows, it lived under my table with a bright red cat leash harness on it.
We had a terrible summer of wild fires a few years back. Burnt out people came to our village and I gave up the leash for one lady's little cat. The caterpillar still reminds me of that smoky day.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

The Europeans brought Smallpox with them to the west coast of North America.
The decimation on Haida Gwaii was so profound that the entire Dragonfly clan was exterminated.
Those people are extinct.
A couple more pieces of WRC fence post. Carved on all sides, the tails up the back ends and the 3 pairs of legs on the bottoms. The dishes have straight walls and flat bottoms. That's something quite easy to do with crooked knives and very awkward with gouges. And, nothing popped off when I did the cross hatching for the wings!


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Now for a puzzle that outdoor people should be able to figure out. I got this idea back in about 1965 from a picture
I saw of paleo cave drawings. Fast forward 50 years. I bought a couple of 5/4 x 5.5" western red cedar deck boards that were clear and straight except for knots every 18" or so. Perfect. I do my drawings on 11 x 17 paper.

I realized after doing one drawing that I liked, that I could change the antlers/horns, keep pretty much the same faces and do carvings of all 8 of the big herbivores that live within 30 minutes of my house. Yeah, that's where I live.

They are all outside, attached to fence posts in an 80' grape vine trellis. I can enjoy them from every west window in my house. I like the way they weathered so silver. OK. White-tail deer, mule deer, moose, mountain caribou, bison, mountain goat, elk, big horn sheep. Can you figure out which is which? I have eaten 6-7 bison since 2001.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Nobody figured them out yet? 
OK you ought to get 3 of them without even looking. Bison burgers tonight.
So here's you one and only clue: 
They are one of the most violent and unpredictable critters in the world. Like Cape Buffalo.
I don't think this is photoshopped. Probably a 5+ bull.
They are fantastic to carve on a plate at 6 PM.

Actually, I have first strike flint flake tools, about the length of a little finger, that I cut meat with.
Quite the paleo experience to shoot back 10,000 years.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

Good grief, that is one huge animal, I can't imagine trying to take that down without a gun.

Yesterday I visited a good friend who is a retired doctor, he also carves birds. They are so life like it is unreal. He told me about how he made all the very small veins in each of the feathers with a wood burning tip. He said that there were 150 veins in each inch of feather. I believe he has carved every bird native to the USA and some from elsewhere. He has 100s of carved birds in his shop and quite a few in his house.

I have never seen this level of perfection in wood carving. He told me it took him 9 months to complete the eagle in the photo below, this is just a couple of his birds.















He carves all of the bird from a block of wood, he even carved the post that is in the last photo. Amazing to say the least.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

wow - just totally wow
thanks for sharing !!


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Amazing delicacy. I'm convinced that the quality of the support and background helps to make the carving all that more convincing. There are tribes of those people doing birds, decoys and fish. Stunning detail, every time. I'll never understand their focus and endurance.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

well - this is not something that "I have made" - but, am willing to try !! (Covid Project #33)
I got the two roughouts in the mail yesterday and I must say, for a " Novice Whittler",
it is an excellent entry level project to practice "in the round" carving. (talents of which I lack).
as you can see, 75% or so of the roughing in has already been done. the wood is solid bass.
it may take me a year to do both, I know that once I get into it, I will definitely be either buying more - or making them myself from scratch.
the seller, Mr. Sears is Old School !! I mean, in this fast paced 21st Century, who do you know that has a lucrative online business and sends you the merchandise and says send me a check when you get the invoice . . . who does that ???
I'll document the progress - I'm anxious to get started as soon as I sharpen up some tools.
John










oh - my "plan" is to modify the "as received" models and make a free-hand coral fence project similar to this one. (with a few cowboys watching a bucking bronco). = diorama ??


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I love it, that is going to be a really fun project John. Do you have any instructions how to go about carving them? I wouldn't know where to start. I know Lynn Doughty had some instructions how to carve the cowboys at one time, maybe you can do a search if you need instructions. Can't wait to see how it turns out for you. 

That one with the cowboy with his foot on the fence would be the ultimate one for me. After I finish the 29 Ford Stake Bed truck build I may give the cowboys a try, it does look like fun.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

Jim - when I was a youngster, I asked my Dad "how to carve an owl" . . . .
and he simply replied: get you a big chunk of wood, then remove everything that doesn't look like an owl.

I've also been pondering about where to start on these guys: head, body, feet. . . . .
and I have come to the conclusion to start with the easiest parts first that are within my experienced skill sets.
which would be the boots - then up the pants to the belt, etc. the belt can NOT be straight around the waist.
there has to be some shirt and gut overlapping the belt. same with the legs - they must have the natural wrinkle of pants. plus, one of the legs will be amputated and re-carved to the "knee up" position to have a foot on the fence rail.
so my mind must be thinking 25 steps ahead of everything before I make a cut.
I think I need to make the fence FIRST then carve the cowboys to fit the fence - and not vice-versa.
I asked Mr. Sears about his cowboy on the fence (hoping it was available) and he said: oh no, that is a "one off" project used in one of his carving classes. it's okay - I've got the jest of it and I'm pretty sure I can pull it off.
I'll make the fence this afternoon - or at least a temporary prototype fence to work from.
it's called "craftsmanship" with loads and loads of pure FUN.
Edit: no - no plans. just 4 photos of each of a finished model.

John


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

Step One = remove the base with the band saw.
Step Two = remove the left leg, make adjustments and reattach as needed. (gross photos not shown).


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

John Smith_inFL said:


> Jim - when I was a youngster, I asked my Dad "how to carve an owl" . . . .
> and he simply replied: get you a big chunk of wood, then remove everything that doesn't look like an owl.
> 
> I've also been pondering about where to start on these guys: head, body, feet. . . . .
> ...


You are one brave soul John, if that were me that would make some expensive fire wood. Are the arms going to lay on the fence like in his photo, or something like that? If I am not mistaken, Lynn does have several tutorials how to carve the cowboys. I have watched a couple but don't remember much about them. Just a thought. I do know you are way ahead of my carving ability so you may not need the instructions. I for sure wasn't saying that you did.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

Jim - these Mass Produced carving projects are fun and a great piece for anyone that wants to at least try whittlin without a big investment in tools. but, they are run through duplicators which must stay within the "straight and narrow" profiles to be profitable.
the piece I am doing now has had some serious alterations already. I cut two slices in the back and put in wedges to make it bend over the top rail of the fence, amputated the left leg and made a whole new one out of the base that I cut off yesterday to rest on the bottom rail of the fence. (save ALL the pieces you remove). it is beginning to look similar to Mr. Sear's model and so far, I am pleased with the progress.
it should be called "chip carving" . . . . I sometimes make a bad cut and I am on the floor looking for it mumbling to myself . . . dang, now where is that CHIP ????
I made a temp fence with dowels and pop cycle sticks - I need to make longer "boards" so I will do that now while the glue is setting. then go to the auto store for a new can of Bondo - yeah, Bondo is allowed on projects that will be painted.
stay tuned !!
John


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

instructions ???
my Dad always said - when all else fails, THEN you read the instructions.
I am the kid that got a "paint by numbers" kit and used the numbers as "guidelines" and painted outside the lines.
I've seen the videos on YouTube on how to "carve" roughouts, but none of them show how to cut off body parts and reassemble them to suit your specific needs.
contrary to popular belief, you don't have to accept a part just the way it comes from a machine.
use your own imagination and make it uniquely yours. (I cut 1/2" off the boot tops as no respecting cowboy would wear boots that comes up to his KNEES).

okay - after some practice and loss of patience, I can not get the left leg to look natural due to the original design.
and it just looks so funky with one short leg and one long leg. soooooo - the amputated leg will be glued back on, but in a slightly different way and the guy will be standing on two feet against the fence - I think I can get the other guy to rest one arm on the fence like the two were discussing something.
*this is where I'm at now:*


















*and this is Thought Process #2 (or, Plan "B" as it is sometimes called)







*


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I can see why that would be a problem. It would be tough to get him to look like the other one in the photo below. The one below is kinda bending over standing a little back from the fence with his arms out in front of him a little more. You can do that but looks to me like a lot of modifications. JMHO, I don't have the guts to try that, but you never march to the beat of the same drum as most folks anyway John. And that is a good thing, that is why you accomplish so much.

It is a shame you can't get a side view of the cowboy below.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

That boot will give the short leg a rash in his privates. Try carving a whole new leg in the shape that you need.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

update:
I'm really getting the hang of carving these guys !!
I'm also really surprised at myself at how easily I picked it up.
all went well until I got to the face - then came to a screeching halt.
I needed smaller knives - so I made some to get into the tight spaces.
so this is where I'm at now - I get easily sidetracked with other stuff so it is taking longer than I would like.
the photo doesn't really show the detail like the weathered fence boards. (I need to work on my photo skills more).
decorating the scene will be fun with some of the items you would usually see on a ranch.


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## Simon wood Tools (Nov 10, 2021)




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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

welcome to the forum, Simon - I see you are in Ukraine. we welcome members here from all over the world.
that is some beautiful carving there, please share a little history about yourself and your shop in the New Member Introduction forum.


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## Simon wood Tools (Nov 10, 2021)

Hello. My name is Roman. In 2001 - 2003 he graduated from the specialty: "construction carpenter and woodcarver". Since 2003 he worked as a carver at a large Ukrainian enterprise. At this stage, in addition to wood carving, I am engaged in the manufacture of tools for wood carvers.


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## Ricardo Raposo (Mar 6, 2021)

Hi peeps,

decided to try and tackle some new ideas. feedback always welcome.














































I think that at some point it took a turn to worse. LMAO. Cheers.
Forgot to mention: Base is an obsidian.


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## BigJim (Sep 2, 2008)

I don't know what it is but it is really cool, you did a great job on it.


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## Ricardo Raposo (Mar 6, 2021)

BigJim said:


> I don't know what it is but it is really cool, you did a great job on it.


Just a bit of an abstract piece.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I have a dozen wood carvings "on the go" which stand every chance of looking OK when finished.
Somehow, the local newspaper discovered my story poles. It's a photo of the page so not the greatest
but you get the idea. It's every bit as tedious as you can imagine.


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