# Fancy chain progression thread ("Eifel Tower"): COMPLETED YEARS AGO



## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Hey guys, this is not a current "build". Instead, it's one I did some years ago. I'm posting this to kind of gauge the interest level for this type of thing here at Woodworking Talk. If I get enough feedback displaying interest I'll do a new progression/"build" thread with a new, current fancy chain.

I'd LOVE to see some new blood (not literally) trying this kind of stuff. It's an art that is hardly represented in the modern-day carving scene. But I realize that this is a woodWORKING forum and that the interest and motivation may simply not be there. But I have to give you guys another taste of my whittling work.

Yes, I know, the project in this thread is technically not a "chain". But the elements used are chain carving tricks. The wood I'm using in this project was sold to me as "earwood". It's soft and easy to carve. Cross grain is prone to tearing so a razor sharp knife is the key to success.

In almost every piece I do I try to include some sort of new element, even if it's nothing more than a variation on the standard elements (chain links, balls in cages, rings and so on). I began this piece by shaping the end in preparation for a tapered rounded cage containing two balls followed by a larger tapered cage having a more complex bar structure than the standard 4 corner bars.









Here you can see the first ball is loose and I've begun to shape inside the larger cage.

















And now the second ball is loose.

















This piece is a larger scale than most of my chains. I thought I needed to make some "jumbo" pieces to fill out my display a little better.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

It's about time. Lol. 
Well you got me intrigued. And my vote. 
Eyes are peeled for this one. Hope to see more.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

The ball in the larger cage is now loose. It still needs to be rounded off but the final detailing was done later in the process. It was not my intention to do so, but I realized that the two tapered cages kind of resembled the Eifel Tower so that's how this carving got its name.









Next, I decided to make a large cage having a 1/4 twist. Inside the cage I will have various elements. The bottom of the cages, as you can see, is tapered. That taper will feed through the end of the cage in progress to form a sliding plunger. That plunger will be terminated (inside the cage-in-progress) with a ball. The plunger will also have a ring a ring around it, within the cage.

Look and see:

















An the plunger and ring are loose. I've also started shaping a cage within the cage. And a "ball" within that cage.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

That inner cage is going to sit atop a post. Around that post will be a tabbed ring. Here's some shots of those parts cut loose.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Now I began forming a warped ring underneath the tabbed ring.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

All these cages and rings, I was beginning to think I was watching the making to (lord of the rings). Lol. 
Very interesting so far. What are you using to carve this with?


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Finally, to terminate the end, I put two vertical rings side by side. In this picture, the ring on the right is loose. The one on the left is still attached to the shaft.









Most of the work on this piece was done with the following two knives.

















And the whittling is completed. I sprayed at least 10 coats of lacquer on it.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I like it. How do you sand inside all those little crevices?
How do you come up with a design? Do you draw it out or just carve it out? 
I've seen people do chains before but nothing like this. Looks cool


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Here's a close up so you can see the spiral texture I added to the shaft to add visual appeal.









I also added a little detailing under the "tower" cages.









As a treat for those of you who understand how to do those "Magic Eye" types of 3D pictures and the old time stereograms (without the viewer), here's a few pictures so you can see the piece in glorious 3D! If you don't know how to look it up. Basically, you focus your eyes at a point between yourself and the image. When the two images merge to become one you'll suddenly see it in 3D. Awesome stuff.

























Enjoy!


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm trying to see that. And I don't. Maybe not doing it right. Lol


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

That is some serious detail and skill Steve! Very cool. Thanks for sharing. :thumbsup:


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Ok. Your making my eyes hurt. Lol
What's the trick? Or are you Messin


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> It's about time. Lol.
> Well you got me intrigued. And my vote.
> Eyes are peeled for this one. Hope to see more.


Hey, Dominick. Thanks for coming to the party.



Dominick said:


> All these cages and rings, I was beginning to think I was watching the making to (lord of the rings). Lol.
> Very interesting so far. What are you using to carve this with?


Well, the movie is make using a similar process. But they use swords instead of the little knives I use.



Dominick said:


> I like it. How do you sand inside all those little crevices?
> How do you come up with a design? Do you draw it out or just carve it out?
> I've seen people do chains before but nothing like this. Looks cool


I sand with strips of sandpaper. I also use these little sanding belts on a strip of plastic cut from clamshell packaging and 2-liter soda bottles. I'll get a photo for you.

I've whittled all kinds of chains with all kinds of elements. Many of my elements are the old standards (and variations thereof). But a lot of them are my own unique designs. In the end, though, every chain I do is a unique piece in its own right, whether I employ any fresh elements or not.

My pieces are usually developed as I go. I may or may not have a general idea before I begin. Most of the time though I have no idea what the end product will be. I usually let the wood inspire me as I go along. It's always a process that - often - changes mid stream. Only on occasion do I have a clear cut design in mind at the onset. And less often than that does it come out the way I originally envisioned.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> Ok. Your making my eyes hurt. Lol
> What's the trick? Or are you Messin


No messing. You can actually view the last three images in true 3D with your naked eyes. Hold your finger up in front of your eyes, about a foot away. Now try to focus your eyes on your nose. Notice how the finger splits apart into two images in the background? Same principle applies here. Once you get the two images to overlap you can easily stare directly at the picture and not lose that focus. Once you get it you'll grin from ear to ear. It's like magic. It really does work; I promise you.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

I'm laughing MAO. My wife's looking at me like I'm crazy. Baahaahaaaa I'm not seeing it. 
Putting my finger in front of my face. Looking for my nose. Lol. Maybe I need a bigger nose. Baahaahaaaa OMG. This is crazy. Good lord.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> I'm laughing MAO. My wife's looking at me like I'm crazy. Baahaahaaaa I'm not seeing it.
> Putting my finger in front of my face. Looking for my nose. Lol. Maybe I need a bigger nose. Baahaahaaaa OMG. This is crazy. Good lord.


Maybe this will help:

See: cross-eyed method. http://www.3dphoto.net/text/viewing/technique.html

And here's a somewhat kiddie style video. But it does a good job of explaining the concept and how to do it.






Though you should be able to do it without making the glasses or using your hands as blinders. Those ideas are only for people who are finding the "extra" images too distracting.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Thanks for the link Steve. I read it and watched most of the video. My eyes and head hurts. Lol
I'll stick to 2D. Thanks. I can see it sometimes and sometimes I don't. I'm guessing it takes practice. But it works. I'm just not good enough at it. Thumbs up.

I guess I'm the only one on your chain carving thread.


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## Itchytoe (Dec 17, 2011)

Well, I'm impressed. You're definitely more patient than I.


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Dominick said:


> I guess I'm the only one on your chain carving thread.


That's OK. At least you're here. What more could I ask for? Actually, it seems that most of my threads get a somewhat low response level. It's just the nature of the beast. I don't generally post groundbreaking, high level work. And this is no exception. Other times it just takes more time for others to find it and give feedback. There's not much rhyme nor reason that I can discern to explain which threads get the views and responses.

I do appreciate when I get responses but I know it's largely hit and miss. When I finally post something worthy of lots of responses I'm sure they'll come :laughing:


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Your welcome.
We've all been there before. Sometimes it feels like your let down. When you feel good about what you've done and it goes south. I'm sure others will chime in when the time is right. 
I'm nowhere near the caliber as most, but I'll still post. Lol I'm a poet and didn't no it. Lol. 
My style (rustic) is something that most don't like. 
I love and respect all aspects of woodworking. 
Regardless of the nature. 
Hope to see the chain build.


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## Shop Dad (May 3, 2011)

What am I, chopped liver? LOL

Folks are working. Give it time. And what's this business about low response rate? You gotta be kidding! You have been building a shop before our eyes with a great response. Sharpening station, clamp rack, tool cabinet, tool stand and so on with time for projects with your son, an off the hook "pinewood" derby car, rocking horse and so on. Now going back to your roots with this? Come on man, turn that frown upside down! LOL


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Shop Dad said:


> What am I, chopped liver? LOL
> 
> Folks are working. Give it time. And what's this business about low response rate? You gotta be kidding! You have been building a shop before our eyes with a great response. Sharpening station, clamp rack, tool cabinet, tool stand and so on with time for projects with your son, an off the hook "pinewood" derby car, rocking horse and so on. Now going back to your roots with this? Come on man, turn that frown upside down! LOL


You Sir are definitely not chopped liver. If you were I wouldn't like you. And I definitely like you!

Thanks for remembering (or looking at my profile :shifty some of the threads and projects I've posted here. Yeah, I have been building a lot of my shop right here at the forum. I appreciate the compliments. And maybe you're right, my response rate - in reality - isn't any lower than most members here. It's certainly a case by case basis. And most people aren't sitting with a computer next to them all day, having the ability, time or desire to check in as often as I do (I'm hooked on this site!).

But I'm really not down about it at all. Thank you for the kind and reassuring words. It does mean a lot.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Shop dad. Laughing.


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## dmh (Sep 18, 2010)

Now that's cool! :thumbsup: If you don't mind me asking, how long does it take you to do something like this?


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## Taylormade (Feb 3, 2011)

Heck yeah man, I'm glad you started showing off some of the crazy carving skills you have! For everyone else, he could start at LEAST 10 threads that would blow you away (at least blew me away).


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## txpaulie (Jul 21, 2010)

That's freakin' neat!:thumbsup:

To see in 3D, change the focus of your eyes to see three images, the center one will be 3D, and you can focus on that to see detail!

I had my doubts, but man is that cool!:yes:

...and it doesn't hurt yer eyes!

p


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## brown down (Mar 2, 2010)

thats insane outstanding. how many hours do you have in that. or should i say hundreds of hours???


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

*To make a short story long...*

I appreciate all the nice comments, guys!



dmh said:


> Now that's cool! :thumbsup: If you don't mind me asking, how long does it take you to do something like this?





brown down said:


> thats insane outstanding. how many hours do you have in that. or should i say hundreds of hours???


The two most frequent questions I get asked about these kinds carvings are:

1) How did you get the ball in there? (Easy to answer)

2) How long does it take to make these? (Not quite as easy to answer)

The first one is easy to answer. The ball was always in there. I only cleaned out the clutter so that you can see it. The short - albeit, cryptic - answer is that I remove all the wood that is not a cage or a ball. Then I take them over to my demo piece and show them how the ball takes shape.

The second question is a little more difficult to answer. I don't generally keep track of working hours on these things (though I'm thinking it would be interesting to do some time). There are three main factors that affect how rapidly I can produce these fancy chains: Size/scale of the wood, hardness of the wood, and intricacy of the carving.

I suspect that these three factors seem obvious on the surface but may carry a little more weight than first meets the eye. Intricacy is a no-brainer. Obviously, the more details the longer it's gonna take. Scale and hardness, however, are more of a factor when whittling with knives (like I do) than when using saws (or chisels, like with "regular" carvings). Cutting a piece of oak, for example, on a table saw may take only a fraction of a second longer than the same cut in pine. But when whittling, that difference in hardness translates to a much longer working time.

A majority of my pieces are in linear stock approx. 3/4" square. My standard, quick answer to the time question is that a piece 3/4" scale out of pine or cedar takes me somewhere around an hour per linear inch to carve (and maybe sand; it varies). Finishing is not a huge time factor. But the actual time spent on each "element" varies.

That said, this particular piece, being in a pretty soft wood (softer than pine or even the red parts of cedar), took somewhere around 1 1/4 hour per linear inch, even though it is whittled from approx 2" square stock. So time can vary wildly, depending on the balance of the 3 aforementioned variables.

*This particular piece went from solid blank to lacquered end product in a span of about 10 days. My GUESS on actual working time is somewhere around 25-30 hours. *

The guidelines I gave above are to cut the parts loose and, sometimes, do the sanding as well. But if I add detailing on the parts (texturing and so on) to gussy it up and add interest it can nearly double the carving time.



txpaulie said:


> That's freakin' neat!:thumbsup:
> 
> To see in 3D, change the focus of your eyes to see three images, the center one will be 3D, and you can focus on that to see detail!
> 
> ...


See, I told you guys it really works!


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

Just a note on the 3D viewing. Be sure to use the "cross-eye" method, where you focus your vision BETWEEN your eyes and the image. If you use the "parallel" viewing method (where you focus on a point _beyond_ the image) the Z axis will be inverted, meaning that the image will appear concave. Instead of standing out from the page it will sink into the page and look weird.


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## buggyman1 (Nov 16, 2011)

That is so cool how you can carve like that, can i ask how you learned to do it?


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## Chaincarver Steve (Jul 30, 2011)

buggyman1 said:


> That is so cool how you can carve like that, can i ask how you learned to do it?


Well, a long time ago my paternal grandfather (who lived in Kentucky) told my dad and I about a few chain links he whittled. We were intrigued and impressed. My dad asked if he'd make a few for him so Grandpa sent dad the book he'd learned it from :laughing:

So my dad starting making some of them. I thought they were awesome. He also whittled a back scratcher for each of my two brothers. I asked dad if he'd make me one and, well, you guessed it... dad gave me a knife!

Too this day I still carry that knife in my pocket every day. But I don't use it to carve with. And I've still never made myself a back scratcher :laughing:

But I've been whittling ever since my dad gave me that knife. And I did make a cool back scratcher for my son a little over a year ago. In short, grandpa learned some basics from the book _Whittling and Woodcarving_ by E.J Tangerman. Then dad did. Then I learned partially from the book and from watching how my dad went about the various elements/tricks.

And, of course, we've all come up with out own ideas as well. Actually, I've done more original elements than either of them. But probably only because I'm more daring and wanted to created more fresh ideas what's already out there.


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