The Whittling Corner

[Ace Rimmer]

Thanks WhittlinAway -- I am having fun but I need to find some inspiration for my next project. Yesterday I found an RR106 split back whittler at the local knife store and it followed me home. I'm anxious to try it out!

 

[Trout Hound]

Regarding inspiration, this sounds kinda fruity, but it works. I watched a really amazing chainsaw carver at our county fair once. Big, burly, lumberjack type of guy. He got ready to start a new piece, and he put a stump up on the block, stepped back, with his arm propped on his 48" bar chainsaw, and just stared, silently, at that stump, for more than a full minute. Then, he said, "That's an eagle." Revved up the chainsaw, and sure enough, about 20 minutes later, there was a beautiful eagle sitting there.

I've tried it since then, and it works, at least for me. If I feel like carving, but I don't know what I want to make, I'll pick up a block or branch that looks good to me, and then I'll just sit and look at it for a few minutes. Sure enough, I always figure out whatever is inside there that I'm supposed to get out.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Regarding inspiration, .... Sure enough, I always figure out whatever is inside there that I'm supposed to get out.

Do you just start whittling, or do you do any sketching first, either on paper or directly on the block?

 

[Old Biker]

A friend of mine at work, is a duck fan. He has rubber duckies all around his work area. I kept putting one of them down on this shelf, he kept moving it back. I told him I;m going to whittle you a wood one so I can glue it down and you will have to leave it here. I don't think he thought I could do it, so I made this. A wood copy of a rubber ducky with a few added touches.

O.B.

 

[Trout Hound]

Do you just start whittling, or do you do any sketching first, either on paper or directly on the block?

It depends. Sometimes I can get away without doing any sketching, but only if I have a pretty clear mental vision of the proportions. Other times I'll definitely sketch it out.

 

[Old Biker]

So the same friends 3 year old son tried to climb something leaned against the wall in the garage. Pulled it over onto himself, whacked his scull and got about 60 stitches. So I made him a duck with as he calls it a cracked head. It is the last in this line of three. I don't remember who ended up with number two. Somebody talked me out of it.

Then his oldest boy ruptured his appendix. So I made him a duck that had its appendix removed

O.B.

 

[jwh720]

Working on a fish from an alder stick

 

[Ace Rimmer]

... so I made this. A wood copy of a rubber ducky with a few added touches.

O.B.

At first I assumed this was for The Ohio State University, but the colors are wrong for that...

 

[Old Biker]

At first I assumed this was for The Ohio State University, but the colors are wrong for that...

I was giving my friend a hard time. He is an Oregon Duck fan and alumni. I told him that was going to be him, when his boys grow up and go to Oregon State. So the body of the duck is painted green and yellow for U of O. The clothes are painted orange and black for OSU.

O.B.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

A little caricature of a knife using my RR106...

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Bas Relief (pear)
OK, one more. I was trying to come up with a new project idea when I happened to look up at a bas relief sculpture of a group of pears that my wife's brother did. (He's a dentist and professional artist working in several different media.) So, I thought I'd see what I could come up with. This is a pretty efficient use of materials since you can get up to four "sculptures" on one block of wood.

 

[5K Qs]

That's excellent, Ace!!
(I think this may be my first post in this thread, even though I read the thread religiously. )

- GT

 

[WhittlinAway]

Great stuff O Old Biker ! Thanks for sharing your work and stories here. I particularly like the little customizations you made to fit the situations.

jwh720 now that's a whittling spot with a view! I can certainly imagine that settling in there with your muslin #13 and Adler stick would lead to some high-quality relaxin'.

A Ace Rimmer you're a natural. Nice job on that pear. I like how the background relief's shape echoes that of the pear. Which blade(s) did you find the most effective for working on the concave area?

5K Qs welcome!

It's been a busy week, but y'all have collectively inspired me to put down my iPad and take care of some chores now so that there'll be some time for whittlin' before bed.

 

[mb>]

This obviously isn't whittlin', but made me think of this thread. Human talent is amazing.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

...

A Ace Rimmer you're a natural. Nice job on that pear. I like how the background relief's shape echoes that of the pear. Which blade(s) did you find the most effective for working on the concave area?
....

I did almost all the work using the large clip blade on my RR106 Whittler. I switched to the small clip blade to round the edges of the pear and for just a little fine tuning on the background. I think I have a bit of arthritis in my thumb -- it normally doesn't bother me but after pushing through so much wood lately I'm taking a few days for it to heal up!

 

[Old Biker]

I was down to Crater Lake last weekend. I picked up a dried up piece of a limb near there. I think it is lodgepole pine. It's very fine grained and has been more of a challenge to carve than I expected. Here is the progress so far.

O.B.

 

[knarfeng]

Impressive!

 

[Old Biker]

I think I'm going to call this one finished.

O.B.

 

[WhittlinAway]

Nice job, O Old Biker .

Did you choose the wood to suit the carving you had in mind or choose the subject of the carving to fit the wood you had in hand?

 

[Old Biker]

Nice job, O Old Biker .

Did you choose the wood to suit the carving you had in mind or choose the subject of the carving to fit the wood you had in hand?

It was more like the latter. I was dropping my cousin off to hike the PCNST from Crater Lake to Odell lake. I picked up the wood thinking I might have some down time in camp to fill. Considering everything it just seemed a backpacker was the appropriate thing to carve.

O.P.