---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- April 2004 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks! This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfiles for 2001, 2002 & 2003 newsletters ============================================================ Hello Everyone! CONTENTS: 1. Website News 1) New free eBook 2) New Inspiration 3) New Gallery Carvings 2. Quick Carving Questions 1) Which Bandsaw Blade? 2) Finish For Walnut? 3) Carving Tools? Website Bookmarks at the end. __________________________________________ 1. WEBSITE NEWS __________________________________________ 1) NEW FREE EBOOK! You know those Quick Carving Questions that appear every month? I've been doing these since this newsletter started and recently decided to collect them together for you. The first 40 are compiled and edited into a new ebook: "Quick Carving Questions 1" available for free from the website. Before you nip off and get your copy, consider this - you nearly couldn't! I had a problem... All the work on the website and this newsletter takes time, of which I have less and less. Carving information in free ebooks? I love writing them but they don't pay the bills. And as yet I have not persuaded enough of you to support my work in other areas by buying a full copy of the Accomplished V Tool! So I was a bit stuck! And it looked like "Quick Carving Questions 1" would have to wait some time... However, the solution has arrived in the form of sponsorship. If you have any old carving books you will see adverts for carving firms in the back, these adverts paid for the writing and publishing. 'Sponsoring' is a bit like this. I'll be asking carving firms who, in my opinion, offer both top products and service to woodcarvers, and whose website I think definitely worth exploring. Discrete links to the sponsor occur on each page; you must deliberately click on these to open a browser window and visit the website - there are no popups, and nothing attempts to connect to the internet automatically. There is a section at the back of the ebook where you can find out more about the sponsor without going online. So, here is our first sponsored ebook is Quick Carving Questions 1, sponsored by Joel Moskowitz of 'Tools for Working Wood' http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/ Put all together these questions and answers makes for a fascinating read. With further sponsorship further voles and other Slipstone Woodcarving manuals will follow. If you are interested in sponsoring an ebook yourself, do contact me. Spiel done! Please go and download your free copy of Quick Carving Questions 1 from here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq1.html or the homepage of the website: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ Enjoy, learn, benefit, pass it on - and please thank our sponsor by paying a visit to their website. 2) NEW INSPIRATION! A bit of indulgence here: not a carving as such but made of wood none-the-less - one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen: form and function in complete harmony. My little picture just doesn't do it credit. Start saving those AirMiles and get yourself to Norway... Have a look: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html 3) NEW GALLERY CARVINGS A few smaller curiosities: (i) Lettered panel: "Tief und Tausendfach zu Leben" Oak, with mirror. Width 24inches http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/let12.html & http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/let13.html (ii) Dragon Cello-footplate Maple. Length: 6in. 180mm http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/cellobret1.html & http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/cellobret1.html (iii) Westhope Livestock Supplies Trophy Limewood on Oak. 10in 250mm diameter http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/cow1.html & http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/cow1.html __________________________________________ 2. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: WHICH BANDSAW BLADE? **** "I have a Two Wheel Band Saw and have read all the books about blades, tension, setting up etc. What in your opinion are your favourite blades for cutting carving blanks, ie.. width, tooth form, tpi?" **** ANSWER **** You can't really get a sensible answer if you ask this... You have to work the other way round and decide what you want to cut first - in particular, the radius - and then use a sawblade to suit. I suggest you buy a selection and see what they do and what fits into your sort of project best. Reading is one thing, but using a few different blades will get you a 'feel' for what they do. =================================== **** QUESTION 2: FINISH FOR WALNUT? **** "I have just recently done a relief carving of a church and steeple on Black Walnut. What can I use to finish it without disturbing the natural color and grain?" **** ANSWER **** You may find a simple wax finish the best. This will darken the wood a little however - as will all finishes. Oil and French polishing darken Walnut even more. Whatever you do, test on a spare sample of the wood! =================================== **** QUESTION 3: CARVING TOOLS? **** "I am a beginning carver about to make an investment in carving tools. I have been trying to research which one to buy and the brand of "Two Cherries" has been recommended as a top line that holds its edge very well. However, I notice that you do not list them in your tool section. Could you please comment on how the Auriou brand, which you do recommend, compares to the Two Cherries and if you have had experience with them?" **** ANSWER **** I do much prefer Auriou and would argue that Kirschen ('Two Cherries') by comparison are thick and clunky and don't hold their edge so well. However, I have no doubt that there are some of you out there carving very well and happily with Kirschen - so what can I say? At the end of the say, it's the hand, heart and eye behind the carving tool that really counts. If you order anything from the Classic Hand Tools site - links on my own - and mention my name, I'll be able to support you if you have any problems with your order. ============================================= That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: "I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism have brought me to my ideas." ~ Albert Einstein ____________________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ ----------------- SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS Over 16,350 copies of these ebooks have been downloaded in the last 13 months. Full list and details: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html * Quick Carving Questions - 1 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq1.html (Sponsored by Tools for Working Wood: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/) * The Accomplished V Tool 1 - Free evaluation copy http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/v1.html * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/learncarving.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/safecarving.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/mistakes.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/fundamentals.html *Slicing, And The Value Of The Inside Bevel With The Chris Pye #2 1/2 Finishing Gouges From Ashley Iles - Free pdf http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slicing.html ----------------- TEACHING * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html Single day: £150 3 days: £360 5 days: £495 Lunch included. Local B&Bs in a very beautiful part of England... * USA (CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MAINE) http://www.woodschool.org/ Sept 20 - 24 Ornamental carving (Mouldings) Sept 27 - Oct 1 Relief Carving Oct 4 - 9 Carving Tutorial Full details to be announced. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2004 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------- -----------------------