---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- December 2003 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 Gallery - Other Carvers' Work 2) New 'Inspiration' 3) Master Carvers Association 4) Zipfile of 2003 Newsletters 2. Quick Carving Questions 1) Stopping Benches from Moving? 2) Coffee as a Stain? 3) Black Arkansas 4) Different Bevels? 3. Article Sharpening With Slate By Clive Nash 4. Follow Ups... 1) A Cunning Way Of Dividing Inches - Revisited 2) Another Way! Website Bookmarks at the end. __________________________________________ 1. WEBSITE NEWS __________________________________________ 1) NEW GALLERY - OTHER CARVERS' WORK I mentioned in September's newsletter that I had been sent pictures of a lovely mirror frame, carved by Edmond McKamey. I thought there could be a place on the website to display woodcarvings by others than myself. Well here it the new gallery, with Edmond's mirror frame as the first contribution. http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/othercarvers/ You'll see that he has given us a series of pictures of the mirror frame in progress and a few notes on how he made it - invaluable and inspiring to all woodcarvers. You are welcome to contribute in a similar way if you have something a fine piece of carving to share: * Subject matter is not important; relief or in the round - whatever. * Quality of workmanship IS important, however. * The work must be traditionally carved - ie. using carving tools, rather than shaping or whittling. (I have nothing against these other forms of woodcarving. They are, however, well represented elsewhere and this website has a particular aim and set of style boundaries.) * You'll need to have at least SOME stage photos and supply brief notes - to explain what you have done to your visitors! (I can help with this) If you have a piece you think might suit, drop me a line and tell me about it. Please don't send pictures at this stage. So, here's your chance to put your work in front of others! See what Edmond Mackamey has done and think about contributing: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/othercarvers/ 2) NEW INSPIRATION! If you have a copy of my book: Elements of Woodcarving, (http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bk5.html) You'll know there is a monkey on the front cover, which reappears on page 4, fig 1.8. This is a portion of a bigger carving on the end of a 15th C. stall in the Church of St. Lorenz, Nurnberg, Germany. I've wanted to show the context of this monkey for a long time: the way the whole composition rolls downhill and the sleepy? thoughtful? little man - far smaller than the monkey sits nonchalantly at the bottom. Have a look: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html 3) MASTER CARVERS ASSOCIATION I am pleased to say that I have just been elected an associate member of the Master Carvers Association: http://www.mastercarvers.co.uk/ This is the oldest association of woodcarvers in Great Britain. It represents the finest practitioners of the craft and upholds traditions and professionalism in woodcarving. I am very honoured to be a part. 4) ZIPFILE OF 2003 NEWSLETTERS Jan - Dec 2003: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html _______________________________________ 2. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS ________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: BE STILL, MY BENCH! **** "Any thoughts on how to root a bench to a tile floor so it doesn't migrate while I am carving?" **** ANSWER **** Here are a few: 1. Glue non-stick (rubber) pads on the feet and/or add weight to the bench, as low down as possible. 2. Stand on a broad piece of plywood to which the bench is fixed (brackets, batons). In this case you are using your own weight to stabilise the bench. I use this method for the bench I use in demonstrating. 3. Have the back of the bench fixed to, and resting on, a baton on the wall - thus you only need two legs at the front. Anyone any other suggestions? =================================== **** QUESTION 2: COFFEE AS A STAIN? **** "You've mentioned you use coffee as a stain on some of your carvings. How?" **** ANSWER **** I came across this by accident, looking around for a brown stain to even out the colour of a mixed brown, jointed carving, and seeing a jar of 'instant'. I mixed a little with water - no milk and sugar! - tested it on a piece of wood and found it very successful. I apply successive thin coats to the carving until it gets the depth of colour I want. I also add Danish oil after the stain has dried; this produces a richer colour. I finish with wax. ** Note!! I should say that I have only ever used it on Oak, which is naturally brown. You should always TEST your stains on a sample of the wood before committing yourself to treating the carving proper - poor staining is disastrous: only recutting will remove it. Use different strengths of solution and keep notes with your 'test strip' for future reference. =================================== **** QUESTION 3: BLACK ARKANSAS STONE? **** "Why can't you use the hard black Arkansas stone like the translucent one?" **** ANSWER **** You can. However, it's extremely fine and takes forever - like trying to sharpen on a strop. =================================== **** QUESTION 4: DIFFERENT BEVELS? **** "I have a few old gouges. Some have the main bevel upwards and some downwards. Which is right?" **** ANSWER **** Your have 2 types of tools here: Gouges with the main bevel on the inside (in cannel) are used by pattern makers for running straight grooves. I have found them no use for carving; even if you regrind a bevel on the outside they still remain very thick. The gouges with the main bevel on the outside will be true carving gouges. =================================== **** QUESTION 5: TOOL NUMBERING LISTS? **** "In your book "Carving on Turning", you describe the Sheffield List of carving tool profiles and I am aware that all of the UK manufactured carving tools follow this list. However, it is apparent that this is not the only "list" of carving tool profiles utilized by manufacturers. For instance, Pfeil tools apparently follow a different profile list. What list does Pfeil utilize and how many other such list are there?" **** ANSWER **** It's true, and a shame, that the numbering system between firms differs. It would be much easier for the carving tools buyer if comparing between firms were standardised. However, it's hard to see that happening. Actually, Pfeil is reasonable close to the Sheffield list (but out of sync and missing a few numbers) and this list is the most commonly used. Although the sweeps appear in differ arrangements and with different numbers, they ARE actually present in lists. The best way I have found to make accurate comparisons is to get the catalogues and photocopy ONTO ACETATE the sweep charts. It's then an easy matter to overlay one on the other. _______________________________________ 3. ARTICLE SHARPENING WITH SLATE BY CLIVE NASH _______________________________________ Sharpening With Slate By Clive Nash My grandfather was a furniture maker from the centre of the furniture making industry in England - High Wycombe. In about 1905 he made what I suppose was then an adventurous life-trip - he uprooted his family to Brockley (getting on for 100 miles), a suburb of South East London, and opened his own furniture shop, where he made and sold his own wares. I never met my grandfather - he died before I was born - but in the family shed in childhood, encouraged by my Dad, I often used to handle his old chisels. As kids, my brother and I were more often digging in the garden with them than anything else. Ouch - that hurts now. I guess I inherited most of his old hand tools, but it was only about four years ago when I took up woodcarving that I realised what a glorious inheritance they were, including gouges by Addis, Herring Brothers, and Sorby. I set about cleaning them up and sharpening them and those that were salvageable now cut as well as any modern brand. One by Sorby is shown in some of the photos (with an new handle!). Among the tools were two slate sharpening aids: a flat benchstone, in a wooden box, and a smaller stone with a curved edge for the inside of gouges. Some photos of these are attached. The chisel helps give an idea of the size of the stones. The slate is soft and the lubricant with it is water but the edge I can get is really good. My carving tutor (I learn at a local evening class) has never heard of slate as a slipstone, but I've read about it in one book on carving, and I guess it worked well for my grandfather as some of his furniture is superb. One of his chairs and a close up of its detail is attached, carved with some of the tools I now have! I don't always use slate myself for sharpening - I find it quicker to use grinding paste on a felt wheel attached to an electric motor (the type recommended by Ashley Isles tools) but slate is a fine medium, and perhaps now not as well known as well as it should be. _______________________________________ 4. FOLLOW UP... ________________________________________ 1) A CUNNING WAY OF HALVING INCHES (Nov 03) (Thanks to Tom Horton, Glen Mills, PA) OK - all I want to say to those of you who tried the method of halving inches and had a frustrating time is that it's now established that working your brain cells hard like that is said to be beneficial... That wasn't the aim however and, yes, there was a step missing. The system works as-is only if the whole number is odd. Thanks to the many of you who supplied THE MISSING LINK and, in particular, Keith Mealy: * Divide the whole number by 2 - forget the fraction. (In this case, 9 divided by 2, and you get 4.) >IF THE INTEGRAL PART (WHOLE NUMBER) IS ODD: * Add the numerator and denominator together. (In this case, 5 and 8. This gives you 13.) * Now DOUBLE the denominator. >IF THE INTEGRAL PART IS EVEN: * Double the denominator and keep the same numerator. For example 8 5/8 -> 4 + 5/16 "The reason this works is adding the numerator and denominator and doubling the denominator yields (n+d)/2d = n/2d + d/2d = n/2d + 1/2, that is, having the original fraction and adding 1/2". The 1/2" allows for the odd number part you disregarded in the earlier step." So now you know! 2) ANOTHER WAY! ... Of finding the centre of a board or block of wood that is odd sized. Andrew K. Larrimore: "Lay a ruler on the board with: 1. the zero point of the ruler on one edge and 2. the NEXT full number (inches or mm) of the board's width on the other edge. 3. The ruler will be diagonal across the board. 4. Mark the board at the center of your ruler - between the points found in steps 1. and 2. * This is always the center of the board." ============================================= That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: "I like thinking of possibilities. At any time, an entirely new possibility is liable to come along and spin you off in an entirely new direction. The trick, I've learned, is to be awake to the moment." – Doug Hall ____________________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ ----------------- WOODCARVING TOOLS The FOLLOWING PAGES ARE UNAVAILABLE and being re-written: * UK TOOLSHOP: Auriou woodcarving tools and other equipment http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/ts_uktoolshop.html * UKTOOLSHOP Direct Link (missing out introductory page): http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/uktoolshop/index.html ----------------- SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS Over 11,743 copies of these ebooks have been downloaded in the last 11 months, of which 3000 have been 'Learning to Carve'. * The Accomplished V Tool 1 - Free evaluation copy http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/learncarving/learn_ebook.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/safecarving/safecarving_index.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/mistakes/mistakes_ebook.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/fundamentals/fundamentals_ebook.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/toolshop/ts_iles.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/ PROVISIONALLY: 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 2003 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------- -----------------------