---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- July 2001 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello Everyone! 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/index.html or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html ==================================== ****CONTENTS: 1. Slipstones - July 2001 2. Slipstones Back Issues - now available! 3. Website Notes A Guide to Safe Carving - free eBook 4. Article 'Woodcarving Mistakes - Part 3' by Chris Pye 5. Quick Carving Questions 1) Work Holder? 2) Alternatives to Sanding? 3) Learning to Carve, on your own. 4) Ergonomics 6. Parallel Lines: Guest Article 'Hey, I'm Livin' The Life' by Jan Tincher 7. Follow ups 1) Restoration & St Paul's 2) Gilding __________________________________________ 1. SLIPSTONES - July 2001 __________________________________________ In Slipstones this month: *** Using Shortbent (Spoon) Gouges Many beginners adopt a lever/wrecking bar approach. Learn how to cut correctly with spoon gouges. *** Assessing Depth in Relief Carving "Ground Floor...And Still Going Down!" Prevent this unwanted announcement and get level internal grounds. *** Framing Carvings Not carving? Or a good idea? Some ideas you need to think about. *** Follow Different Cuts of the Carver Be clear about 'slicing', 'sweep', 'stab' and other cuts. There's one that is priceless to the carver. *** Pye Corner That Lectern Update on a carving that I am undertaking, with lion's feet and Gothic tracery... *** And much more, including 'Lines of Light' and Carving Tips. Find full details of your interactive woodcarving journal: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html Have you downloaded your FREE sample edition? Slipstones is like an invitation to my workshop where we can share experience, advice and support, and which aims to further carving at all levels. Join me! *Get your FREE copy of '101 Master Woodcarving Secrets' - available only on subscribing. __________________________________________ 2. SLIPSTONES BACK ISSUES - now available! __________________________________________ There's no doubt about it: in its first year, Slipstones has already become a valuable source of information - but not everyone wants the commitment of subscribing. So, if you just want to read Slipstones, without subscribing, here's your chance! Back issues of Slipstones, in zip file collations - 'SlipZips' - can be bought online or offline for downloading. Check out the Slipstones Information Pages: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html - Click on 'Back Issues' or 'SlipZips' in the directory on the left. I should point out that although downloading back issue collations is an alternative to subscribing to Slipstones, only subscribers to Slipstones can: 1. claim a copy of 101 Master Carving Secrets © - it is not available separately 2. write in and contribute in an active way 3. enjoy Slipstones as it appears; collation zips can only be made every four months. and 4. Subscribers do pay less for Slipstones than back issues. So there are additional and valuable advantages in subscribing to Slipstones..! __________________________________________ 3. WEBSITE NOTES __________________________________________ *** Safe Carving eBook "A Guide to Safe Woodcarving" is now an eBook - self contained and very readable. Download your free copy here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/safecarving/safe_ebook.html and practise safe carving! __________________________________________ 4. ARTICLE 'Woodcarving Mistakes - PART 3' by Chris Pye __________________________________________ (Parts 1 & 2: available as back issues May01 & Jun01 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html) SO, WHY DO BITS "FALL OFF"? Last issue we looked a little at sticking broken bits of carving back on, but it does beg the question: why did they come off in the first place? And, of course, how do you stop it happening. A few thoughts come to mind, of which the first is: bits don't just 'fall' off. I'm sure some students believe in a sort of Excess Gravity Bubble Effect Thingy that drifts by the bench, dragging tools onto the floor and pulling the leaves from their carvings like it was autumn. Of course, we do it ourselves. That's something I love about carving: you are totally responsible for what happens. Even if the wood splits unpredictably, you chose it. (Or let someone give it you, or...) The trick, as I said previously is to note what we did, and learn not to do it again! Here's one (I confess it took me twice to learn): I had finished a carving and reached over and the cuff of my shirt caught a corner and broke a piece off. I'm not telling you which carving, but it's in the gallery and the piece is clearly visible - but the join isn't! So now I always roll my shirtsleeves back as a habit, or wear T-shirts. You'll see it in the photos in my books. Other reasons for 'accidentally' breaking pieces off are: WEAK GRAIN: the part is not supported by having long grain fibre running through it; or by being 'tied' to some other part of the carving; or a hairline crack you didn't see. Push on weak grain and... Plink! ** You need to think these design points through in the planning stage. EXCESS PRESSURE: from blunt tools, or one's with too big a bevel angle; or taking too big a cut. You push too hard and... Crack! ** Sharp tools at the correct cutting angle, taking light, slicing and paring cuts is the order of the day. UNSUPPORTED WORK: Wood will flex but only so far; after that it need to be stopped from flexing. If, say, a relief carving is warped, there may be a gap between it and the benchtop; you press down on the part to cut and... Snap! ** Put a small wedge to support the carving (I have a little box of wedges for just this purpose). You may need to support delicate parts with your fingers as you carve for example. THE WEDGE EFFECT: The bevel of a carving tool is a wedge. It will prise wood apart. Couple this with short grain, unsupported wood and excess pressure and... Donk! ** Be aware of the bevel as a wedge at all time - it can be useful too. LEVERING: The edge goes in, the handle goes down, and the wood comes away... I've run out of sounds but you get the idea! ** Carving tools aren't wrecking bars. Wood should be cut: the edge goes in, moves forward, come out. Have I missed anything? I'm sure I have - so let me know! Experience is the great teacher in these matters, and this does mean understanding what you have done. Bear these possibilities in mind when next something 'breaks off'. YOU broke it off - so, what, precisely, did you do? Next issue: Some of My Greatest Mistakes __________________________________________ 5. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: WORK HOLDER **** "I just started out in woodcarving a few months ago and I need a good vice or holder for my block of wood. The one you have in on your "aims" page, second picture down, looks like what I need. Can you share with me how you made it, give me some suggestions?" **** ANSWER **** It's a plate I had made for my Koch Clamp specially, turning a 3D work holder into one for small reliefs. The Koch clamp quite expensive, although among the best of workholders (reviewed in Slipstones), and I'd suggest you start with something simpler, such as the Veritas Carvers Clamp. Just add a board to the faceplate with a slot for a carvers screw (Veritas again in the picture) for relief carving. =================================== **** QUESTION 2: ALTERNATIVES TO SANDING **** "Many of my works are netsuke-like carvings that people can carry and enjoy as "worry-stones" (American Holly, Pecan, French Boxwood.) For small detailed carvings, I cannot always cut from the right angle to avoid rough surfaces - so I have been sanding: cloth backed rectangles of fine grain sandpaper fixed to a mandrel; wine corks as small sanding blocks etc. But sanding is tedious and too much sanding removes the detail. Got any suggestions? **** ANSWER **** It's a little tricky without having the carvings in front of me, but two thoughts: 1. You can do amazing things with a SLICING CUT, even reaching INTO a hollow and slicing back out. Make a small tool like a knife with a little hook or something to get into the spots and work in the direction you want. 2.I've had a lot of success with SCRAPERS. Make a small scraper in the shape of an 'L' with a tiny foot for pulling, thus scraping rather than sanding. I think we are talking making specialist little tools... It's easier than most carvers think. I have chapter in my book Woodcarving Tools materials and Equipment. (http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bk1.html) =================================== **** QUESTION 3: LEARNING TO CARVE **** I recently retired with a disability and have begun woodcarving as a hobby. My main interest is relief carving and walking sticks with spirit faces carved on them. My disability prevents me from traveling (dizziness and motion sickness) and I was wondering if it is possible to be self taught in woodcarving using your books and others including videos and the like?" **** ANSWER **** My advice would be: 1. The main way to learn is to practice, so timetable some hours with the gouge in your hand. 2. My Relief carving book (with link to Amazon, on the site) is a course that I teach regularly. http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bk4.html Follow this book closely - it will give you a lot of what I know and a solid foundation. Work in the round has a lot of relief carving in it, wrapped 3D. The 'course' won't take you long and you'll feel confident in moving on to walking sticks and whatever you like. It has a tool list, also to be found on the site: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/ts_kts.html 3. (And I'm bound to say this one!) Sign up to Slipstones where you can ask questions and get support. 4. There's also a free eBook: learning to carve here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/learncarving/learn_ebook.html Videos must be a help but don't get too much advice to begin with! Many carvers are 'self-taught' (some completely, most of us to some extent). The danger is in teaching yourself inefficient techniques or getting into 'bad habits'. Most learning is in repetitive, intelligent practice - because it's a skill. So - just do it! and have fun... =================================== **** QUESTION 4: ERGONOMICS **** "My low back hurts from bending over and trying to smooth out the background. It was too much fun to leave! No matter how I try to pretend, I'm older than I want to feel! "Ergonomic" help wanted!" **** ANSWER **** You're not the only one getting older! We have to 'read' our bodies, conserve, almost economise them (and the more so as we get older); find different ways of doing things. One rule I adopt is never to bend down for carving. I stand as upright as possible, keeping my back straight. I can carve all day no problem as long as I stretch and walk about to ease tension now and then. However this does mean raising the carving to a higher working level by having a higher bench (bolt on a false top) for example, or carving with my reliefs near vertical. There's a really simple 'deckchair' carving stand in my 'Elements of Woodcarving' for just this purpose. http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bk5.html Students who've tried it rejoice! _______________________________________ 6. PARALLEL LINES: GUEST ARTICLE 'Hey, I'm Livin' The Life' by Jan Tincher _______________________________________ HEY, I'M LIVIN' THE LIFE By Jan Tincher Some people will say to me, *Getting old is for the birds.* They are younger than me in age, but older in spirit. When they say that to me, I look them in the eyes, and say, *Hey, I'm livin' The Life.* I was talking to a teenager the other day. She was a clerk at a store I was shopping in -- yes, I loooove to shop -- and she had just waited on an older lady. The clerk looked at me and said, *Getting old is the pits, isn't it?* I looked her in the eyes and said, *Hey, I'm livin' The Life.* My husband put his hands behind his head and twisted this way and that. I could tell his back was bothering him, and I figured he was getting ready to ask me to give him a massage. Then, he surprised me as he looked at me and said, *Hey, I'm livin' The Life,* and walked away. Now, he could have asked me for that massage, and I could have given it to him, and he could have ruminated on his aches and pains, but he didn't. He handled it himself. *Hey, I'm livin' The Life* just means that good or bad, we're livin' it and we're not complaining. The more we complain, the more we find to complain about. The more we enjoy, the more we find to enjoy. How do we find something to enjoy if our life is miserable? You tell me. Does your little finger hurt, so you're ignoring the fact that you have nine other digits that work well? How about if you had a little video camera and took it everywhere. When you get home and watch that video, will you see only the things that have gone wrong in your life -- or will you find the beauty in the day? That's what we should all tuck into our hearts. And bring it out frequently to view. Why don't you decide now to live *The Life?* The life you were given to make the most of? Get your own little video camera. What are you going to watch tonight? Thanks for reading. Jan ~~~~~~~~~ Copyright 2001, Jan Tincher, All Rights Reserved Worldwide --------------------------------------------------------------- Jan Tincher is a Hypnotherapist and Master Neuro-Linguistic Programmer. She writes a unique free weekly e-zine, *Tame Your Brain!* If you would like to subscribe by mailing to tameyourbrain-subscribe@listbot.com ==> Publishers, you are welcome to reprint this article in its Entirety, unedited, provided you retain the above resource box and include this notice, plus notify us of the day(s) you will be running it. Thanks, we appreciate it. http://www.tameyourbrain.com --------------------------------------------------------------- *****COMMENT: HOW IS THIS RELEVANT TO WOODCARVING? If we view the world differently, it's a different world. I think I'm very lucky to be involved in such a great craft, with a fascinating history and compass. I find carving a very 'focussed' activity at times, very concentrated at the cutting edge. I know many people do too; they find it quite therapeutic. But not always. This is a good reminder that when our carving goes wrong and we think ourselves inept, we are forgetting the successes we've had, or the nature of the learning curve; the benefits we are getting; the privilege we are enjoying; and the beauty we are creating, or have the opportunity to explore. --------------------------------------------------------------- Could YOU write a short 'something' of interest to other carvers? Let me know! _______________________________________ 7. FOLLOW UPS Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html _______________________________________ *** Follow Up 1: March 2001, re. GUEST ARTICLE('Thoughts On Restoration' by Richard Wright) From: Ed McKamey I have visited St. Paul's twice. Each time the head carver in charge of restoration was a VERY talented gentleman: Mr. Anthony (Tony) Webb, one of your country's most capable wood (and stone) carvers. Mr. Webb has since retired (a year ago or so) but still teaches in G.B. I am positive that Mr. Webb could provide an explanation re. his restoration work and differences in coloring etc. As I recall (and I could very well be mistaken), the idea was that the carving wood WOULD eventually one day match....given time etc. =================================== *** Follow Up 2: March 2001 re. Quick Carving Questions #2 Gilding, From: Ed McKamey I am woodcarver (Illinois, USA) with some experience of "gilding" as I carve ornate picture frames. In my opinion the best book on gilding is: PRACTICAL GILDING by Peter & Ann Mactaggart ISBN 0 9507782 5 7 First published 1984, England by Mac & Me Ltd, 19 Mill Lane, Welsyn, Herts, AL6 9EU This small book has no photos and limited line drawings BUT it is the primary gilding book that I periodically refer to. _______________________________________ _______________________________________ That's it! I hope you have found this newsletter interesting and useful. Once more: joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ----------------------------------- PS: Here's another one to think about at the bench: "Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats." -- Howard Aiken Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2001 Chris@woodcarver.force9.co.uk ----------------------------------- Chris Pye: Woodcarving Newsletter is listed in the EzinesPlus directory of newsletters and ezines. http://ezinesplus.com -----------------------------------