Thank you, Mary, for very helpful videos. They are the most detailed and understandable videos on carving that I have seen.
Two questions. First, do you ever glue your pattern on the wood with rubber cement? If not, why not?
Second, I have made a carving "peg board" so that I can clamp the board to my bench (or clamp it in the vise) and fasten the carving blank to the board with wooden wedges so that the blank can be repositioned easily. Would you like for me to send you photos of that?
Many thanks.
Grace and peace,
Ed Womack, Cottonwood, AZ
Ed: If the holes can be hidden later, an obvious choice is to run a few screws through a piece of wood under the carving to join that and the carving. Or, a few dollops of hot glue may do real well. I have found the hot glue to be incredibly tough and easy to remove.
Hi Ed,
Thanks! I'm glad you are enjoying the lessons.
I have not tried using rubber cement, but will try it for future projects. My guess is that it will leave a sticky residue on the back of the carving. The double-sided golf grip tape has worked great for holding tightly, releasing easily with Lacquer thinner, and not needing any clean-up.
I have several "peg boards" but have found that the carving can slip out of the pegs if you put the pressure in the wrong direction or are not paying attention. By clamping it solidly, I don't need to be concerned about the wood moving or shifting and can carve in any direction. I imagine if you become accustomed to shifting and rotating your carving to only cut against the pegs, that would not be a problem, but I never was able to get used to that method. This would be a good forum topic.
Hi Mary
The first one interesting, the second time I carved it show big time improvement, very satisfied with the second. One was done on maple, second was done on basswood. Can't wait to start something else. Thank you so much for these lessons. I'm hooked.
Dave
Please clarify which of you recommended basic set gouges are straight and which ones are fish tails. Having trouble distinguishing which is which on some of them based on photos of the basic set. Videos are great! Thanks
Hi Ray,
I basically use only fishtails when they are available, so if budget isn't an issue, I would recommend all tools in fishtail shape. As the tools get more curved, sometimes they are not offered in fishtail for certain brands, but if they are, go for it! The only reason I mention the straight ones is often people are not in the position to pay the extra 10 or 15% that they often tack on to the fishtail (why? if there is less metal??)
Please clarify which of you recommended basic set gouges are straight and which ones are fish tails. Having trouble distinguishing which is which on some of them based on photos of the basic set. Videos are great! Thanks
Hi Ray,
I basically use only fishtails when they are available, so if budget isn't an issue, I would recommend all tools in fishtail shape. As the tools get more curved, sometimes they are not offered in fishtail for certain brands, but if they are, go for it! The only reason I mention the straight ones is often people are not in the position to pay the extra 10 or 15% that they often tack on to the fishtail (why? if there is less metal??)
Hi Mary
Got my starter set of Swiss tools and have been carving the lessons with some success. My biggest problem is, I have a problem seeing three dimension in my carving. Is that something that can be learned? Is this something tha comes with time and experience?
Thanks,
Dave
Hi Dave,
I have found that ends up being the most challenging part of carving if you have not worked in 3-dimensional work before. But the more you work with it, the more you try and visualize 3-dimensions and layers, the easier it gets. Time with tools in hand, and carving more layered carving helps to get past that. Happy Carving!
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