Have you ever used any Japanese carving tools? I have several of their cabinet chisels used for dovetails, mortising etc, They are excellent, hold a good a edge and sharpen well. I am tempted to try some gouges and wondered if anyone has had experience them.
I do have Japanese carving gouges - one a v-chisel, and one a #5, 12mm. They are excellent tools, but are quite expensive. They are always on my "Christmas list", as the cost is a bit much. They tend to be smaller (more like 7 or 8 inches vs. the 9 to 11 inches for European gouges) and the handle is round, which I don't like. They have held a great edge for several years (probably because I rarely use them). They are those gouges that I put into my "special" category - sort of like museum pieces 🙂
Yes, I used double sided tape - Shurtape, to be specific (can be purchased in the duct tape section at Lowes). It is released with brushing the edges of the carving with denatured alcohol. It can also be attached with wood glue and newspaper, as it is not so fragile as some carvings.
Mary, I just want to say Thank You for helping me out. I've been bitten by the "carving bug" but have been slightly frustrated by my initial results. Your video on how to carve a donut and a flower have answered most of basic questions. I will be using your website as a major source for information. Cheers to the art of wood carving! Thanks so much.
Mary, I was interested to see how a carver approached the reeds. I was taught a furniture maker's method of making reeds, but, there were no twisting ribbons through the reeds! So the furniture maker's method may not work for this leg. It involved making a scratch stock (a piece of springy steel, usually scrap from an old saw) that is filed to create a sharp point in the center that rounds over on each side of the point. I used a round file (used for chain saws) on either side of the point. It was sharpened on stones to make the edges square and sharp. Then that was put into a holder (quickly made of scrap and screws, with the sharp point sticking out the center. The turning was left in the lathe so that the indexing head could be used to mark out the lines. A simple box was made, with runners on each side to support the scratch stock in its holder, and the box and the turning secured so that nothing moved. The scratch stock was carefully centered in the box and checked to make sure as you moved it down the runners it stayed in the center. The indexing head on the lathe was locked in place, and a line created with the scratch stock, going deeper until it began to show the rounded portion of the scratch stock. Then, move on to the next reed. It produced very similar reeds which were very straight. It was cleaned up with carving tools much like you demonstrated. And it took a lot longer. I am interested in making this leg, but I don't know if I can stop at the ribbon carving. I might slip right on into it with the scratch stock and ruin the previous carving! I can always screw a stop onto the runners, so the scratch holder can't go any further. It sounds like too much woodworking for a carver, but it did make a nice reeded leg.
Thanks Joyce! I can see how that would work great for long reeds. That's a great technique. When you make this with the "carving technique" making the stop cuts at the edge of the ribbon are critical in keeping the edges of the ribbon clean, but it's still not easy. Slowly, slowly, slowly - that's the best technique.
Just a quick note: the "mucus groove" is actually the philtrum ... the educational diagnosticians I teach to recognize various syndromes (of children with disabilities) know that the absence of a philtrum in a young child may indicate he/she was exposed to alcohol and/or some drugs in utero (also know as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effect depending on severity of other stigmata).
Thanks for the lesson .... would love to have you focus on carving faces sometime in future .... rmh
From John Danielson on All About Gouges - Beginner Lesson #3
Go to comment2015/09/23 at 4:02 pm
From Mary May on All About Gouges - Beginner Lesson #3
Go to comment2015/09/30 at 3:46 pm
From Thomas Hartranft on Carving a Green Man - Episode 1
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From Mary May on Carving a Green Man - Episode 1
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From jim mcmanus on Carving a Basic Flower - error
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From Mary May on Carving a Basic Flower - error
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From Joyce on Carving a Grapevine, Ribbon, & Reeds on a Turning
Go to comment2015/09/18 at 7:40 pm
From Mary May on Carving a Grapevine, Ribbon, & Reeds on a Turning
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From Ralph Hausman on Carving a Green Man - Episode 1
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From Mary May on Carving a Green Man - Episode 1
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