Recent Comments

You can certainly clean up the tool marks if you wish. Quite often the lessons I show really get up to a certain point of making the details, but if I wanted it to be really "cleaned up" I might spend another 20 or 30 minutes going over the surfaces and getting rid of tool marks. You can also sand the surface, but I try to resist that - I simply don't like sanding, and it also changes the surface of the wood. Sometimes it's the only way to get the desired affect. Just be careful not to lose any of the sharp details with sanding.

Then again, the tool marks make it really hand-carved.

Great idea Ernest! That's a great design - you can make your own style of foot also.

Hi Tom,
Go for it! I agree with Bob. One thing you will probably find is that you will use a mallet a lot more than with basswood!

Hi Tom,
Mary will likely be along sometime with her answer, but I can offer an answer based on my own experience with red oak.

Red Oak is a little tougher, although not much, than the mahogany you might have carved in Mary's class, and clearly a lot tougher than the basswood.

Yet, I've found it not at all difficult to work with. The project you describe should turn out very well. Don't hesitate trying it.

As always, keep your tools sharp.

When you carve one or more that you like, show us a picture in the "Student's Gallery."

Thanks Ernest!

Hello Peter,
Your old Swiss Made should be very good.

Henry Taylor had about 15 years (between about 1990 and 2005) where their quality dropped. Something happened to the metal where it was difficult to hold an edge and there were often grooves down the length of the gouge. I have not purchased Henry Taylor since then, but have heard they have come back again to very good quality tools. So my suggestions would be to try a few out, see how sharp you can get them, and see if the edge stays sharp.

Obviously if you have never carved before, "testing" tools can be difficult - if you're not sure what you are looking for. I would suggest starting with your Swiss Made tools and get them nice and sharp. Work with them for a while so you can know what to expect as tools get dull, etc. Then purchase 1 or 2 of the Henry Taylor and see how they work. I would be interested in seeing how they work.