Carving the heron...

These long necked birds, whether they be herons, cranes or egrets, are a sure sell for the professional wood carver.  Not necessarily a fast sell but they will always find a new home....

This one is carved from the upper portion of a blue spruce tree.  It's actually a 'practice heron' for the one to be carved from it's parent stump.  This stump is on 4th Ave (near Morain) in Kennewick, WA and I will start carving it on Monday, 5 August 2013.

You're welcome to drive past and honk but the location is private property [so I cannot invite you] and there is no parking on the street.

The finished sculpture on 4th Ave is expected to be about 6 feet tall.

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing everyone a happy and safe Independence Day weekend!

Exotic Wood

This month I had my first encounter with exotic wood.  I've 'seen' exotic woods before but this is the first time I've turned it into chips, dust, and art.  There was much to learn...

The Wood
I was asked to carve a piece of Purpleheart.  "OK.  I can do that."  After a brief moment of 'sellers remorse', I Googled purpleheart wood.  Google showed me lots of pretty photos of deeply colored purple boards, boxes and furniture.  It was exciting!  But before making the worlds first purple salmon, I searched Google a second time.  This time for 'purpleheart toxicity'.

The Danger
Everyone knows it's not good for you to breath dust.  Fewer people know that some wood dust can be poisonous and even cause an allergic reaction.  As for purpleheart wood, the most common reactions include eye and skin irritation. It's has also been reported to cause nausea!  I HATE nausea!!  To make matters worse, I learned that even the fumes are toxic so there will be no color added with my torch.


The Process
Sufficiently warned, I prepared to carve.  In addition to the regular task of laying out the design, I put my safety plan to practice.  Gloves, safety glasses, respirator (not a dust mask), and a fan pushing air (fumes) across my work area.  Naturally all of this is happening out of doors.

The Result
This is one very hard wood!  It chips and splinters like Red Cedar or Douglas Fir but is as hard as dried out Oak.  To get a nice finish in something so hard requires sanding.  Sanding generates poison dust.  I'm not getting paid enough! ;-)

Tree Stump Beautification

Cowboy & Eagle Americana

Lately I have been very busy with tree stump carving! I love carving stumps because of their permanent location.  I also dread the logistics of carving away from my studio.  After all, carving a tree stump with a chainsaw is a lot different than meeting friends to carve a hunk of cottonwood bark.  For one thing, the tools are a lot bigger.

One of these stump carvings begins with visiting the location to examine the stump.  Once I figure out what the customer 'really' wants me to carve, a few things have to be looked at before coming up with a price.  Such as:

Two bears, squirrel & raccoon.

Is the wood going to cooperate or is it likely to splinter, crack, and fall apart?
Is is rotten or solid?
Will the design fit inside of the stump?
Is scaffold needed?
And how far must I drive by the time I bid the job, carve the figure, oil the surface, and return later to seal it with urethane?

Goldfish Totem

Gotta figure those hidden expenses too...  Tools have to be packed  into the truck before the job then unpacked, cleaned, sharpened, and maintained to be ready for the next project.  "Time is money."

Then there is the schedule.  "You want it by the weekend?  HA HA HA HA HA!!!"  I'll do my best but unless you can control the weather, there is no guarantee.  Locally, wind causes more delays for me than does the rain.

Eagle & Salmon

Now that we have agreed on the price, what happens? You pay me, of course!  Then I start the "tree stump beautification."  :)

What can go wrong?  Mostly minor things...
If the job is large, the big hunks of wood removed, as well as scaffold feet, will dent or otherwise damage your lawn.  (A small price to pay for a large piece of art.)
Spontaneous design changes occur due to flaws and foreign objects in the wood. I've found bullets, nails, screws, spikes, staples, barbed wire, ceramic insulators and even a wrench buried under the bark of a tree!

However, the majority of what can go wrong occurs after the carving is complete and I have moved on.  It is the owners responsibility to protect and maintain their property (artwork).  I have provided a short video on caring for chainsaw carvings. To see the video, click here.

Scotch Anyone?

I recently carved a large Scotty Dog from a locally harvestes black walnut log. This was commissioned as a memorial for the customers friend and former co-worker.  As the deceased friend was employed by Highlands Middle School for 23 years, the massive sculpture was installed in the Highlands library earlier this week.  He was promptly names as  you can read about in the school blog.

http://highlands-library.blogspot.com/2012/10/george-scottie-dog.html

Christmas?

It's not even Halloween yet.  Not even close to Thanksgiving.  The Election hasn't passed!  Still, retailers like Wal-mart and Lowes are offering Christmas decorations for sale here at the start of October.  Wow!

In the past, I have not made "holiday" themed carvings so this is my first Santa sculpture.  I like the Old World type and have created this for my first Santa attempt.  He's 30" tall, carved from Sycamore, and finished with oil based paints and spar urethane.

He's listed in the For Sale area at http://woodhacker.com/gallery/

Election Symbol?

It's almost election time and while the elephant is the symbol of the Republican Party, what I've carved here is more of a Mouse-a-fant.  Or an elephant with mouse ears... 

Carved from cured Sycamore and finished with boiled linseed oil & urethane spar, this critter stands 24" tall and is being offered for $200 on WoodHacker.com