Acanthus carving

[mdallensr]

Re: Carving Hardwoods

I carve a lot of decorative items in mahogany, butternut, basswood and cherry. They're great to work with, and the grained woods really enhance the carvings. I don't carve oak yet, and I'm not planning on it. Ditto on the practice comment. Ditto again and again....

[mdallensr]

Re: sharpening

Dennis Moor has the sharpener advertized in WCI....

[mdallensr]

Butternut

Dave, keep in mind we're talking about Wisconsin. ...

[mdallensr]

Re: Butternut

Dave, I don't think Dale has a web site. He's a heck of a nice guy and fun to talk to on the phone. I can't believe he's as trusting as he is. I guess he hasn't been jaded as most others have who deal with the public. Of course, woodcarvers are a cut above (no pun intended)....

[mdallensr]

Re: Butternut

Butternut is a great carving wood, nearly as soft as basswood but much more striking because of it s grain and color. If you intend to keep a natural wood finish, it's the way to go. Mahogany is a little harder and even better looking when you allow the grain and color to...

[mdallensr]

Re: Reciprocating carver

I have the Ryobi and used to use it to rough-out big carvings. I find my full size tools, with or without a mallet, work faster and require less effort. Mike

[mdallensr]

Re: Buckeye

It's generally harder than basswood and less uniform in appearance and carving characteristics. A couple of my friends carved some, thinking it was basswood, and did some serious cussing before they figured out they'd been fooled....

[mdallensr]

Re: Too dry Basswood

You're describing a farily common problem with basswood. If you check the growth rings, you may find the worst of the 'crumbling' is in the center of the log. The wood is more like cork. If you can dent it easily with your fingernail, it's bad and isn't going to get...

[mdallensr]

Re: Toxic Wood?

Lindy, I carve a lot of mahogany and am careful about the dust. I don't power carve, so carving with edge tools is not a problem, but any sawing or sanding, even by hand, can create enough dust to be a problem. I've not had any rashes or real illnesses, but I did have...

[mdallensr]

Re: Acanthus carving

Thanks for the good words. Dave, you know me as Mike, as should our other posters....

[mdallensr]

I carved an acanthus sculpture from Honduras mahogany, to put in a niche in our foyer. It looked out of place on the old, plain shelf, so I decided to make a new shelf. One thing leads to another, and the final result is posted on picture trail.

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/vie...

[mdallensr]

Re: A Fresh Block of Basswood

If you really want to appreciate a good block of basswood, try some other woods for awhile. I've been carving mahogany, cherry, butternut, Alaskan yellow cedar and pine and forgot how nice and easy basswood is to carve. I like to carve those other woods,...

[mdallensr]

Re: Chip Carving Knives

I took Moor's chip carving seminar in our carving class. He sold the knives and taught us how to use and sharpen them. They are very good knives and work well. I see Moor's have a newer version of their knives, with a different shape to the handle. They claim the...

[mdallensr]

Re: Carving in Mahogany

I've been carving a lot of mahogany; everything from spoons to acanthus reliefs to a Greenman. It really makes a difference to have good mahogany. I get mine from a guy I met in Florida who sells on ebay. I bought some pieces, got to know him, and now I tell him...

[mdallensr]

Re: Bad Basswood---

Re. your bad wood, is it heart wood? You may have some punky heartwood and carving it with the aid of alcohol may help, but it's still bad wood and may not hold detail or have much strength. If you can dent it easily with your fingernail, it's probably just bad wood....