I started carving my last wood project for the semester today. I started by tracing the outline on the face of the wood and the profile not the side of the wood. Then using an angle grinder I started to take material out of the back of the mask.
In fear of taking too much out I stopped with about half an inch more to be removed from the hollow. Next I used the bandsaw to cut out the profile and then the out line.
After having the basic shape I returned to the hollow to continue removing the excess material. This time however I started to use Tami's carving set. Once I figured out which chisels I liked the most ( at least for hollowing) I went to town removing material. Unfortunately as a student who works on a computer my hands do not have the calluses that they have had in the past, but I am sure that will change pretty quickly.
Pictures to follow.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Earth Scrapper
Along the lines of several other earlier posts I introduce the Earth Scrapper. It is proposed as a 65 story sky scraper built below the surface of Mexico City. It is a gorgeous design that has some awesome potential.
Check out the video on yahoo, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/building-down-instead-161537141.html
Check out the video on yahoo, http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/building-down-instead-161537141.html
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Shopsmith
So about a month ago I bought a Shopsmith. If you do not know what a Shopsmith is, it is an all-in-one shop system and mine includes a table saw, a drill press, a horizontal borer, a lathe, a disc sander, and a bandsaw. Today is the first day that I have had an excuse to use it. Normally I would use the school shop for most projects since it is available, but today I needed to help Tami with making a frame. So I got to try out the table saw and the band saw.
It was a little different to have to figure out how to change from one set up to another. It is not the most optimal set up, but it is definitely the best set up for me right now. Since I was able to get the entire set up for about the same cost as any one of the six different tools. This is a great option for small or inexpensive shop start ups.
It was a little different to have to figure out how to change from one set up to another. It is not the most optimal set up, but it is definitely the best set up for me right now. Since I was able to get the entire set up for about the same cost as any one of the six different tools. This is a great option for small or inexpensive shop start ups.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Carving
We had another day of lecture in Wood again. We learned about several different carving methods. There is the classic carving tools, adzes, and power tools as options.
Kestrel Adzes are made in Rock Island, Washington. They are an edge tool that is attached to a haft that places the edge of the tool at a 90 degree angle to the position of the hand. They are great at removing lots of material very quickly.
Pfeil chisels are the Ferrari of chisels. They are a high quality chisel that are worth every penny of their price. Not only will they last a life time if properly cared for, but they also can appreciate over the life of the tool. Addis chisels are antique chisels that have lasted so long that you can basically classify them as indestructible when properly used. They however can only be found used from places like ebay or antique shops. Another antique in the same realm is Stanley everlasting chisels, which as described in their name are everlasting.
Power chisels such as the Automach chisel work like a traditional chisel mixed with a 10,000 oscillation per minute jack hammer that fits comfortable in the palm of your hand. They can accept a wide variety of chisel tips that eat away at the wood as if it was no more that butter. Although expensive they are not all that much more expensive than a full set of Pfeil chisels. There are also rotary tools like Dremels that can be used with a variety of bits at various speeds to produce all sorts of effects.
Stepping up to a more aggressive wood remover you have angle grinders. These are more often found in metal working sections but with the correct discs they can be used to remove large amounts of wood very fast. There are sanding discs that use very coarse sand paper to abrade the wood. There are carbide burs that remove even more material quickly. Arbortech makes a disc that has three very strong teeth that will remove even more material than the bur. Last of all there is a disc called Lancelot that is basically a chainsaw on a grinding disc that removes as much wood as you want as fast as you want (sometimes a little too fast).
Then there is always the arena of just using a chainsaw by it self. Although this would be best left for very rough cuts or very large sculptures.
I may add more to the list of different wood removing tools as I start to learn how to carve. But for now I wanted to collect my thoughts and not forget any of the amazing tools that my professor presented to us today.
Kestrel Adzes are made in Rock Island, Washington. They are an edge tool that is attached to a haft that places the edge of the tool at a 90 degree angle to the position of the hand. They are great at removing lots of material very quickly.
Pfeil chisels are the Ferrari of chisels. They are a high quality chisel that are worth every penny of their price. Not only will they last a life time if properly cared for, but they also can appreciate over the life of the tool. Addis chisels are antique chisels that have lasted so long that you can basically classify them as indestructible when properly used. They however can only be found used from places like ebay or antique shops. Another antique in the same realm is Stanley everlasting chisels, which as described in their name are everlasting.
Power chisels such as the Automach chisel work like a traditional chisel mixed with a 10,000 oscillation per minute jack hammer that fits comfortable in the palm of your hand. They can accept a wide variety of chisel tips that eat away at the wood as if it was no more that butter. Although expensive they are not all that much more expensive than a full set of Pfeil chisels. There are also rotary tools like Dremels that can be used with a variety of bits at various speeds to produce all sorts of effects.
Stepping up to a more aggressive wood remover you have angle grinders. These are more often found in metal working sections but with the correct discs they can be used to remove large amounts of wood very fast. There are sanding discs that use very coarse sand paper to abrade the wood. There are carbide burs that remove even more material quickly. Arbortech makes a disc that has three very strong teeth that will remove even more material than the bur. Last of all there is a disc called Lancelot that is basically a chainsaw on a grinding disc that removes as much wood as you want as fast as you want (sometimes a little too fast).
Then there is always the arena of just using a chainsaw by it self. Although this would be best left for very rough cuts or very large sculptures.
I may add more to the list of different wood removing tools as I start to learn how to carve. But for now I wanted to collect my thoughts and not forget any of the amazing tools that my professor presented to us today.
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