Four New 3/8" #9 Gouges

I spent some time out in my shop this week and was able to complete a few new gouges.  I have received some very positive feedback from those who purchased the first four, and I appreciate what they have said through emails and threads on the Woodcarving Illustrated forum.  Here are some pics of the next four:

 

The wood species are as follows from the top down: Olive, Walnut, Macassar Ebony, and African Mahogany.  They are turned out great.  I hope you like them and I will make them all available for purchase on the Knife Gallery page.

 

 

I have made very little progress on my dragon.  I hope to get some time on this three-day weekend to finish carving the small pieces of the scene and maybe start painting him.  I'll keep you all up to date on my progress.  Thanks for checking in.

My Little Dragon

Well, those four palm tools are going fast.  The frist three are already sold.  One sold within 30 minutes of putting in the Knife Gallery.  The thing that has surprised me the most is that the tool with the Honduras Rosewood handle hasn't sold yet.  In my eyes, it was the most beautiful of the four.  Oh well, I guess we all have our own unique tastes.

I suppose it’s about time that I show you folks the carving that has been occupying my time for the past several weeks.  I thought that I would try something completely different thatn anything I had ever seen done.  Here's what I came up with.

I was inspired by a piece of clipart that had a caricature dragon in it.

Tip from the Stump:  It’s amazing where inspiration for a carving can come from.  I get ideas from movies, photos, children’s books, and clipart.  Keep your mind open and a pencil handy to jot down the ideas as they come.

I didn’t have a block of wood big enough to carve the size of piece I wanted, so I ended gluing up several pieces to get a blank large enough to suit my needs.  The arms and head are attached and the tail is actually two segments glued together so that I could get the tip of the tail to wrap around and lay nicely over the foot.

He’s definitely a one of a kind original.  I think that’s why I enjoy carving medieval and fantasy caricatures so much; not many others are carving them.  Now all I need to do is put together a little scene to set this fellow off nicely.  I hope you like him.

Four Palm Tools Available

Well, I decided that I would make a few of my new palm gouges that I have been making available available for purchase.  I have been having a great time making and using a set for myself, so I thought that I would spread the fun and sell a few.  Besides, I just purchased a new mini lathe in order to turn the handles and I need to pay for it somehow (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)!

I use O-1 high carbon tungsten-vanadium alloy tool steel that I harden and temper to approximately RC58 for the business end.  For the handle, I chose a variety of beautiful, exotic woods.  I had a great time exploring the artistic side of my brain by matching ferrules to the different woods.  The ferrules are made of copper that I use various techniques to give color and patina to the piece.  When all three pieces are assembles, it makes for a wonderful combination.  The best thing about them though, is how they glide through wood and make gorgeous little ribbons.  Now that's what I'm talking about!



The handles of the above pictured are as follows from top to bottom: Honduras Rosewood, Zebrawood, Wenge, and Padauk.  They turned out very striking indeed.  Go to my Knife Gallery page and scroll to the bottom to take a better look at each one with links to more photos, or to purchase your favorite one.  Happy Carving!!!