A New Knight

Here's a project that I have been working on for most of the summer.  I haven't had nearly as much carving time this year as I would have liked to have had, but I've been squeezing in a few minutes here and there when I could.  This guy is all carved and burned, but is waiting for a few more add-ons and for a really nice base, or possibly a small scene if I can think of a good idea.  I also have plans of giving him a great paint job, so he should be a really nice piece. 

The photo is somewhat distorted, and makes him look kind or short and stubby. He's actually kind of tall and skinny.  I really need a better camera and some photography lessons. Leave a comment and let me know what you think about this newcommer.

Old Spot

This little fella' has been sitting around my house for months now, just waiting for some paint.  I finally got around to finishing him up, and I have to say, I am very please with the outcome.  I have carved several "Doughty-Style" horses now, and I have fun every time I try.  Old Spot was no exception.

There are a lot more pictures of this little guy in the Picture Gallery.  Hope you like him.

The Study Stick Tutorial Part One - The Nose

The long awaited Study Stick Tutorial is now underway.  Part one of the tutorial "The Nose" is now available for download.  It takes you step by step through the process of carving a basic nose that can be used for caricature carvings or even semi-realistic pieces.  It is intended to give beginning carvers an easy-to-follow approach for carving a simple, yet highly detailed, nose.  I believe it will also be beneficial to more seasoned carvers by offering some new insights and techniques.  I will also keep things simple by using only a knife and a single 1/4" #9 palm gouge to do all of the carving.  This way, you won't have to run out and buy up a bunch of tools.  Unless of course you want a beautiful new knife manufactured by yours truly that is, wink wink!!!

Future additions to this tutorial will take you all the way from the nose to a finished face.  If you will carve along with me, you will end up with a step-by-step guide of how to carve a caricature face right there in your own possession, carved by your very own hand.  Pretty cool I think. 

Here's a peak at what we will be doing:

I hope you find this tutorial useful and enjoy carving along with me.  Get your knife sharp, your glove one, and follow the link below to get started.

The Study Stick Tutorial Part One - The Nose

Thought I'd Give it a Try

I've been making a lot of knives and I got a wild hare.  What would happen if I tried forging my own palm gouge.  So, I got myself a nice piece of tool steel, heated it up, banged on it with a hammer, and ground it down to shape.  Here's what I came up with:

It's all hardened, polished, and sharp.  I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet, but I did try it out on some end grain.  Sliced through it like hot butter and left a shiny burnished cut.  I'm quite pleased with how it turned out.  I think I'll have to make a few more.

I haven't forgotten about the Study Stick Tutorial.  I'm working away at it and the first part should be posted sometime next week, so look for it.  Thanks for stopping in and having a look.

More Time in the Shop

I sure love to spend time in my shop and one of my most favorite things to do is make knives.  It's truly satisfying making something beautiful and useful at the same time.  I find it therapeutic and no matter how bad my day may have gone, when a knife turns out as beautiful as the ones in this picture, it just puts the world back into perspective.

The top knife has a 2" Rough-Out Katana blade and a stubby handle made out of apricot.  The grain in that apricot is simply beautiful.  The middle knife is a 1-1/2" All-Purpose Katana blade with a peach handle.  I like the clean look of the natural finish on peach and the wood smells fantastic.  The bottom knife has a 1-1/4" All-Purpose Cleaver blade and a peach handle.  The Cleaver Style blade is a favorite of those who like the shape of the Stanley utility knife, but want a permanent, more comfortable handle.  It's a nice assortment and I sure had fun making them.

You can take a closer look at these knives and many others in the Knife Gallery Page.  Thanks for taking a look.

Four New Knives

It sure is nice to be home again.  I've spent some time out in my shop working on a few new knives that turned out really nice.  Stop by the Knife Gallery Page and take a look.  If you click on a picture of a knife, it will take you to a photo album where you can see a few more photos of the knife.  Thanks for stopping in.

Centering Pins

After a long and grueling couple of months of working out of town, I am finally back home where I can get back to carving.  I hope that everyone hasn't given up on The Old Stump completely.  I really do appreciate all of the support that you have given to my blog.  Here's a little gadget that you might find useful.  I call it a "Centering Pin".



It doesn't look like much I know.  In fact, all it really is is the tip of a small finishing nail snipped off and sharpened at both ends poked through a tiny piece of sheet copper and a drop of solder to keep it in place.  This is how it works.



 Here I have a carving that I need to mount to its base.  I take a centering pin and stab one end into each of the points where I will be putting a dowel that will attach the carving to the base.



Now I position my carving on the base the way that I want it to be and push down.



After lifting up, I have three little holes positioned exactly where I want them.  Now, all that I have to do is drill the appropriate size holes using the small holes made by the centering pins as pilot holes, insert my dowels and some glue, and I have my carving mounted exactly where I want it.



A simple, yet effective solution when it comes to lining up dowel holes.  It also works great when attaching add-ons to your carvings too.  The piece of copper keeps the brad from going too far into one side and makes it easy to remove.