Carving

Well I have started to try my hand at carving. I was thinking about carving for about 2 months and I was wondering what tools would I need. Could I just power carve with my Dremel? What knifes if any should I buy? What Dremel tips should I use if using the Dremel? Starting down a new path with new tools requiring new skills is always daunting!

Well  3 weeks ago my father passed away. He was a carver and pretty good at it. Well he had many many tools for carving. I have those carving  tools now. Just this past weekend I decided to try and create something from his tools. So while doing yard work this past Saturday I found a somewhat good branch laying in my yard and I said "Self, it is time to carve this into something with those tools you have!"

I am a scroller as you can tell if you have been following or if you look at my other projects I have done. I am decent at that as I have won two Blue Ribbons and a White Ribbon at the NC State Fair over the past three years. Carving is something I never really talked to my dad about other then to see what he had created and all the ribbons he had won over the years. So now I get to learn by doing and talking to others that carve. Guess I am going to be looking for events around me to learn as much as I can.

So to start I picked up a book from the library and and figured I would try my hand at it. So this is not finished there is still some stuff to do and it is rather crude but it is my first carving. Nothing spectacular just a plain simple spreader. It is still raw unfinished wood. There is some more sanding and fine tuning. Since this is my first piece it will never have that polished look that I do hope to have some day. But it is a start.

This is a supposed to be a spreader.

Anyway I took off the bark on the handle since the bark was coming off anyway. Once I get this as finished as I feel it will be. Hopefully I won't keep trying to make it right and then I break it. I'll dip it into some mineral oil for a good food safe finish. It might never actually get used with food but at least it will be safe to do so.

The funny thing which I now understand that as I was going through his garage I kept finding first aid kits all over. I found 3 first aid kits filled with band aids and other such things for minor cuts and scrapes. Well not being all the experienced with knives I managed to nick my thumb joint. Nothing major just a very small cut.  I think I just discovered what that bandage looking tape is for now. You wrap your thumb in it to protect your self from cuts, Since at times you are cutting towards your thumb holding the knife.

Anyway thanks for looking!
Jim