Rocking Horse Documentary

[Louis Bois]

I'm happy to say that I haven't srewed up yet! Just jinxed myself, didn't I?

Dang, this thing's starting to look like a horse!!! I managed to get a few hours in today to start refining the head carving. This is the most complicated part of the whole project...for me, anyway...so it's good to get it over with at the beginning...all downhill from here.

I'm putting my rasps to good use, smoothing out the flowing lines between facial elements. So far, 2 tools are getting the bulk of the workout, the Lee Valley lemon zester rasp (that's a great tool for removing material quickly) and the Warren fishtail gouge (also from LV). That little gouge is a real workhorse and fits the hand well.

I cleaned up the ears, eyes, nose and cheeks though they still need attention, especially the lumps over the eyes. Then it's on to the mouth, chin and under the neck.

The first 3 photos below are from earlier this afternoon while the last 2 are the most recent shots from this evening. I think it's coming along reasonably well, dontcha think?!?

More as it happens...

Bonsoir,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

Didn't get too much time in the shop tonight, so I didn't want to begin anything too drastic. I removed more material to thin the appearance somewhat. I'm slowly working my way to the mouth/chin areas to get those roughed out closer to finished size.

I managed to get the brows scaled down to give it a more balanced appearance...less neanderthal, if you will.

I'm hoping to have the head completed this weekend...at least that would keep me in line with my makeshift schedule...but the holidays are coming quickly and that can only kill my workshop time...parties, parties and more parties.

One of the things that helps the most when attempting a project like this - photos...and lots of them!!! I find there are never enough reference photos from step A to B, etc...so I'll try to post as many as possible during the course of the most complex parts. I've already missed a few steps, but I think the book fills this void quite nicely.

Arivaderci!

[Louis Bois]

more photos...

[Louis Bois]

A few more hours into the project and I've started to round out the sharp areas a bit more...hopefully it will be obvious!!! I rough sanded some areas to get a feel for the overall symmetry of the head.

Now I'll begin to get into some nitty-gritty details, such as the cheek and jaw muscles, as well as the mouth and nose area.

The ears are looking a bit more proportional now that I've taken more material off and started to hollow them out.

I'm still hoping to finish the head this weekend...wish me luck!!!

If there are any questions about the process so far, I'll be happy to fill in any gray areas.

...and the journey continues...

[Louis Bois]

The last batch for this evening...added a bit of muscle detail in the face...and started on the mouth.

[Howie French]

looking good Louis !, Being someone who doesn't carve ,it's really neat to see the progress step by step. Thanks for posting.


Howie

[Louis Bois]

Thanks Howie. I'm glad you're enjoying it so far...

I've managed to catch a bit of a cold from my son (Daycare syndrome!!) so work has been sporadic.

I've finished rough sanding the head and fine tuning the ears, mouth and cheeks. I'm still not sure if I've removed enough material from the lower part of the head, namely in the mouth/chin areas. Any comments? Should I remove more?

In any event, I'll be moving on with attaching the head to the upper body block and attaching the neck muscle blocks as well. I can stare at the head for the next few weeks as I work on the rest and revisit it if it doesn't pass muster.

I still need to buy lumber for the legs and stand. I'll probably get that next weekend.

From there, the whole thing goes together...then it's more carving, shaping and sanding. The worst is actually complete...although I'm dreading the painting stage as I've never done it...and if there's anything that can mess this up? it's the paint!!!

Cheers,

Louis

[Louis Bois]

more pics...sorry to overload the bandwidth!!!

[Pam Niedermayer]

Approaching masterful, Louis. I especially like the muzzle/nostril work. I have a question about the back right top tooth, though. My guess is its curve in the back is to accommodate the bit. Correct? Is that what's done with real horses? I used to ride and never noticed such a cutting away, but those days were in my preconscious, adolescent period.

Pam

[Louis Bois]

OMG Pam! I hope they don't do that to REAL horses!!!! It's actually just a product of drilling a hole to shape the mouth in the initial stages of cutting the head. The bit will fit nicely in this area, but it wasn't intentially for this purpose. I could square off the teeth and hollow out a cavity behind them, but it's a difficult place to reach.

Perhaps some real horse folk will be able to add insight here...but to my knowledge, the bit rests behind the teeth...without modifications to the teeth. Whew!

...and with regards to your "preconscious, adolescent days", you really mean your "boy crazy" days, right?

...and thanks for the kind words...

Louis

[James Mittlefehldt]

WAs away for the weekend so did not see all these pictures till Monday morning.

Looking real good Louis, I think in answer to your question up there that you should be real careful taking anymore away, as we all know it's easy to remove but difficult to replace wood.

I have a question to, do you find the wood to be hard top smooth, ie is it fuzzy when you sand it, being so soft and all?

[Louis Bois]

James, I know what you mean about removing more wood...and my skills of screwing things up at the eleventh hour are impeccable! I'll probably just fine tune it with sanding at a later date...before painting.

With regards to sanding basswood, it is a bit fuzzy in the lower grits, but this disappears at about 150 and beyond. Though basswood is soft, it's still a hardwood. The difference is obvious when you put it next to a piece of pine. I'd hate to be carving this horse out of pine!

[Louis Bois]

Pam, what happenend to your reply? I was just about to answer it and found it to be deleted...

No worries and I didn't take it personally. In fact, many of those stereotypes still exist today! Thanks for the post.

Louis

[Louis Bois]

I've been suffering from a head cold...so progress has been slow. I managed to get an hour in this evening.

The photos below show how I planed the neck muscle blocks flat on the bottom so they sit flush on the body slab and flat against the horse's head.

Firstly, the carved head gets dowelled and glued to the upper body slab.

Secondly, the 4 muscle blocks will get glued to the head and upper body slab.

As you'll notice in the photos below, the head will be angled off to the left somewhat to give the horse a bit more life. This definitely adds to the illusion of movement moreso than leaving everything in a straight line. It's a bit of extra work, but it's worth it IMHO. This step is well described in Mr. Dew's book.

I'm still waiting on lumber for the legs which I hope to have this weekend. That will be the next step before gluing the whole body together. The legs will get carved almost to completion before they are glued and screwed to the body. Stay tuned for more horsey fun!!!

Cheers.

[Louis Bois]

more pics...