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Thread: Carved Flower Tutorial

  1. #31
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    Quote Originally Posted by Phillip Bogle View Post
    I am on my 2nd flower as the first though nice It wasn't like yours. I seem to have a bit of trouble on the "V" tool. When I make the petal separation cut to the 1/4" depth of the flower, the top of the cut is 1/4" apart on the surface edge. From your photos it appears to be 1/8" between petals. I am sure that I need to have a more natural, optically pleasing look, not the 1/4" between petals. What did I do wrong? I understood from the instruction that I was to make the entire depth of cut with several strokes using only the "V" tool. Did I misunderstand?
    You may be making the V-cut too deep. Remember that your prior step is to shape the overall flower from the outside to the center bump, where it is about 1/4" lower. That doesn't mean you are going to make your V-cut 1/4" deep. Your V-cut only needs to be deep enough that it shows the separation between petals - you need to decide how deep that is.

    Did that answer your question? Maybe one of the other carvers can jump in if I'm not explaining it well.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  2. #32
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    Ok, here's mine.

    flower-carving.jpg

    I realized after the picture that side lighting doesn't show the slopes of a V cut very well. I just deepened the cut with a V-tool and they looked good with a side lighting. Although the cut are relatively shallow.

    Mike, I was reading an article from the FWW CD written by Nora Hall, she had a tutorial on the same flower. She didn't have a step by step like yours, but she had an interesting method of separating the petals from the outer circle. It looked rather interesting so I copied that. I didn't sand the final shape, I kinda like the chisel marks, plus I figured I got all the learning I need out of it anyway.

    I agree with Mike about the depth of the separation V-cuts. They don't look as deep when seen from naked eye but if you take a picture with side lighting they look quite good. I think mine are about 1/16 if not less.
    Last edited by Zahid Naqvi; 11-01-2008 at 9:35 PM.
    The means by which an end is reached must exemplify the value of the end itself.

  3. #33
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    Looks good, Zahid. You did the absolute right thing and made your flower "yours". My tutorial should only be used as a guideline to help you carve your vision.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  4. #34
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
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    Nehalem, Oregon
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    Here are two attempts

    I hope the photos upload correctly as this is my first time doing this. These are my first and second attempts. The first is in Basswood. The second is in Pacific Yew. I like the cleaner cuts in the Yew but I think the grain actually distracts from the carving. In a couple of spots the grain and the cuts make the shape look distorted. I think the yew is the better of the two. I did not cut as deep between the petals on the 2nd flower. I misinterpreted the photo in the original lesson photos.

    I really do not like the rough edges on the flower. On the first one I undercut the petal edges to compensate. I do not own any rifflers but if I continue carving I am getting a set. I like the look of the carving marks the best but on the yew adding the carve marks and the grain only makes the carving too confusing to look at.

    Any tips?
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  5. #35
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    Your work looks good, Phillip. The pictures are a bit small, however. If you have a way to make them about 800 dpi and still keep them within the size limitations, we'll be able to see them better.

    Regarding rifflers - the problem I have with them is that they're either to coarse or too fine. The coarse ones will really hack up your work - you almost have to come back with sandpaper after you use them. And the fine are just too slow. If you find some good ones that work for you, let me know.

    Congratulations.

    Mike
    Last edited by Mike Henderson; 11-02-2008 at 12:12 PM.
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  6. #36
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    Hmm, I thought we were cutting all the way down (1/4" at the outside) with the v-tool too.

  7. #37
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    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Schultz View Post
    Hmm, I thought we were cutting all the way down (1/4" at the outside) with the v-tool too.
    Thanks for posting that. I'll have to make sure that I do a better job of explaining the next time I do the tutorial. I don't think I can edit my earlier posting so I can't go back and correct it here.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  8. #38
    Mike, this tutorial is so well written, I think even I can do it. I havent tried carving before and I am looking forward to it. Going to order my chisels tomorrow, so it may take a week or two but I will definitely update when I do.
    Thanks for taking the time to present this so well.
    Eric

  9. #39
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    Hi Mike,
    Here's another photo- I can't get more resolution w/o exceeding the 108kb limit (and yes, it is cherry).
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  10. #40
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Henderson View Post
    Thanks for posting that. I'll have to make sure that I do a better job of explaining the next time I do the tutorial. I don't think I can edit my earlier posting so I can't go back and correct it here.

    Mike
    Mike, if you are on SMc and logged-in you should be able to see an EDIT option just below your messages, in case you want to go back and change any text of the original posts. I think verbally you did a very good job, most of us are not used to seeing pictures of carving that may have caused some confusion about depth of lines etc.
    The means by which an end is reached must exemplify the value of the end itself.

  11. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zahid Naqvi View Post
    Mike, if you are on SMc and logged-in you should be able to see an EDIT option just below your messages, in case you want to go back and change any text of the original posts. I think verbally you did a very good job, most of us are not used to seeing pictures of carving that may have caused some confusion about depth of lines etc.
    SMC has a timer on the ability to edit a post - I think it 48 hours or something like that. The posts I made for the tutorial, proper, have exceeded that time so the "edit" option is no longer available to me. That's what I was referring to.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

  12. #42
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    "V" tool question

    I got to looking on the catalog and I was wondering if my "V" tool is wider or the broader angle than you might have been using? I noticed that there are 60 and 45 degree - so that the cut when made to the total depth of the tool is wider on one tool than the other tool.

    I am unsure of systems but I am using all Henry Taylor tools. I was noticing that the gouges had some of the same sort of challenges. A 1/4" #9 Henry Taylor was not the same as a 1/4" #11 even though they are the same "size" the shape allows a deeper cut with an 11 than the 9.

    I did notice there is a very important relationship for sharp edges and grain. I still no matter what, can not get tired of the feel of cutting wood with a sharp carving tool. I love the feel of a well sharpened turning tool cutting a ribbon of wood. Even feeling the smooth edge of a cut from a saw. Odd how the "feel" gets addicting. I wasn't totally happy with the flowers I made but I feel compelled to work harder until I perfect them -- which I know I never will.

    I feel like I am half a step away from a 12 step program.

  13. #43
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    Phillip, the Taylor woodcarving parting tools(which are my preference too (G)) or "V" tools as they are also called can be 30, 45, 60 and 90 degrees. Just to confuse and force the carver to buy many more tools.(G)

    #9's are gouges and #11's are generally called veiners, which have a higher side wall than the #9's.

    Hope this helps.
    Last edited by Gord Pat; 11-03-2008 at 6:31 PM.

  14. #44
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    here it is..my first time posting an image on SMC.........
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  15. #45
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doug Mason View Post
    here it is..my first time posting an image on SMC.........
    VERY nice! I like the way you did the scallops on the petals. Good idea - I'm going to use that in the future.

    I don't know if you intended this or not, but I notice that your petals are of different width. That's quite okay because that's the way nature is.

    Mike
    Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.

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