Oneironaught's Woodcarvings.

Oh wow! You're pretty tough, going through all that throbbing pain and yet still continuing on, and look at you today! It's certainly worth those sort of dilemmas if this is the result!

That new carving of yours that you're working on looks amazing, I truly envy you. Just to own one of those beauties is enough to earn my envy [because, come on, the way you carve it and the end results are just to die for]. And you go beyond that, it's something you made with your bare hands, that is truly something to treasure and be proud of.

I hope that, even if I never take a stab at sculpture, I'll one day get to see with my own eyes how someone starts off with a slab of wood, and ends up with that. It's just fascinates me.

[If there's one thing I can't help but be a serious critic on, it's art, so I can assure you, that's no buttery sweet talkin' :p , but seriously, you've got some mind blowing skills backed up by contest ribbons]

Does any one have a clue how to view that 3D picture? If even one person does then I'm happy. If no one does then I'll just stick to regular pictures.

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Originally Posted by Lucidbulbs

Oh wow! You're pretty tough, going through all that throbbing pain and yet still continuing on, and look at you today! It's certainly worth those sort of dilemmas if this is the result!

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I wish I were as tough as it seems but it didn't really hurt. I keep my knives so sharp that I can shave with them so a cut isn't very painful. Of course, the profuse bleeding is quite nerve-wrecking. I took a good ten days to two weeks off. When I got back on the project, I learned very quickly that great care must be taken to avoid injury.

When doing this kind of carving (probably more so than with "regular" carving techniques) you're forced to invent all sorts of odd grips and cutting angles to make it possible to hold the piece without breaking it. I've learned a very important rule: If you feel yourself applying too much pressure then you're doing it wrong. You must use the thumb of your "non-knife" hand as a fulcrum for the back of the blade. I also tend to use my "knife hand" thumb as a backstop for the blade edge when doing certain kinds of cuts, giving my thumb very shallow surface cuts on a regular basis (just not deep enough to bleed). I've learned to apply just the right amount of force and constantly re-evaluate my grip.

Wow, I just bored the hell out of you :tunes:

I got it! And it is very cool. Thanks for taking the trouble.

You do some amazing work.

By the way - if you old a stiff piece of paper at the dividing line and put your nose up to it, it might be easier to merge the image.

Those other figures are also really good!

And yes, I got the 3D thing to work. It took a minute or more of trying. It's different on the computer screen than in the books. I had a harder time and geting it to stay 3D than I can with the books. But it was still really neat to see.

And by the way--it's looking fantastic.

I'm glad some people get it. Once you find focus it should be fairly easy to maintain stability as long as you completely ignore the two outer images.

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Originally Posted by pj

By the way - if you old a stiff piece of paper at the dividing line and put your nose up to it, it might be easier to merge the image.

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That works for the parallel method but I've got that set up for "cross viewing". That is, the image on the left side is for your right eye and visa-versa. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, the method you mentioned will yield you an image with a reversed Z-axis, so that near is far and far is near.

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Originally Posted by Oneironaught

I'm glad some people get it. Once you find focus it should be fairly easy to maintain stability as long as you completely ignore the two outer images.


That works for the parallel method but I've got that set up for "cross viewing". That is, the image on the left side is for your right eye and visa-versa. Unless I'm misunderstanding what you're saying, the method you mentioned will yield you an image with a reversed Z-axis, so that near is far and far is near.

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Huh - I did it both ways, and it looked great. The only difference with the card for me was that I only was looking at one image rather than two flat and one 3d view.

Nah, you're not boring me, it's cool hearing how people make art and get it done. I can't wait to see your next picture on your carvings.

:shock: :bravo: :goodjob:
Can't find the words

Ok, I now have the next section loose. The cage is loose on the shaft and the ring is loose inside of the cage on the shaft.

Here's two more 3D pictures for you. I won't be doing them all that way but I figured a few more wouldn't hurt.

In 3D
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...rwoodpiece.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...kyimage/3D.jpg

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...therresize.jpg

This picture is to give an better view of the way I made the cage loose on the plunger shaft. You simply cut away around the shaft from both sides. Rings are done the exact same way.
The shaft is tapered so it's a bit looser when the plunger is all the way in. It's fully extended in this shot to give you a clearer view.

The "done" parts still aren't really done but they're getting there.

I love it!

The ring is really cool. And the plunger.

I've got to try something like that someday.

It's looking fantastic.

I'm testing the attachment feature so here's another guy from the set I've been showing you. This is "Beau Tye" (Yeah, dumb name. I just thought it up.):

Here's my "progress" on the current piece. Due to another corner dent (which I thought wouldn't be a problem) I was forced to alter the way I'm doing the next section. I was going to do 2 balls in a cage in a cage but, now I'll have to settle for a shorter cage having only a single ball. I've already started shaping the outer cage so I'll have to think of a way to modify it that doesn't look too stupid.

Just another day in the progress of a typical carving, constantly having to modify plans to suit the wood and carver-induced screw-ups :) Damn, I just now thought of a way I could have compensated that would have been cool as hell. Oh well, too late now. No, wait, it's not too late actually. Cool:

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...e/HPIM0575.jpg

If you liked my deer antler, you'll love my billiards cue ball. This piece was power carved and, boy, was it expensive. The ball was free but the bits were expensive and dulled and burnt up way too fast. The resin that billiards balls are cast from is hard as hell. The ball was well-used when I got it. You can see the little nicks all over the surface.

The different views are all of the same piece. The solid ball is included for reference.

Cue ball (Yes, it's really a cue ball)
http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...ball4views.jpg
4 views with the cages aligned

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...ball6views.jpg
6 views with various alignments

Honestly, the carved cue ball isn't really done. If you look closely you'll notice that the inside cage and the ball are both quite rough and unfinished. I kind of got tired of throwing money at new bits but, some day I'll get off my lazy, cheap @ss and finish what I started. It's been in this state and has been displayed at our shows for at least 12 years now. The inner cage and the ball are both loose but, when it's "really" done, the ball will be smaller and you'll be able to see more air around it. But trust me, the ball is loose in there.

This is the kind of thing I mean when I say I like to break from tradition. I've never seen anyone carve a billiards ball at all. Take that, "master carvers" of the world. :takethatfoo:

I've got something special for Twoshadows. But, TS, I'll make you wait it out 'till next time :D

I can't believe that you carved that in to a billiard ball. Everything seems so tight in there. I can't see how you had room to carve in it. SO ...Wow...!:o

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I've got something special for Twoshadows. But, TS, I'll make you wait it out 'till next time :D

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Oooooo.........

:p


The more I see you make progress on that current piece the more I'm feeling like I need to be carving ...now.

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Originally Posted by Twoshadows

Everything seems so tight in there. I can't see how you had room to carve in it.

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The cages and ball were separated with bits like in the first picture. The ones I bought were some special titanium ones. I should have sprung for the diamond bits but I don't know if they would have lasted much longer or not. The openings were cut primarily with one like the 5th from the left in the second picture.

That cue ball is nice. I hope that whne you finish it [whenever that'll be] you'll show it off to us 'cause man it's sweet. And I've never seen someone carve a billards ball either!

Just looked at your carvings.. you really do have an amazing gift!

Wait.. you actually cut you palm wide open and all you did was wash it, stuff it with a "wad of toilet paper" and wrap your hand closed with bandage tape?!? :eek:

Lord, I get a bad paper cut and need to lay down!

.

Thanks for the nice comments.

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Originally Posted by Clairity

Wait.. you actually cut you palm wide open and all you did was wash it, stuff it with a "wad of toilet paper" and wrap your hand closed with bandage tape?!? :eek:

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It was actually pretty stupid of me but, luckily, everything worked out alright.

It did teach me a valuable lesson though. That lesson is that you'd better respect your knife if you're going to be a carver. One advantage that power carving has over my preferred style is that power carving is much safer. Knife carving like I do is a dangerous task that must be done very carefully. A minor cut every now and then is to be expected but, one poor decision can be quite nasty.

Oneironaught, have you ever had a cut as bad as that first one?

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Originally Posted by Lucidbulbs

Oneironaught, have you ever had a cut as bad as that first one?

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No, not even close.

Wow. The 3d pictures are amazing! Seriously I love those magic eye things and I'm astonished that you can make them yourself. I have to say they work really, really well.

WOW. :shock: :banana:

I must say, the chess pieces and skeleton guitarist are my favorite. Oooooh love it!!!

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Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

WOW. :shock: :banana:

I must say, the chess pieces and skeleton guitarist are my favorite. Oooooh love it!!!

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That guitarist gets a lot of lip service. I need to make more things like it. That piece is like most I've done - I had no idea what it would become when I first started. My first intentions were to make a head with a Mohawk. It just evolved from there. I wish I could pass it around for you people to hold. It's cooler in real life than in the photo.


It's a little tough to see exactly how cool these next two things in are photos but use your imagination:

Ball-in-a-cage-in-a-cage-in-a-cage (3 cages)

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...-in-a-cage.jpg
This is a ball inside of three nested cages. It's made of mahogany. I've actually made quite a few of these but I've given most of them away as gifts over the years.

Ball-in-a-cage-in-a-cage-in-a-cage-in-a-cage (4 cages)

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m...risonviews.jpg

And this one is in cherry. For some reason, I was too lazy to round off the corners of the outer cage. When I finally do get around to it it'll look much nicer.

These are the things that I said I'd post for Twoshadows. They are special not because they are cool but because I want to show her how they are made. Yes, they are carved inside of each other - just the way you see them - but the method used is quite interesting.

TS, if you are interested, I'll PM you a picture of how the "blank" is prepared and, if you desire, I will gladly send you a few blanks I've already made up so you can make your own. This is one thing that seems very complicated but the method is pure genius (no, I didn't think it up myself. I wish I had though) and takes far less work than you'd think. And, you can carve it out with a knife OR your power carving equipment. Very easy yet, it impresses the hell out of every one who sees it. Definitely worth your giving it a try. Let me know if you're interested.

Wow, these are so cool! Why just send it to TS when you can post it on here? I'm sure everyone's curious as to how it's done [I know I wouln't mind]

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Originally Posted by Lucidbulbs

Wow, these are so cool!

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Why thank you :)

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Why just send it to TS when you can post it on here? I'm sure everyone's curious as to how it's done [I know I wouln't mind]

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Honestly? Because I wanted to give her something that she can make and show that everyone won't know how it's done. I've already spoiled the standard ball in a cage trick and some others. It's not that I mind at all but, I figured she might want something special. That's all. If she is not interested then I'll show everyone but, if she tells me she wants to make one then I'm sharing it with her only. Then she can show hers too and we'll be cool and take over the world - one ball-in-a-cage-in-a-cage-in-a-cage at a time :cool:

We'll have to wait and see. It's all up to Twoshadows now :p