Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moonbeam
I like that big chain on the right, that's cool.
It's 7 links in a piece of pressure-treated 4x4 (that's inches for our overseas friends).
Moving right along
In the above picture, I've decided to add another ring onto the shaft. You can see how I began to rough out for a warped ring. Again, the lines you see are knife cuts.
And here's two views of the loose warped ring.
There's about 1-3/4 inches of solid block left on the end and I have no idea what I'll do there. There's always the temptation to just saw it off and call the piece done but, I'll think of something. But what?
I could always make it so that the shaft with those two rings extends out from the bottom of the main cage and becomes another plunger. That way each end of the piece will terminate with a plunger bearing rings. My only concern is that that may allow the rounded cage to bind between the two "tumors" in the main cage bars. And that could conceivably lead to breakage, especially if some one handles it with less than kid gloves.
The main cage bars are fragile enough so that may be a bad idea.
This piece is actually a perfect example of many issues that I come across while carving. First of all you can see now that I really don't preplanned entire pieces in most cases. Secondly, you see how quickly and easily current segment plans change as result of materials flaws and blemishes, as well as to compensate for screw-ups and spur of the moment idea flashes.
You can also get a better sense of why it's often desirable to wait to decided what to do next. I like to study the next blank section with respect to what's already carved (or roughed) out. That helps develop a better flow for the piece. If I had to judge, I'd say that the tapered cages at the top don't really fit the blocky cage feel of the rest of the piece. That's not really a problem, per se, but it would be more aesthetically pleasing done another way. Then again, everything can always be done better in retrospect. It's all about learning and coming up with new idea for the next project.
And the final lesson is that I can get lazy. If you remember, I actually started this piece almost a year ago. Then it sat forever after I broke the knife I was using. Of course, I've still got my trusty knife that I've used since 1991. But it's only a good general purpose blade for what I do. Sometimes smaller and curved blades are more suited for a given cut. With the knives I bought at the show, I'm back in the game so hopefully I'll stay motivated long enough to both finish this one soon and work through something else soon. It's a matter of juggling priorities.
And since I'm nearing the end of this one, if anyone has any requests of something they'd like to see done step by step let me know. I'll choose the idea that most interests me (if anyone does has anything they'd like to see) and show you how to go about carving it for yourself. The only thing I won't explain to you is the piece that I shared with Twoshadows.
I'm also open to new ideas and new variations and combinations of things you've already seen. TS, got any ideas for me to finish up the current piece or anything else?
