---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- April 2006 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ or using the link at the end of the newsletter. **** Missed a newsletter? All back issues are here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfiles for 2001, 2002 & 2003, 2004 & 2005 newsletters ========================================================== Hello Everyone! Thanks to all who have forwarded this email to interested friends and family. Please keep passing it on and getting them to add themselves to the distribution list - over 5000 of you now! CONTENTS: 1. That Woodcarving Limerick... 2. New Green Men 3. New 'Other Carvers' Contribution 4. Quick Carving Questions 1. Special Router Bit? 2. Carvings and Food? 3. Oiling Mallets? Website Bookmarks at the end. Woodcarving Tuition Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals ________________________________________________ 1. THAT WOODCARVING LIMERICK ________________________________________________ If you waded your way through the last newsletter, you may recall a poetry competition for woodcarvers after which I impulsively threw in what I thought was a limerick. I'd like to thank my good friend Mark Kimble - who I say does for words what he says I do to wood - for the bracing chastisement of the manner in which I butchered the rhythm and his correcting me thus: A carver of things miniscule Was shaving a stray molecule When an atom misjudged Refused to be budged And blunted the point of his carving tool. ________________________________________________ 2. NEW GREEN MEN ________________________________________________ Some lovely contributions: "Vengeant Pan" by Bernie Ross: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_gallery22.html "Oak" by Bernie Ross: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_gallery23.html "Vengeant Pan" by Bernie Ross: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_gallery24.html Here is the full list of contributions: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/greenman/gm_galleryindex.html Where's YOURS?! ________________________________________________ 3. NEW 'OTHER CARVERS' CONTRIBUTION ________________________________________________ I am very pleased to show you an impressive piece of carving by Dan Ober - an 8ft. gable end featuring trees and leaves, an owl and squirrel: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/othercarvers/other6.html if you haven't looked at the inspiring pieces in this gallery, please do. You'll find stage photos illuminating the work in progress. Here's the list - there are 6 contributions so far: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/othercarvers/othergalleryindex.html Have you something to share with others? _________________________________________ 6. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: SPECIAL ROUTER BIT? **** "Do you use any special bit on your router to ground out the depth?" **** ANSWER **** I use top-quality but standard two-fluted cutters - matching the size to the amount of work I need to do. Importantly, I have a plunging router which enables me to waste away inner grounds to exact depths as if it were a neater version of a drill press. =================================== **** QUESTION 2: CARVINGS AND FOOD? **** "I am carving a spoon and I would like it to be safe for using with food." **** ANSWER **** It has to be an EDIBLE oil; not linseed etc. I usually use walnut oil to start with, then wipe it with any oil on my hands when I'm cooking! I'd like to mention that some 'exotic' woods are toxic, whatever oil you finish them with. Do look up your timber and double check if you are using exotics. =================================== **** QUESTION 3: OILING MALLETS? **** "I have a piece of Lignum Vitae and intend to make a mallet like yours: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/ts_mallet.html Do you reccomend some kind of finish?" **** ANSWER **** Lignum is naturally saturated with oil, so you need only wipe it now and then with, say, linseed oil - or anything else you have on a rag at the time. ================================================= That's it. Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: "These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower there is no more; in the leafless root there is no less. Its nature is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in all moments alike. But man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future. He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time." ~ Emerson. ____________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________ ------------ TEACHING 2006 * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) The best way to learn to learn or improve your carving, and easy to arrange. Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html * USA (CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MAINE) 2006 June 12 - 16 Wood Sculpture June 19 - June 30 Relief Carving (2 weeks) July 3 - 7 Intermediate/Advanced Carving Details on the website: http://www.woodschool.org/ --------- SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS Help yourself! You are free to copy any or all of these ebooks, send them to your carving friends, or have them available on your own website but you must not charge money for them. Full list and details: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html * Quick Carving Questions - 1 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq1.html (Sponsored by Tools for Working Wood: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 2 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq2.html (Sponsored by Classic Hand Tools: http://www.classichandtools.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 3 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq3.html (Sponsored by Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies: http://www.preferrededge.ca/) * Quick Carving Questions - 4 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq4.html * Selecting & Sharpening Your Vtool http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/v1.html * Learning to Carve http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/learncarving.html * Learning to Carve 2 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/learncarving2.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/safecarving.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/mistakes.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/fundamentals.html *Slicing, And The Value Of The Inside Bevel With The Chris Pye #2 1/2 Finishing Gouges From Ashley Iles - pdf http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slicing.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2006 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com