Timeline for Carving a wooden handle - any rules of thumb?
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
9 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 25, 2017 at 21:26 | comment | added | Isaac Kotlicky | No - the tree had already been dead a while, I was just clearing the fence... The cracking was already present in this particular branch when I started. I've coated the ends of the chunks I'm drying and they seem to be doing just fine. | |
| Jan 25, 2017 at 21:19 | comment | added | Graphus | This is working from green (the tree was alive when cut down)? If so I hate to tell you this but you should be drying it as slowly as possible. The norm for chunks is to let them air dry, which can take anywhere from a year to a few years, depending on size and diameter. If you speed the process up it nearly inevitably leads to bad cracking, usually radial cracks like you have a few of already. | |
| Jan 25, 2017 at 20:04 | comment | added | Isaac Kotlicky | At the very top there's about 2.5" thickness, but I've got almost 4" further down as it narrows. I think I'll start at 1" and work it down to see what I'm comfortable with... btw, this was a "starter project" for me... I took down most of the dead maple and I'm currently air drying with a dehumidifier in my basement workshop... :) | |
| Jan 25, 2017 at 18:43 | comment | added | Graphus | If you can go 1" thick then by all means do. It's hard to tell from the photo just how much wood you have to work with! | |
| Jan 25, 2017 at 11:25 | vote | accept | Isaac Kotlicky | ||
| Jan 25, 2017 at 11:25 | comment | added | Isaac Kotlicky | it's a fairly thick piece of wood. I didn't realize you could make the handle that thin, I was thinking closer to 1" thick! I cored the heart wood out with a 1" drill bit, but I've spent hours working with hand tools (and the occasional rotary) to get a feel for the wood... :) | |
| Jan 25, 2017 at 9:16 | comment | added | Graphus | I don't think you'll regret making it a bit stronger than is strictly necessary rather than weaker :-) The photos make this look bigger than I was imagining so I'd want to go fairly beefy if the handle will be used much, I'm thinking at least 1/2" thick. BTW how long did that hollow take to bore out?! | |
| Jan 24, 2017 at 22:52 | comment | added | Isaac Kotlicky | The spalting isn't that severe - enough to add some interesting visual character but the wood I'm carving has been pretty firm... any suggestions on how thick the handle should be? | |
| Jan 24, 2017 at 22:26 | history | answered | Graphus | CC BY-SA 3.0 |