A few of my carves so far

[wooly]

Hey all!
I'm a new guy here referred to this site by a friend and I've just been lurking for a bit.
I just got started with this chainsaw carving a few months ago and thought I'd share a few of my pics here in chronological order from my first carve to my most recent. There have been a few others along the way that were sold before I had a chance to get my pics but nothing that I haven't already covered here.
I got started with a little electric Remington saw for my first few carves, and have since upgraded to a Stihl MS 170 and an 018 I'm using in tandem now. There's a good chance there will be more saws in my future if/when I get into some bigger wood.
Looking forward to seeing more of everyones work here!

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[Ax-man]

I think your doing really ,really good . Much better than my first attempts. Your really paying attention to the finer details. Are you using other tools other than a chainsaw to get those finer details in your carvings?

Looks like your using White Pine or Spruce wood for some of those pieces. How does the wood hold up as far checks and splits? I am getting ready for another roadside sale here at the end of the month and did some bears and other things using Spruce . Spruce isn't my first choice but works ok , it is all I have at this time ,my concern is splits , small checks are to be expected from any wood but no one likes to see big splits in a carving. I am hoping that Spruce is a pretty stable wood but haven't used it enough or long enough to evaluate it as good or bad.

How are you finishing your carvings? Looks like your burning and brushing . Are you doing any more to them . I am getting so tired of varnish but people like that glossy finish

Welcome to the site thanks for sharing. We need some new people here . Things have been quiet here . It is always nice to see what others are doing.

 

[ChoppyChoppy]

Slip on house slippers?

 

[wooly]

I think your doing really ,really good . Much better than my first attempts. Your really paying attention to the finer details. Are you using other tools other than a chainsaw to get those finer details in your carvings?

Looks like your using White Pine or Spruce wood for some of those pieces. How does the wood hold up as far checks and splits? I am getting ready for another roadside sale here at the end of the month and did some bears and other things using Spruce . Spruce isn't my first choice but works ok , it is all I have at this time ,my concern is splits , small checks are to be expected from any wood but no one likes to see big splits in a carving. I am hoping that Spruce is a pretty stable wood but haven't used it enough or long enough to evaluate it as good or bad.

How are you finishing your carvings? Looks like your burning and brushing . Are you doing any more to them . I am getting so tired of varnish but people like that glossy finish

Welcome to the site thanks for sharing. We need some new people here . Things have been quiet here . It is always nice to see what others are doing.

Thanks man! I also have a 4 1/2" angle grinder and a couple Dremel tools that get a lot of use on these things when it comes to the details. I got started in this stuff by first carving bones, antlers, animal skulls, and just about anything else that would sit still long enough for me to carve it. Needless to say, I sometimes get carried away with the Dremel in the detail work.
As for the wood, I'm not too picky about that at this point. I'm not sure what all the wood is in my first pic. I assumed it was hemlock, but tat was the only carving I did with that stuff so far. The rest have been a mix of cherry, maple, elm, and beech. Maybe I'll get pickier with more experience, but for now I'll use whatever I can get my hands on.

Most of these have been finished by burning, staining, and boiled linseed oil. A few I knew were going to be outside got an extra coat of water seal. A few of them were going to be kept indoors so I didn't get too carried away with weather proofing. I've only used the spar varnish on two pieces so far and am not a fan of it myself, but I thought it might go well on the horse and owl. I try to avoid paint at all cost. If a carving can be screwed up by a paint job, then I'm your guy for that,lol

Slip on house slippers?

Yeah, that carving was already finished and I was just posing for a pic for my own photo journal of carvings.

 

[Ax-man]

OK, We don't have many Hemlocks here . I see your from N.Y. and that is a common tree out there.

Just curious what kind of stain? I have never stained anything but would like to try some .

 

[wooly]

Regular old Minwax most of the time. I like the cherry, and dark walnut for two different colors on my bears and I use a lot of the golden pecan for areas I don't want much color. I'm still experimenting with a lot of the stain work myself.

 

[CLASSIIILVR]

we have LOTS of carvers all over the road ways up and down the coast and all over the state here! OREGON where the timbers big and the loggers even bigger! LOL! YEEHAW! Seriously though, nice job and you would love a drive thru our state man! Good job!