I have been carving quite a bit, actually, but haven’t taken the time to post anything here. I carved quite a few of those little bears while I was in Phoenix, and a few other things, as well. Here are a few of my miscellaneous doodles. You can click on any of the pictures below to see the full size image.
I carved this letter opener from a piece of mesquite that I picked up in Phoenix. After sanding, I put a line of super glue on the edge and sanded it again. It works really well. The blade is about 2-1/2 inches long.
This, too, is a letter opener. It’s 8 inches long, with the handle and blade being of equal size. The wood is called Indian Rosewood (Dalbergia Sissoo), again from the Phoenix area. After sanding, I gave it a light coat of mineral oil to bring out the grain. I like the way it looks, but it doesn’t open letters very well.
The … whatever it is, above, started out as a branch from an oak tree here that didn’t survive last year’s drought. I had intended to carve one of my little bears, but the wood is so hard that I became frustrated. It’s kind of cute, but mostly a very good reminder of just how hard it is to carve oak. The piece is 3 inches tall and about 1.25 inches in diameter.
This little doodle is another piece of Indian Rosewood. I started just whittling a relief that curved around to capture each knot on the branch. Somewhere along the line I got the idea to try making a corkscrew. Nothing more than a curiousity, really.
I carved all of the above pieces with my Buck pocket knife. There’s nothing real special about the knife other than it’s quite a bit sharper now than when I bought it.
I know these pieces aren’t exactly high art, but working on them did keep me amused and occupied during a particularly difficult period.