h3nry Posted August 16, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Some slow progress here ...I got the background set in for the final 2 panels. This was kind of tedious work. Even the book I have on carving techniques, reprinted from 1910, suggests giving this stage to an apprentice to do. That's kind of like using a CNC these days isn't it? So I guess my my new found 2c for that debate ... no it's not cheating at all! I just try not to involve machines and computers into my woodwork there's enough of that in the rest of my life.Hopefully now the real fun of carving can begin. And I couldn't resist putting them into the frame to see what I might be going to get eventually. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Outstanding! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Damn, what a piece of work!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shaneymack Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 Beautiful work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted August 16, 2015 Report Share Posted August 16, 2015 WOW! The attention to detail is beyond awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 That has to be the most beautiful laundry hamper I've ever seen! You need to submit that to the User Project Highlight area ( or whatever its actually called) on the wood whisperer site. Bet it wouldn't take long to make it to the front page! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wnaziri Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 I am so impressed by the workmanship. Understatement of the year: it looks great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted August 17, 2015 Report Share Posted August 17, 2015 That is just awesome! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted August 19, 2015 Report Share Posted August 19, 2015 I'm speechless. This is amazing work Does anyone else find it nuts that there were two simultaneous laundry hamper builds happening between Henry and Marc...both of which were super cool?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wouldwurker Posted August 19, 2015 Report Share Posted August 19, 2015 Some slow progress here ...I got the background set in for the final 2 panels. This was kind of tedious work. Even the book I have on carving techniques, reprinted from 1910, suggests giving this stage to an apprentice to do. That's kind of like using a CNC these days isn't it? . Interns = CNC machines. I love it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted August 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 Does anyone else find it nuts that there were two simultaneous laundry hamper builds happening between Henry and Marc...both of which were super cool?!?Yes, Marc's hamper is pretty cool ... His is also finished ... I'll probably still be at it for another couple of months 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted August 20, 2015 Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 (edited) Yes, Marc's hamper is pretty cool ... His is also finished ... I'll probably still be at it for another couple of months It's worth every minute it takes.If I tried that, I can't even think of how many times I would strike the mallet or push on the chisel and "Boink!" off goes another detail... Edited August 20, 2015 by davewyo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted August 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 20, 2015 It's worth every minute it takes.If I tried that, I can't even think of how many times I would strike the mallet or push on the chisel and "Boink!" off goes another detail...Ha! for sure - let me assure you that many of the leaves are a bit shorter than they were originally drawn. The leaves I can live with "modifying the design" as I go, but that's how to learn how much care is needed around something important - like a bird's beak. Or when all else fails there's always CA glue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted August 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 I have a set of Flexcut carving tools - which have interchangeable handles. My set came with two handles, but the problem is I seem to have more than two tools in use all the time, and it got old switching the handles almost every time I wanted to pick up a new tool ... so some time out to make a few handles ... not quite as solid as the originals, but quite functional ... So, I've got the border of the first panel carved - far from perfect, but starting to look good anyway... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted August 23, 2015 Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 Insanely cool, Henry. I love everything about this build. You're doing a great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted August 23, 2015 Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 Henry, are you actually a time-travelling gothic cathedral carpenter? That looks fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post rodger. Posted August 23, 2015 Popular Post Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 What color are you going to paint it? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted August 23, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2015 Woohoo! I didn't think I'd get this far this weekend - Grinling Gibbons I ain't, but the first panel is carved.I'm told that a good carver never uses sandpaper, getting a finish ready surface straight from the tools ... well, not with my skill set. I can see quite a lot of tedious sanding in the future to clean this up a bit. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 This build is awesome! Or should I say FREAKING AWESOME!!! I don't have the patience or steady hand for something like this, you may have needed sandpaper, the only thing I would need is a match to start the fire after I messed it up early on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted August 24, 2015 Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 This build is awesome! Or should I say FREAKING AWESOME!!! I don't have the patience or steady hand for something like this, you may have needed sandpaper, the only thing I would need is a match to start the fire after I messed it up early on. I think I might have the patience and hand/eye coordination, but I don't have the foresight to plan something this intricate. Can you explain the genesis of the idea? Did you see an example out there somewhere and decide to do one yourself? Did your wife say; "Our incredibly ornate bathroom lacks a certain flair; we need something to bump it up a notch."? What was the source of inspiration...which I suspect is as important as the patience it takes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post h3nry Posted August 24, 2015 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted August 24, 2015 I think I might have the patience and hand/eye coordination, but I don't have the foresight to plan something this intricate. Can you explain the genesis of the idea? Did you see an example out there somewhere and decide to do one yourself? Did your wife say; "Our incredibly ornate bathroom lacks a certain flair; we need something to bump it up a notch."? What was the source of inspiration...which I suspect is as important as the patience it takes?That's a good question ... it just evolved really.Starting with the idea that I wanted a laundry basket. Basically it's just a box - a frame with panels. So I needed to think of ways to make it more exciting.First the frame got a few offsets and curves in a sketchup model that I thought looked pretty good, so I started building. At this point i still had no idea what I was going to do with the panels, except that I'd like to try doing some carving in one form or another. Carving was a rabbit-hole that I thought I'd like to peek down.Since it is a laundry hamper the panels ought to allow some air flow, which suggests a pierced carving. My original thought was to have each panel as a single pierced design, but I couldn't come up with any designs that I was happy with. Then I went with the idea of having a pierced border to allow the air circulation, with a carved image on a solid background in the centre. Since the frame had taken on a sort of Asian flavour, I used some Chinese style motifs around the border that I hoped wouldn't be too difficult to carve - and then I started cutting these out. At this point I still hadn't settled on any designs for the centre.I thought about all kinds of images I could use, but most of them were just far too complicated for a first serious carving project and had to be rejected. Eventually I decided that a simple design of a bird sitting on a branch would be about right. Then came up with a bunch of designs trying to balance a practical simplicity in the design, with an overoptimistic assessment of what I might be capable of acheiving. Still running with the Chinese theme these bird images all came from Chinese paintings that I found on-line (hence all the bamboo in the background) - I found paintings to be a better source of inspiration than photographs, because there is already some of the simplification and artistic licence that is needed.The result is a project that should be just building a simple box has morphed into an epic challenge. But it's this turning a simple piece of furniture into something unique that can't just be bought in a shop like this that is the sort of thing that keeps me woodworking - sure a laundry basket is a pretty mundane piece of furniture but that doesn't mean it has to be a bland box hiding in the corner.So no single inspiration - the seeds got planted, and this is what has been growing. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 Thank you very much for going into detail. I appreciate your willingness fill us in. I realized just after I hit "submit" that it was kind of an impertinent question; like asking an artist where they find inspiration.It's wonderful that your "simple box" has morphed. As you can see, I'm intrigued, and I wouldn't be surprised if, like me, many others are following along and "borrowing" ideas and inspiration from your build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janello Posted August 25, 2015 Report Share Posted August 25, 2015 Your story of inspiration and where it led you is almost as cool as the project itself. Every time i visit this journal I am blown away by the next level you take it to. Just incredible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post h3nry Posted September 13, 2015 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 13, 2015 Slow but steady progress ...What I have learned is that it is the repetition that is tiresome - with four panels, each with the same border, each with four identical corners, each with approximately 2-fold symmetry that meant each part of the border had to be carved 16 or 32 times. That did get a bit tedious. Still the borders are all done now, the second panel is carved, and the third is well under way ... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewyo Posted September 14, 2015 Report Share Posted September 14, 2015 Nothing's changed. Still incredible and inspiring.Well...maybe we're starting to believe you're human cuz you sense tedium, but still...nothing's changed.I'm completely enjoying your build. I don't find it the least bit tiresome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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