Vendor relationships..some insight into recent experiences

Another tool for the collection!

I have to say the thought for this post came from a post I recall reading on a forum regarding the quality of a tool purchased and my experiences coaching other carvers.  The post questioned the quality of the tool due to it's condition when it arrived and recently I have taken notice of some this as the vendor landscape has transformed over recent years with some folks retiring and selling their business to others.

In my experiences as a carver and a coach I know the importance of sharp and the impact it can have on a carver and the carving experience.  I was heavily influenced early on by my friend and first instructor Gary Falin.  He taught me sharp and gave me my first enjoyable carving experience with sharp tools.  Carving in Tom Wolfe's whittling competitions with the likes of Mark Akers, Mitch Cartledge, and Alan Goodman also reinforced the need to maintain my tools keeping them in optimal condition.  In coaching others this is where I see some of the greatest difficulties...teaching sharp and how to maintain sharp and I hope this message will be of benefit to others.

Like others my hobby budget is limited so I want to avoid the mistakes I made early in my carving experience by purchasing the correct tools needed for a particular purpose.  Now please understand that a pretty tool is like an expensive set of golf clubs,  having them doesn't mean you will qualify for the tour.  So I am focused on buying quality tools that fulfill specific needs.  Recently when carving  with Mitch I asked if he would be so kind as to demonstrate a particular setup and I appreciate the fact he was able to share that with me.  While he was demonstrating this for me he happened to pull out a couple of Henry Taylor palm gouges that I had not previously seen (one of which is shown above).  These gouges were 3/4" wide and were in a #7 and #9 sweeps...ideal for caricature carvers seeking to remove wood quickly.  After seeing these I knew I wanted to have them in my toolbox.  Not having purchased this makers tools before I did a quick online search and found one the foundational U.S. companies I had purchased from before in person and placed an online order.  Now placing online orders you would expect to get a confirmation of the order email stating the order was received, whether or not the product was in stock, and its expected ship date.  I GOT NOTHING!!!  OK, so I am a busy person and I did not have time to chase this vendor so after waiting over 3 weeks without hearing anything from them I decided to forget about the order, if it was filled it would go into my collection as a backup set.  I then did another online search and discovered that another acquaintance of mine also sold this brand.  I gave him a quick call, he stated that he had them in stock and asked if I would like them sharpened...I said no I have a Burke and need more experience with it.  THE TOOLS ARRIVED IN 3 DAYS !! (Thanks Bob Stadtlander).  Now knowing Bob and the discussion we had around the sharpening aspect my expectations were set.  The tools came with a wax coating over the cutting edge but were in no way near the point of usability, they were dull and just tearing at the wood.  The shafts of the tools had a fresh from the forge tool grind with sharp edges that would irritate the hand during prolonged use.  This to me is not the way the tools should arrive and it is my belief that this only serves to discourage new carvers.  I have to say that I am spoiled and that I had the fortunate experience of buying from Little Shavers where Rick does not let a tool ship until he ensures it is ready for use.  BTW, after a month and a half I got an e-mail from the first vendor saying my order had shipped.  The tools arrived in the same condition as the other set (note I was not offered a sharpening service).  As you would expect I will not be ordering anything further from this company and word of mouth will not positively affect their business.

For the inexperienced out there when ordering a tools ask if they sharpen the tool prior to shipping and for the businesses out there don't ship a dull tool.  In the long run our hobby and businesses will benefit from this practice. 

Either way the consumer should be prepared when the tools arrives to put the edge on the tools cutting edge, polish the channel (if you have the tools necessary), and lastly dress the shaft ensuring comfort when carving.  In the case of these aforementioned Henry Taylor tools I have a Burke sharpener and I was able to bring these up to spec, my carving experience with these tools since then has been favorable and I would continue to consider this brand with this understanding that they will require refinement once received.  As consumers we must understand that a good vendor wants our positive feedback in order to make a better product satisfying our needs and making the carving experience better for all.

It's a great day for carving...as others would say to become a good carver get into the practice of carving 30 minutes a day and success will follow.  Now get out there and carve something!!
 

Gone clubbing...



 

Ross Oar and his creation

Well maybe it is not the type of clubbing you had in mind but it sure is my kind of clubbing!  A fellow carver gave me a heads up that the one of our neighboring clubs was going to hold their annual shindig and invited me along.  Of course the spouse was happy to have me out from under feet, so off we went.

The club in question is the Southtowns Woodcarvers of Western NY.  I had in the past taken classes with many of the carvers and it was good to see their latest creations.  I finally got to put a face with a name...Ross Oar (see picture above).  Ross was the originator of the "Oar Carver" pocket knife.  One of the few that contained one or multiple Wharncliffe blades (it is a blade shape desired by many a Caricature carver).  Shown above is an early creation of his,  what I presume to be an early revolutionary period soldier (not a historian, so this is an uneducated guess).  Prior to this I had not seen an in-the-round caricature carving fully painted in this size.  The carving was done out of a log cut by Ross with the only attachments being the weapon and a scabbard.  My guess is that with the base the carving is about 42" tall.  In speaking with Ross we learned that the face was that of one of our former presidents, Jimmy Carter.  It was really is an attractive carving and Ross really excelled in the finished presentation and the carving of its hair.  Hard to believe but if I read it right the carving is about 25 years old!

The clubs show was hosted in a local Senior Center, a spacious and bright space that allowed for the display of many carvings.  Being a member of a club we are truly thankful for the entities that host our organizations, without them we would surely be lost. 

Bob Statlander was also in attendance and he had a wide array of items for sale at the show.  No, I did not buy a knife...but I did buy reference material...nice!  (i.e. Tom Richmod's MAD Art of Caricature)

Of course after making our purchases and perusing all of the nice carvings we stepped outside to a picnic table and carved for about an hour.   It was a beautiful day and the club did a nice job of hosting.

All in all a great outing, if you ever get a chance to meet up with this group you are sure to enjoy the company. 

It's another day...carve something!!

For a Song...

Ryan Olsen's Barbershop Quartet

  In recent events the Caricature Carvers Of America have placed their recent creation up for sale and it's one that most have only caught a glimpse of.  The CCA's 1930's Street Scene has been put up for sale (building by building) some of which are already sold.  It's no surprise that the scene with Joe You's figures went first but that also was followed by a quick sale of Dave Stetson's "Under Construction" building.  As of this writing 3 of the 11 scenes have been sold.
  As done with previous projects these items will be the subject of another book published by Schiffer Publishing.  The scene will be placed on public display for the first and most likely only time at Dayton's Artistry in Wood show to be held in November.
  While I do not have the means to purchase a building I will procure a copy of the book.  In what I can view online the one set of figures that jumps out at me is the Barbershop Quartet shown above.  The quartet is from one of the organizations newest members Ryan Olsen hailing from the great potato state of Idaho.  This is one grouping I look forward to seeing in person.  Of course Joe You's contribution is one I always look forward to and he doesn't disappoint with his likeness of CCA legend Dave Dunham.  No matter whom I speak with Dave seems to have left a lasting impression and I would have liked to have met him.
  Other carvings of note in this collection were a couple of  "zoot-suited" gentlemen by messers Kaisersatt and Falin, fireman sliding down a pole by PJ Driscoll, a comical scene by Chris Hammack, and a paperboy by Mitch Cartledge.  Of course, there are many talented carvers who contributed and this review is based on the images posted by the CCA.  I am sure like all of the other scenes there are many quality items to discover.
  Also of note, the CCA has put the entire CCA Train up for sale for one price.  My hope is that it finds a nice home where it can be displayed to be enjoyed by all.
  Check out the CCA's website for more details.

 

A promise is a promise...

Thread spool carving

  Well there I was luxuriating at the Renegade Roundup and admiring someones creativity when it hit me...I have to do this.  My friend CarverDale (Dale Kirkpatrick) who is known for his abilities to carve interesting subjects into everyday objects (golf balls, etc.) had been carving wooden thread spools.  The sight of these spools sent me on a trip back to my youth with my mom sitting at the green monster (Singer sewing machine) with a gas pedal.  That pedal was tempting as I just wanted to see it fly.  But as we were in a small dwelling you couldn't help but see the operation my mother used to carry out and I have to say it was neat to see her fill the bobbins,  that machine could fly.  Now as a son of a Steelworker and one of four children my parents had to make to which included repairing our clothes rather than the more disposable nature we have today.  With that said if I needed a repair my mom would send me off to grab her a spool of thread.  I must admit the wide array of colors made it all the more interesting and the fancy Coats & Clarks label is one I still remember fondly.

  So there was Dale carving one of these spools when my brain got the better of me (again...dang).  I of course couldn't help my overly curious nature and started asking questions.  For those that don't know me I have an extreme thirst for learning, especially when it comes to art.  So I did my best not to annoy the spool master and he was gracious enough to show me some of this creations (you can see more via his link on this page..).  With that I went back to luxuriating and whittling.

  Well the next day rolled around and as scheduled the evening activity was to commence...the trading blanket.  For those who have never participated before its where carvers sit in a circle around a blanket and take turns putting items up for trade while the others offer up goods or monies in attempt to consummate such a deal.  For the second year in a row I had been trying to divest myself of some #3 palm gouges that were gathering dust.  So there I was looking for any kind of deal and I placed my gouges out for bargain.  Well all of a sudden a whole Quaker Oats container was placed on the blanket as a trade, upon opening the container I was surprised to see a bucket load of spools.  Of course this was like throwing down a gauntlet and my curious nature got the best of me, so ignoring all other offers the deal was done.

  Unfortunately for me, the week went way too fast and it was time to say our goodbye's and scatter to the four winds.  In parting I made a promise to Dale that I would put up a blog post of my first spool creation and that's where we are today...

...so the picture above represents my first attempt.  Having never carved on a spool I was surprised to see that they are somewhat hard.  During my attempt I and several of my carving friends tried to figure out what they are made of to no avail.  My best guess is that they were made of whatever serviceable wood was available.  I am not sure if all spools are made of the same wood, but I would have to believe there is some variety there.

  As you can see from the picture I was not the kid who colored inside the lines.  Carving within the spools boundaries posed a challenge, one that I failed on.  I am sure further attempts will result in better outcomes as I now have some understanding of these creatures.

  You might be saying...why would I want to carve a wooden spool?  I would say, why not?  If nothing else it opens your mind to creativity and the ridges on the spool force you to be aware of the grains direction (think 3-D) and adapt.  So if you happen to run into this opportunity give it a go, make sure your tools are sharp, and be prepared for a test.  If nothing else it will make you a better carver.

 

Now get out there and carve something!!

DA GRUMPS - Backscratcher

   About 7 years ago I bought a hilbilly backscratcher roughout and to this day it is a handy tool in the man cave.  As I continue to work on my design abilities I thought I would give designing my own version a go.  The intention with this one was to add my type of humor intio it and also continue to work on expression. 
   As most others do I started by taking a picture of myself in the desired position and used that as my reference.  The focus here was on arm position and expression.  As you can see from the waist down he is pretty blah, but that is intentional.  My designs intent was to focus on the facial expression and arm positioning.  I am please with the way this turned out and might make further attempts at expanding on this thought.
  I hope you find this one amusing and may your tools be forever sharp!!

A simple ornament...

2012 Holiday Ornament

As we have done in previous years our department at my work held it's annual holiday fundraising auction for charity.  Not sure how many items might come up for bid I decided to see if I could come up with a quick ornament for the auction.  The word 'quick' and 'I' are usually not said in the same sentence when it comes to carvings as I am not a prolific carver and for me to produce something takes a good while.  Fortunately I was able to complete this in an evening.  (My friends would have this done in two hours compared to my five).
The carving is in the round (it is carved on the backside as well) with a relief kind of feel to it. It was based on a simple drawing I saw and modified.  Ensuring good clean cuts allowed me to keep the carving natural.  I hope you enjoy.

I hope all of you have had a safe and joyous holiday. 


Note:  The recent senseless killing and wounding of our local firefighters, one of which was my wife's coworker, have cast a shadow on these holidays.  Life is precious and our world will truly miss these fine gentlemen.  May God bless Tomasc and Mike's family and we pray for a speedy recovery for those hospitalized.

A friend's request...



Da Grump #1

   I was surprised the other day by a request from a friend I made while at the Renegade in the spring.  A friend had crafted his toolbox in such a way that he could collect corner carvings from friends and instructors and attach them to his box.  A pretty interesting idea.  Well I was flattered when I received a note from him requesting a carving for his box.
  Now as you can tell from this blog my job has taken over quite a bit of my free time leaving me little time for carving.  This though was one request I could not pass up. 

  I have noticed over time as I developed my style that I tend to not do many smiling carvings as I find the neutral or grumpy expressions to be more expressive.  This is not to say I won't carve a happy or smiling figure its just that these offer something different, maybe its just another level of detail.  Either way I have found these to be attractive and as I am one to take what the wood offers me these just keep cropping up.  As such I decided to give a name to these original carvings and will refer to them as "Da Grumps".  My friend will be receiving the first of these.
  I had brought this one to my recent club meeting and passed it around for others to view and found it passed the litmus test by obtaining the chuckles and grins I like to see.  If you are a carver I urge you to try these expressive types as it can be magical when you can sell the expressions throughout the whole face.  I look forward to producing many more.