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  1. #1
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    Clan Crest size M/L work in progress

    I always wanted one of these, but could never justify the expense. So I took a piece of 2"x6" poplar, split it and edge glued it together to a 1"x12" and dug in. Basswood next time, should there ever be one. I will never use poplar again....

    It's about 11" across (that's 27.94 cm to the rest of the world). I need to carve the motto, trim down to the garter then paint.

    20200817_101708_copy_1083x737.jpg
    Last edited by DCampbell16B; 23rd August 20 at 02:04 PM. Reason: Autocorrect!!

  2. The Following 9 Users say 'Aye' to DCampbell16B For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
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    Are you planning on casting it in something else or just carving it directly?

  4. #3
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    Just carving directly.

  5. #4
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    Nicely done! Have you thought of big-leaf maple, alder or cedar for your next one? Yellow cedar (if you can access it where you are -- enquire) is the first-choice of the peoples of the Northwest Coast, who do such exceptional carvings. An easy wood to work for fine detailing, in my experience.

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  7. #5
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    I've always loved carving a nice hard maple. Don't need to worry about the grain nearly as much as something with a large loose grain like mahogany.

    That said, this looks nice so far!

  8. #6
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    Thistledown, I hadn't thought about cedar. It is local, but I think it is pretty knotty. I'll give some a try sometime. I've heard that Big Leaf Maple is relatively soft, but it's only over on your coast.

    MIKyle, yeah, hard maple can make some very fine detail. I've done some. For this though detail is likely to be hidden in the paint. And yes the detail in hard maple is great, but it is hard to carve too. Like really hard. At least with the poplar I didn't have to resharpen every three cuts.

  9. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by DCampbell16B View Post
    MIKyle, yeah, hard maple can make some very fine detail. I've done some. For this though detail is likely to be hidden in the paint. And yes the detail in hard maple is great, but it is hard to carve too. Like really hard. At least with the poplar I didn't have to resharpen every three cuts.
    Indeed. Very true. Part of the reason I love carving maple - takes forever, but it's very precise. And when redoing hardwood floors, the difference between oak and maple flooring takes it from a "yeah, this is doable" task to "what in blue blazes was I thinking taking this on".

  10. #8
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    [QUOTE=DCampbell16B;1387389]Thistledown, I hadn't thought about cedar. It is local, but I think it is pretty knotty. I'll give some a try sometime. I've heard that Big Leaf Maple is relatively soft, but it's only over on your coast./QUOTE]

    Big Leaf Maple is good and worth considering for the future (it takes stains and waxes with ease), but I was suggesting Yellow Cedar, not the cedar that you have locally. Old Growth Red Cedar is often used by the Salish, Tlingit and Haida people. To finish they use water-based natural paints, some oil stains, and bees wax. And boot polish!

    In Scotland we still find Bog Oak sometimes, but I find it hard on tools and probably not something you want to spend time on at your entry level. This is a very good piece you are working on; I like your careful work, symmetry and the use of joined planks to achieve the width you want.

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