Category: Crafts and Hobbies
I love to carve little animals out of wood, usually drift wood or bass wood. I use small hand held tools. Does anyone else on here like wittling or making things out of wood? Do you prefer hand tools or power tools? Have any prodjects you really enjoyed making? I'm just curious about other people who like making things out of wood.
I went to the Louisiana Center of the Blind, and one of the things we did was work with a lot of wood in our Industrial Arts class. After we passed all of the requirements we could make pretty much any project we wanted within reason and I decided to make a clock. While it was one of the most difficult, nerve racking things I did, it is also one of my biggest accomplishments.
It took me a few weeks. I used black walnut wood which you probably know is pretty solid, and the majority of the project was done with power tools. After the wood was cut in to reasonably sized pieces, planed and jointed I went to the table saw where I did most of the cutting and other work. That is a tool you don't want to screw up at otherwise you'll end up getting wood thrown at you or losing a finger. After cutting and making the divets where the pieces fit together, I sanded them with two different types of sandpaper, waxed them with a couple layers, and then clamped and glued them together. They all fit perfectly which meant I did the cuts and measurements correctly. I didn't have time to stay and put the inner parts inside, so the guy at the shop did it and shipped the clock to me. It still works and looks nice.
That sounds like a lot of fun to make, although I can see where it would be nerve racking. I believe I made a clock many years ago, although it was just a simple one that could hang on the wall. Black walnut is a nice and tough wood and looks great.
I used to whittle and carve things years ago. I will still shape or modify the occasional wood joint to fit into something, or the occasional bushing, if necessary. Using one of several of my pocket knives.
Nothing so elegant as formerly described, more primal I guess, which is kinda how I like it.
I wish we would have spent some time using hand tools, because it would be cool to learn how people used to make stuff plus not everyone can afford to get a hard core wood shop with all the power tools there are.
Yeh i'd love to do that.
Before my current job, I spent a semester doing a woodwork course. Everything (all the electrical tools) were adapted to make them blind friendly for us to use; not sure if you guys have them over there in America etc; sure you do though at your blindy organizations - that's where this one was based - at Vision Australia.
I was sorry I couldn't do level 2 but that's when I aquired this job.
I made an outdoor seat and a multi-coloured chopping board.
I was a power user of the pannel saw in the end. :)
Leo, I like the more primal feel also. The first thing I ever carved was done with a simple utility knife. I like to make little hand held animals and such more than I liked the power tools. They were loud and I didn't feel like I had the same contact with the wood.