Sunday, February 27, 2011

Carvers

We had the occasion to get out and meet some new carvers.  I needed my knives sharpened..and when I bought them they came with Free Sharpening for life at a carving shop over by Lake Ida. Anyone is welcome to the open carving on Thursdays.  It is an hour plus drive for us.  Carvers drive from miles around to get to Larry’s Shop. Years ago we took some classes from Larry.

My knives were a mess, it took Larry quite some time to get a new edge on them.  There is nothing worse than knives that are dull.

I bought a new knife..Dave said I needed it to finish my Duck. ( I found out later that he was a Duck expert.)  Maynard said it was a good idea..he was the carver selling the knives.  It is a push knife and should do the job.

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Dave gave me a new cutout (a reindeer) to try, I have found that carvers are generous people..if they have an extra cutout they share readily.  Both Dave and Maynard are former Wood Carving Instructors.  What a pleasure it was to make new acquaintances.

Maynard was a Chef Instructor before he retired, so naturally I was picking his brain getting some ideas for Far Guy to try..we talked about different ways to prepare fish and seafood.  I don’t know if I am adventurous enough to try scallops or tuna..we finagled  ourselves an invitation to his place..he is also an accomplished chain saw carver and he used to do ice sculptures too.

My knives are all sharpened now, Larry said “Don’t be using these for bark carving anymore.”  I won’t and I made the switch last week to Exacto knives that have replaceable blades for bark carving.

Everyone at the open carving sharpens their own knives.  I encouraged Far Guy to get some equipment, well once the word gets out amongst other carvers..soon an opportunity arose.

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The other morning we drove to the south side of Shell Lake and Far Guy got all set up with a sharpening system.  Tucked back in the woods was a guy who turns wooden bowls and builds custom cabinets and builds pole buildings. The equipment he had for sale was more suited for sharpening carving knives than the huge gouges he uses for turning wood. 

Anyways…I am saving up my good carving knives for a special class I am taking in May. So what will we practice sharpening?  We ordered some blades so that we can make our own carving knives, that should be an adventure.  These will be bark carving knives for me to dull so Far Guy can practice sharpening..yup it is a team effort.

I really didn’t need to add another hobby on top of a hobby..but I have never made a carving knife before..you can let your imagination run wild with some of the beautiful handles.  Perhaps winter should come to an end pretty soon, before I end up with more hobbies:) 

12 comments:

Lynda said...

How interesting and how wonderful you will be able to sharpen knives when needed rather than wait until you go somewhere. You two are amazing. The more you do, the more things you find to go along with it all. I am very impressed with your carving skills. It's not something I would care to do though but I love seeing your creations.

LindaG said...

Congratulations on the new sharpening equipment. Have fun using it and your new knife!
:-)

Linda said...

I like that team effort thing but I'm the knife sharpener in this household and probably the main user too:(

Country Gal said...

My hubby does chip carving and scrolling he loves it , he does all kinds of lovely things. This spring he is getting a new wood shop built so he can do all of his wood workings from his carving to making furniture ! I cant wait to see your work all done ! Have a great day !

Dogert said...

I've always wanted to get into carving after carving a stick knife with a scalpel, but already have so many other hobbies that can get quite pricey. xD That is so awesome, you post more of your statues. :)

DJan said...

Another hobby does sound like maybe a bit of overkill, but heck, if anybody can manage, it's you, Connie!

troutbirder said...

I dunno. In my case, being the klutz that I am, I probably end up being called "old nine fingers." Think I'll stick with sky-diving. Good luck though. :)

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

Connie, there are many carvers here on the VA eastern shore and an active decoy carvers organization as well. It's not a hobby I would do well with because it involves sharp objects, but looks very interesting and the results are beautiful.

Changes in the wind said...

This was a very interesting post and look forward to more of "as the carving goes".

Nezzy (Cow Patty Surprise) said...

It's great to have friends in high places...and sharp knives!!! Heehehehe!!!

That little reindeer is just adorable! I can't wait to see what you do with it!

BTW: Hubs used to deliver in your neck of the woods when we have the truckin' company several years ago.

God bless ya sweetie and have a glorious day!!!

Lanny said...

The knife sharpening guys used to stop by Dirt's work (they had a portable set up) because Dirt always had so many blades that it was worth it for them to set up for a day. But then he got his own set up and now he always has sharp blades (sheep shearing) so maybe Far Guy could sharpen blades for the local sheep shearer.

Rae said...

I've been to carving shows before and the work that some carvers produce is unbelievable. I thought it would be a neat hobby to have, but I'd probably end up stabbing myself. You are amazing with all your multi-talents and hobbies.