mrjimmy

Hi, Alexandru........

Another fine start to another fine build;  Cherry or pear??

Jim

c'est magnifique..........

Jim

I wonder if used nylon stockings or pantyhose would work.............

Jim

I have read that any citrus tree will produce good timber, as with just about any fruit or nut tree.  The drawback is the size of the lumber it produces, but that is not a concern for what we use it for.  The fresh cut wood should be left to dry for one year per inch of thickness.  A good idea would be for you to slice the wood into one inch thick slices and stack the lumber with one inch "sticks" separating the boards. Let us know how the wood works out. See you next January..........

Jim

If anyone needs some inspiration to do some practice in order to improve their carvings, by all means check out the website below.  Alexander is a world class shipbuilder and a very accomplished carver.  Most of the work shown is in the round, but worth a look.........enjoy.

http://modelshipworld.com/index.php/topic/5412-carving-from-belgorod/page-1

Jim

By "Rose of Sharon", I meant your lovely wife.

Jim

Great piece of work........

Jim

You have come a long way, Jay; nice work.  Merry Christmas to you and your Rose of Sharon.

Jim

Very well presented website, Marcus........ thank you for that.

Jim

Please direct all questions about hide glue to Julie Mo...........she started all this.  If you watched the youtube video, you know exactly as much as I do.  I have never used the stuff, but let me know how it works out.

Jim

JulieMo ran a topic on Hide Glue a while ago.  Tap on the link below and it will take you to a youtube lesson.........

Jim

There has got to be a better way to lay deck planking than contact cement!

Here is some info about Port Orford Cedar trees that are from the same family as yellow cedar (Chamaecyparis) .......

https://oregonencyclopedia.org/articles/port_orford_cedar/#.WExO3xSDPFI

Hi, Jay.......

Good looking work on the practice board.  Go back and look at some of your early photos of your carvings, and I think you will see the result of your practice.

Jim

Ms. Irish has a similar book about wood burning that haas a similar practice board for burning.  She is a very good instructor, somewhat like our own Chuck.  It's nice to have people with that kind of talent to steer us on the right path.

Jim

You sometimes amaze me, Michael.  Make that always.

Jim

Hi, Joop......

Great job of scroll sawing the piece, and some quality practice time and patience will vastly improve the carving. Don't get discouraged by your first attempt. It will get easier with practice.

Jim

This is very nice looking Alaskan Cedar wood.  Must be a cousin of Port Orford cedar that grows from the Oregon coast to Central Oregon; it also has a fine grain and very easy to work with. I am working with a piece right now for a Robin (bird) carving that looks almost like basswood. I would have included a photo, but it does not pertain to ship building. Really nice stuff.

Jim

p.s. Michael Mott used Port Orford Cedar to plank one of his model ships and it looked fantastic.

Sorry, William, I could not find a button that says "Love This".  Very well done.

Jim

Jaager......

Bradford pear or bartlett pear?  Maybe both? I've been told that both are excellent.

Jim

Very well done, William, and I love your choice of weapons.  Rules? What rules.

Jim

Hi, Jaager.......

Indian Hawthorne is very plentiful here in the States; it is commonly seen as "hedges".  The problem is finding a hedge that needs to be cut down and that it has large enough diameter branches to be useful.  It would be easier to locate some dogwood trees that either need pruning, or that had died for one reason or another. Again, finding usable sizes becomes a problem. Another very good carving wood to consider is crab apple; very similar to boxwood (have not tried any, but have been told this).

Jim

Very well done, Toni.

Jim

Hi, Chuck.....

The carvings are much better than you whine about, but with practice they will get much smoother during the carving stage.  In the meantime, in order to get them closer to your standards of quality (and we all know how high that is), try this:

Take a sheet of 320, maybe even 220 if you want to live on the wild side, and cut some strips about 1/8" (3 mm) wide along the length or width of a full sheet.  Lay the strip down across the area you would like to improve, place your left thumb over the sand paper strip with just enough pressure that will allow you to pull the strip through. Move to the next spot that is causing you to lay awake at night and repeat the process.  Let us know how it works out.

Jim

For those who have interest, there is a free book in PDF form written by a retired fighter jet pilot about Netsuke, which is miniature carving fairly close to our scales. Click on the link below:

http://sterlingsculptures.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Carving_Netsuke.pdf

Jim