carving

Walnut Mystery Cube

Posted on February 12, 2018 by akadventurer

One of last night’s little projects, something I’ve been wanting to try.  A fidget cube, fidget toy, mystery cube, cube in a cube, puzzle like brain teaser made from walnut.

 Really simple to make once you know a few tricks, I saw it on YouTube and had to try it!  






Yes, its all from one piece, the inner cube started in there! 

Managed to cut the same thumb twice in 15 minutes, in the same way, while rounding/carving off the corners.. lol slow learner.


 The walnut wood is a chunk a friend gave me about a decade ago, from a tree his dad cut down some 50 years ago.. Cube is headed to being a gift for one of the friends grandkids, great grandkids of the tree cutter.  Seemed a fitting piece of wood to use. 😎👍

  Here it’s soaking up its first coat of Watco butcher block oil a first time use for me, for a food safe/kid safe/they can chew on it all they want, safe finish 😉😆 

Categories: carving, Sentimental, Woodshop, Woodwork

Pipe clamp bench vise 1.0

Posted on February 4, 2018 by akadventurer

Needed a good easy place to clamp some large pieces of wood to the bench to work them for an upcoming project.   Reminded me I’d wanted to build a traditional woodworkers bench side vise.. 

While digging around online, I found this concept on youtube. Not as traditional or elegant as the all wood single screw style I had in mind, but it’s easier, faster and would cost me nothing; perfect! 

Few feet of 2″x4″, some 1″x8″, some screws, and a set of pipe clamps I wasn’t using, and about 2 hours;

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

After a few days on there, the front jaw board warped on me.  In its defense I ripped it down from a 12″ width, so it was used to haveing more support… 

Others building these are laminating up to about 2″ or 3″ thick, but I  figure I don’t need that stability, nor want to take the time for it now.  Now it seems I might have to just to stiffen it up. 

I then put a new face of oak on it. Should be more stable and warp less. Later I’ll laminate it up to 2 or 3 thicknesses if I need to. 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

I honestly don’t know how I ever got anything done before,  it’s so wonderfully handy to have!

Categories: carving, custom-made-tools, Fabrication, Shop Tools, Uncategorized, Woodshop, Woodwork

Amazing!

Posted on March 21, 2017 by akadventurer

What you can look at everyday and never see!
Been looking at buying some burl wood chunks for a project. But really hoping to find some Alaskan wood in the process, with no luck. 

Then I suddenly realized one of my Dad’s old clocks that doesn’t work anymore, hanging in the livingroom… I knew it was a burl but it’s been there for 20 years, broke for 10+ so I never “see” it or think of it.  

Figure what the heck, I’ll cut it up, save some $$. Got it down and find it marked birdseye birch from Kenai!!! 😮 PERFECT!! I’d never even heard of birch with that burl pattern either! Turns out to be SUPER rare. 

Categories: Adventure Metal Works, Alaska-Life, carving, Gunsmithing, wood processing, Woodwork

Re hafted my cruiser!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by akadventurer

Last night’s other project was hafting this plumb brand cruisers axe.

It was previously hung(by me) several years ago, very poorly on a 36″ handle with the eye area cut down to fit the head.  Looked terrible, worked fair…
(The top one)

image

Last night I re cut and totally re profiled the handle down to cruiser size. All handwork, saw, rasp, and carving hawk . Mostly the big rasp though.

image

It’s not hung perfect, has some gaps, but it’s on solid and works. Didn’t lose anything but time, if it ever loosens/moves, I’ll rehaft again with a new handle.

Cut the handle off at 24″ overall length (including head). Swings great, and is short enough to back pack- but it’s intended use, is to be kept on my ATV for trail work.

Categories: Axes, carving, Custom, custom-made-tools, Modifications, old tools, tool mods, Woods tools, Woodwork

Finished the carving hawk.

Posted on April 29, 2016 by akadventurer

Got the edge profile and bevels on the hawk set and sharpened the other night. Little rough in these pictures,  I polished it after that. Sucker is laser sharp, carves fantastic! (As you can see one post back, a lot of the outside if the kuksa was done with it)

image

Still need to clean up a little under the blade against the head, but essentially it’s done!

Categories: carving, Custom, custom-made-tools, hatchets, Modifications, old tools, tomahawks, tool mods, Woods tools, Woodwork

And, the little kuksa finished!

Posted on April 29, 2016 by akadventurer

image

  All hand work, no power tools used. ☺  Frost 120 laminated carver, my little pocket carving hawk/hammer, my Dad’s old brace and bit setup (first time I’ve ever used it!) And a couple of my carving chisels. Couple hours total, more or less (was so much fun, I wasn’t counting, didn’t really notice)

Need to get a food safe finish for it, and oil her up.

Categories: carving, hatchets, old tools, Woods tools, Woodwork

Posted on April 29, 2016 by akadventurer

And, the little kuksa finished!

image

  All hand work, no power tools used. ☺  Frost 120 laminated carver, my little pocket carving hawk/hammer, my Dad’s old brace and bit setup (first time I’ve ever used it!) And a couple of my carving chisels. Couple hours total, more or less (was so much fun, I wasn’t counting, didn’t really notice)

Need to get a food safe finish for it, and oil her up.

Categories: carving, hatchets, old tools, Woods tools, Woodwork

Started a small kuksa

Posted on April 29, 2016 by akadventurer

Some progress shots from along the way on a little kuksa(Scandinavian wood cup/mug) I started from the mini burl. Roughed out and semi refined/shaped with the carving hawk, refined with the Frost 120, started the bowl with a brace and bit.

image

Categories: carving, old tools, Woodwork

Blog at WordPress.com.

%d bloggers like this: