Third King of the Magi

Here is the third king of the Magi. I took more progression pictures to better show the carving process.

Wow! Beautiful grain!

 I start out by transferring the pattern to a piece of butternut and cutting out the blank on a band saw.

Front view.

 I removed wood from the sides of the head face.

Back view.

 Next I begin to remove wood from under the arms and taper the forearms and hands.

Back view showing wood removed from under arms.

 I cut in the sleeves and begin to remove the wood between.

I begin to round off the body shoulders and head wrap.

Rough in the crown. 

Create folds in the head wrap and bottom of the robe.

Remove the wood from the back and sides of the frankincense holder. 

 Carve the details of hands, face and crown, and begin sanding.

Finished sanding and profiling with 80 grit.

Continue sanding switching to 150 grit .

When sanding your carving make sure to line up scratch marks with the grain of the wood before changing to a finer grit. Continue sanding with 220 grit, and finishing up with 320 grit.  I seal the carving with Deft Satin Lacquer, applying several light coats and using a Sand-O-Flex with 320 grit between first few coats.

Second of the Magi

Here's my next piece for the nativity. The second wise man, carved from butternut, measures 4 1/2" tall. Sealed with Deft Satin lacquer like the other pieces.

First of the Magi

Here is the next piece in the nativity, one of the wise men. Like the other pieces he is carved from butternut and stands 6 1/2" tall.

Joseph

Finished the second figure in this year's nativity. Joseph is hand carved from butternut and measures just under 5" tall.

Virgin Mary

The wife has been wanting me to carve a nativity for a long time. I decided to carve one for her this Christmas. Here is the first piece, the Virgin Mary. Carved from butternut and sealed with lacquer, she measures 2 1/2" x 2" x 5" tall.

Merlin Brings Home the Blue

Merlin won Carving of the Month at last night's Kansas City Woodcarvers meeting.

Snowman Ornament

Here is simple ornament that is fun to carve. I start by drawing a snowman head with a few different hats. I then transfer the pattern to a  1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 4" basswood block. By placing two heads on the block, it is easier to hold on to while carving.

Round off  the heads and rough in the hats.

Continue rounding the carving, there are no corners on a snowman.

 Carve in the details

Looking pretty good.

  I used a scroll saw to separate the two heads. Ready for paint.

First Ornaments for Christmas 2013

And so the Christmas carving season begins.....
I am actually getting a later start than usual, but here is the first batch. A tip to painters, don't throw out those pizza boxes. I recycle them by using them at my paint station. They contain the mess, and come in handy when I want to move the carvings outside to spray on a couple coats of lacquer. I keep a carving knife close by in case I get a little sloppy. It's easier to let the stray paint dry and carve it off, than try and wipe the wet paint away. It usually makes a bigger mess. I also have a piece of scrap basswood if I want to test the shade of paint mix, and a pair of magnifying glasses to help my old tired eyes.

Home Sign

I don't carve a lot of signs because I don't like to do lettering, and most carvings don't last long outside. But, I carved this one, out of pine, for our well. Mom & Dad bought the home place in 1962, Dad named it George's Lil Acre. We were in the country in 1962, but progress has changed that over the last 51 years. When Dad passed away 10 years ago, the wife and I sold our place and moved back home. I carved this as a tribute to Dad, I'm sure he's looking down, smiling.