Looks great Bob. I know the WIP feeling, my Spice Box went through a stall while I nursed my wife back from a broken ankle. Hopefully I’ll get back on it after my current project finishing up for a client (photos soon) and before golf courses thaw out 🙂
Two thing made the a long project. (1) Most of the lettering is only 1/2 inch high and gave me fits for a very long time. (there’s a “secret” coming up) (2) Temps in my workshop have been below freezing for weeks.. (calling Al Gore!)
Hi Bob,
That’s mighty cool carving. Always a pleasure to drop by your site. I am just now tackling a letter carving project with chisels in kiln dried red oak. It is humbling to say the least. The lettering is 2 inch high Roman style capitals and it goes on the top of a tool storage lid. Chris Pye’s book is my source of help. Any other recommendations? I wouldn’t mind taking a class in this.
Hi Jim,
You’ll do just fine .. with practice. Lettering is exacting work and needs lots of practice. Pye’s method is certainly a useful one for Roman Caps and the size you’re working at is very manageable. (Yes, I have that book too. Scarce and too expensive!) Lettercarving gets harder and more exacting as the letters get smaller.
Pye is very precise in his approach, wanting perfectly fitting gouges and seeming to insist on making only one cut. No “sneaking up” or paring.
On the other hand, Mary May takes a more pragmatic approach of using gouges that are “near fits” and finessing them to do the work even if it means multiple cuts. Mary has an online carving school “Mary Mays School of Traditional Woodcarving.” She’s a classical carver who has been teaching many years. See her class schedule. She has been posting lessons online for about 3 years now. There’quite a collection. The site is a membership site that costs $9.99 a month, but also has a Free entry membership that includes about 15 beginner’s lessons.
She has a few lettercarving lessons online, but doesn’t teach lettercarving as a classroom subject due to low demand. Those lessons are on the premium part of the site, but are also available for individual purchase at this page for $19.99.
How do I know all this? I’m one of Mary’s delighted students, and I also manage her web sites.
Best wishes for the tool storage project! Let me know when it’s done; I’d like to see pictures.
Thanks Bob. I may renew my membership on Mary’s school site. It makes more sense now that my time and interest in carving is better. I can relate to the different approaches carvers can take also. Mary’s carving is top notch and I’ve enjoyed her videos. I’ll definitely send a picture when I complete the letter carving project. I’ll check Mary’s teaching schedule too.
Iam impressed. Real good mix of lettering – this is the carving I want to tackle some day.
Looks great Bob. I know the WIP feeling, my Spice Box went through a stall while I nursed my wife back from a broken ankle. Hopefully I’ll get back on it after my current project finishing up for a client (photos soon) and before golf courses thaw out 🙂
Thanks Ralph and Rick.
Two thing made the a long project. (1) Most of the lettering is only 1/2 inch high and gave me fits for a very long time. (there’s a “secret” coming up) (2) Temps in my workshop have been below freezing for weeks.. (calling Al Gore!)
More later…
Very nice Bob! I especially like the subtle undulation in the layout. My thinking is too linear to come up with something like that.
Wow, 1/2″ letters.
Greg
Thanks Greg.
I’ve seen your work and it’s not that linear. 🙂 You’re outside the box a lot.
Yeah, the small letters were a challenge and needed a secret weapon to get them done right.
Hello. Do you have any of the Kilroy carvings remaining? Thanks.
Hi Ela,
Yes, I just listed 2 Kilroy carvings on Etsy. $30 + $5.85 shipping.
See: https://www.etsy.com/listing/64828130/kilroy-was-here
Thanks for asking.
Hi Bob,
That’s mighty cool carving. Always a pleasure to drop by your site. I am just now tackling a letter carving project with chisels in kiln dried red oak. It is humbling to say the least. The lettering is 2 inch high Roman style capitals and it goes on the top of a tool storage lid. Chris Pye’s book is my source of help. Any other recommendations? I wouldn’t mind taking a class in this.
Thanks,
Jim
Hi Jim,
You’ll do just fine .. with practice. Lettering is exacting work and needs lots of practice. Pye’s method is certainly a useful one for Roman Caps and the size you’re working at is very manageable. (Yes, I have that book too. Scarce and too expensive!) Lettercarving gets harder and more exacting as the letters get smaller.
Pye is very precise in his approach, wanting perfectly fitting gouges and seeming to insist on making only one cut. No “sneaking up” or paring.
On the other hand, Mary May takes a more pragmatic approach of using gouges that are “near fits” and finessing them to do the work even if it means multiple cuts. Mary has an online carving school “Mary Mays School of Traditional Woodcarving.” She’s a classical carver who has been teaching many years. See her class schedule. She has been posting lessons online for about 3 years now. There’quite a collection. The site is a membership site that costs $9.99 a month, but also has a Free entry membership that includes about 15 beginner’s lessons.
She has a few lettercarving lessons online, but doesn’t teach lettercarving as a classroom subject due to low demand. Those lessons are on the premium part of the site, but are also available for individual purchase at this page for $19.99.
How do I know all this? I’m one of Mary’s delighted students, and I also manage her web sites.
Best wishes for the tool storage project! Let me know when it’s done; I’d like to see pictures.
Thanks Bob. I may renew my membership on Mary’s school site. It makes more sense now that my time and interest in carving is better. I can relate to the different approaches carvers can take also. Mary’s carving is top notch and I’ve enjoyed her videos. I’ll definitely send a picture when I complete the letter carving project. I’ll check Mary’s teaching schedule too.
Blessings on your projects,
Jim