Carved elm bird

In my opinion it looks fine good Dave. When you’re carving something and it looks like it suppose to be, it great. Mine would end up looking like a rock. These would look nice around a birds watering hole. LOL.

-- Dave, Downers Grove, Il. -------- When you run out of ideas, start building your dreams.

Thanks, Dave! I bet you could do better than a rock, though. Just keep carving away everything that doesn’t look like a bird. ;-)

-- Dave - Santa Fe

Very nice, exceptionally smooth and fair.

-- "I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The point is to bring them the real facts." - Abraham Lincoln

The thing I admire most about animal carvings is seeing the creators “view” of what makes it finished.

For some it’s very abstract looking, others go for photo-realism. I look forward to how your “view” develops as you make more of these birbs!

Thanks, Tom! Took a bit of sanding to get there, but I’m getting closer with the knife on each one I do.

Splint, I’m guessing I’ll stick abstract, but we’ll see. We’ve got a friend who runs a hospice house, and one thought is that I’d send a batch of birds to them as comfort birds but we’ll see how it goes. With those, the idea is smooth and tactile. But I might change my mind over time…

-- Dave - Santa Fe

Dave,

Very nice looking birdie. Job well done.

Was the Elm hard to cut? Never worked with it before. Have some Chinese Elm that I got a log of from my son in law from a tree he trimmed. It is drying now but seems to be hard.

-- Dave, Vancouver, WA & Tucson, AZ

...
Splint, I’m guessing I’ll stick abstract, but we’ll see. We’ve got a friend who runs a hospice house, and one thought is that I’d send a batch of birds to them as “comfort birds”
...
- Dave Polaschek

Well done on the carving, Dave! I’m sure they’d appreciate having some comfort birds for the residents.

Claude

-- https://www.etsy.com/shop/ClaudesWoodcarving

i am still working on my bird AKA birb when my health allows me too been to busy with appts. and dialysis but its coming along nicely . How long did this one take to carve ?

GREAT JOB :<))) SHOUL DBE A TOP3 SO GRATZ

-- Tony---- Reinholds,Pa.------ REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN :<))

Thanks, Dave! The elm wasn’t easy to carve, but it was a lot easier than ash. The biggest problem I had was a few spots running through it that were softer, so I had to work carefully around that.

Thanks, Claude! I’m going to try and build up a bit of a backlog before I suggest that. There are up to ten residents at any one time, and I want to make sure I have at least enough for everyone to get a bird if they want. Plus, at the moment, my production rate is too slow… and I don’t want to have it feel like a job.

-- Dave - Santa Fe

Tony, I think it was a couple-three weeks of grabbing a few minutes or an hour here and there. Maybe a day or two of carving time total, much of which was trying to figure out what the heck I was doing. If I had roughed it out on the bandsaw and knew what I was doing, it’s probably a half-day or less.

-- Dave - Santa Fe

Looking good! I like the walnut one, too.

-- Steven.......Random Orbital Nailer

lookin good dave,you pushed me to get the turning going but i think im gonna let you go with the carving alone.

-- working with my hands is a joy,it gives me a sense of fulfillment,somthing so many seek and so few find.-SAM MALOOF.

Tony, I think it was a couple-three weeks of grabbing a few minutes or an hour here and there. Maybe a day or two of carving time total, much of which was trying to figure out what the heck I was doing. If I had roughed it out on the bandsaw and knew what I was doing, it’s probably a half-day or less.

- Dave Polaschek

-- Tony---- Reinholds,Pa.------ REMEMBER TO ALWAYS HAVE FUN :<))

Looking good.

-- Soli Deo gloria!

Thanks, Steven!

Thanks, Pottz! It’s not too tough, and a lot more portable than a lathe!

Tony, I’ve used the bandsaw on about half of the birds I have in progress. Sometimes just making chips is relaxing and rewarding, and I prefer not having the noise and dust. Sometimes I just want to get to the bird.

Thanks, Oldrivers!

-- Dave - Santa Fe