Stream and Fencerow: 2006

Wednesday, May 10, 2006

...a work in progress

Pardon the flatness of the low "D" string.

It sounded a whole lot better on my computer than it did here. Maybe blogger doesn't do sound very well.

Any ideas for a title?

(All content of the above audio clip is subject to change without notice)

Monday, February 13, 2006

........I had seen in several books where people had carved ducks and other wildlife right out of a block of wood but had always thought it looked like rocket science. One day, however, I convinced myself to try it and was surprised how easy it was. I encourage you to try it. The finished product makes a very good gift to a friend or a rustic decoration for your own mantle piece or shelf.

Here is a rough outline of what I did:

...To begin with, I drew the head and the body out separately on a piece of pine 2x4 . Then, with a draw knife, whittling knife, rasps, and sandpaper, I reduced the block of wood to what I thought was a reasonable depiction of a duck.
...At this point I thought I might be done but then decided to use a bit of wood burning (photo right) to give it a more life-like appearance. I individually burned in all the feathers on the wings, most of the feathers on the sides and tail, and only a few of the feathers on the head.
...I was pleasantly surprised at how good the duck looked when I was finished and it was extremely fun to do. Try it sometime. :)