New Port Shell

Al & Fran,
I really try to resist the urge to add new tools to my current stock. By no means do I have a lot...and with the exception of a bandsaw...everything else I do is with handtools...and I want to keep those to a minimum. So if I can fudge with what few carving tools I have, so much the better.

As for wood, I think I'll opt for Af. Mahog. and try to steer clear of figure as much as possible. I have a few old boards of the stuff that I purchased a couple years ago, but shied away from using it after hearing how difficult it was to plane (grain reversals, etc.).

Thanks to you both for taking the time to e-instruct this merry band...
Allan
 
Allan-I understand, but as Al.B. says, the tool issue open to interpretation. The fewer the better. I go through buying binges for stuff I can get along without. If you were determined enough you could make the tools you need, and you really can get along fine without the spoons and swoons. It's amazing what you can accomplish with a flat chisel and a Swiss Army knife.

I'm psyched!!! Let's get started!
F
 
I am late to this topic, but it is one I am very interested in. I am very much a novice, but have an intense interest in learning this technique. What do I need to do to get a copy of the drawings? I don't have the larger gouges, but can still follow along. Thanks and I'm looking forward to this.

For what it's worth a site like Photobucket may be able to house pics for reference.
 
Shell Guys- One way you can get around buying a lot of backbents, which are available in a small variety and in the sizes you probably don't need anyway is to put a very small inside bevel on standard tools.
If you take a 3-8, for instance, and put about a 1/16 long secondary bevel on the inside, it will work great upside down to work the diagonal lobes of the shells because you'll be able to raise up the handle to get clearance and that way it won't dig in and chatter like it would if it were unaltered. Modifying 3's and 5's in this way will give you some very handy tools and you can still use them fine for most other stuff. In some cases you will want to have multiples of the same tool ground in various ways; I have a lot of 9-10's and 5-25's done in various grinds, but don't get them until you need them for a specific job- you can't predict these things-Al
 
Al's got it right unless you just enjoy having these things it's a little silly to buy $300 worth of stuff. I will cover how to get at those grain reverses and inside corners with a small craft knife anyway. I do stick to my spoons, though.They can be held erect like a pencil with the back against your knuckle and nothing but the cutting edge is in the work.

I have my panneaux de bois and will be cutting up the blank for the solid fallfront tomorrow.

Nelsone-send your mailng address [email protected] and I'll get some patterns off to you.

Fran
 
A comment about inside bevels on carving gouges. Chris Pye teaches (insists) that students in his classes put  inside bevels on shallow gouges, basically #2's through #5's and maybe the small #7's.  His sharpening video demonstrates this. But be warned that it then becomes very difficult to do vertical stab cuts (such as those needed to outline acanthus foliage on a chair leg) with these gouges. I know because I have about 30 gouges with an inside bevel. So if you don't want to do a lot of grinding and regrinding, you may end up with duplicate gouges ground differently as Al Breed indicated above
As an aside, the straight gouges with an inside bevel do work very nicely upside down and I find them easier to hone and maintain than backbents.

Howard Steier
 
Howard- You're right about the inside bevel tools not working as well for setting in acanthus patterns, that's why I only grind them like that when the need really arises. Don't go grinding your tools up just because you think you may need them with an inside bevel someday.
This is the same advice I give people in general about buying tools- wait til you need them. There's a lot of useless stuff marketed to woodworkers ( see LN drawbore pins, for example, and my condolances to those of you who bought them), so don't believe the hype.-Al
 
At the request of the many headed, all the photos can be found on flickr. I don't know much about this but I think you can find them using Franci once you get to the site.
 
For those who wish to view Fran's progress on this project, log onto Flickr.com and check for fran1909...you may need to establish an account.
It's a great venue for this project! And thanks to Fran again for his work in making this available to us all.
Allan
 
I tried to find the posting on Flickr but had no luck using fran1909 or Franci.  Is there something I am missing here?

Brian
 
Brian,
Try using http://www.flickr.com/photos/43908735@N08/

That should take you right to it. If you haven't signed up to get on Fran's email list, contact him at [email protected] to jump on board.
Allan
 
I've got you on board, John. Let me know if you want a set of patterns. If so I will need your mailing address.
To the general membership. I would like to make this my last trip to the copiers, if you don't mind. I need to focus on actually producing this thing now and providing a decent process for the subscribers to follow. I am sure that any of the folks on the mailing list would be generous enough to provide anyone else interested with copies.
In addition, I would always welcome the criticism of the extant members who have experience with these techniques. I know there are dozens and many are far more accomplished than myself. As we progress it will become more and more difficult to express the original intent and the subtleties which help to enrich this beautiful work. So please jump in!
Fran
 
Hi Fran,
I, ve tried to contact you directly but apparrently unsucessfully. I'd like to be added to the email list and would be happy to send a check to cover your costs.
Thanks, Ross
 
Ross, I checked my email and you are not there. try [email protected] or just go to the flickr page. The first steps are there as photos with brief descriptions of the work. Or post your email on this forum and I'll put you on the list.
Fran
 
Folks - I'm way late to this party, but I saw several posts lamenting the difficulty of finding an appropriate piece of mahogany without having to buy a bunch (though I still recommend taking out a loan and placing an order with Irion - the way things are going, you may not be able to get SA mahogany in the near future).

So I'll offer the following - if you're simply doing this as a practice piece, there are 4 good alternatives I can think of as a carver that will not kill your tools or you (I would definitely not recommend maple, cherry or even walnut for the first attempt - they are all considerably harder than mahogany and may frustrate you).  Those domestic woods are poplar, butternut, eastern white pine, and basswood.  Basswood, eastern white pine, and poplar are, of course, totally unsuitable for building a piece of furniture, but if it's practice, it doesn't matter.  Butternut, however, is a fine furniture wood, and while more difficult to find than the above, a desk or bureau made out of this wood would be spectacular, IMO.

Anyway, if you want to use basswood, there is a superior source for this - Heinecke Wood Products:

http://www.heineckewood.com/

This is the go-to source for basswood, and it really does matter.  Their wood is from the far-north midwest, where it grows slowly and has excellent consistency of grain, no knots, and good color.  More southern basswood is much less suitable for carving - it develops soft spots.
 
Thanks for your advice, Mr. Keller. SA mahogany will not be available soon. The quality of what is available is pretty appalling also. I know a handful of people that have turned to African mahogany because it looks more like SA mahog than what's available. The slab I am carving for this project is African mahog.
Fran
 
Hi folks, I just sent an email to those involved in the shell project. Please let me know if you have no received this e mail so I can make sure you are on the list.
Fran
 
A basic list of tools I use to carve large RI shells, in random order.....

5-12, 8-4, 11-15, 8-13, 25-10(bb), 11-7(ground back), 9-13, 9-10, 7-8(bb), 3-12, 1-8(fingernail grind), 3-8, 12-10 ground back V tool, 5-12 (bb), 6-6, 7-16(bb), 5-35, 8-4 (bb)

For me the ground back v-tool is the workhorse for the fillets and other parting, and the 11-7 also, as the ground back shape with the top of the sweep leading will let you go both ways in the diagonal hollows on both concave and convex shells. The 8-4 bb is handy for the small rounds as well as the tendons on b&c feet.The 1-8 is for the terminations at the rosette.

You'll also want to custom grind some scrapers to finish up with if you need to and also have a small fine square file, an auger bit file is good, to clean up fillets when you pry the convex ones off the backer. Also a 1 1/2 bench chisel will come in handy for straight runs near the rosette.

You won't find some of the back bents, as these are antique ones I've accumulated. Just put an inside bevel on a regular tool and it will do the same thing.

Lastly, glue the convex ones down with very diluted hide glue and a ring of paper  about an inch wide around the edges of the blank as this will make it easier to get it off the backer.-Al
 
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