something new something old

 Well finally I have carved something different, so for the two of you who visit my blog a bit of variety. I carved a civil war soldier bust and am happy with the end result. I based this one on a Carving Magazine article from my buddy down south, Mark Akers. I didn’t do this in the proper size, it should be carved from a 3” block, and mine due to my scroll saw limitations was cut from a 2” block. Don’t make my mistake, take the time to read the article and not just glance at the pictures. Do most of you do this too, is the part of what makes people able to carve also present a contrary attitude towards the written word? I will put some thought into this and get back with you and of course anyone that has an opinion, chime in.

So here is the carving, the head was done separately as you have seen and then attached to the body. I believe the original had a 1/2” hole drilled in the body to insert the neck. Because of the size difference I drilled a 3/8” hole and it seems to work fine and is just snug enough to hold it steady. I did have some issue with the brim of the cap, I actually broke it at one point after the carving was done.Wood glue works wonders and now the cap is fixed. Maybe I carved this a tad thinner than I needed. I will be more cautious in handling it on my next attempt. Just like the Santa ornaments I will revisit this carving to see what lessons learned moments might occur, there are always lesson learned moments. I know I want to slow down and put more time into the beard and hair. I thought I rushed this a bit on this one, lesson learned.