Replies

1. 
   mgumaer | Jul 12, 2006 01:50am | #1

   Rick Butz's "How to Carve Wood" has an 'intertwining ribbon' design which may be what you're looking for. It looks like overlapping ribbons not a single strand of rope. For this he recommends an 18mm No. 7 gouge, a 5mm No. 3 gouge and a 6mm v tool. There are also some brief instructions/comments about doing the work was well as a pattern. If the pattern is too big for your design, you could scale it and the tools down.
   It's probably worth taking a look at it at the local bookstore or library if they have it. It's at pages 203-204. Good luck.

   Matt

2. 
   jazzdogg | Jul 12, 2006 04:12am | #2

   http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/

   Chris Pye's books are excellent, and he has a free monthly e-newsletter to which you can subscribe.

   You'll probably spend as much time deciding on the proportions for your rope molding, working out the intersections at the corners, and making & transferring the patterns to your work piece as you will carving.

   To do the actual carving, you'll need relatively few tools (I've done comparable carving with little more than a standard bench chisel); the job will cause you to to utter phrases you shouldn't use in church if your carving tools aren't sharp.

   You may find it useful to practice carving on scrap of the same species you'll be using for your presentation carving to learn the subtleties of its grain and avoid cross-grain chipping and tear out; it's helpful to carve two-handed, switching from right-to-left to left-to-right as the grain dictates.

   The Master Carver around Knots is Lee Grindinger - a very nice and very knowledgeable gentleman from Montana who is likely to reply because you cleverly included the word CARVING in your headline.

   Good luck,

    

   -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

1. 
   gmpatterson | Jul 12, 2006 03:08pm | #3

   Thanks, Matt and Jazzdog, for your tips.  Matt, I will have to check out that profile to see if it is more appropriate for the piece.

   Jazzdog - I have read a bunch of other posts from you and I wanted to tell you how much I like your signature line...  They are good words to live by.

   Greg

1. 
   jazzdogg | Jul 12, 2006 07:53pm | #7

   Hi Greg,

   Holy Cow! Do you mean to tell me that someone is actually reading the drivel with which I pollute the Knots forum? I thought it was just an opportunity to practice my typing a little every day.

   I received a copy of the book: "Wild at Heart" as a Christmas gift from my younger brother a few years ago and that quote practically jumped off the page, gesticulating wildly as if to say "here's an idea to help you live the kind of deliberate life you've been seeking."

   It's the kind of notion I wish I'd been introduced to when I was in high school, laboring under the dictum that in order for me to "be successful" I had to select from among activities and livelihoods sanctioned by dear old dad.

   I thought he was going to have a stroke when I jettisoned a multi-decade career as a CFO to go back to school so I could teach woodworking, but I've never been more fulfilled, worked harder, or remained as passionate about anything else I've done. Funny thing is that spending 60-80 hours each week immersed in woodworking doesn't seem nearly as much like "work" as accounting for other people's money did.

   Thanks for your comments,

    -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

2. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jul 12, 2006 05:19pm | #5

   Thanks Jazzdog, I'll get the fiver in the mail real soon. Hah, hah, ha..,Lee

1. 
   jazzdogg | Jul 12, 2006 07:37pm | #6

   Hi Lee,

   How are you surviving without the revelry of Montanafest to scare the bears away?

   Hope all is well up in Big Sky Country,

    -Jazzdogg-

   "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Gil Bailie

3. 
   LeeGrindinger | Jul 12, 2006 05:17pm | #4

   Hi Greg, rope is fairly easy to carve and it probably is a good first project. Do allow yourself some practice and take plenty of time during the process. I've seen many aspiring carvers become discouraged by expecting too much too soon. Mouldings are a great place to start carving because the applications are so varied, you're sure to be able to effectively embellish a piece through mouldings.

   This is a pretty good rope primer for a beginner,

   http://www.getwoodworking.com/projects/ropecarving/index.html

   As was mentioned, sharpening is very important. It's a simple lesson taught in person but fairly difficult in text. Two books I recommend are "Woodcarving: The Beginner's Guide" by Willliam Wheeler, Charles Hayward and "Manual of Traditional Woodcarving" by Paul Hasluck. Incredibly, reading books about woodcarving is not at the top of my recreational to-do list so I'm completely unfamiliar with many of the books out there. As mentioned, Chris Pye has a few, Nora Hall has a few videos out and Richard Butz is all over the place.

   Good luck with it and ask any follow-ups you may have,

   Lee

4. 
   TomHigby | Jul 20, 2006 03:26am | #8

   A lot depends on the size of the rope, the type of wood, and the degree of fine detail desired.  About 25 years ago I did a carving of a ship under sail, about 25"x 20" in 5/4 pine.  A rope frame seemed proper for such a subject, and was carved in place.  The rope was 1 1/2" thick, and curved around the corners.  After careful lay-out I sawed out the outside contour of the rope, used a small hand saw to cut slanted slots for the twist, then used a flat chisel to do most of the carving.  When it came to making rope go around corners I used a real piece of heavy rope to get it right.  The end result has always pleased me.  As I reflect back on it , it seems that I did the rope frame first, not being confident that it would look good.

   Tom