Curly maple wow

[John Bertotti]

I have worked with flame/curly maple before but tonight I decided to hand carve a handle for a marking blade I have been lapping and sharpening. Nit sure where I will go with it but it has renewed my awe at the difficulty you can face carving this wood. Grain direction that changes from one fraction of an inch to the next, the slightest dulling of a carving knife can cause tear out you just don't want to deal with. But with a sharp blade, the way the wood can part is always mesmerizing. This is going to be a very delicate project and in the end, I may wind up with just a round handle but I am working to have something more. You just have to love crazy grain.

[rcc56]

Just think about the skill of the craftsmen who did the intricate heel carving on Whyte Laydie #7 banjos. That's some masterful work.

[Reywas]

It's interesting that the most cantankerous wood is most beautiful to us. The contradictions and stubborn intricacies are what make something, or someone, interesting.

[journeybear]

Do you really think so? I've always just appreciated the beauty of the grain in its finished state. I didn't know it was such a beast to work with. I imagine people would work with it more if it weren't so challenging, and we'd see more objects made of this fascinating wood.

But i don't know from personal experience, so take that with a grain or two of salt.

But my mom sculpted in wood - generally, large human figures with smoothed-over features, in an abstracted way. She used whatever wood came away, her sources being a couple of guys who worked on local utility crews. Logs would just appear in our front yard when they'd taken down a tree that was in the way. I remember her doing a few sculptures in curly maple. I'd never heard of it before, but I loved the way it looked. She never discussed her process in much detail - beyond the Michelangelo method of discovering the figure within by removing what didn't belong, and also her own method of working with the grain, following it naturally where it led her - so I've no idea how much trouble it gave her. I just know the finished effect was exquisite. And I kept a chip that was the right size and shape for a pick. Glorious grain. But it didn't have enough snap to be truly functional. So it just stayed in my case's pocket. Who says you can't take home with you on the road?

[John Bertotti]

It is interesting and would probably get old if there was an abundance of products made with it. But following the grain is the exact issue with curly when trying to carve it. Bigger pieces seem easier to me and I am attempting something I probably don't have the right tools for. I may learn curly maple is not the right wood for something so small and delicate. Since I haven't tried before I am going to try now. At least it is fun and relaxing. I am starting to think a small detail knife may be the way to go rather than my smaller carving tools. The tear-out is killing me. Hours of work and it looks like nothing has been done. A lot of visualizing is taking place. I hope it helps. I have to learn this for a carved headstock I have been dreaming about.

[sunburst]

Some pieces of CM carve much more easily than others. Sometimes the curl is but a minor annoyance that makes us pay attention to direction of cut. Other times it makes us consider leaving our edge tools in the drawer and resorting to files and sandpaper.

[tree]

A good hand cut rasp makes shaping wood with difficult grain easier than carving it (in my limited experience), especially curvy shapes. You will still need to sand, though.

[John Bertotti]

Some pieces of CM carve much more easily than others. Sometimes the curl is but a minor annoyance that makes us pay attention to direction of cut. Other times it makes us consider leaving our edge tools in the drawer and resorting to files and sandpaper.

Yep, I am half tempted to try a rotary tool but I am stubborn and want to make this work.

What I am working on is small, a handle for a marking knife. At the largest maybe 5/8" smallest a 1/4" I may have bit off a bigger portion than I anticipated.

[Dale Ludewig]

Abrasives, rotary tools, or fine toothed rasps. I sometimes think they were invented because of hard short grained curly woods.

[luthier88]

lightly dampen the wood. It will carve easier.

[Charles E.]

Nothing more satisfying than a nice sharp scraper on the finish surface of curly maple.

[sunburst]

...but I am stubborn and want to make this work...

Far be it from me to dissuade you from this noble pursuit, but at some point we just need to remove wood without damaging the surface, and making the excess into dust can be the quickest, most efficient, most successful and least glamorous way to go. This is especially true when we intend to attempt to make money, and even more as we age and arthritis begins to have a more profound influence on our decision-making process.

[John Bertotti]

Sadly I get more stubborn with age. My wife calls me the cranky old Jarhead. She's right, of course, some of that she eggs one but so do I! I have a new plan now. I will still try my knives a bit longer but I will fit the knife in the opposite end of the dragon head. I was trying to make it the tongue but it is just too small of detail work for me to accomplish at my level of expertice. I think I can make it work as the tail though. Either way, I'm learning a lot. I may pull out the rotary tool before this is all over but at this point, it is still me being stubborn.

[j. condino]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscjKYN5W2w

[John Bertotti]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mscjKYN5W2w

I have seen those but they are a tad too big for this project.