How To Carve Step by Step Woodcarving FOREDOM ®
FOREDOM The Foredom Electric Company Quality and Service Since 1922 16 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801 • Telephone 203-792-8622 • Fax 203-796-7861 • www.foredom.net Notice to Readers– Since this manual was printed in 2003, we’ve made changes to the Foredom product line. The most significant was the introduction of our 1/6 HP Series SR motor at the end of 2005, which offered reversing capability and 33% more power than the motor that was first featured–the 1/8HP Series S.
Index Using Your Foredom® Flex Shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Safety . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 General Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Product Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Using your Foredom Flex Shaft ® Foredom flexible shaft power tools are versatile shop tools for power carving, grinding, sanding, cleaning, polishing, buffing, and more on virtually any material. Foredom flex shafts are made to professional standards and have been used for decades by manufacturers in industrial applications, by professional jewelry makers, and by professional and amateur woodcarvers.
K.5240 Kit Product Specifications The K.5240 Kit includes products that are ideal for woodcarving, but they can also be used to accomplish many other tasks on metal, glass, acrylic, rubber, ceramics and more.
Operating Tips Your Foredom motor may be operated in a vertical or horizontal position, but it should not be enclosed or confined so as to restrict air circulation. If the motor is hung up above a workbench, be sure it is fastened securely to the wall or motor hanger. The motor may develop a high operating temperature (up to 100oF + ambient) after prolonged use, and it will be too hot to hold. This will not harm the motor which is designed to operate at this temperature for prolonged periods.
Recommended Wood Types Most carvers use basswood, tupelo and pine, as well as hardwoods such as butternut, walnut, mahogany, birch, maple and other native and exotic species for their projects. You can cut your own wood from large pieces or purchase smaller blocks that are available from mail order catalogs and lumber supply stores, at woodworking and woodcarving shows, and other sources. Some native and exotic hardwoods may cause allergic reactions in selected individuals.
Bur Selection and General Guidelines Foredom® offers a comprehensive assortment of rotary power tool accessories shown in Catalog 350 or at www.foredom.net. Accessories from Dremel®, RotoZip® and other manufacturers can also be used in your Foredom handpiece. General categories of carving accessories: 1. Typhoon®Tungsten Carbide Burs with structurally aligned teeth provide rapid and aggressive wood removal. They last longer and do not load as quickly as other carbides.
STEP-BY-STEP PROJECT Carving a Spoon If you are a beginner, or moving from hand to power carving, this is a good starting project. Any small block of basswood, tupelo or any other non-toxic hardwood will work, and you can expect to complete the carving within an afternoon’s time. Use specially formulated “salad bowl finish” or “butcher block oil” to finish the spoons for use in the kitchen. Consider carving multiples of the spoon for a complete set.
3 Remove wood from the bowl using either of the red ball nose Typhoon® burs. Remove wood in several steps rather than trying to remove the entire depth with one cut. Continue to remove wood until you have the overall shape and depth you desire for the bowl. 4 Using the blue cylinder Typhoon® bur to remove wood from underneath the handle to the line sketched in step 1. 5 Continue using the blue cylinder to round the edges of the bottom of the bowl. The bottom of the bowl should be rounded.
STEP-BY-STEP PROJECT Canvasback Duck We selected butternut for this project. Butternut is the wood of choice for many carvers because it is relatively easy to carve and its warm, rich grain enhances the beauty of any carving. The canvasback duck is found throughout the United States and Canada. It spends winters in tidal waters of the ocean rather than in fresh water. The canvasback breeds in central Alaska and in the prairie pothole regions of the United States and Canada.
Side Pocket Canvasback pattern. Use a copy machine to scale this pattern to the size you need. The canvasback carved for this project was about eight inches from tail to bill.
Rotary Accessory Shaft Dia. Part No. Rotary Accessory Typhoon® Carbide Burs Shaft Dia. Part No.
5 Draw a centerline around the entire head using a soft lead pencil. 6 Measure the line on the bottom of the neck and mark the mid-point. 7 Place the head back into the block that was saved in Step 2. This block allows the head to remain “square.” Drill a hole at the center point. Use a 1/8” drill bit and drill a hole approximately 11⁄4” deep. It is best to use a drill press (if you have one) for this step. 8 Insert a 1/8” dowel into the hole in the head and then into the hole in the body.
11 Use a 1/4” shank Typhoon® cylinder or the flat side of a large Typhoon ball nose to remove wood from the bill. Maintain the width of the bill at 3/8” Do not round the bill at this step. 12 Remove wood around the cheek pouch using a 1/4” shank Typhoon® sphere or ball nose. Maintain the cut outside of the line. 13 Round the head and neck using the same bur. Remember there are no square birds or mammals in nature.
17 Round the back to the side-pocket using a 1/4” shank Typhoon® cylinder or sanding sleeve. Maintain a slight curve. 18 Round the side of the body. The high point on the side is about 3/16” wide and is at about the middle of the side. From the high point, the side generally rounds to the base and to the sidepocket layout line. 19 Round the area around the chest and neck by removing wood using a 1/4” shank Typhoon® cylinder or sanding sleeve. 20 Round the rump using the same Typhoon® sleeve or cylinder.
23 Sketch the convex shape of the end of the tail. 24 Make a stop cut from the side pocket to the end of the primary feathers using a 1/4” shank Typhoon® sleeve or smooth end cylinder. 25 Use a blue 1/4” shank Typhoon® sphere or 1/8” shank ball nose to redefine the side pockets. 26 Remove wood from the tail and taper the tail to the primaries and tertials using a 1/4” shank Typhoon® sleeve or smooth end cylinder. 27 Insert a 1/8” dowel in the bottom of the head. Place the head on the body.
30 Place body and head into a wood clamp or wood vise. Leave the joined head and body in the clamp overnight or for at least 10 hours. 29 Add Elmer’s or Weldwood yellow glue to the bottom of the head and smooth it across the surface of the neck using a wooden craft stick. Next, insert the dowel into the hole. 32 Re-sketch the bill. It is 1/2” wide and 13⁄8” from the base of the bill to the tip on the upper jaw or upper mandible.
35 Refine the cheek pouch and eye canal using the same Typhoon® cylinder or sleeve. 36 Remove wood from the front and back of the neck and the “v” on the back using a Typhoon® flame. 37 Re-sketch the bill, refine the taper, and round the tip of bill using a 1/4” shank blue Typhoon® cylinder or sleeve. 38 Round the sharp edge on the top of the head using the same Typhoon® sleeve or cylinder. 39 Remove wood from under the front onethird of bill using the same sleeve or cylinder.
41 Remove wood from under the tail and contour from the rump to the tail using the same Typhoon® sleeve or cylinder. 42 Use a smooth end diamond cylinder or a flame to make a slight “v” on the top of the base of the bill. 43 Refine the stop cut at the primaries and the tertials using a smooth end diamond cylinder or flame. 44 Use a split sanding mandrel with 120-grit cloth backed sandpaper or a sanding roll to remove the wood and scratches left by the Typhoon® burs.
47 Re-sketch the primary feathers. Straighten the line between the tertials and the primaries using a CeramCut Blue® wheel, inverted cone or a diamond wheel. 48 Next, remove wood under the primaries and cut a line depicting one primary as overlaying the other using a CeramCut Blue® inverted cone, diamond wheel or diamond flame. 49 Undercut the primary feathers and clean up any saw marks using a diamond flame.
STEP-BY-STEP PROJECT Carving a Hummingbird Pin Don’t be fooled in thinking that the very small size of this bird equates to quick and easy carving. This is actually a more challenging project because of the fine work required to give the bird dimension, detail and texture. Remember to wear safety glasses, protect your hand by using a vise or wearing a leather glove to hold the carving as you work. Use a dust collection system, respirator or face mask to prevent the inhalation of dust particles.
3 Make a stopcut as indicated by the black arrows on the front and back of the pin with a flame shaped diamond or ruby carver. This will keep subsequent cuts from cutting into the body of the hummingbird. Remove wood from the tip of the wings to the stopcuts. On the front of the pin, the highest point of the bottom wing is the tip of the outermost primary feather. The lowest point is the tip of the secondary nearest the body. You should have a slight bevel from the body to the outer wing.
7 Sand the entire pin to shape using 120 grit sandpaper followed by 150 and 220 grits. A cloth-backed sandpaper works great for this step. 8 After the sanding is complete, resketch the cheek pouch, eye and bill, and sketch in the primary and secondary feathers with a soft lead pencil. I usually place eight to ten total feathers on the bottom wing and four to six on the upper. There is no need to sketch feathers on the back side of the pin.
11 Carefully and lightly groove the individual barbs on each primary, secondary, and tail feather with the top corner edge of the inverted cone shaped CeramCut Blue® Stone or burn them with a woodburner with a 5/32″ knife tip. Brush and clean the entire piece with a stiff toothbrush, soft rotary brush, or 000 steel wool. Brush in the direction of the barb lines. Next place a small amount of plastic wood in the eye hole and insert the 2mm eye, black glass bead or a hardened plastic wood ball.
Terminology crown eye channel upper mandible scapulars lower mandible chin cape area breast tertials wing coverts upper tail coverts greater coverts { tail alula secondaries (speculum) { primaries breast cape scapulars side-pockets tertials primaries upper tail coverts tail 26
Recommended Publications Magazines: Carving Magazine, published four times per year by SAll American Crafts, Inc., 243 NewtonSparta Road, Newton, NJ 07860, Tel.: 973-383-8080 Chip Chats, published bi-monthly by National Wood Carvers Assocation, 7424 Miami Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45243, Tel.: 513-561-0627 Wildfowl Art, published bi-annually by Ward Museum of Wildfowl Art, 909 S. Schumaker Drive, Salisbury, MD 21804, Tel.
