The Bullfighter

Had the opportunity to spend the whole day in the shop so was able to get this one off the craving table and onto the photo stand. This will be a real colorful one and I'm looking forward to painting it.
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To do the barrel I first turned the basic shape on the lathe and then used my largest forstner bit to drill a hole about 1" deep to accommodate the head and hands. After that I whittled the surface and added the details. It looks kind of plain now but there will be lots of lettering and color to busy it up.
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I'm still kicking around whether or not to have it stand alone or to use a background. I have a Rodeo Gate left over from a previous scene that I could put behind him so maybe I'll do that. We'll see.
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More photos in the Gallery and comments welcome.

Rodeo Clowns

I'm working on a new Rodeo Clown and as this was laying on the worktable for reference I thought I would take a few photos so you can see part of a scene that I did several years ago. There are a number of other photos of him in the Gallery along with the head of the new piece I'm working on.
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Comments always welcome.

Derby Dingus & Cowboy Bob

Here are those two scallywags all painted up and ready to head to town. Both turned out pretty well and should move off the display table pretty quick....at least I hope so. I have to pay off that new air compressor I just bought.
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There are a bunch of photos in the Gallery section and comments are always welcome.

Pancho-Part 3, Detail Platforms

We've roughed out the shape of the head and with this post we'll create the platforms for the final details. To me this is the most important step in the process of creating a nice looking carving. Like most carvers I love to do the details. However, I've learned over time that you have to have a good foundation in place or things will just not work out the way they should.
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So, take your time, plan your steps and check your reflection in the mirror occasionally to see that the shapes you're carving actually reflect the shapes of a face.
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Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Chuckwagon Biscuits

With our wagon trip to Coffeyville, Kansas coming up next weekend I thought it might be a good idea to make sure I haven't forgotten how to make some good looking and great tasting biscuits. Also, I wanted to try out my latest invention to keep from burning holes into the sponsor's yard. Years ago I took an old scrap tractor discus disk and a real nifty Fahita pan. Being iron it really conducts the heat evenly. Having some other disks on hand I thought if I welded some old horseshoes on the bottom for legs and a handle I could put my coals there so they'd be above ground. As you can see it worked out great.
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Well, I can hear the Chicken Fried Steak sizzling in the skillet and the gravy is hot and tasty so its time to set down for Sunday dinner.....Cowboy style!!!

Pancho-Part 2, Roughing Out The Head

With this post we will rough out the head. We're going to take our time on this one as we want a positive result. Old Reliable is my "Main Man" here as that sharp and thin blade can really remove the wood cleanly which is just what I want. A carvers main goal when removing wood is to get the chip off without having to go back a second time. The more you have to go back the more roughed up your carving becomes and multiple cuts in the same areas really weakens the wood.
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So take your time and have some fun.

Derby Dingus McGee & Cowboy Bob

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Continuing to clear off my carving table of excess heads, I put these two yahoo's together today. As these are a little larger than the normal Bottle Stopper they should make really nice looking pieces once painted. Someone said the other day "Why do you always stick cigarettes or cigars in your figures mouths?" Well.....I think it rounds out the figure, gives an otherwise static display a little action, and no doubt most cowboys partook of a little tobacco when they had the money or opportunity.

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In other news, Cowboy Coffee has packed up and left for his new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Boy! He sure didn't hang around long! He won't be lonely though, one of his Bottle Stopper buddies went along with him.

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I've started a new snow scene which should really be a winner if it turns out the way I hope. If I can find the thumbnail sketch I made a couple years ago of the idea I'll post it so you can see what I'm up to.

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I guess that's it for the moment, hope you like these two wranglers ... there are more photos in the Gallery and comments are welcome.

Pancho - Carving The Bottle Stopper

How about a Mexican Bottle Stopper? This project was originally scheduled to be a magazine article but after thinking it over I've decided to do it here. This way you'll be able to see many more photos than would have been available otherwise.
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I used a piece of 2" Basswood for all the parts. While you might think doing the hat will be difficult don't worry. If you follow along I'm sure you'll find it is quite easy. It will be a good lesson on how you can use the grain to make the job simple and easy.
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This first post will just give you the pattern and show how the various parts are cut. I didn't give any measurements. Just take full advantage of the 2" thick piece of wood. The hat brim will take a pretty large piece to cut the side profile but that piece of waste can be used for other things. I've left the photo on this page quite large so if you click on it you can really get a good view of the carving.
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So, let's get started. Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Carvings In The Raw

I was doing a little Computer file maintenance this morning...going through a lot of the photos of my carvings and I thought it would make a good post to show a few as they looked before they were painted. Individually they look fine but as a group they look really impressive.....at least I think so. It's too bad we can't keep them both ways, painted and unpainted, so we can handle and judge them both ways.

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I take a ton of photos of each carving I do...a lot of them are posted on this blog. The reason I do this is.....well, just take a moment and check out old Charlie Red Hawk over here. Charlie's setting on a display shelf somewhere in someones collection, I'll probably never be able to see him or pick him up again and admire his good looks and sly smile. However, because I took so many photos of him from just about every angle possible as he materialized from a raw block of wood, I can still reflect back on how much fun it was to bring him to life and send him on his way. So, take a tip from me, don't wait till you finish a piece before snapping a few photos....keep that camera handly on the workbench so you can photograph the entire experience of producing your carvings. You won't regret it. And just like I did this morning, you'll be able to go back and relive that experience.

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Anyway, in the Gallery are photos of a number of carvings I've produced over the past several years before the paint was applied. I hope you enjoy looking them over. And as always comments are always welcome.

Making A Bottle Cutter

I was asked to do this as a magazine article but I just don't have the time at the moment so I'll do it this way so my Blog readers get the first crack at it.
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This little rig is easy to build and works quite well. A commercial one will cost you around $50 while the only real expense I had was the bottle cutter which is just a couple bucks if you have to buy one. The other parts were just made from scraps around the shop. I didn't give any measurements as the bottle you use might be different than mine just as your taste in the beer inside might be different than mine. I don't think you'll have any problem figuring out the sizes.
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There are lots of photos and explanations in the Gallery to help you build it. Good luck. Comments welcome.