OK... several days in a row without rain means its time to finish our chainsaw carving!The only problem is that the actual carving is the fun part. Now the work begins.
Here's one of the carvings and the dog making sure we get her best side...
First, we do a rough-sanding with a hand grinder.Next, we burn the wood with a propane torch to give color and depth to the areas that need it.
Coloring works best when the wood is dry!
Painting is also an option - we use paint on poorer quality wood. Cedar has such a nice color we try to keep it more natural.
Its easier to have a helper when the saw is put away.She made her own 'chainsaw' from one of the scrap pieces.
"Don't put a cut there!"
After burning we do another finer sanding with the hand grinder to clean it up and make it perdy.
"Oh yeah - Safety First!"It is hard to get the finish work done with good helpers wanting to goof around... but we highly recommend it.
After the carving is sanded and ready, we oil it and often coat it with Polyurethane. Brushing on the sealant takes time - another option is to use spray cans. Much easier for the smaller carvings.
When spraying the fish, more ants popped out!
Grinding the carvings can get crazy, too. Make sure to wear protective gear and GLOVES!
Burning the wood is fun - especially when the ants show up.On the fish-jump carving we are darkening all the base of the wood to add 'shadow' to the water the fish are emerging from.
Here is the final product, hanging on the wall.Its really nice with several layers of poly-u to give it a nice shine.
Phew, finally done with this one- Time to fire-up the saw again!
