Decorative Horses

Here are a pair of Horses I've been working on to paint, one for the work auction and one as a gift. The tails are not attached yet and a brace that fits across the bottom rockers has not been added. As you see, without the tail they lean forward way to much. I'm not sure of the weight of the tail but the roll of tape does indeed bring it level. For this project I'll add the tails then use the cross piece to level out the horses, moving it forward or back until they sit level. The tails will be made from a jute or rope, depending upon my attitude and availability at the time. The body of the horse is made from a 2-by, and the rockers are from 3/4" poplar, although pine would work here also. Since these will be painted the material doesn't make a lot of difference. More on this project later.

Enjoy and be careful of the splinters.

Some Carving

Spent the last holiday weekend in the woods near Mt Rainer, playing golf and carving. Here are 2 pieces that I completed this weekend with a ruler in the picture so you can gauge the size of the work. The larger Santa face is meant to be an ornament, although it can stand on its own. I will add a loop to the top so it can either be hung, or can set on a shelf. The other is a standing figure, as if you couldn't tell. Painting of both of these will occur soon, but not yet. After I finish a couple of more carvings I will start painting all of the pieces. The first picture is larger than the others, so watch the download time. The weather was hot and dry, for Washington, so I sat outside in the camp chairs letting wood chips fall as they may. The face of the taller Santa is a style new to me, and I had a little trouble with wood tearing around the eyes. I even resharpened the carving tools more often than I normally would to try and smooth things out. Note that I did get the wood from a different source, so I'll be watching the wood other projects that came from the same batch for problems. If I keep having trouble I'll let you know the wood provider.

Enjoy, and be careful of the splinters.