3D carves 2021

[scottp55]

I haven't cut or posted as much as usual this year, but from a comment(thanks Evan)...I'll catch up now gradually.

Last January I had to rush a Kitten/Butterfly for my stepmom's birthday.
I wanted to have the butterfly a different color than the kitten, so searched for pieces with a heart/sap line to use.

The best piece seemed to be a gifted length of Australian Red Ironbark. So cutoff one end, surfaced "top" after shimming to save as much sapwood as possible.
Then surfaced the other 5 sides and sanded all to 600G so what I saw would be what I got.
NOT a lot of info on the heavy (1.15 specific gravity), and all I could find was a Janka over 3,000, and "Does not take detail well" (Wrong)

Pretty straightforward cut except for changing model size and height numerous times to have butterfly In the sapwood.
I aimed for the small rectangle that the cut had to be in shown on the endgrain pic.

I didn't totally get it because of the pudgy kittens paws, but it was close enough...and stepmom called him "Two Socks" and loved it!
(sorry no better finished pics, but stepmom made a visit from Vermont unexpectedly and he went out the door with 5 coats on him and finished pics forgotten)
For full details, I did post it complete on Vectric Forum as I cut;
https://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36645

I was working on the next one while he was finishing, and it was a lot more interesting from a cutting standpoint...

[scottp55]

This was a Sugar Maple blowdown 20' from my backdoor 2 Winters ago.
All suitable sized pieces were cut up, and the "backs" were surfaced on the machine fairly soon and then sanded to 600G and sealed with Linseed/Beeswax to help dry
and give me a better idea of the grain features.
This "Scrap" was right where the trunk let go, and Almost threw it into the woods as it was so splintered...glad I didn't!

I thought it was going to be a different model, but then picked it up to see if it would "Fit" for a model I bought at the same time as Kitten...it Did!

Quite a bit out of flush on the bottom after fully dried, so had to shim it quite a bit.
Took a pic as jigged, and entered it into App Data Wood to make make it MUCH easier to place the model and visualize the cut.
I had the next project to do that always had a toolpath estimate of 22+ hrs, so I figured I could use this similar sized on to play with VR settings.
Also had a brand new 1.5mm TBN that needed tweaking, so I ran it all as a "Finish" toolpath, and just cheated my Z up, and then gradually brought Z down.
1.5mm TBN cut well in .25" increments at 14% stepover for "Rough Finishing", then last .2", I used a 1mm TBN at 8%.

By the time I got to "Good" wood, I was down further than planned, and wood was slightly punky when I ran the .25mm TBN, and not all the details I wanted were there.
SO I mixed up a "paintable mix" of Beeswax and Carnauba wax thinned with D-Limonene.
Applied, and heat gunned in what eventually was 3 coats, and did a 3D with just the model boundary limit with an Onsrud 30degree engraving bit with .005" flat.
Third pic you can see that the Only thing it cut was the super fine details...the wax Worked!
(I REALLY wanted the fine details on his face and fringed jacket!!)

For a piece that originally started out as a VR/bit trial, that "If it doesn't work..I'll chuck it back in the woods" piece,
It turned out as one of my personal Keepers.
(for full story see Vectric Forum thread done as I cut)
https://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic....272046#p272046

This was a practice for the next one, but had 4 months bed rest for an infected wound...
Didn't carve Mom's Harley until ....

[pappybaynes]

As usual Scott, AWESOME work!!

[Jerry Carney]

Scott Good to see you back in action

I haven't cut or posted as much as usual this year, but from a comment(thanks Evan)...I'll catch up now gradually.

Last January I had to rush a Kitten/Butterfly for my stepmom's birthday.
I wanted to have the butterfly a different color than the kitten, so searched for pieces with a heart/sap line to use.

The best piece seemed to be a gifted length of Australian Red Ironbark. So cutoff one end, surfaced "top" after shimming to save as much sapwood as possible.
Then surfaced the other 5 sides and sanded all to 600G so what I saw would be what I got.
NOT a lot of info on the heavy (1.15 specific gravity), and all I could find was a Janka over 3,000, and "Does not take detail well" (Wrong)

Pretty straightforward cut except for changing model size and height numerous times to have butterfly In the sapwood.
I aimed for the small rectangle that the cut had to be in shown on the endgrain pic.

I didn't totally get it because of the pudgy kittens paws, but it was close enough...and stepmom called him "Two Socks" and loved it!
(sorry no better finished pics, but stepmom made a visit from Vermont unexpectedly and he went out the door with 5 coats on him and finished pics forgotten)
For full details, I did post it complete on Vectric Forum as I cut;
https://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=36645

I was working on the next one while he was finishing, and it was a lot more interesting from a cutting standpoint...

[scottp55]

Thanks Dick,
We'll have to do some Tinys like the last project I post here, as I don't think you want to spend 19 hours here like on this next one.
Thanks Jerry!

So...fast forward to June to Finally cut "Mom's Harley".
Originally Mom's pick of Birdseye Maple was 1/3 smaller and cut times around 22 hrs for the .25mm TBN (Tapered Ball Nose)...
but that piece developed a crack that I putzed with odd shaped "butterfly" wedges that Never seemed to balance...and other cracks showed up.
Finally decided to go with a much larger piece of Birdseye....and after messing with Brady's "Standard" and "Aggressive" VR settings,
even with the larger piece, I got it down to 19 hrs for the .25mm TBN(instead of 26 hours with default settings).

Cuts were;
.4" deep using 1.5mm TBN at 14% stepover
.2" deep with 1mm TBN at 5%
Then the .25mm TBN at 6% at what was supposed to be .005" deep, BUT wood moved in 6 hours, and wound up being .015" deep pass(19 hrs 20 minutes).

She LOVED this piece even though it was a year and half late.
More details and an interesting link with some 1922 Harley stories from Gramp;
https://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=37764

In last pic you can see how much Larger it is than my usual projects.
That day of the last pic was also a day stepmom visited and I could put one more coat on her "Kitten/Butterfly".

You can see I'm not prescient as I titled that thread "Finally"....never imagined that shortly afterwards it led to a 300+ hour time sucker project with (I must be Insane) in title!
That project of Tinys kept me in shop cutting in alternating 5 and 12 hr days for 7 days a week for all of September.
To be continued as soon as pick the pics...

[dmidkiff]

Awesome work Scott.

[Brady Watson]

Very nice work Scott! Glad you're on the mend.

-B

[scottp55]

Thanks David!
(I was thinking about Texas yesterday as I slid down my "freezing rain" covered wheelchair ramp)
Really means a lot coming from you Brady!
Since playing with your "Standard 3D" VR tweaks, it's saved me dozens of hours...
and the Standard seems to give me a Very uniform movement in all 3axis with almost no slow down on steep verticals which improves cut quality as well as time savings.
THANKS!

Mom's Harley was great for Mom's mantle, but when I was trying to keep the next project secret for her October 10th 90th birthday party...
I suggested she bring her Harley carve to the birthday party(for context for the next post)...She said she was afraid it would tip over and get damaged.
SOo...I used the split/cracked Birdseye piece that was planned for originally.
I just wedged the Maple up for an angle that gave me a very slight undercut on the front and let it lean back a bit.
It was just a nominal sized pocket, and then cheated the Z down with the Tapered Ball Nose(TBN), and it wound up perfect for picking the piece up.
And even if knocked back and forth, it still "wedged" itself to stay stable.
Now with the stand and it tilted back, she's moved it over to the baby grand piano...and the Lazy Susan display underneath lets her swivel it (she likes to display both sides.

The next project ate up several LOong weeks...

[scottp55]

So...even before the big Harley had it's 6 coats of oil on it....I sent Mom pics.
And Mom was planning her 90th Birthday Party at the Harriseeket Inn in Freeport, and she was talking to my LOVELY Aunt about "Something Special" for guests...
And Aunt said "Have Scott make 100 small Harleys" !!!

I blew that idea off with a crazy laugh.
THEN crazily started talking with a Texas friend, and said maybe I'd do an "Abstract" with a 1/4" Ball Nose...and we laughed!

BUT the started playing with it...and asked John to "PLEASE...Shoot me NOW...I'm considering this project!!"
It's really best to read this thread as it went from crazy idea to finished and ready for her to give out;
https://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=37766

FINALLY decided that if these were going to family as keepsakes, AND have me sign them...I'd best do my best...
How many times do you get to make a 90th BDay present for your Mom?
And so began 7 day weeks, and "Roughing" 3Ds with a .25mm TBN...followed 2hrs immediately afterwards by an Onsrud 30 degree engraving bit with a .005" flat for details.
Just the 3D toolpath machine times were 4 hours a pair...I cut in pairs because of wood movement and swinging temps and humidity.
I added times up afterwards from bare stock to 6 coats of oil...and it was a shade more than 5 hours Each!

Thanks for looking, and hope you all have a Great Holiday!
scott

Oh...Mom's already reserved that room again for her 100th Birthday party...which isn't a stretch, as her Dad had his 100th in that same room in 2001!
Looking forward to That party...But what the HECK will I make for it!!

[bill.young]

Beautiful work as always Scott. Looking forward to seeing what you make for birthday #100!