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I am in the process of making a bear head stick.
Cobalt's use of carvings as a topper gave me the idea on how to put a carving on top of red oak. I have tried unsuccessfully to carve red oak, the grain is widely spaced and hard to work with, but I love the look of the wood. So this is my first attempt at "topping" a walking stick. I have ordered a couple brass ferrules from Treeline a woodworking/woodcarving supplier in Utah. Hopefully will see them in a couple days. I thought it would be fun to show the progression of this piece.
Attached pics: # 3 is the piece of black cherry the bear topper was carved from; #4 is the oak shaft peeled & sanded to 220 grit; #5 is the carved bear head topper approximately 6". (bear is sitting on the mantle the birch and acorn are candles.)
Bear head bottom needs to sanded. Not sure if I should use boiled linseed oil on topper and shaft or to stain. I know BLO will darken the heck out of cherry, it will be darker than the oak done with BLO. I am not sure if two wood tones is the way to go or should I try to have the two pieces stained to match?
Open to suggestions. TX, Mark
Cobalt's use of carvings as a topper gave me the idea on how to put a carving on top of red oak. I have tried unsuccessfully to carve red oak, the grain is widely spaced and hard to work with, but I love the look of the wood. So this is my first attempt at "topping" a walking stick. I have ordered a couple brass ferrules from Treeline a woodworking/woodcarving supplier in Utah. Hopefully will see them in a couple days. I thought it would be fun to show the progression of this piece.
Attached pics: # 3 is the piece of black cherry the bear topper was carved from; #4 is the oak shaft peeled & sanded to 220 grit; #5 is the carved bear head topper approximately 6". (bear is sitting on the mantle the birch and acorn are candles.)
Bear head bottom needs to sanded. Not sure if I should use boiled linseed oil on topper and shaft or to stain. I know BLO will darken the heck out of cherry, it will be darker than the oak done with BLO. I am not sure if two wood tones is the way to go or should I try to have the two pieces stained to match?
Open to suggestions. TX, Mark
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