[gdenby]

I've been hacking away at a yew stick for my next project. I'm cutting it down so that it will mostly be the read heart wood, and its been tedious. I whack away w. my Mora mill knife, then scuff it down more with my 25 year old 4-in-hand rasp. The rasp is starting to show its age, and that was enough to finally get me to blow some cash on a new rasp.

I'd been drooling over Auriou rasps for the better part of a year. Beautiful tools, but an order of magnitude more expensive than what I've previously bought. I'd been feeling bad about not getting much carving done this summer, so while I was shopping for a saw file and some finishing wax, and saw the Auriou rasp yet again, I finally broke down.

I got a 10" cabinetmaker rasp with Auriou 9 grain teeth. Advertised as a good starting point.

Used it just a little yesterday, and it is indeed a swell tool. I think a 9" would have suited me a little better, but 10" isn't too awkward. The 9 grain is rather like a 60 - 80 grit sandpaper. Finer than the micro-plane I have. Despite the size making it rather awkward, I don't have much trouble working at a medium scale.

Included pictures.

The point area of the rasp, showing the round side. Pictured, about 3" long anding at about 1" wide.

The top end of the yew, showing a projection that I had been hacking at, and gouging. The knob is also about 3" long.

The knob after a bit less than 20 min of work. Not quite as quick as I would have like, but good result w.a fairly tough wood.

 

[cobalt]

It looks as though its making a good job of it, although only as good as the man weldint it.

The grain of the yew looks interesting dont know how your going to finish it but its going to looke pretty good with the right finish.

It looks like a birds head on the shank ?

but its going to polish up well

lookig forward to see ths stages you go through till its finished.

 

[gdenby]

I've dabble some in yew. It has a sort of waxy feel to it, and when smoothed is glossy as if it had a finish. I've tried a few different finishes, oil and wax, on some practice pieces. Don't have a favorite yet.

I mentioned last year that I was going to do something kind of like a wood spirit. It was to be based on the face of a drummer with the nick-name of "Ginger" Baker for his red hair. As a "stickman," I thought a sketch of him would be worth trying to put on one of my sticks.

One of my sketches:

I'm unsure the size of the wood I'm using is big enough to allow such detail. Also, the grain is rather long, and I may not be able to avoid tear-out at a fine scale.

 

[cobalt]

At least it will be different and a good idea ,i remember you talking about him.I did look him up

you could always use a larger peice of wood for the head like bass wood thats easyer to carver and just use the neck of him so it flows into the shank and attach it with eiher dowel or a threaded rod.. that way you could have the best of both worlds