Tomba's Wood Art

I have not been here for a long time.  I actually forgot that I had this blog.  I just finished a website that I will use to sell my products.  I also just opened up a Facebook page and am entertaining the possibility of an Etsy Store.

This blog brings back memories.  I never did finish my dolphin.  I just kinda put him aside and never worked on him again.  I think I know where he is at and will try to finish the carving if I can.

I am going to be more active with woodcarving and will be updating this blog regularly and show you the products I have made.  Right now, I am working on an Indian Bust in Cottonwood bark.  It is my first attempt at carving an actual Native American face.  I did do an Indian in a totem pole style and I will pull out the piece and add pictures soon.

Thank you for stopping by and please subscribe and check back regularly.  Also, if you are shopping for Woodworking Supplies, Rockler is a great place to find them. In the future, I plan on selling wood and some tools and woodcarving supplies.

Rockler Woodworking and Hardware - Outlet Center Sale



You can check out my new website at Tomba's Wood Art.

And,
Visit My eBay Store for Current Auctions -Tomba's Art

Sawing the Dolphin Block.

After I drew a rough sketch of the dolphin on the basswood block, I used a coping saw to cut away excess wood.  I then started chipping away with my flexcut roughing knife on the woodblock to make the dolphin's tale and lower back (lower photo). 

New Project -Carving a Bottlenose Dolphin

I have done quite a few wood spirits in cottonwood bark and am now going to attack a whittling project. I am going to use a small piece of basswood (1.75" x 5") to carve a bottle nose dolphin. For this project, I am going to use a band saw to cut out the dolphin and then my super sharp flexcut knives as the only carving tools until I have the body of the dolphin finished. I will be posting pictures as I progress. Thanks for following!

The first step is to sketch a dolphin on the basswood that I have chosen for the carving. You can either use patterns or draw it on the wood yourself as I have done here. In the next step, I will use a band saw to cut much of the wood away from the block.

Flexcut Knives Review

Recently I purchased the 3 knife starter set from Flexcut. Flexcut knives are made in the USA and you can check out their website at: www.flexcut.com.

I am a beginner when it comes to carving but I can tell you this, these knives are sharper than any knife I have used thus far. They whittle basswood as easily as a butter knife cutting through butter. These knives are well worth the $50.00 or so for the set and other knives like Walnut Hollow do not even come close to comparison.

In woodcarving, you usually get what you pay for. Flexcut knives get an A plus for affordability and usefulness. I highly recommend them.

USA Made Wood Carving Tools -High Quality Tool List

The following is a list of extremely high quality wood carving tools all made in the USA. It is very important to have sharp high quality tools and I believe you will be disappointed if you buy inexpensive tools from some countries, like China. I am a wood carver and when I first started I bought inexpensive tools from China which were not very sharp and made of low quality materials. In wood carving, the old adage "you get what you pay for" is usually pretty accurate. You can rely on the following:

Denny Knives and Gouges


Deepwoods Ventures Wood Carving Tools

Dockyard Micro Tools
Excellent wood carving tools for small detail work. Look for these tools at many internet wood carving stores.

Drake Knives

Flexcut Tools

Helvie Knives

Murphy Knives
High quality USA knives sold at many internet wood carving stores.

UJ Ramelson Wood Carving Tools

Thank you for investing in America's future by purchasing USA Made.