From:
don dougan <dondougan@zzzzzzzz>
Date:
Mon, 6 Sep 2004 01:04:22 -0400
Subject:
Introduction & Question
Hi Julianna,
Quoted text begins.RE: " . . . way to flatten the bottom. "
End of quote.
Welcome to the list.
It seems like I have described this process before, but I'm lazy, and
rather than trying to look up the archive reference I will go over the
process again.
Set your workpiece upright on a flat level surface, wedging it in place
with scrap chips of stone to balance it. When the piece is set up the
way you want it, take a pencil or crayon, holding it parallel to the flat
surface, mark a line all the way around the piece on what will be the
base area.
If the piece is wedged higher on one side than the other to achieve the
position you prefer (or if the bottom is very irregular), this may
require you to place the pencil or crayon on a suitable flat object
(block of wood, book, matchbox, etc.) to get the line up as high as it
needs to be to go all the way around and clear any gaps between what will
be the bottom of the piece and the flat surface you have it set-up on.
Remember, you are trying to keep the pencil or crayon parallel to the
flat surface as you encircle the base, marking the 'edge' of the
footprint on the carving.
After it is marked, set it on its side on the carving table and carve
from the line in towards the center of the footprint. Don't worry about
it being perfectly flat -- it actually will work better if you carve the
surface slightly concave. The edges are the important thing, keep them
as crisp and uniform as possible following the line you have marked.
When you have a slightly concave surface, take a piece of flat material
(such as good thick piece of plywood that is perfectly flat and not
warped) slightly larger than your footprint, and color one surface with a
heavy scribble of colored crayon.
Rub this against the footprint so as to transfer the color from the
crayon onto the high points on the footprint.
The colored areas are the areas that need to be carved-off, and then the
process is repeated between each carving session.
When the outer edge of your footprint is colored all the way around, the
piece is flat and should stand-up the way you wanted it to when you
marked it originally on that flat level surface. For a large piece this
surface is probably suitable, but if you want a finer surface on your
footprint, the additional steps below will help you achieve this.
If the work is small enough to manhandle it , find a relatively flat
stretch of concrete that has a bit of 'tooth' to it (such as a sidewalk
or driveway - not perfectly smooth like a garage floor). Place the
workpiece (footprint down) on the concrete and push it back-and-forth
across the surface. This will abrade the chiseled edges and make them
smoother. After your back tells you you've pushed enough, look at the
bottom of the footprint and see how much smoother the footprint is . . .
and when it suits you are done.
If your piece is too big to manhandle, you can use a power tool (such as
a belt or disc sander) or a large rasp (or file or rubbing stone) to
smooth the chiseled bottom, but remember to keep checking with the
colored-plywood to insure the uniformity of your flat footprint.
Good Carving to You,
Don
http://www.dondougan.homestead.com/indexdd.html
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