Big ol' hooter

[The_Field_Ager]

Wooly even looks like  Bernini! 

[philoshop]

4 hours ago, wooly said:

Hey Mark, I have the MS 170 set up with the 12" carving bar, and I picked up a used 018 (almost identical saw with same engine displacement) that I use the 16" bar on now for blocking out. It came with a 14" set up but tat just got my collection of spare parts started. It's nice running two saws, but THREE would be better,lol. Swapping out components all the time was getting to be a real pain.

I'm looking at a MS 250 or 271 next with a 20" bar so I can get into taking down and blocking out some bigger stuff. I can't imagine I'd ever need anything bigger than the 50cc saw for this, so that will probably be where it ends.... probably,lol!

I see they're running a pretty good deal on the 250 right now, so if I can get rid of this owl quick enough, I may just scoop that up and be good to go. So far all my profits from these carvings have gone right back into it, but man am I ever enjoying this kind of work!

 

I know what you mean about swapping out parts. At one point in my woodshop I had no fewer than a dozen routers. A complete shelf of them, each with a different bit for a different job. It looked a bit silly, actually, but the time it saved me not swapping bits and doing setups over the years was well worth it, and time was money.

My friend in Kentucky has had a 250 for a few years and he's been very happy with it on his horse farm. Just cleaning up blow-downs and cutting fence posts and such. I ended up spending the money on a 260 because I planned on working it hard on a daily basis as a firewood saw. It's basically a pro version of the 250 with higher compression, faster chain speed, and a few other details. It's made to run 10 or 12 hours a day, every day, for years. It's one of the top picks for climbing saws among arborists. A friend of mine in Iowa has an 026, basically the same thing as the 260, and he's cut hundreds of cords of firewood with it for the past couple of decades. I think he said he put a new spark plug in it a couple of years ago. That's dependability. 

I essentially gifted the 260 to my brother for all the firewood help he's given me the past couple of years. His box-store Husqvarna died and he was looking to replace it with something dependable. If I still had that saw, we'd probably be talking about some sort of swap so that my mom could get one of your owls. She has a thing for owls, and still has a small deer antler carving I did back in maybe 6th grade. I remember my fingers being covered with band-aids because the only tool I had was a relatively dull pocket knife. Ha, ha.

[philoshop]

I'm not shy about bragging about my own wood-working skills: canoes, kayaks, guitars, furniture, all of that...but in most ways that's just a matter of tab A going into slot B. Building things that have utility rather than being purely art.(Not well said, because artwork has a very definite utility in this world). A table needs to stand, a guitar needs to make music and a canoe needs to float. Being able to see what's inside a piece of firewood and bringing it to life is a completely different thing, and Wooly, my friend, you are mastering it. Bravo!!

I spent several years in Architecture school. I don't know which famous Architect said it, actually I think it was a sculptor, It may have been Mies Van der Rohe, but one of my professors repeated it often, and it applies here: Start with a big block of material and take away everything that's not the art you seek.

The trick/skill is in knowing if you are taking away too much or not enough. The owl is in the wood. Your job is to reveal it.

Enough of my philosophy for today.  Time for lunch and a beer.

[philoshop]

I had fun with that somewhat philosophical post.

[turkeyfeathers]

Matt,

The one big ole hooter needs a friend     A pair of big ole hooters you know ?!

[wooly]

16 minutes ago, turkeyfeathers said:

Matt,

The one big ole hooter needs a friend     A pair of big ole hooters you know ?!

I was thinking about that too,lol!

I have one person interested in him right now but not real sure how serious she is about buying until I hear back from her.

If I end up holding onto this guy for any length of time, I have one more log left about the same size that I could carve his sidekick out of.

I think they would look awesome as end pieces for a nice custom carved bench with one on each side and maybe something carved out on the back rest.

I'd love to do something like that just to say I've done it, but my reach is so limited right now, I'm sure I would have an even harder time selling it than I do right now, and I have no use for something like that for myself.

[The_Field_Ager]

4 minutes ago, wooly said:

my reach is so limited right now, I'm sure I would have an even harder time selling it than I do right now, and I have no use for something like that for myself.

Start an instagram account that has a link to a blog or some other site where people can make contact. Instagram is great for exposure

[wooly]

1 minute ago, Papist said:

Start an instagram account that has a link to a blog or some other site where people can make contact. Instagram is great for exposure

I have an Instagram account, the only problem is I can't seem to get the hang of that place so I don't spend much time there. I started a Facebook page for this stuff that is slowly and steadily gaining steam and followes, but for now I'm finding it best to keep things local. I can't even imagine what it would cost to ship some of this stuff across the country. Believe it or not, I've had a lot of luck with the garage sale groups on FB so far, but that's not exactly the first stop shop for the people who are actually looking for this kinda stuff. 

[The_Field_Ager]

1 hour ago, wooly said:

I have an Instagram account, the only problem is I can't seem to get the hang of that place so I don't spend much time there. 

It's all about the proper use of hashtags #

Spend some time searching or finding appropriate hashtag groups that have large followings and post counts. Don't be shy about about using tons of hashtag links with every post you make. Follow successful people doing similar stuff and observe how they operate, and watch what hashtags they use. Posting semi-regularly is advised in order to create a presence