Another life-size head for Graham and his top-secret mechanized contraption, soon to be revealed to the public (see previous articles : http://stichler.co.uk/index.php/blog/page/6/).
It can be tricky getting decent blocks of oak this size, away from the heartwood (to minimize cracking), but Geenix Sawmill at North Cave found a great piece for me.
Once I’d drawn on the profiles and front and back view I took the waste wood away with a saw; I’d used my arbortech on previous heads but I thought I’d have a bit more control with the saw ~ one slip in concentration with the electric tool and you can lose the symmetry required on a face. Also, arbortechs are extremely messy, spitting out so much dust that everything in the vicinity is covered ~ and tidying up is not one of my favourite jobs.
That was the theory, unfortunately my saw got more blunt by the minute cutting through the hard oak, and by the end I was nearly on my knees. Arbortech next time.
After throwing the saw out of the window I picked up my chisels and started shaping the nose.
Note the central vertical line for reference and symmetry.
After working on the left side of the face for a while, it was just a case of matching it on the other side.
With a hat. Well, it was cold.
Hopefully I’ll have some pictures of the head once Graham has painted it.