Carving

diamondlyme84

How is carving done? I've seen pictures of "carved" trees, and it looks really nice, but I don't know how it's done. All I know is that it's done from dead tree parts. Is this done from any old dead tree, and then attatched to the tree for a long period of time so that the growing tree grows around the carved part? Or are the dead parts of the tree left on the tree but carved so that the carved parts stay there while the live part keeps growing.

I'd be very interested in seeing any articles or advice on the issue. I wasn't planning on doing any to my current tree but I may in the future...

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bnsaijim

I'm going to seperate this into two posts- Tools and then Techniques

There are two routes for producing "artificial" deadwood- I'm assuming you mean the hefty work, not simple jin creation...

Hand Tools

The most basic: a pair of pliers, a decent knife, and a narrow bladed chisel. The knife and chisel can be used to dig out areas and pull fibers free to create undulating surfaces. The pliers are used to grab the wood fibers and tear them off.

This is by far the most natural looking as you become limitted by the characteristics of the wood- i.e., you work with the grain, use naturally occurring "defects"- i.e., knot holes, branch stubs, etc., soft wood comes out easier just as it would in the "natural process"...

You can find decent assortments of chisels and gouges even at Home Despot or Lowes. A wider selectionand odd items can be had at specialty stores such as those dealing with woodworkers and carvers, hobby shops, etc. For smaller trees, fine tools such as specialized carvers and dental instruments are used.

Power Carving

Let's face it though, hand tools are slow. When you really want to make wood fly you turn to power tools. There are several out there that will work well. The most common is the Makita die grinder and the Dremel. The first is useful for large trees and/or gross wood removal. The Dremel is great for small treees and fine detail work.

There are also several specialized carving tools, i.e., the Foredom Automach, which have their good and bad points but the distinctive feature is the cost. >$200 vs. the others that can be had for under $100...

What you put in the rotary tools to carve with seems to be a personal thing. For the die grinder, I use either a 1/4" corebox router bit ala Sears, or a special triangular shaped bit. As for the Dremel- I have a mini version of the triangle bit, the little saw blades, and the round ball carveres in all sizes...

Both also use wire brushes and sanding drums, flaps, etc. for finishing.

bnsaijim

Techniques I

There is no book that deals extensively with the advanced techniques used to create deadwood. Many will discuss simple jin and shari creation, but not the undulating sculpture we often see. Keep in mind that much of what you see in the magazines may be natural deadwood that has simply been "enhanced"- editted, cleaned and lime sulfured.

There are bonsaists out there that believe that one can take a log and produce a legitimate sculptural driftwood style bonsai from it.

I fell for this initially also. First I learned to create sweeping furrows and holes, being taught that time would enhance and legitimize the rough carving marks. I had a lot of fun carving but I realized that it wasn't quite "right". I took great pains to detail carve and finish, modelling what I saw in the driftwood junipers and buttonwoods. Still dissatisfied, I took a long hard look at what I had done- most of these "creations" were now 3-5 years old and had experienced a lot of weathering in my Gulf Coast climate. Suffice it to say I'm slowly going back with a more learned eye and correcting previous work.

I believe there can be value in creating a work solely for it's sculptural qualities. Whether this "unnatural" creation can be considered true bonsai can be debated.

The problem arises when you take a straight-grained log and induce curves and undulations. Typically what you are working with is wood that has grown quickly- it is soft, the rings will be wide and will decay quickly, as compared to it's cousin growing in a harsh environment that puts on miniscule rings of growth each year whose wood is like the rocks it grows among...

The end result may look good in the short term but as time passes, natural forces will oxidize the softer wood. Cracks will appear along the grain. Water will enter, widening the cracks and inducing decay. So, now we have pieces rotting and easily breaking off. We have cracks and channels running counter current to our wonderful undulating grooves and crevices...

I asked Kimura if he ever carved something that "wasn't there" - somewhat confused he responded he always goes with the grain. In fact he looked at me like I was a complete idiot for even asking...

So I would say the first "technique" to master is to look at deadwood- seashore driftwood, deadwood on old trees around you. Get a feel for how it really looks, what termites and ants or lightening can do.

Recognize the limitations of the tree you are working with, study the growth/grain patterns.. etc...

Jim Stone
TX

bnsaijim

So maybe it's three posts...

First, I am a safety engineer, so... wear eye protection. Use a dust mask, preferrably one designated N95. Wear long sleeves - if that grinder skips you'll appreciate some cloth between you and it. Make sure everything is sharp and clean...

Techniques II

Enough pontificating and philosophizing...

Here's how I usually approach a piece. It's hard to cover every technique but hopefully this will give you ideas. First I ask, why do I want to add deadwood? Typical reasons include:

To help tell the tree's story
To force the illusion of taper in a tree that lacks it.
To extend, modify or enhance deadwood that is alreday there
To add character, overcome a cosmetic defect...

Plan ahead for best success. Shape branches to be incorporated while alive. Look for pre-existing dead areas, potential hollow trunks, etc. Recognize that evergeens rot different than deciduous, and also differently due to climate.

Deadwood is best created during periods of slow growth- i.e., dormant period or dead of summer. Summer is really ideal for jins because there is still sap running making it easy to peel. The hazard of doing this work at other times is primarily due to excessive sap loss- messy and hazardous to the tree's health.

Outline areas with permanent marker or a paint pen. It is safest to start small and widen over a period of time to give the tree a chance to re-route sap . "Lifelines", i.e., junipers- characteristic bulges or veins that run from root to branch, these should always be respected- carving across these will kill root and branch.

Usually one starts by removing bark. Carve grooves in the softer areas to give three dimensional structure. Follow the grain. Deciduous wood tends to rot away and often ends up in the form of hollow trunks and branches. Sweeping curves of driftwood, ala junipers and buttonwoods, would be odd, even if the grain allows them.

I typically work from big to small, doing gross wood removal then using successively smaller bits, going from Makita to Dremel.

If it is "new" deadwood, it has to dry out before refinement. When hollowing trunks, don't smooth it out- this usually looks unnatural- carve vertical grooves and furrows using successively finer saw blade bits. You are following the ring structure. Another cool effect is to imitate termite work- they preferentially eat their way through the soft wood...

Finish as appropriate- sometimes smooth is called for- desert sandblasted effect... sometimes not. There are also techniques using flame to essentially speed up nature's oxidizing of teh soft wood...

Caveats: work slow. Its easy to go too far and not leave enough for the tree to support itself. Or to cut through a sap path and kill a crucial branch. Wood comes off easier than it goes back on!

Another thought I've had is that if teh bit generates a lot of heat you can potentially kill live tissue due to heat. So, while you could hollow a trunk to as thin as the living cambium, i.e., 3/8" the heat generated by the carving potentially could kill it...

Hope this proves useful to somebody out there! Happy carving...

Jim Stone
TX

diamondlyme84

Thanks for all the advice!!

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bnsaijim

Probably more than you wanted to know ;^)>