[Woodcarver] Tools

[Annie]

Hi Vic

Yep, way up here in the County.  Most people in southern Maine think Bangor
is "North", but to me that is south!  I don't even live in a town, but an
unincorporated territory with a population of about 250.  When I give people
directions to my house, I tell then when the road turns to dirt, you keep
going and going....But there is nothing more awesome than waking up in the
morning and seeing things like deer, moose, fox, and even an occasional bear
in the back yard! Plus, there was no line to get to the local Mall even the
day after Thanksgiving!  The problem is that most of my shopping for craft
supplies is done via e-mail, which can make things more difficult.

I still find the whole issue of knives overwhelming.  I have been looking at
web sites and there are just hundreds of knives to pick from, different
manufacturers, different handles, different sizes, etc.  I think I am going
to have to just find some addresses of shops and make a journey "south" to
actually look at some knives and get some expert in-person advice.  I will
contact the Maine group and see if there is anyone up here in the wilderness
that might be able to help me out getting started.  

I do look at the carvings that people have done and wonder if I have enough
talent to produce anything that even looks recognizable let alone done in
such detail. 

Happy carving to everyone!
Annie in the "wilds of northern Maine"
anniequilts at hotmail.com

-----Original Message-----
From: woodcarver-bounces at six.pairlist.net
[mailto:woodcarver-bounces at six.pairlist.net] On Behalf Of Vic & Cynthia
Hamburger
Hi Annie,

Sorry to hear there are no local groups of Maine carvers near you.  You 
might contact them though and see if they have members up your way. 
Carving is a popular pastime and you might be surprised to find someone 
is in your area.   How far up are you, all the way up in the county?
(For non-Mainers, "THE" County is Aroostook county, larger than several 
of the smaller NE states combined all by itself.)

Regarding Maura's comment about various knives.....there are many good 
commercially available knives but sooner or later you may want to 
consider a custom knife that is a bit more money but a great investment 
and closer to being exactly what fits your hand and needs.  We have at 
least one custom knife maker on the list (probably several more!), Mike 
Komack at http://www.preferrededge.ca/.  I have not used his knives but 
I have used other custom knives and they are a delight to work with. 
When you get some experience, you may want to consider a custom made 
knife for your carving.

Vic H