To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
Date: Mon, 22 Dec 2008 02:27:52 -0500
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Sculpting Pine Wood?



Mat,
I know we're all on a budget, but if you do find yourself with cash to spare, I'd recommend a hand held belt sander, you can get a fairly reliable one new for around $50, when I'm working with wood, or even some plastics,  find myself using it every day. It will also sand to toolmarks off of a carved piece of reticulated foam leaving a great smooth foam surface that can be dyed or painted instead of covered with fabric.
http://www.whattacharacter.com/stock_characters.htm

I get the idea that you're sort of stacking rounded disks to form the torso? For making simple shapes like that, a sander would save you an immense amount of time and splinters. It's a pretty common tool- you may have a friend who keeps one around that you could borrow. 


B. Shur




> Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:40:05 -0800
> From: taocila-AT-yahoo.com
> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Sculpting Pine Wood?
> 
> I regularly carve shoes in pine wood and I hate it. It hurts my hand when I have to round the tip of the shoe or differently said, to cut perpendicular on the wood grains. Even if I used a very sharp thin blade, still got blisters and cuts.
> I don't recommend pine wood for very small marionettes. Although, it would not disappoint you by splitting in the middle of the action, when carved tends to have long sharp splinters; annoying thing!  I tried some years ago to carve hands and I lost the thickness of fingers just because of rebel splinters. 
> It's not a light wood either... Balsa is a very light wood, lighter than cork. I read it's easy to carve, too. But again, you might need some weight for a small marionette and balsa might be too light.
> Carolina
> 
> --- On Sun, 12/21/08, Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca> wrote:
> 
> From: Mathieu René <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
> Subject: [Puptcrit] Sculpting Pine Wood?
> To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
> Date: Sunday, December 21, 2008, 2:55 PM
> 
> Hi all.
> I wonder if any on Puptcrit have sculpted regular construction wood for 
> making puppets?
> 
> I'm thinking of using some leftover 2 x 3 pine wood pieces to make the 
> torso-body of my next self-appointed puppet design.   My main concern is 
> splitting.
> Although I've worked with this cheaply prepared wood before (no humidity 
> control during drying process), and never had problems, I've never had to 
> build something so dear to me, and the wood remaining exposed (might be 
> slightly oil-stained, no varnish). Any advice to help prevent major 
> splitting? I don't mind a little bit of it, it gives character.
> 
> Another concern is the wood grain.
> In which direction should it be, to allow for durability?
> Specifically, is the 3 " section the right face to draw my disk on?
> Those disks will be made drafty on all sides, have either a wooden bead in 
> the middle, or a bump integrated. The bump or bead will have a thread or 
> elastic through it. Two extra holes, close to the bump or bead, will also 
> host elastics.
> 
> Thanks for any advice!
> 
> This might become one of my dreams: a puppet number fitting entirely in a 
> small suitcase!
> 
> Background:
> The puppet shall be small, about a foot high. It will be built very much 
> like a marionette, but will be a tabletop rod puppet. My goal is to make all 
> the parts visible, and beautiful. No more hiding with clothing or fur. I 
> might even include some of the tool marks as part of the intended texture. 
> The head and hands will probably be paper mache, unless I live a sudden 
> burst of technical growth, allowing me to sculpt the face directly in wood 
> as well. This puppet needs very delicate feminine facial features and very 
> delicate fingers. I already have a head prototype in paper mache, which I 
> can fall back on.
> 
> I want multiple sections in the torso, to provide graceful bending. They 
> will be modified disks, with or without balls in between, with two elastics 
> on both sides of the spine.
> Since there will be no legs, I am putting all my effort on the torso for the 
> best movements.
> 
> This puppet was intended for my first self-made puppet short film. It's 
> still scheduled for it, but now, this film has turned into a stage puppet 
> short number (solo). I had to accept this development, as the more I focused 
> the movie in my head, the more the decisions made it into a stage tabletop 
> number.
> The rods will be visible, and so will I.
> 
> 
> 
> 
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