Our staff competition was held again recently and once again we were blown away by the level of creativity and imagination from everyone.  It was a bit of gamble when we first started this competition to get everyone involved in power carving.  We wanted all of our staff to build an understanding of how the Arbortech tools work and how to use them, but we didn’t expect such a high level of creativity, from the accounts department through to production! Of course they are all very lucky to have the complete range of Arbortech tools available for their use!  

Drum Roll, and the winners are………

Monitor Stand 

made by Matt Cormack, a designer from our Research & Development office

Matt wanted to make a wooden “groovy monitor stand” by using  Glulam off-cut (glued laminated timber). The power carving tools of choice included the Industrial Woodcarver and TURBO Plane to get the rough shape.  Matt then he used the Mini Grinder and TURBO Shaft to create the hollow section of the project and get into those tight curves before finishing off. He used an orbital sander on the flat surfaces and the Arbortech Contour Sander on the internal curves before adding the decorative detail of the small chrome nuts, a great feature.

Tree Hugger 

made by “Junior” George Linke, Blade Production Supervisor

Junior has a great love of nature and found this lovely old piece of “Jarrah” tree branch. Juniors inspiration for this piece stems from his appreciation for the timbers journey from seed in the earth to falling rotten wood, and he wanted to bring the piece of Jarrah back to life.  He decided to make a sculpture for his garden that highlighted the natural elements of the wood and also expressed his love for nature. The first thing he did was trace the outline his arm and hand with a carpenters pencil to guide his free form carving before using the Mini Grinder and TURBO Shaft – his power carving tools of choice to shape the wood and form the “Tree Hug” image. He then used the TURBO Plane and Mini Grinder on the inside of the log to smooth out the wood where necessary, before reaching the sanding stage where he used the Contour Sander and Decking Oil to finish the piece. Junior opted for Decking Oil due to it’s ability to withstand harsh outdoor conditions as the piece would be installed permanently in his garden. He finally used the Power Chisel to rebate some rectangles for attaching the metal plates for mounting rods.  

Surf Sunset

made by Sven Blicks, General Manager

Sven loves to surf and was always talking about doing this piece, so it was great to finally see his vision come to life.  He used a nice piece of Camphor wood and penciled in the horizon with the Power Chisel to get the proportions right before shaping the wave with the ultimate power tool due – the Mini Grinder and Power Chisel.  He then used the Contour Sander to shape and sand down all the surfaces before adding the final detail with the Power Chisel.  Although Sven is not a beginner anymore this would be a perfect power carving project for beginners.

Fido

made by Steve Marsh, Special Projects Accountant

Steve always has some great ideas for the competition and this was another one of those winning ideas.  He was inspired by another staff member who has a real love of Dachshunds or “Sausage Dogs”. He used a piece of Eucalyptus found on a road verge and started shaping the basic shape in the top 2/3rds of the log before working more of the head features with the Mini Grinder and TURBO Shaft.  Once he had the basic head and tail shapes he could flatten and plane the tray with the TURBO Plane and carve the legs into the base.  He first left the legs as two long platforms on either end and then decided to make them into 4 basic feet. We re-created this project and filmed a short How-To video: watch the How To Power Carve a Sausage Dog Tray Video.

We don’t have a high turnover of staff at Arbortech, so those who were beginners when we started running the competition 6 years ago are now considered experienced power carving experts and everyone starts planning their project months in advance. Some start looking for wood by the side of the road, others draw up ideas or start practicing their wood shaping techniques with the latest tools.  We love that everyone at Arbortech has embraced the competition which really works for everyone as our customers get great customer service from real users of the tools.

Arbortech power carving tools are designed to inspire and enable people’s creative ideas for woodwork to come to life, efficiently! We hope these projects inspire you to turn any vision you may have for a piece of wood into a reality. Whether you have a question for one of the artists about their project or a query about one of our tools, please leave a comment.

You may also be interested in…

 Blog Post: Arbortech Woodworking Competition 2016!

We have combined a few independent Ball Gouge Reviews in this blog post. So you can read, watch and hear what industry professionals have to say about it – in one place! We are hoping to add additional reviews as the Ball Gouge becomes more widely available but for now please enjoy reading a Ball Gouge review from the Australian Wood Smith, Australian Wood Review, or watch Paul Jenkins (aka The Wood Knight‘s) first impressions video.

Australian Wood Smith – Ball Gouge Review

READ FULL ARTICLE

The Wood Knight – 1st Independent Review of the Ball Gouge

WATCH VIDEO

Australian Wood Smith – Ball Gouge Review  

READ FULL ARTICLE

WANT TO BUY A BALL GOUGE?

If you are looking to add a Ball Gouge to your power carving collection, you can choose from these shopping options here.

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Blog Post: The Evolution of the Ball Gouge by Kevin Inkster 

Dear Arbortechies,

By the time you’re reading this you are probably very much aware of our new product the Ball Gouge. While it now seems surprisingly simple and effective, this tool is the product of countless prototypes and experiments often leading to dead ends.

I would like to share with you some of the thoughts that went into its design.

I usually start my tool projects with a vision and try to work towards that. The idea I had in mind was that of a ball shaped cutter that could effectively cut in any direction whilst leaving a smooth cut. Such a tool (as with all our shaping tools) must be able to willingly cut in any direction but not grab or catch.

Countersink drill example

While I was pondering on how to achieve such control, I noticed an old style tool that was used to produce a counter sink at the top of a hole. Essentially a cone shaped mandrel with a hole drilled at an angle, that when pressed into a pre-drilled hole, will cut the countersink but only to the point that the circular shape prevents it cutting any further. I reasoned that the same principal might work with ball shaped cutter and so began a bunch of experiments.

In collaboration with our Product Designer Matt Cormack, we started with several prototypes with a shape similar to this:

One of the first prototypes

There were several problems with this design however not the least the fact that as soon as it formed a shallow spherical hollow, it would no longer cut. Also, it was difficult to sharpen and the large hole allowed a finger to be inserted making it not meet our safety standards. I liked the fact though that the holes scribed a perfect sphere with no kickback or grabbing. We progressed through about thirty designs including holes, slot and spirals, all of which had their inherent problems until we finally realized that the inverse i.e. a disc set at an angle would also scribe a perfect sphere.

A few of the many initial prototypes

By adding the sphere (with cut away for swarf) the exposure of the cutting blade can be limited and tuned while the trailing edge of the cutter prevents the leading edge from grabbing. We like to call this feature “Anti-Grabity” and it is unique to the Ball Gouge.

Anti Grab diagram

The final design solved all our problems with control and the circular cutter being set on an angle produced beautiful shavings. One unexpected feature was that the rubbing of the trailing edge actually polishes and sharpens the edge, which can be rotated to be the cutting edge. i.e. self-sharpening.

So that’s a much abbreviated explanation of the design process without going into the nitty gritty of testing etc. I hope you found this aspect interesting.

The final tool is in your hands now and I am truly looking forward to receiving your feedback and seeing what you create with it. Many of our staff are eager to get their hands on the new Ball Gouge for our in-house staff woodworking competition but they will have to wait until the limited edition is sent out. We will be posting videos of projects on our YouTube Channel and I welcome any photos or videos from yourselves.

Once again, thank you for your support and I look forward to your feedback.

Best regards,

Kevin Inkster

Arbortech CEO & Founder

No.10 – Touch Wood Sculptures

No.9 – Puzzle Stools

No.8 – Hugo Franca

No.7 – Leaf Chair

No.6 – Hand Stools

We could barely handle ourselves when we came across these two hand inspired wood bar stools. Created in the 1960’s by Pedro Friedeberg these eclectic stools would add a touch of creativity and fun to any home. If you don’t feel ready to take on the bar stool size, why not create an ornament sized version for your home entry table!

No.5 – Anthropomorphic

No.4 – David Delthony

To sculpt a wood chair like this, (obviously adding a bit of your own style and flair!) you’ll need to stack laminate timber and bind them together with a strong wood adhesive such as Gorilla Wood Glue. Allow to set for a day or two and start sketching the design with a carpenter’s pencil. Power carve excess plywood away with the TURBO Plane in line with the design. You will need to alternate angling the TURBO Plane – flat to achieve a planning effect and on a slight angle to achieve the varying curves of this flowing design. You may need to consider the Mini TURBO or Mini Grinder to reach into the smaller concave areas such as the back rest.  Plane the right side a bit more than this version to achieve a flat surface for your tea or coffee!

 

No.3 – Glemham

Sophisticated and intricate – The “Glemham” by Alex Johnson took 6 months to complete with the help of tools such as Chisels and Gauges. Alex believes that people will admire his effort and decorate their home with this special wood chair. While this project was carved with traditional hands tools one could easily use power carving tools to create this magnificent carving in a fraction of the time.

 

No.2 – Dragon Throne

 

This Dragon throne made it to No.2 because of it’s size and intricate design / detail (artist/ date unknown). Game of Thrones fans would appreciate this throne in their home, perhaps a smaller version though…?

 

No.1 Scorpion Seat

This cool and crazy Scorpion chair made it to No.1! It was made by Russian artist  Vyacheslav Pakhomov. This handcrafted scorpion chair measures in at six and a half feet and is available with leather upholstery and a variety of wood finishes.

As a woodworker, you’re likely to have piles and piles of wood chips every time you do your woodworking. Especially if you are into power carving with Arbortech tools! One huge benefit of using Arbortech power carving Blades such as the TURBO Plane, Mini TURBO, TURBO Shaft and Ball Gouge, is that they create wood shavings. Wood shavings are bigger, a lot safer, more manageable and more useful than wood dust which is actually quite dangerous to peoples and animals respiratory systems. Another great thing about wood shavings is that there are plenty of ways to recycle them to benefit the environment!

Once you’ve finished power carving, it’s easy to sweep up your wood shavings into a Hessian bag and reuse them straight away, or store away for when you might need them next. There are plenty of ways to recycle wood shavings, here are our top 5 methods:

Uses for Arbortech Wood Shavings & Chips

1) Use to soak up spills

2) Use in your garden as mulch

3) Use as bedding for animals such as chickens, horses, lambs

4) Use as a fire starter

5) Or simply make something beautiful!

 

Arbortech blades are designed & made with the environment and safety in mind. Not only do they last but they produce wood shavings that are safer and easier to recycle than the wood dust commonly produced by other wood shaping blades and burr discs.

Learn more about Arbortech’s power carving Blades by clicking the links below:

• TURBO Plane
• Mini TURBO
• TURBO Shaft
• Ball Gouge

What do you use your Arbortech wood shavings for?

On the 20th of August, the Arbortech courtyard in Perth Western Australia was once again transformed into an outdoor art gallery, with staff members showcasing their talent and pieces of work in the 2016 Arbortech Woodworking Competition. Family members, friends and colleagues gathered to view the wood creations that were all crafted using the Arbortech Woodworking range of products. To say “woodworking revolution” is an understatement, as the pieces in this year’s competition were nothing short of stellar. So much so, that a number of pieces have already been sold to the public.

Among the experienced staff woodworkers, there were a few new and nervous additions to the Arbortech family this year Max, Ramesh, Jana, Ade, Patricia and Alicia –“The Novices”. Although new to woodworking, they all gave the tools a go and where all equally shocked by how easy the Arbortech woodworking tools were to use and even more shocked at what they could do with the tools.

“We aren’t kidding when we say the Arbortech tools give their users the “Freedom to create the Impossible” says Patricia, our talented Graphic Designer and creator of the “Lagoa”, a beautiful, layered plywood tray.

Max, another Novice and the company Management Accountant goes on to say “I was a little nervous before using TURBO Plane, I have not had any practice using it. I was afraid I would take too much wood off and there would be no way to fix it. But I was very surprised at how fast I got the hang of it – it was actually the most enjoyable part of the project: using the TURBO Plane.  I also used the Power Chisel to carve the design and TURBO Shaft to carve the holes to install the fin – they were also fun to use – surprisingly, it all went as I envisioned (it is a true testament to how user friendly the tools are – I have never made anything out of wood before).”

On another note, the more experience staff woodworkers did not fail surprise either, showcasing their perfected techniques, talent and creativity.  A testament to this is Matt Cormack, our Product Designer who has been with Arbortech for over 20 years. He carefully sculpted his piece out of Plywood. The challenges lay in the fact that the project was small and the wood was fairly unstable which resulted in small pieces breaking off. Despite these challenges Matt managed to pull off a beautiful piece of woodwork called “Manta”.

Now take a look at for the rest of the pieces…

Saving the best for last – obviously this piece won 1st place, but I bet you wouldn’t believe this won first place in the NOVICE category!  Jana was initially inspired by the Arbortech creation of the Twist Candle. You can view both of the projects and how to make them on our Power Carving Project Page.

Tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into wood carving and sculpture?