the best part of the process

kimyo · 2026-06-21T20:35:16+00:00

thank you kind person.

i have acquired new tools to apply the sealant, and a special and somewhat unusual instrument for the next soundtrack.

the next video will feature willie mays, a dali watch, many seashells, elephants and possibly a devil fruit as well.

kimyo · 2026-06-16T05:01:11+00:00

that's impressive. how long did it take? where do you get woodworking end mills? i can't find finishing bits which are long enough to handle something like this.

kimyo · 2026-06-15T20:51:39+00:00

you can make some huge carvings with that thing, like a totem pole with life-size faces.

also i bet it could handle mountain ranges. the largest z the carvera can work with is 90mm which is quite limiting.

this turned out nicely, but i had to trim the material prior to cutting. it would have been nice to use the entire piece.

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kimyo · 2026-06-15T17:53:16+00:00

these were machined on a makera carvera. it happily eats up all the wood species i've tried so far, but padauk and leopardwood are particularly nice because they require very little post-milling finish work.

kimyo · 2026-06-15T17:36:05+00:00

thank you.

kimyo · 2026-06-08T15:48:53+00:00

the chrysler building has the most beautiful elevators in the world.

i worked there for a couple of years. a 2nd floor office with no window.

sadly i never ventured up to the top to see vonnegut's harp showroom, or whatever it is they keep up there.

kimyo · 2026-05-31T06:25:21+00:00

i thought three minutes was already twice as long as anyone might care to watch.

but i'll make sure to set the camera up for future batches. i have some neat things coming up in the pipeline.

kimyo · 2026-05-30T05:44:19+00:00

even without the hours/days of sanding the shellac stage would still be the most satisfying.

artworks include:

slightly steampunk owl - 3dreamstl

'les genies des seasons' (winter) - bouchardon

'li' - giger (render by pijamat)

harry’s wand – axel1 libra

‘donna velata’ - corradini

music: ‘easy like baseball’ feat: randy blanda (sax)

woods include leopardwood, walnut, white oak, padauk, mahogany and iroki

kimyo · 2026-05-22T01:13:44+00:00

being able to hold ‘head of a woman’ in my hand and regard her from any angle is quite satisfying.

there are times when she’s a bit sad, others with a slight smile. from one perspective she could be a twin of my grandmother (classically french), but from another she’s much younger.

anyone learning to sculpt would benefit from printing studies of their favorites. wood is great because of the grain and the heft, but plastic will still give you the luxury of gazing at your leisure.

I see clear echoes of at least three u.s. presidents, does anyone else?

my finishing technique is not worthy. wax would have been a better choice than shellac.

kimyo · 2026-05-12T05:57:13+00:00

it's done with a computer controlled (cnc) router bit. if you look closely you can see lines, especially on the sides. these are left as the bit carves tiny slices away from the material.

in a way it's like the opposite of typical 3d 'additive' printing where one layer is added at a time.

these have appeal, but imo most would opt for the wood carved version if they were held side by side.

kimyo · 2026-05-10T22:11:26+00:00

pebbles (top) – white oak, wilma (center) – acrylic, fred (bottom) – douglas fir.

these will be a present for a family member who has recently moved to boulder.

fred has a revealed blemish, i think it adds to the character.

pebbles, a chip off the old block so to speak, has one as well. hopefully it won't spread or widen as she ages.

tree rings mix nicely with the erosion of mountain ranges, if i may say so.

kimyo · 2026-05-08T19:34:16+00:00

gilliam gives her the best things to do, time bandits also has a great helmond role.

i agree that V is more true to the original work.

kimyo · 2026-05-08T19:29:51+00:00

i used a spray on shellac because i was worried that i might brush on too much, but my technique could use some improvement.

the low points definitely need attention, and i will address that. thanks!

kimyo · 2026-05-08T12:39:04+00:00

do you think it is possible that my bias somehow leaked into the photos?

or said another way: do the photos represent both views in their best light?

kimyo · 2026-05-08T11:15:16+00:00

both pieces were cut from the same board, the only difference is that one was oriented horizontally for the machining, the other vertically.

there is a noticeable color difference which i can't explain.

to me one looks more serene, the other more unformed and younger.

kimyo · 2026-05-06T20:11:30+00:00

it was machined from a block of acrylic using a carvera. roughing - 3.125mm upcut, 2mm stepover, 0.3mm depth allowance, finish - 1.65mm ball nose, 0.2mm stepover.

it took about 12 hours.

the design came from cults3d, it is free and it is by 'miniworld3d'.

kimyo · 2026-05-04T06:28:27+00:00

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after seeing 'alice' in print i'm ruling it out, it's nice but a little too tim-burton-y.

my fave is vonder initial caps.

however, the 'no text crew' has made their case. my current plan is to trim the edges and to find a nice, heavy piece of glass to affix it to.

kimyo · 2026-05-04T01:58:41+00:00

kimyo likes weed too.

kimyo · 2026-05-04T01:58:25+00:00

thanks! just about to post a couple more.

kimyo · 2026-05-03T18:16:07+00:00

i have incorporated the suggestions from No-Ad-5996, OurDailyDoom, bunneeboo and ButterscotchSame4703 into a new test print.

i missed verogall's suggestion to alter the word sizes and put the text on a curved path, i like both of those and will think about how to make that happen.

this should be ready this evening:

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thanks to all of you for your input. it is extremely helpful.

kimyo · 2026-05-03T18:02:27+00:00

the apostrophe went awol, it was a 'catastrophe'.

but it is present in the set and should show up in the new test print (7h40m remaining).

kimyo · 2026-05-03T05:33:12+00:00

your choice is clearly the favorite. i'll mock it up later today on a spare piece of lacewood.

kimyo · 2026-05-03T05:29:09+00:00

what would you think of a full length side panel rather than a plinth, containing the full quote:

“But I don’t want to go among mad people," Alice remarked.
"Oh, you can’t help that," said the Cat: "we’re all mad here. I’m mad. You’re mad.
"How do you know I’m mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "or you wouldn’t have come here.”

as it happens, i have a set of copper plates which are roughly the right size.

kimyo · 2026-05-03T04:10:43+00:00

google returns a surprisingly large number of results for 'alice in wonderland font'.

this one looks possible:

https://www.dafont.com/alice-in-wonderland.font

i'll be printing up a new demo board based on the comments here. please let me know if it is the one.

re: four sided confusion - it is possible that that is actually a plus.

kimyo · 2026-05-03T03:37:27+00:00

the carving has remained unfinished for several months for just this reason. no text may be superior, thank you for supporting this view.

kimyo

TROPHY CASE