Hey Folks, as i mentioned in a way earlier post, i started carving as workout for my arm. Solely using a knife... Ok, on this one i used a drill too and file too ;) It's a bokuto (wooden practice Katana sword) a friend of mine will receive for birthday.
As you can guess by the Title, it's made of a willow's branch.
This is the raw material i started from
I always try to find a branch that has the basic form, in this case a slight curvature
Then it's time to give it the basic shape
...and refining it
Like the tip of the blade
...and a bit of tapering for the handle
After the surface is sanded it's time to start wrapping the handle
As you can see, i have shaped an end cap for the handle this time, drilled and a filed a slot for the wrap to be passed through.
And voila the bokuto is ready :)
Besides the fact that carving is quite fun to me, it's also a good workout to strengthen the arm, and wrapping the handle increases finger strength too :D
Have fun, and carpe diem my lovely ones!