Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:40:05 -0800 (PST)
From: Caro Stewart <taocila-AT-yahoo.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Sculpting Pine Wood?


I regularly carve shoes in pine wood and=A0I hate=A0it. 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=A0a very sharp thin blade, still got blisters and cuts.
I=A0don't recommend=A0pine wood=A0for very small marionettes. Although,=A0it would not disappoint you by splitting in the middle of the action,=A0when carved tends to have=A0long sharp=A0splinters; annoying thing!=A0 I tried some years ago to carve hands and I lost=A0the thickness=A0of 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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