Hair Archives - Woodcarving Illustrated

Simple Comb

kelly — Mon, 01 May 2023 14:36:11 +0000

Great as a tool or a hair accessory, these projects are a cinch to shape and finish

By Keoma McCaffrey

For over two decades, I have been making combs and selling them at fairs and online, and from there they travel to households around the world. Recently, I was contacted by a woman whose mother had just passed a beloved comb, one that I had made her years ago; now that’s a real heirloom. Once you get the initial idea down, the variations are boundless. Just be careful—combs are addictive! This pattern, with its smooth, flat space at the top, makes a great canvas to either show off the gorgeous wood you used or display other skills, like woodburning, painting, or relief carving.

Getting Started

Sketch the top and side pattern views on the block with a pencil, or photocopy the patterns and attach them with repositionable spray adhesive. Cut the top view on a scroll saw, and then turn the piece on its side and secure it in a vise. Cut the second view on a band saw. Note: The side pattern view is too thick to cut on a scroll saw, as scroll saws can typically handle wood no more than 2″ (5.1cm) thick.

You’ll notice that this pattern has an arch shape. Straight hair combs and forks are great, but the arch shape sits around the contours of your head instead of just pressing against them. This allows you to wear it all day without getting a headache.

Carving

Shape the comb. Round over all harsh edges on the blank, including between the teeth, using a rotary tool with a fluted cone-shaped carbide cutter. Widen the space between the teeth, removing a little wood at a time and maintaining a soft arc shape between the teeth. Note: When carving spacing between the teeth, remember to round the arc shapes instead of squaring then off.

Refine the comb’s shape. Use the rotary tool with a sanding disc to smooth and round each tooth completely, tapering the teeth to somewhat sharp points with blunted ends. Then smooth the top and sides of the comb. Do this on the front and back. Add ornamentation as desired; I recommend woodburning, painting, or relief carving. I included a bonus relief carving pattern of oak and gingko biloba leaves, available online.

Tip: It’s All About The Teeth

In order for the comb to slide easily through your hair, it helps to round the two outermost teeth so they face slightly inward. The remaining (inner) teeth can be straight.

Finishing

Finish the comb. As this will be used in hair, a natural finish is always better; I recommend raw linseed oil mixed with a drop of lavender essential oil (substitute your favorite scent here). Over time, each comb will pick up the natural body oils of its owner and take on a glow all its own. If you prefer a clear, glossy finish, I recommend using three to four coats of a spray-on clear enamel, buffing with a fine sanding sponge between applications.

Tip: Go To Gift

Hair combs make wonder-ful gifts for anyone with long hair. Do you ever see women using pens or pencils to hold their hair up? They need a handmade hair comb! I like to leave one for my server when I leave an eating establishment.

Materials

• Hardwood, such as Osage orange or walnut, 1 1/2″ (3.8cm) thick: approx. 3″ x 6″ (7.6cm x 15.2cm)

• Pencil

• Spray adhesive: repositionable (optional)

• Sandpaper: assorted grits

• Natural finish, such as raw linseed oil

• Essential oil, such as lavender: 1 drop (optional)

• Clear spray enamel (optional)

• Acrylic paints (optional)

Tools

• Band saw

• Scroll saw

• Rotary tool with bits: sanding disc, fluted cone-shaped carbide cutter

• Sanding sponge

• Vise

• Woodburner (optional)

About the Author

Keoma McCaffrey lives in Northern California with her husband, Jeff, and three sons, and a passel of animals. She carves most of her work from salvaged local hardwoods. She is a moderator on the Woodcarving Illustrated message board, woodcarvingillustrated.com/forum.

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The post Simple Comb appeared first on Woodcarving Illustrated.

Carving Hair

BobD — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 17:13:08 +0000

Use these basic techniques to add hair to a carving

By Harold Enlow

Most carvings of people will include some sort of hair, whether it is hair on the head, a mustache, or a beard. Hair is one place where you can introduce a bit of realism to make the caricature parts stand out.

Basic hair is really a series of carved grooves. There are a few more steps to carving a curled lock, or curlicue, of hair. I use a V-tool for men’s hair because it looks rugged. It can also look stringier. For women’s hair, I use a small #11 gouge. This gouge allows you to carve more flowing locks of hair.

Carving Basic Hair

Step 1: Round the corner of the blank. Hair wraps around the head, so the base under the hair should be round. Use a carving knife to round the blank.

Step 2: Carve the hair. For a man’s hair, carve a series of curved lines with a 1/8″ (3mm) V-tool. Use a small veiner to carve a woman’s hair. Make sure there are no straight lines. Straight lines look too static. Eliminate flat spots by carving between two nearby hairs wherever there is a flat spot. Deepen some cuts to create more shadow.

Step 3: Clean out the fuzzies. Use a denture brush to scrub out any small fuzzies. Make light cuts with the V-tool or veiner to clean up any rough cuts.

Carving a Curlicue

Step 1: Carve an oblong lump. I call this “carving a grape.” Round the corner of the block. Make a stop cut above and below the curl, and cut up to the stop cut to separate the curl from the background hair. Round the edges of the curl to make the oblong lump.

Step 2: Carve the center of the curl. I call this “making a doughnut.” Use a small veiner to carve a groove in the top right quadrant of the lump.

Step 3: Carve the area where the curl overlaps. I call this “making a lock (split) washer.” Make a stop cut on one side of the doughnut with a carving knife. Carve up to the stop cut to separate the tip of the curl from the rest of the hair. This creates a visible curl on the end of the lock of hair.

Step 4: Create the curl. Use a 1/8″ (3mm) V-tool to undercut the edges of the top curl and to roughly shape the sides of the curl. Then, use the same tool to begin carving some lines representing hair into the curl. Start at the curl and work up toward the top of the blank.

Step 5: Separate the curl from the background. Make a stop cut around the curl with a 1/4″ (6mm) #3 gouge. Cut up to the stop cut with the same tool to isolate the curl from the rest of the hair.

Step 6: Refine the hair texture. Use the 1/8″ (3mm) V-tool. Carve around to the tip of the curl. Be careful when you are cutting across the grain because the wood will be more fragile and you can break away the hair texture. Use a denture brush to remove any fuzzies.

Materials & Tools:

Materials:

• Carving or practice block

Tools:

• Carving knife

• V-tool: 1/8″ (3mm)

• Veiner: small

• #3 gouge: 1/4″ (6mm)

• Denture brush

For more information see Carving Faces Workbook by Harold Enlow. Pull up a seat next to Harold’s carving bench as he teaches you how to carve faces with highly detailed eyes, lips, nose, hair, and ears, while sharing decades of carving tips and techniques. The book is available from www.FoxChapelPublishing.com for $19.95 plus S&H.

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