Another Whale

A long time ago, when I was still in woodworking class and had access to fancy machines, I made a whale from some scrap wood. It came out so cute that I've always wanted to make more of them but have been feeling like I don't have the right tools. Then it occurred to me that people have been woodworking without fancy tools for centuries so I should suck it up and give it a go and so I did.

First, I made a dark, clean outline for my cuts from a stencil I created. The original tail of the first whale I made never felt quite right to me so I tried a different shape for this one.

Making sure that your outline is clear really helps guide the process.

Then I started hacking with my miter hand saw and a small jigsaw that I'm clumsily learning to use.

Once I got the basic shape cut out, then I started hacking at it with my chisels.

The process moves slowly, especially since this is the first one I've done in a while. I still have a long way to go and that tail still doesn't feel right to me but I'm working on it. That whale will be smiling in no time.