My daughter has expressed an interest trying some woodcarving.  With social distancing, I have been helping her get a start. I do not know if she will stick with it long term but she has been experimenting with some angel patterns from a book I have in the shop.  This was the first one she started on and she did a very nice job roughing it out but she had an error that had her deciding she would start again, so I took her first rough out, made a few changes, and finished it into this.  Her and I have deemed this our “team” project.  She has cut out two more and is getting better.  I told her practice will improve her skills but she is off to a good start.  A few pictures of her at work and our finished angel in red.

 

That's great Brent

Great to see your daughter getting involved.  From this first try I believe she has the touch.  Very well done!

14 minutes ago, HandyDan said:

Great to see your daughter getting involved.  From this first try I believe she has the touch.  Very well done!

ditto.  Danl

I can see lots of ability I didn't have when I was her age...good to see that in a young person...

I think the torch may be getting passed!

 

ANytime you can get a young person away from a video game and social media to create and build with their hands is a super thing.  

23 hours ago, FlGatorwood said:

ANytime you can get a young person away from a video game and social media to create and build with their hands is a super thing.  

I have been enjoying this time in the shop with them too.  Did this little whittling project with my youngest this week as well.  This was just an hour of fun time for her. She seemed to love it.  

Very cool to spend time with her at this age Brent.  Making memories for sure.

I am not a golfer, is that what a golf ball looks like inside?  Why did I think they were just compressed rubber bands?

There are differing centers within golfballs, and to that end, you are correct.  Some manufacturers use a small hard rubber core that is wrapped in layer after layer of rubber banding, which is then covered with the outside shell of the ball.  The other type that I have found is what you see here.  There may be others but these are the ones that I am familiar with.  As an aside, when we were kids, we used to find a lot of old golf balls in the corn fields near the local golf course and would split them with dads coping saw to reveal the rubber bands.  Bouncing this wrapped core would often allow the unravelling of said rubber bands in the air in something of an explosive fashion, especially if you slit them a bit before bouncing.  It was fun and recreational at 10ish years old.  (Did i mention that I grew up in a very small town). 

 

The 2 balls in the picture are a Calloway and a Titleist.  I have also found solid cores in Maxfli and others over the years. I split them very carefully by eye and ear with a coping saw.  Regardless of center type, you can hear Immediately when you cut through the outer shell by the change in pitch of the cutting sound.  I work my way around the ball by sighting center and slowly working to meet my line on the other side.  I then work the cut line with a flat blade screwdriver to pop the shell from one side.  It become the base later.  

This is not my original idea and I am pretty sure i have seen carving books dedicated to the finer points of carving golfballs.  The center core cuts a bit like hard soap and can chip pretty easily.  Not bad medium for a beginner wanting to try something with a knife and chisel.  I put her in a glove, gave her a few starter safety points, and just let her cut away.  I did the same.  We had a good time.

 

This little project comes from me trying this years ago before kids.  It also echoes loudly of the kid deep inside.  I only wish my carving skills were more worthy.  Thanks all for the kind words.  

48 minutes ago, Bundoman said:

This is not my original idea and I am pretty sure i have seen carving books dedicated to the finer points of carving golfballs.  The center core cuts a bit like hard soap and can chip pretty easily.

Nice carvings.  Such fun.  I have seen this before.  There are plenty of images and videos out there like you say.  I follow a guy on YouTube that walks creeks looking for old bottles and metal detects for old artifacts.  He picked up hundreds of the balls and tried his hand at it.  He used a rotary tool to carve his which is another venue to try.