Need help carving a name in a tree:

[Robb]

Bear with me. :)

About six, seven years ago, I bought six tiny aspen trees at the grocery store. I'm not sure why, they were little twiggy things, about a foot tall or so, but they were two dollars each.

I brought them home and planted them in a corner of my yard. Things grow really slowly here at 8K feet. I watered them and such.

My two Siberian Huskies enjoyed them fully; every morning for a few weeks I would walk outside and see my boy Bodhi had pulled one of the little aspens out of the ground and run around the yard with it. You could see the little trail of dark black dirt in a long, sweeping pattern along the yard. So I'd scold him, or pretend to, and go plant the thing again.

After the first year just four remained. And it's stayed that way ever since.

The trees grew, slowly as they do here. Last winter the four were a little over six feet tall, maybe as big around as a person's arm. One of them, however, seemed to suddenly be doing better than the others. I didn't pay close attention, as the trees were really just big sticks in the winter.

Bodhi died this April. When the trees came into leaf a few weeks back, the one I thought had grown a little had grown a lot -- probably half again as tall as the others, and as big around as my thigh.

Around here, if you hike high enough, you come across big open fields surrounded by aspen groves. If you know where to look, at the edge of the right fields, you find carvings made by Basque sheep-herders a hundred years ago, right there on an old aspen tree.

I decided I'd like to carve Bodhi's name into the tree I've decided is his. :)

Anyone know how to do it well? Or should I just get a pocketknife and start at it?

[flvegan]

1. Bodhi is a great name for a dog. I'm sorry about

his passing in April.

That said, yeah, I think a pocketknife would do the trick.

Excellent story, and a worthy tribute to your pup.

[Lefty48197]

2. Go for it.

I'd read about the Basque shepherds and their elaborate carvings. What an interesting story.

[FlippyDoo]

3. If you use a pocket knife

make sure it's a lock blade and be very careful. I've still got a little over 1" scar on hand from the knife slipping while carving a tree when I was around 10 yo.

[frankenforpres]

4. pocket knife is too dangerous

i know too many people that cut themselves with it.

[Monk06]

5. Get a curve bladed pruning knife from a garden store.

[Robb]

6. A what from a what?!?

:D I'll ask.

[Monk06]

11. A pruning knife used to trim new growth from fruit trees. Looks like this.

[BrklynLiberal]

7. How about a routing tool from a hardware or woodworking shop?

http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=11306&cookietest=1

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Try here. Turning handtools.

http://www.rockler.com/CategoryView.cfm?Cat_ID=1515


http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6427
Bowl gouge



http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=6432
Roughing out gouge



Lots more at the site

[Robb]

9. Now we're talkin'

Right tool for the right job, and what-not! :D

I wonder if there's a season the tree would be least annoyed? :shrug:
Dremel probably overkill.

[BrklynLiberal]

12. Go to a landscaping place and speak to one of the people there

to find out if there would be a "best" time to do your carving.

[Bossy Monkey]

10. I take it the Basque sheepherders of 100 years ago are all gone?

Still, there must be wood carvers in Colorado. In one way it would seem like it would be most respectful to hire a professional; in another way just to pour all the love into the effort that you can and don't worry about how it ends up looking. This guy http://www.carvingpatterns.com/c-wood.htm says that aspen (or at least quaking aspen) is light but hard, so presumably special tools would be needed, especially to carve living wood. Sorry not to be of more help. Regardless, I'm sure Bodhi would have loved whatever you decide to do; hell, you did it.

[Robb]

13. Thanks, udl

Yeah, I'm thinking it's gotta be me. :) Not much Basque in me, I'm afraid. But much love. :)

I'll keep researching, and I know just the landscaper to ask. :thumbsup:

[Dangerously Amused]

14. The only advice I can think of:

I remember hearing somewhere that vertical carvings are better for trees than horizontal carvings. Something about the vertical carvings not messing up as many of the tree's water pathways.


Like,

B
O
D
H
I

would be preferred to BODHI.


Hope it helps. And sorry about Bodhi.


:cry: