Power Carving Wood to Look Like Sand

[@Mr-Mudbath]

I think I speak for everyone when I say THANK YOU for muting the sound of your angle grinder. Not sure why others haven't caught on to that yet.

[@CraftyWesty]

I couldn't agree more, Chaz! Thanks for watching!

[@rkdavenport]

I did enjoy. Well done. Vision and initiative. Love it. Never seen sanding with poly. End result has a natural appeal and is beautiful.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@harmonised8353]

Mineral spirits was a good addition. Lots of water has a similar effect. Each time you wet, then dry, the fibers in the wood stand up, and can be sanded smooth again. Beautiful finish, lovely piece.

[@CraftyWesty]

I appreciate the info, Oatmeal Goatmeal, thanks for watching!

[@technovacnigeriaenterprise2798]

I started a project just like this after watching your video. It really inspires me. I got all the tools needed, so I said why not give it a try. Thanks for the inspiration.

[@CraftyWesty]

I'm so glad to hear it inspired you to create something! Thanks for watching!

[@fordv8man]

Nice work. I like the effect of the stain being wiped off so soon, quite subtle.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, fordv8man, subtle is what I was going for!

[@LeonShepherd-r7v]

this was dope, I think I wanna try this out but I'm burn then stain mine. Thanks for the upload

[@gamenshorts]

Just got a tool last week thanks for the video hopefully it’s the therapy that’s needed lol

[@CraftyWesty]

Glad to hear it. Happy carving!

[@essextwo]

stellar end product 🔥

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@DMartin312]

Very cool. Nice job.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@sammydog1961]

Fascinating

[@nigelscott1922]

A thing of beauty

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Nigel!

[@boud86]

Definitely one of the more aesthetically pleasing power carving examples that I've seen! Awesome =)

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@mattjensen8647]

Mineral spirits will raise the grain. However, it is a good step in making sure your wood is absolutely smooth before staining. This is nice work.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Matt!

[@shaneroper5470]

Neat effect. Well done!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Shane!

[@treelimb2878]

Love it. Appreciate you sharing the bits you used as well. Thumbs up!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@ksojoel]

beautiful organic shapes

[@tomspallone1868]

Nicely done

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Tom!

[@MetatronsWing]

beautiful work... I love that you admitted your mistakes and fixed them. props :)

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Deb!

[@MetatronsWing]

@@CraftyWesty just ordered me a new angle grinder... and can't wait to try out some dunes. :)

[@CraftyWesty]

@@MetatronsWing Oooo you'll love it! I found it incredibly satisfying how quickly it could remove and reshape the wood. Have fun with it!

[@littlebeebs1]

That’s stunning! Love it 😍

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Jennifer!

[@campmodewithrussell]

That is an awesome piece! Good job!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@MrsEarth-pf4cr]

Omg it's incredible

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Tina!

[@MrsEarth-pf4cr]

@@CraftyWesty Thank u!

[@sissymarie2912]

Just got my first angle grinder yesterday and this video is so helpful. I knew I couldn't use the discs it came with for what I wanted to do but wasn't sure what the best attachment would be. There are a ton of different options listed online for carving wood along with a lot of stories about people getting hurt. The piece you made is pretty close to what I what I wanted it for and seeing it actually executed makes me feel a lot more confident about getting started.

[@CraftyWesty]

I'm so glad you found it helpful, Sissy! I hope you went ahead with what you wanted to create and enjoyed the process. Thanks for watching!

[@thatbubbleguy]

Very well-done! Two thumbs up!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, thatbubbleguy, I appreciate it!

[@calmthoughtcafe]

Great idea.

[@headybrew]

Beautiful! I'm curious, how much total time did it take for the carving?

[@dalegrover7633]

Nice job. I make very similar art pieces & use an Arbortech contour sander for the wave areas, it literally saves hours of hand sanding.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Dale. Since I made this, I've gotten the Arbortech contour sander and I agree - huge sanding time saver!

[@fitch1329]

Great job

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks!

[@jamesholesapple8072]

Wow!!! what a great piece.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, James!

[@ralstonraz]

Looks great!!!!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, RazTheRipper!

[@allenr6406]

Good job 👌👌👍👍

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Allen!

[@johniadan6702]

Beginner here. Wondering if a sanding mop could help you with the fun sanding. Designed to sand curved surface and they come in different sizes. 4" maybe could choice here.

[@CraftyWesty]

That's a good suggestion, Johni. I think something like that would have made the sanding go much faster after I had worked out the gouges and refined the shapes.

[@dineshsrikar8758]

You have great skill👍

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Dinesh!

[@MrFerrie60]

Fantastic

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Andrew!

[@usernamemykel]

WOW!!!!!!!!!!! AWESOME RESULTS!!!!! MANY BUSHELS OF KUDOS TO YOU!!!!! Great tutorial, in ALL respects. Liked and subbed after you wowed me - couldn't help it!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@usernamemykel]

@@CraftyWesty I offer to you $80.37 USD for it, postage included.

[@TheDudeAbides-247]

I need to make one of these. I have plenty of carving discs. I also have the Arbortec Contour Sander, which should make sanding easier.

[@CraftyWesty]

You should make one, Dan, it was fun. The most labor-intensive part for me was sanding by hand, so your Contour Sander will make that a breeze!

[@stuffsethmakes]

Really organic flowing "waves". Great looking piece. i just practiced with a kutzall disc on some scrap walnut. can't wait to try it on a real project!👌🏻

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Seth! You should definitely do a video of the project you end up using it on - I'd love to see it.

[@KMF3]

I just got one of those discs for my birthday. I've been playing a little bit with it but haven't made anything yet

[@ShannaStubbs]

Okay, this looks fantastic! Fun end product, but even more fun process using cool tools. I would love to see this paired with red sandstone and blue epoxy. Maybe I'm just missing Lake Powell...

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Shanna! That's a great idea, sandstone would look soooo good with some blue epoxy!

[@renlonason]

Great Job!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@MarkMcCluney]

Good job mate. Some very helpful pointers in there, thank you.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Mark! I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@KagedCreations08XX]

Great work

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Kaged Creations!

[@timadamsart]

Really cool project👌

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@gjanalog5675]

Nice!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks!

[@ianfry5322]

Nice work. Given me some ideas there. Thanks.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Ian! I'm glad you got some ideas.

[@donnieai]

Great piece dude

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Donnie!

[@jayc3110]

That was nice. It turned out beautiful. I wish you would explain which specific stain you used and which specific wipe on poly you used. You should have at least mentioned it in your description. Those things are helpful for newbies. Thanks for the video.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Jay, I appreciate the feedback. As you suggested, I've updated the description with links to the pre-stain, stain, and wipe-on poly I used to make this. I'll also add them here, although you may need to cut and paste these... Thanks for watching! Varathane Pre-Stain amzn.to/3drk34e Varathane Stain - Gunstock amzn.to/2zVadtH Minwax Wipe-On Poly amzn.to/2Nmzdgp

[@jayc3110]

@@CraftyWesty thanks.... links in the description are always helpful.

[@duderino1950]

Beautiful piece. Try the Arbortech line of tools. How about a piece, maybe several pieces of Baltic birch plywood laminated, to look like the ripples in sand at the edge of the ocean where the tide goes in and out. 😎

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Larry! Since making this video, I've gotten a couple Arbortech tools and I plan to get more - they're great! I've also got a plywood carving in the works that I hope to post soon.

[@jaysilversjr5694]

Spray poly works great with these too!

[@CraftyWesty]

I'll have to give that a try. Thanks, Jay!

[@jaysilversjr5694]

@@CraftyWesty no problem it really helps get everywhere when you can spray at all different angles

[@davidray1866]

Thanks. Nice work!

[@victoriaann3155]

Very cool!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@Chindro2828]

Great work man! This video inspired me to imitate something similar. What grit did you use for the wipe on poly and why did you use sand paper?

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you! I love that it inspired you to make something. I used 1000 grit and applied very little pressure. This takes the place of waiting to sand after the first coat. It just helps to knock down any grain that might raise up in the first coat of poly so the finish is really smooth.

[@joliekarno]

Cool! Why use sandpaper with the poly?

[@CraftyWesty]

It helps work the poly into the fibers, knocks down any grain that might raise up in the first coat of poly, and I've found it gives me a smoother finish in the end. Thanks for watching!

[@mikekerr5940]

Awesome project! I wondered though… why use sandpaper to apply wipe on poly and what grit?

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Mike! I used 1000 grit and applied very little pressure. This takes the place of waiting to sand after the first coat. It just helps to knock down any grain that might raise up in the first coat of poly so the finish is really smooth.

[@saggioculo5386]

Great job. Love it.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Saggio!

[@AustinTischler]

Interesting that board cupped in the direction that it did

[@CraftyWesty]

I was surprised as well. My guess is that carving it exposed "fresh" moisture that could get out faster than the uncarved side and that caused the cupping.

[@mitchcrane7396]

What grit sand paper did you use to wipe on the poly? Poly is ALWAYS my nemesis in wood working projects! The piece came out fantastic!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you! I used 1000 grit sandpaper for the first two coats, then I used a rag for the last coat.

[@SuperIsabelle07]

What is wood and where can you buy it?

[@fordguyfordguy]

What is obtained by applyin poly with sandpaper? Thank you.

[@CraftyWesty]

It helps work the poly into the fibers and I've found it gives me a smoother finish in the end. Thanks for watching!

[@Jeff_909]

Teach me moment. Why apply the wipe on poly with sandpaper?

[@CraftyWesty]

It's a sort of wet sanding step that I've found just gives a smoother finish in the end.

[@chrisdurig5423]

sweet man

[@rakanal.2925]

Isn't wood curving just beautiful craft 🔥

[@skypix777]

Nice work, thank you!

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, James!

[@obviouslytwo4u]

You have too

[@corinbw]

Nice job dude. I use a 2 inch flap wheel in a dremel for sanding amd it cuts down on the time a lot.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Corin! The flap wheel is a great suggestion - I'll have to give that a try.

[@corinbw]

@@CraftyWesty your welcome. Thanks for the awesome video.

[@nibastopol]

thanks brother

[@woodworking267]

Nice I respect it learned some things

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks! I'm glad you learned some things

[@cptnvegetable]

It’s dreamy ! I’m new to work working . Can I ask, why apply poly with sandpaper ? I would think it would create dust that would get trapped in the poly . Thanks !

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you! I used really fine sandpaper (1000 grit) and applied very little pressure - it just helps to knock down any grain that might raise up in the first coat of poly so the finish is really smooth.

[@calmthoughtcafe]

Where did you hang/display this?

[@gjanalog5675]

Nice

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks!

[@Benelli223]

Can you tell me how thick the board was and where do you get your lumber? Thanks so much and that was a beautiful piece you created!! N

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you! I got the wood from Home Depot and it was 1.5 inches thick. When you buy wood from big box stores, the wood isn't quite as thick or wide as it's referred to (for example, a 2x4 is actually 1.5"x3.5"), so this is called a 2x12. Hope that helps!

[@BuildDadBuild]

Dig this. Working on something similar and this was helpful. Subbed FO SHO! Cheers

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, I'm glad was helpful! Appreciate the sub!

[@joseluispulidosantana4005]

How about starting debuting with Bayerwald Woodcarver Pro Set | Milling Disc for Angle Grinder and then go to Kutzall Genuine Dish Wheel - Fine Tungsten Carbide Coating or go to Kutzal l Extreme Dish Wheel - Medium Tungsten Carbide Coating

[@joseluispulidosantana4005]

I am a beginner and I am interested in doing these types of work. Which Kutzall album do you recommend?

[@lancemillward1912]

Looks great. Was the wood damp, is that why it cupped? Or got hot from all the grinding?

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Lance. I think the wood did still have a little too much moisture in it, and by carving into one side, it escaped unevenly.

[@adrianiordan1343]

Damn dude ! that's nice ! But don't forget to put gloves on when power carving ! And not just when putting stain on ! really scary for me :)

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Adrian! I do wear gloves sometimes, but I should probably be better about it. Thanks for the reminder :)

[@dannyherrmann3806]

That is great. How many hours would you say it took?

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Danny! Hard to say how many hours it took... dozens. The overwhelming majority were spent sanding by hand though because I didn't have any power tools for sanding that type of contoured surface at the time.

[@jim7042]

Wow, love it. I want to try it on a piece of red oak that I have. How did you come up with the original design?

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, Jim! I really just sketched some lines out on the board until I thought it looked good. The design was inspired by the way wind or water creates these sort of waves in sand, with the color of the southwest US where I grew up. It was also somewhat influenced by some of Nuge's work (nugeandwood.com) at that time. You should definitely give it a try!

[@jim7042]

@@CraftyWesty Thanks for the getting back to me. That work you done is seriously impressive to me. I will give it a try soon I hope. I have been power caving in the evening after work, different types of wood and mostly just wooden spoons. What you are doing is truly on another level. Thanks agian Jim

[@zakariaabdelrahman2475]

What angle grinder that u r using

[@CraftyWesty]

In this video, I'm using a Hercules from Harbor Freight. I now use a Hitachi with variable speed that I like much better.

[@oricoh]

Its not the Mineral spirit that caused the coarse areas, they were always there, just the liquid made them stand up. Next time just wet the wood with a bit with normal water, this will cause the grains that are not well sanded just flattened to rise up, so you can sand them and knock them off.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks for your insight, Ori!

[@zencraft69]

I like your professional wood filler applicator. Hahah

[@CraftyWesty]

Only the best will do! haha

[@dennismcaleer242]

How much did you sell that for?

[@CraftyWesty]

Hey Dennis, it's still available.

[@esperanzachargualaf6474]

Beautiful piece. How did you become so good? You take any classes or work someplace where they taught you ?

[@CraftyWesty]

That's so nice, Esperanza, thank you! I have not taken any woodworking classes, but I have taken drawing classes in the past and I've always loved working with my hands and making things. I think it's just lots of practice taking an idea in my head and creating it in the real world. Thanks for watching!

[@mytradingjourney569]

How much time consume in one piece

[@allen5455]

Now try carving African sculpture.

[@MrBrewzr]

Great vid, you got my sub.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks, MrBrewzr! I appreciate the sub!

[@paulrobertson7980]

Hit it with 0000 steel wool after raising the grain

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks for the tip, Paul!

[@jonmilstein373]

Dunno if anyone mentioned this yet but you’re using the wrong filters on your respirator. Those are particulate filters which will stop dust but you’re inhaling all the juicy VOC’s from the conditioner, stain, and clear coat you’re applying. You need charcoal filters to stop vapours. But hey, a little cancer never hurt nobody! Stay safe kids.

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks for pointing this out, Jon! I'm all about safety first. I've since learned what you've shared, but I appreciate you bringing attention to it. At the time, I had no idea that what I was using wasn't doing anything to protect me from all those nasty vapors.

[@ArtByKevinZapata]

It wasn’t the mineral spirits It’s the fact that it was wet before you put a final coat you need to spray it with water with a squirt bottle it raises all the fibers from the grain and then you sand it one more time and then put the final coat

[@CraftyWesty]

Thanks for the tip, Leonidas, I'll give that a try next time.

[@MrKYT-gb8gs]

Forgot to wear family jewel protection 😅

[@CraftyWesty]

😅

[@georgekabacinski]

Hi!

[@CraftyWesty]

Hi, George!

[@TheCleric42]

Your overall plan of the “dune” locations could have been better. Next time, grab a drone pic of some real dunes and trace that onto the board.

[@diegopizarro3647]

Buena xoro la media pega la cago wn !!!

[@a.r.moyapapitawaira7369]

Hi.

[@dineshsrikar8758]

Hi

[@shantahsieh2877]

My husband uses these plans from Woodglut and is very happy with them. However. I love yours!

[@imTESTlNG]

hi

[@CraftyWesty]

Hi, David

[@rabakomaba4562]

I did it with Woodglut.

[@crocuscreekwoodworks]

Great job

[@CraftyWesty]

Thank you!

[@SuperIsabelle07]

What is wood and where can you buy it?

[@youwhoniverse]

Hi