Quarantined Woodcarving in a DIY Camper Van

[@vinlee7879]

Wife, our dog and I have been living and traveling in a self modified camper van for over 2 years now. We stay at fish/hunt camps mostly. I carve with a chainsaw, dremel and knives every day. Love the life! Nice to see another carver living the good life too. My best to you and yours. Stay safe and well. Great work. Keep carving!

[@SH-uv6cp]

Hi, Thanks for continuing to make videos. I'm new to carving. I bought a basic set to compliment my Pyrography kit. I have some Indian rosewood off cuts that I aim to make into pendants. I'm still working on railway in UK. But it's an easy hobby to keep in my car for when I'm on standby at the depot. Good luck & stay well friends.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Great stuff! Rosewood is one of my favourite woods to make pendants from and where I got my start carving.

[@hubs191]

Gday mate! Im from Christchurch and moved to the US in 2018. Now living in the keweenaw peninsula on lake Superior.... Fully appreciate what cold as balls is after our first winter up here. Carved on and off all my life but just started to get into it more seriously the last 12 months. Love the carvings you do, wish art and creativity came a little more naturally to me but working on it! Just enjoy the process of working with wood. Hope you're able to get stuck into that trip soon, sounds epic!

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Aw cheers mate! Great to hear. Looks like I might be staying on in Toronto once I can get back to Canada, so not too far from there in North American terms. Hit me up if you questions anytime!

[@nigelparkes4365]

Hope you guys are keeping well on the road! I can relate with the small spaces, I moved out to Toronto as well and ended up in a tiny shoe box apartment. Before moving out I didn't do any woodworking, but growing up at home where my dad had built himself a wood shop in the back yard I always had an interest in it. It wasn't until I moved out where I had the money to get started but sure enough I didn't have the space. Not until I saw your video on the 5 things you need to get started did I realize that you don't need a shop to do hand carvings. I've been carving ever since! Stay safe out there!

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Love it man! Always happy to show that there shouldn't be a barrier to this hobby. Keep it up, and thanks!

[@russellking5981]

Awesome carvings. I have been making outdoor furniture and a workbench out of pallets and scrap timber. Will make a post of the workbench once fully done. Integrated with a vice, grinder and cutting space, on heavy duty wheels so can bring it out to use it. Love your bench hook, haven't seen one of those for years. Great video and love your carvings, you could make a business out of it one day. All the best for you and Kim.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Thanks Russell! Can't beat simplicity with a bench hook. I had a little vice in the apartment that I'd use on our table but to be honest I find myself using the bench hook more. Great stuff on the new workbench!

[@leshka_woodcarving]

SO great to see you doing this! I have been living and traveling here in Europe for 8 months last year with a small transporter an, to be honest, that was way to small for 2 people and having a decent place for wood carving. This year we're working on a van we can actually stand up and that will make a lot of difference. Wish you a happy time in your journey, love your carvings! :D

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Being able to stand up would be game changing!

[@tonilynnmartin5368]

It would be great if you did a tool breakdown. Especially the scrapers or things you use to smooth and finish. I saw you use a cabinet scraper or something like that in a different video and was intrigued!!!!! I love your videos. Thanks for sharing

[@SymanWoodcarving]

More often that not I actually just sand the piece to be honest! No problem

[@logustrate]

Youve managed to have more tools and equipment than i have, period, in your van, haha. Last finished project was a miniature carved stapler. Now I've been shifting to working on broken electronics to donate to local shelters (live near the GTA). Was planning a trip across Canada for next summer in a reno'd RV, but probably wont happen now. Glad you got a bit of your trip in, and hope you make it back to Canada safe and sound!

[@SymanWoodcarving]

It's not too much! Just accrued a fair few gouges, knives and supplies over the last few years. Great to hear that you're giving back! We're lucky we got we could.

[@Zoeyumi]

Seeing your videos has made me want to take up carving again. I remember carving a lot of things when I was younger in art class but mainly in soapstone. Keep your spirits up during these times! Thanks for the great content!

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Thanks! Hope you get back into it.

[@jamelcampbell4984]

Thank you for the video, be safe on your travels.

[@mannyboga3815]

Thanks for sharing and thats funny you’re stuck in my “backyard” the Sierras. Thank you for saying that you’ve worked up to this tool set. It’s a bit discouraging to try and create something similar with a fraction of the tools. I’ve been working on getting my spoon carving to be a little higher quality during this lockdown.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Thanks! It's definitely something that accrues over time. I don't feel having more tools makes me a better carver, but it does make life easier. And buying tools is fun. Glad to hear you got spoon carving to keep you busy!

[@daryldawe3943]

I can’t believe I missed this one. The new Pokémon look great. I just made a snowman for my wife for Mother’s Day. Have you seen the apron that some woodcarvers use? It has a catch for the wood chips. It might help while you are in the van. I usually see it at carving shows but I bet you can find it online.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

I've seen those, not sure how much of a fan I am. Aprons are a bit of a pain, I dunno. Could be useful!

[@andrewkirby7834]

Another great video. I love watching your channel. I’ve been doing a lot of hand carving and you’ve Inspired me to start a KZbin channel, hopefully mine will be as inspiring as yours. All the best Andy

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Awesome! Good luck man!

[@avivamae5171]

Loved this, it's something I've been thinking about so I was happy to see this posted on the Reddit sub! Can you do a video walk through of your tools please? I subscribed :)

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Cheers! I think I will be doing that

[@dead-prophet]

Do you have any suggestions for applying a good couple of coats of acrylic paint? Is there anything you recommend applying before (besides Odies Oil or oil varnish) to make the coating consistently dispersed across the wood or to have a better finished product? Thank you for your insightful content as always!

[@SymanWoodcarving]

I actually wouldn't paint after putting odies on (it doesn't adhere to the odies). My best results come by preparing the surface well (sanding to a high grit or having clean knife cuts) and making sure to thin my paint with water, and build the coats slowly. I also sometimes use shellac as a sealer under the paint.

[@dead-prophet]

What brand of shellac do you like best? Thank you for your response.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

I just use flakes that I mix up with some thinners. Got them from Lee Valley

[@patrickalexander1636]

Where are your gloves! Stop by and see me, Madera Ranchos, 50 miles from you. Also a wood carving club closer to you in Oakhurst, Ca.

[@SymanWoodcarving]

Haha! I use guard tape most of the time when I'm actually carving. Wish I could be visiting carving clubs right now! Maybe if everything blows over before I have to leave the states.