Woodcarving, Beekeeping, and Country Life http://www.johncall.com/blog Woodcarving, gardening, beekeeping and country living. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:54 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.2 en Beekeeping - Hives are ready http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-hives-are-ready/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-hives-are-ready/#comments Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:31 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-hives-are-ready/

Finally found the time to get my hives done. I’ve had plenty of time to read, study, and ask questions on the forums so I feel really good about my setup.

Beekeeping, beehives, honey bees, honey bee, honey

I wanted the hives to be something besides white. I also want my girls to have ownership in the project so I let them loose with the brushes. The best helpers around!

I’m really excited about these hives. Counting paint I have about $40.00 each in them. If I hadn’t been so picky I could have built them out of scrap but I wanted my first hives to have that something extra.

Beekeeping, beehives, honey bees, honey bee, honey

You can see in the pictures below my basic setup. I have an electric fence to keep the bears out. I am also setup to have a top entrance or I can use a bottom entrance with the holes. I don’t have my bars in yet so the lid fits flush.

Beekeeping, beehives, honey bees, honey bee, honeyThis is the view through my biggest blueberry bush. I know they are not the bees favorite but I have visions of thousands of bees pollinating my fruits and vegetables. I should have my bees by this weekend and bee a beekeeper for real!

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-hives-are-ready/feed/ Dust Collection - Wood Carving Article http://www.johncall.com/blog/dust-collection-wood-carving-article/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/dust-collection-wood-carving-article/#comments Mon, 31 Mar 2008 01:37:51 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/dust-collection-wood-carving-article/ We have started exploring power carving. Last time we discussed the basic things you would need to get started. Today we discuss what I think is the most important part of power carving, dust collection.

Dust collection is all about your safety. This is an important topic so please don’t mistake any humor as me taking the subject lightly. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/dust-collection-wood-carving-article/feed/ Power Carving - Wood Carving Article http://www.johncall.com/blog/power-carving-wood-carving-article/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/power-carving-wood-carving-article/#comments Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:18:08 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/power-carving-wood-carving-article/ I can’t remember the whole song or the name of the band but I do remember the catchy vocal hook “I’ve got the power!” We have discussed the manual side of carving. Today I would like to discuss some basics about power carving. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/power-carving-wood-carving-article/feed/ Wood Carving Vises - Wood Carving Article http://www.johncall.com/blog/wood-carving-vices-wood-carving-article/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/wood-carving-vices-wood-carving-article/#comments Mon, 17 Mar 2008 00:18:25 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/wood-carving-vices-wood-carving-article/ Hold it!

Hold it right there! I bet the every time you hear this statement you think someone is in trouble. You might even be in trouble right now. I’m not there so I don’t know. I can tell you this: if you don’t have a safe way to hold your wood while you carve you will be in trouble very soon.

There are different types of woodcarving projects out there and they come in all different sizes. You need a holder to match what you are doing. I’ve included a few of the basic options. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/wood-carving-vices-wood-carving-article/feed/ American Woodcarving School - Art School http://www.johncall.com/blog/american-woodcarving-school-art-school/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/american-woodcarving-school-art-school/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:54:38 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/american-woodcarving-school-art-school/ The American Woodcarving School was founded in 1974 by Sculptor Michael Denike. Mr. Denike’s dream…a school that’s sole purpose is instructing and promoting the art of Woodcarving. The school holds regular day and evening classes 52 weeks out of the year, and approximately 6 weekend workshops per year.

The regular classes allow the student to work on whatever area they wish while under direction of a professional woodcarver. Weekend Workshops hosted by renowned woodcarvers from the US, Canada, and Europe, allow the more advanced student the chance to train under an artist of the highest level in his or her area of interest.

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/american-woodcarving-school-art-school/feed/ John C. Campbell Folk School http://www.johncall.com/blog/john-c-campbell-folk-school/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/john-c-campbell-folk-school/#comments Wed, 12 Mar 2008 01:49:22 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/john-c-campbell-folk-school/ Against the backdrop of the world’s most ancient mountains is a special kind of place . . . A place where history lives . . . where tradition lingers . . . where people come together to discover their creative spirit. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/john-c-campbell-folk-school/feed/ Sharpening - Wood Carving Article http://www.johncall.com/blog/sharpening-wood-carving-article/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/sharpening-wood-carving-article/#comments Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:21:35 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/sharpening-wood-carving-article/

You ever have anybody tell you that you’re not to sharp? I know how you feel. Those days are over! It’s time to stop living the dull life and get on the razors edge.

I’m not a renowned expert on sharpening but I know it’s important, I know that it’s not as hard as people think, and I know that you don’t have to spend lots of money to buy the accessories you need to keep your tools sharp.

I’ve been carving for a few years now and one thing I’ve learned is that most beginning carvers do not take sharpening seriously. They try to get the same results they see better carvers getting but they can’t. One factor in this, besides experience, is that a lot of the beginners are carving with dull tools. You cannot get good results with dull tools. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/sharpening-wood-carving-article/feed/ Beekeeping - Installing an Electric Fence - Part 1 http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-installing-an-electric-fence-part-1/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-installing-an-electric-fence-part-1/#comments Tue, 04 Mar 2008 01:58:24 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-installing-an-electric-fence-part-1/ This is my first year as a beekeeper. Actually, I don’t even have bees yet. However, I believe in ‘prior proper planning’ so I have undertaken a study of my area and have determined that I will need protection against the black bear. I’ve looked at several methods and have decided on an electric fence. I figure there are many others out there who will be interested in installing their own fence so I am going to document my adventure. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/beekeeping-installing-an-electric-fence-part-1/feed/ Woodcarving Gouges - Woodcarving Article http://www.johncall.com/blog/woodcarving-gouges-woodcarving-article/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/woodcarving-gouges-woodcarving-article/#comments Mon, 03 Mar 2008 02:13:19 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/woodcarving-gouges-woodcarving-article/ Today we shall discuss gouges. We won’t actually discuss them since I can’t hear you talking but if you don’t mind looking strange you can talk really loudly and I’ll try and listen.

We’ve already talked about knives. They are the number one tool in your tool box. Today we shall discuss gouges. I believe gouges are the real work horses in any woodcarver’s arsenal. As you go deeper into this pursuit you will definitely want to add some gouges to your toolbox. (more…)

]]> http://www.johncall.com/blog/woodcarving-gouges-woodcarving-article/feed/ Woodcarving Knives - Woodcarving Article http://www.johncall.com/blog/carving-magazine-woodcarving-knives/ http://www.johncall.com/blog/carving-magazine-woodcarving-knives/#comments Sat, 23 Feb 2008 01:32:50 +0000 John http://www.johncall.com/blog/carving-magazine-woodcarving-knives/ “That’s not a knife, this is a knife!” The famous line from ‘Crocodile Dundee’ still makes me laugh. In my mind a knife is the number one tool you’ll need to start woodcarving. They can be used in many different situations and can make a surprising number of cuts (which we’ll cover in a future show). (more…)

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