New Plan + Wood Sculpture - Ball Cage

創客手札 | Maker's Logbook 36.

---

2025!!!

After discussing with Phoebe, I'm gonna adjust the direction for this series.

Not going to try posting every week anymore,

that way the blog won't look like just a pure maker series,

with some random posts occasionally...😑

Moving forward, the frequency will more likely be project-based,

still trying to maintain one project per month,

but also trying to write about other topics under this big umbrella of "Those Who Wander".

At the very least,

I hope to finish editing a bunch of build videos for projects that have piled up before 2025,

as well as the Rusty Ass Project, which also has some videos that haven't been edited yet

(hopefully we can find more time for dancing this year!!).

And since this year is our preparation year for settling back in Taiwan,

some insights and experiences from the process are also worth recording as a keepsake!

Hopefully after the adjustment,

this blog will be more balanced and capturing a wider range of our adventures and experiences!

---

From the end of last year to the beginning of this year,

there have been cases for architectural drawings coming in from time to time.

And Phoebe has a show in Ottawa in January,

so there's no opportunity to work on projects together.

Therefore, the first project of 2025 is also a small wood sculpting project.

Once again, the inspiration is from the “Complete Starter Guide to Whittling.”

This time, it's carving balls trapped inside a cage from a piece of wood.

I did shrink the size again, but not as drastically as last time.

However,

because the ball has to be carved from within the slits of the hollow cage,

the main tool is still the detail carving knife,

along with the newly bought curved blade carving knife for shaping the ball.

After the ball was successfully carved out,

it's time to work on the cage part.

The cage in the book had a rustic and rugged style,

with some details but not many, mainly highlighting the handmade feel.

My original plan was to add a little more on this basis so the piece look more refined,

but during the process, the ideas kept coming,

and details kept being added one after another.

I'm even considering carving patterns on the ball and parts of the cage,

keep transforming the style from rustic to "industrial fantasy" and not looking back...😅

Confirmed again that I have a slight tendency to torture myself when doing personal projects...😑

Whether it's woodcarving, model making, or even building furniture,

there's often a well-thought-out design at the beginning,

but during the process,

I often feel that some parts could be better or should add something more details,

regardless of whether the difficulty is a bit high, a bit troublesome, or takes a lot more time...

I just do it with barely any hesitation...

Although I'm generally quite satisfied with the results most of the time,

the thought of "why am I torturing myself" still comes up occasionally...😑

But this can also be seen as keep challenging myself.

Although the project types are similar,

each new project I try something new,

which is exactly why I never feel bored about being a maker!

After all, these projects are just for me,

so it doesn't matter if it's a bit troublesome or takes more time.

In the end, the joy of creating and the satisfaction of completing a project are what make every effort worthwhile

However, this project has to pause for now.

I need to finish the architectural cases first!

(still need to make some money...😑)

I will take this opportunity to seriously consider whether carving patterns is really too crazy... Let's see if I'll calm down after not touching this project for one or two weeks,

as I still hope to complete this project by the end of the month.

Although it's highly likely that I'll still decide to do it,

at least this way I can convince myself that it was a "well-considered" decision...