At our August general meeting Mike Page gave a talk about and hands on
demonstration of power carving tools. Inspired by a 1980 demonstration
in which Dan Robinson of Seattle used a small chain saw to carve a tree,

Mike who professed a strong attraction to tools of all sorts went out
and purchased his first small chain saw. Mike brought with him the first

tree he used that saw on twenty years ago to illustrate his talk. The
juniper in a bunjin style was mostly carved old looking wood with a
single life line feeding the lone remaining branch of foliage. The trunk

was delicately carved almost gossamer in appearance and successfully
portraying the appearance of great age one sees in the high mountains
where the elements of weather and time conspire to age the trees which
tenaciously cling to life.
These trees were the original inspiration for bonsai in China centuries
ago when travelers to the higher elevations admired and coveted the
beguiling beauty and inspiring stories of these living creatures in a
hostile environment. Originally depicted in paintings the desire for
these compelling trees gave birth to the art of bonsai. At first the
trees were collected and brought down from the mountains but like all
living things they would change and the need to maintain their grace and

age became the task of those who would keep them. Old dead wood can
discolor, heal over or simply rot and fall off. Methods had to be
developed to preserve the appearance of age. Knives, chisels, gouges
can be used to work on soft or green wood. Preservatives can be used to

prevent or slow decay. Power tools such as the die grinder, dremel and
reciprocating carver are the best choice for working on the hard wood of

trees such as olive and box wood and also on long dead parts of a tree
which have hardened over time. The Japanese gave names to these dead
wood features. Jin, refers to the very tips of branches where foliage
has died back, the bark removed and the dead wood is revealed. In nature

jin is often seen as bright silvery accents. Shari is the unliving
sections in the trunk and lower sections of branches which run along
side the life lines which deliver water and nutrients to the tree. The
contrast between the shari, which can be anything from a darkened gray
to white, and the living life line which is darker can give drama to a
tree. Uro is the hollowed out portions on the lower part of the trunk
which conveys great age and is a sign of a tree in the final years of
its life. All these features can be enhanced or created by the careful
application of hand and power carving tools and skill in their use
should be a goal for all of us who strive to create trees with the
appearance of great age.
Mike stressed safety in the use of these tools. Eye protection against
flying chips is a must.
As well one should always be aware of where your hand not holding a
carving tools is. Mike?s tool of choice is a Bosch die grinder capable
of 27000 rps.
The revolutions per minute feature is critical for carving and one of
the reasons
why drills and dremels with their respective lower rpm ratings literally
do not cut
it when it come to very hard wood. Mike brought with him various
bits each of which gives a different cut and can be used in combination
to achieve broad to
subtle effects. Mike recommends properly scaling the size of the tool to

the size of the tree to be worked on.
After carving the exposed wood should be allowed to dry out for a short
period and then promptly treated with a wood preservative to slow decay.

Mikes preference is to use lime sulfur solution which can be brushed on
the wood. Used by itself it turns the wood bright white. To moderate
this effect Mike uses the lime sulfur liquid mixed with black tempera
paint in various dilutions to get different shades of gray. He also
finally adds Elmers glue to this brew which he claims enhances the
steadfastness of the coloring and acts as an additional sealer.
Mike is arguably one of the more experienced people practicing this
technique in our area. In addition to being a member of BSSF he has
founded the ?Electric Termites? a group dedicated to the art of carving
trees. Generous with his time and expertise he is a frequent
contributor to our club?s web site where you can often find and engage
him.

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