Tim Kong demonstrated some carving techniques and tools during our January general meeting. Using olives as a subject Tim covered the basics of carving with power tools and the culture of olive trees both collected and from cuttings of various types.

Olives as Bonsai

Olives make great bonsai because they are fast-growing, have hard wood and have small, beautifully colored leaves. The trunks become gnarled with age showing all sorts of interesting texture and character. Generally collected olives from seed are superior to nursery stock because the leaves are smaller and the trunks larger and more interesting. Nursery stock is generally propagated for fruit characteristics, not bark or leaf characteristics.

Olives are so forgiving of harsh treatment that they can be flat-cut, which is the removal of all the roots on a tree with a saw, when they are collected from the wild. The trees are propagated by birds spreading the seeds after eating the olives. Olives prefer hot weather so they are more commonly found growing inland in the central valley of California and elsewhere outside of San Francisco.

Tim indicated that olives are essentially fool-proof to grow from cuttings and that you can even just yank a branch off of the tree to make a cutting instead of using a sharp set of shears to make the cuts. The base of such a cutting will have a more natural look to it, giving the eventual root base more shape and interest. Slabs that are cut from the bottom of a collected olive can also be rooted and, with a bit of carving and creativity, can be turned into something like a turtleback forest.

Olives can be defoliated in the summer to increase branching but two leaves should be left on the tip of each branch. The tree must be healthy and growing vigorously for this procedure to be successful. I had a conversation with a club member who had defoliated an olive which did not bud out again for the rest of the summer. Most likely if this happens the tree will be fine and will bud out again the following spring, but this poor reaction could be due to poor root health or too little sunlight or a number of other factors. The key is to track the growth of the tree before the defoliation; trees which are growing slowly or which do not appear healthy should not be defoliated. Repotting can be accomplished at the same time as defoliation since the transpiration rate will be slowed by the removal of leaves.

Carving with power tools.

For many trees which are collected from the wild, carving is a very important aspect of bonsai styling. Typically, the collected olive will have a large cut at some point on the trunk where the much taller section of the tree was removed. The same thing is true for many collected junipers, redwoods, oaks and other species. The general idea of using carving is to disguise this cut so that the tree has a more natural appearance. In some cases deadwood carving will also need to be done on branches; large low branches that are removed can be carved to increase interest, leaving a natural looking jin instead of a log with a chop on the end.

Tim brought along an array of power tools to show people how each function. Dremel power carvers are small and generally the least powerful. They are used on small trees and small branches for detail work. Much of the work that is done with a Dremel can be done by hand, but will simply take a bit longer. Makita carvers are a bit larger and more powerful; they are the standard tool for carving on large trees. There are a number of attachments that go on Makitas that also go on the Australian made Arbortech mini grinder. For many years the Arbortech has been a popular carving tool for bonsai enthusiasts, however the recent introduction of a bit for the Makita called a “Samurai” has made the Arbortech second best. The Samurai bit will hog out large amounts of material quickly like the Arbortech and is less expensive and easier to control. The bit tips are carbide steel, making them last longer than the Arbortech bits, which are high speed steel.

Tim also brought an ancient carving tool that looked like a cross between a 1960’s ray gun and an Art Deco drill. None present were able to discern what it’s uses might be beyond zapping aliens since the rotational speed was insufficient for effective use of the modern carving bits. (Lesson: don’t try to use a drill with a high speed carving bit, it won’t work.) Costs for power carving tools are not low, the Makita Die Grinder base will cost you about $100 and the cost is closer to $300 for a variable speed model. The Samurai and similar bits can be found here on the web, or call Tim 415-387-7398, he has a source to order them from.

Carving with Hand Tools

Although Power tools can be used for all the carving on a tree, many people like the texture and effect of using hand tools. Use power tools to remove the large amounts of wood, then use smaller gouges and fiber pulling techniques to give the wood a more natural appearance. This can be accomplished with as little as a branch cutter and wire pliers or you can buy gouges and other carving tools ranging from $30 to $300.

Tags: Carving, Olive