Valentine's model update

So, I've started working on a model for Valentine's Day which involves Cupid and a couple of hearts. Here are some pics of the work in progress:

This is my new drill press stand. It has a solid construction and is pretty accurate. I used it for my pinwheel gears.

The blank frame

My original sketches made on tracing paper to transfer to the lime wood.

A view of the friction wheel to rotate Cupid and the larger pinwheel gear

Cupid's body

Cupid's legs clamped into place while drying. My carving wasn't very accurate unfortunately which left gaps between the body and the legs. I filled these in with a mixture of lime wood sawdust and wood glue and let it dry and then sanded it down.

The main drive gear added to test. Unbelievably, it meshed the first time!

Hearts

Another new toy which allows my drill to become almost like a lathe and sander. The drill can be angled in this holder to add more flexibility. I shall be putting in a sanding disc to aid quick sanding. You can see a vacuum cleaner int he background which I use as a dust extractor to do this.

First arm added

Another little project. Since I don't have my own workshop space, I needed to make a little unit to store my most commonly used tools as previously, everything was stored on the floor. I have since added an extra shelf.

Another view

The carving for the second arm was more intricate so I broke the arm up into sections which I then stuck together with pins and glue

Second arm in place

The head. It was a bit large at this stage so I trimmed it down a bit

That's better

Action shot

Rather than have the hair pre-cut, I found it easier to handle at this length. I could then trim it afterwards

Haircut and coat of paint. I think the colour of lime wood has nice flesh tones but the sawdust/lime wood mixture I made hadn't kept this colour. Therefore, I had to paint the model to get an even colour.

Side view

 

 

 

With bow

More pics to follow. I think I've been concentrating on the characters a bit too much recently. I need to focus on the actual mechanism now to see if it works.

It's a friend's 40th birthday in March, so I need to make a model for him too. It'll involve a moustache.