Bald Cypress Bonsai - Year 4 is up! The tree is finally coming into focus.

The tree I dug out of the swamp in 2013 is in its fourth year of development.  I didn't get around to it until June, but that's okay for bald cypress bonsai.  I don't know that I would repot the tree in the Summer, but carving and wiring is fine.

I have a couple of new toys in the video.  

I have a Mastercarver Pro-Flex carver from woodcarverssupply.com.  I have several bits and chisels that fit it.  This is a great tool to have.  Note that I have it on an IV stand.  I got it from a medical supply rental company.  I asked for one at the end of its life-span.  Only cost me $32.  Some of you may have better luck with the price.

I also have a Uvex Bionic Shield.  I cannot say enough about this.  It has an anti-fog feature that actually works!  It fits well, is adjustable, and is out of my line of vision while I'm working.  It's also functional.  I had a wire brush on it that was throwing wires in my face and the shield made it through with nary a scratch.



Can't see the video in this window?  Here's the direct link: VIDEO LINK

08/12/2016 Edit: While working on this tree, I took a time-out to discuss the ale I was drinking.  So I made a tongue-in-cheek review of it. Bald Cypress Rule 9a: 9a: Bald cypress love it when you drink beer while working with them.

Can't see your video?

BrendanR wrote:Can't see your video?

Thanks for letting me know. I added a direct link to the bottom of the post. Just in case, HERE IT IS AGAIN

Edited original post to add link to the beer review.

bill - if the mastercarver is 1/2 a horse and ultra versatile, why bother with the HF die grinder (which is obviously more cumbersome and, i believe, has less power)

i ask because i have almost bought the HF grinder numerous times, but keep backing off for several reasons... one of which is, for bonsai, i think i would like to skip the cheap tool and invest in something good...

right now i am a click away from pulling the trigger on the mastercraft deluxe package...

(btw - nicely done video)

beer city snake wrote:bill - if the mastercarver is 1/2 a horse and ultra versatile, why bother with the HF die grinder (which is obviously more cumbersome and, i believe, has less power)

i ask because i have almost bought the HF grinder numerous times, but keep backing off for several reasons... one of which is, for bonsai, i think i would like to skip the cheap tool and invest in something good...

right now i am a click away from pulling the trigger on the mastercraft deluxe package...

(btw - nicely done video)

I may still be using the HF die-grinder out of habit. I tend to pigeonhole objects. The die grinder works well when trying to remove a large volume of wood. The Arbortech is the same, but it fits well in narrow areas. I could try using the die-grinder's router bit on the Mastercarver. I may end up liking it better.

Some die-grinder pros:
- Leveraged control. At 10:50, you can see how I have one hand at each end of the die-grinder. The front hand is the fulcrum. With the Mastercarver, I only have one hand to control the grinder and my wrist becomes the fulcrum.
- I can exert a good deal of pressure on the die-grinder without worry. The Mastercarver is a flex-shaft, and I'm concerned if I bear down on it, I might stress something somewhere.
- The die-grinder can also reach further than the Mastercarver. Not that you would be digging out things too far in, but the shaft of the die-grinder is about the same as the Mastercarver's hand-held tool. If you put that tool a few inches into a hole, you're losing control. Not so with the die-grinder.

Make sure to anchor the tree when carving on it. If you cannot fully anchor the tree, try to touch the tree while working on it. Just my little finger seems to be enough (WEAR GLOVES) to let me know where everything is in three dimensional space. If you don't have it anchored, the tree could be bouncing around or you may end up digging in too deep; bad things can happen to your tree.

(btw - thanks for watching)

thanks for more food for thought and the addnl tips...

finger still hovering over trigger