Love creating things from wood but hate the sanding? Tad Fyock did, and his search for an easier way lead him in a new direction. Although Tad calls himself a wood carver -- technically he's a wood grinder. This DIYer uses a high-speed grinder spinning at around 40,000 rpm's to carve some pretty neat stuff. "It was in a gift shop while on vacation that I saw a small, hand carved, wooden wall hanging," Tad explains. Thinking that he could at least match the quality of the item for sale, he got out some carving knives and gave it a shot. He loved the carving but couldn't stand the sanding. That dislike for having to smooth the edges led Tad to discover high speed grinding. "With the grinding," Tad says, "you don't have to sand." He uses Tupelo wood because it's soft and doesn't have much of a grain. "It's great for grinding because it just turns to sawdust", he adds. The grinder Tad uses is a high-speed rotary grinder similar to a dental grinder. Grinders can cost from $50 up to $1,000. While Tad's grinder cost him $800, he's been using it for 12 years. Tad also has an impressive array of interchangeable bits for his grinder, enabling him to create the intricate and subtle textures of his work. Tad suggests trying an inexpensive grinder just to see if you like the process. Carving is only a part of Tad's repertoire. After creating his wooden carvings Tad paints them in vivid colors using acrylic paints. He prefers acrylics because they are fast drying and easy to layer. His creations are so accurate they easily fool the eye. "It's really very simple, trust your eyes," says Tad. "The eyes do a better job of telling your fingers what to do than your brain can." What Tad's eyes usually see is a story. A cardinal perches a top a rusted water spigot, waiting for a drop of water to splatter on the rocks below. A small wren headed for its nest rests on the handle of a garden spade. The spade, embedded in the dirt of a terra cotta pot, sits in an aged and cracked saucer (figure A). Tad's color shading is extremely lifelike and adds a rich dimension to his carvings. If you're interested in learning more about carving, Tad advises searching the Internet for wood carving forums or taking a class from a school such as the John C. Campbell Folk Art School in North Carolina, where he occasionally instructs.
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