Festive Sleigh Project

[ChrisAlb]

Yea it's a toss up. If I carve him with the sides the sleigh remains open for putting things in like Michael suggested. I'm also toying with the idea of carving the runners and sides as one piece.

[mtylerfl]

Yea it's a toss up. If I carve him with the sides the sleigh remains open for putting things in like Michael suggested. I'm also toying with the idea of carving the runners and sides as one piece.

I LOVE it! Whichever you decide, it's going to be really nice! Good work.

[Digitalwoodshop]

Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding...... We have a WINNER......

FaNtastic Work Chris !!!!!!

AL

[fwharris]

Chris,

Great addition to the sleigh! Glad to see your back in action and adding new ideas!

[tstryk]

Well, I'm on my THIRD sleigh and still having fun with it!

[mtylerfl]

Well, I'm on my THIRD sleigh and still having fun with it!

Good for you, Terry!

Next year I'm gonna start making some early on - a lot of folks wanted me to make them one, but I only had time to make three this year!

[tstryk]

For some reason, the file with the runners must have gotten corrupted - twice in a row it cut one of the runners in half. I just deleted the outline and made a new one....so far so good! I bought some of that cherrywood gel stain but it did not come out like yours - no red tint and I am using white pine as you did (if memory serves me correctly). But then, the challenges are part of the fun of it!

[Dan-Woodman]

Micheal
Will you be doing a set of reindeer to go along with the sliegh next year? I know ther has beem some posted but they seam wimsical for such a decorative sliegh.
later Daniel

[jcorder]

Hey Chris, that is a great pattern. If you don't mind my asking, what program did you use to design that?

Thanks
Jeff

[mtylerfl]

For some reason, the file with the runners must have gotten corrupted - twice in a row it cut one of the runners in half. I just deleted the outline and made a new one....so far so good! I bought some of that cherrywood gel stain but it did not come out like yours - no red tint and I am using white pine as you did (if memory serves me correctly). But then, the challenges are part of the fun of it!

Hi Terry,

Glad the runner mpc is behaving itself after the "re-outline"!

The gel-stain is pretty strange stuff to work with if you've not used it before. I recall the first time I used it - the directions say to stir thoroughly. I looked at that semi-solid gel in the can and thought, "How the heck do you stir THAT?" It wasn't easy with a full can!

Anyway...I apply a coat and wipe it all off with a rag, then I apply another light coat immediately and "wipe" that one off with a DRY brush. I wipe with the brush, then wipe the brush off with a rag, wipe the stain, wipe the brush, etc. until all the excess stain is removed and have achieved the desired color. If the stain starts "setting up" before I'm done dry-brushing, then I know I didn't work fast enough!

You do have to work rather fast and I want to say it's almost like "painting". (It will have a "tacky" surface until it dries completely). I learned a whole new technique to finishing using the gel-stains!

MinWax makes another stain (not gel) called Sedona Red. It has a fairly strong red tint to it. You could apply that over the gel stained piece to get a deeper reddish color.