Project Dolphins

While I was cleaning out the workshop last weekend, I came across a set of plans for carving Dolphins which I had purchased a long long time ago (15 or 20 years ago) at the Brisbane Working With Wood Show.  I did attempt to do the project back then, but I never really finished them (poor choice of wood combined with lack of equipment and tools).  As I now have the necessary tools and a little more time up my sleeves, I decided that it would be nice to attempt the project once again.

I decided to use some hardwood ply that I had left over from a previous project and marked out the pieces and proceeded to cut them free hand on the bandsaw.  The next task was to dowel and glue the sections together and clamp them ready for the next stage.  I had already decided how I wanted to display the Dolphins which consisted of a mother and two calves.  I had made a small laminated board from some scrap Camphor Laurel while practicing with the thicknesser and router and decided that it would make a nice base for the setting.

Having done the roughing out last weekend, this weekend was set aside for fitting the fins and a awful lot of hand sanding (note to self, must get an orbital sander).  I spent a lot of time trying to complete one of the calves.