Epoxy & Wood Carved into a Grizzly Bear

What should I carve next???

As a granite fabricator we drill holes with wet/dry diamond core bits attached to grinders with the speed down low and works perfectly you can find 3/16 core bits up to as big as you want or need water helps cool the bit so the stone won't crack or burn the bit up but they make core bits especially for dry use as well they are a little more aggressive depending on the stone you are drilling through

I watched the whole thing, which isn’t unusual. What was unusual is that my wife also watched the whole thing and was wildly impressed. Great video man!

The grain on the fish is mental. That's some fine looking wood

Youtube is full of people working with wood and epoxy. But only few of them are actually artists. Wow man, wow.

Don't know if I'm the only one but the dark cracks in the wood with fill look like battle scars on the bear. Really adds a whole entire story on the piece. Absolutely phenomenal

Something that's worked for me in the past when drilling into rock/hard stone products is to build a volcano shaped dam (out of plumber's putty) around where you want to drill the hole. You put either water, or lubricating oil in there to help keep your bits cooled/lubricated and ease the process of drilling your hole. I just the same technique when I'm doing ceramic tile work as well, and tile can be even more finicky at times. Hope this helps. ✌️😎

Impressive. The bear at 4:06 is prolly the closest I could get to anything resembling a bear with my utmost best effort.

I absolutely love your art work!!!!! The bear is in a class all by its self.....you are the greatest and so talented.....you pay such close attention to details.....enjoy watching you keep it up......thank you

As others have suggested, diamond core drill bits are the choice for stone. For slate, it'll need to be kept wet, and drill in small stages, a few mm at a time at low pressure. Also, avoid the arrow head bits used for tile etc, and no hammer setting. Slate is brittle, and can chip and flake away super easily, if you use chisel tips, and the hammer setting can just shatter slate. There are other options, like ultrasonic drills, but that's just throwing $$$ at a simple problem. Love your work!

As always, amazing work. Regarding your choice of drill bits, you used carbide tipped drill bits for masonry. But you weren't drilling into masonry. Try out diamond hole saws. They come in a large variety of sizes. I can get them at the local lumber yard. They work great for stone and ceramic tile. You should use a thin piece of wood and drill a pilot hole. This is your guide. It will keep the hole saw from walking. Then line it up and use the diamond hole saw. Keep a small trickle of water on the bit. It doesn't go fast, but it will go 100 times faster than a masonry bit. I can drill holes in stone, but I could never carve like you.

Your skill AND talent just shine on this incredible piece! Thank you for the video. I love seeing the accuracy and correctness that you achieve!

there's three things i love about this video. one this artist shares his process form beginning to end . second although he is and amazing artist he is willing to experiment. to get the job done.and the best one is he knows his tools and work but he is still a student and willing to learn from others and ask questions and take suggestions.

Make sure you add extra dust filtering to that Mini-Split if you are working with a lot of dust. I had one and it clogged within a few days causing the humidity to build up in the unit and run down the wall, eventually swamping the circuit board. They warranty things very quickly though, so cudos to Mr. Cool for that.

One thing I found out rather quickly after I installed my mini-split in my shop a few years ago.... If your shop generates a lot of dust, you MUST clean those filters regularly. There is a dramatic effect on cooling when the evaporator filters are clogged and they clog surprisingly fast. Just a heads up :)

My absolute favorite so far. The contrast of the clear epoxy on the head and the beautiful wood grain of the fish is stunning. Impressive.

I'd love to see you and Cam at Blacktail do a collaboration, the two best wood artists on YouTube by far!

What a beauty! The grain in the bear is beautiful and the addition of the fish with its amazing grain, just finishes the sculpture perfectly.

As a former contractor, I would recommend getting an SDS drill. I have two different weights. I have drilled in everything including slate with holes as small as 1/8" to 12" holes in foundations which take many holes. The trick is not to put downward pressure on the drill. Let the drill do the work. The weight of the drill is enough. I use standard SDS bits available at any of the big box stores. An SDS drill holds the bit more firmly which gives faster drilling and more control. Regular hammer drills have too much slop. I don't use water or other lubricant which will cut down on the cutting action and can cause more chipping in slate from the paste. If the bit starts to get hot, I dip it in a cup of water and continue. Clear the dust regularly to keep the cutting going. This is the more modern way from the old manual star bits I used when younger. Practice on a piece of scrap to get used to the bouncing. Most SDS drills have three modes, regular drill, hammer drill, and just hammer for chisels. This gives more versatility. Stone carvers use the hammer feature.

This is incredibly beautiful, you are obviously a well talented sculpturest. I can't wait to see you create another sculpture. Thanks