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Show Progress, February Wood carving a one of the few commercial woods you can get in this area that is suitable for carving," he said. "This wood is dried in the kiln so that it's cured, and Herald Correspondent Sometimes PeoSANTAQUIN ple are led into new ventures through some innocent encounter. So it was with Archie Alexander who took on wood carving as a goal to teach scouts, and ended up with a new and profitable hobby. Alexander has been carving wood for nearly nine years. "It's hard to say when I started, it's been a long time," he said. He began carving as a boy scout leader and wanted to help the scouts get their woodcarving merit badge. He picked up a knife, started carving and found it was very enjoyable. The boys achieved their merit badge, and basically quit. But Alexander just kept carving. The encouragement of friends, it made it a lot easier to keep him going. "The primary thing of carving is not so much for other people as it is for your own satisfaction. I find it to be probably the best means of relieving pressure for yourself, just relaxing. Everyone has pressures in business and other pressures that affect you. Carving releases that. It's really a great way to look at life; it's a great relief for the cares of the world," said Alexander. There are different types of wood to use. He generally uses bass wood that comes the lindon tree that grows in the Mississippi River valley area. .. i. t ji i uii m m mil. u. t u ... .i.'.i I'wi'y'HK',". e " y t'V ;r:.','."!' er items), W"rty.''';.f Herald Staff Writer cottonwood, hard "A lot of people like to carve with walnut, cherry and other hard woods," he said. He has carved a variety of objects. "I haven't pick out one particular line. I have carved birds, fish, characters (faces and figures of his carvings favorite subjects), snakes and other things. Sometimes it's fun to do novelty things such as arrow through a bottle, or a carving a pair of pliers from one solid piece of wood. I always enjoy things like that," he said. He uses a lot of quaking aspen, which he finds while camping. After finding the wood, he discovers it's personality. "Every piece you work on brings out the feeling and personality of the piece of wood. You get to know what it will be before you finish, "he said. According to Alexander, carvers generally have a particular object in mind when they select the 7.: operating individual ward buildings and social programs for ward members. This other payment was called ward budget. The new plan calls for ward budget to be paid with tithing funds in wards in the United States and Canada. Announcement of the new program was announced to LDS members in their wards, in most cases by the reading of the Nov. 15 letter from the church's first presidency about the change in church meet- al Ivi i ,.,, ings. Carin Green photo Archie Alexander displays some of the results of his wood wood. They pick the wood according to size and dimension. "Generally you lay your project out to match the grain of the wood so that you have fine parts line up with the grain for the detail parts. This helps the wood have more strength if you run the grain the right way. If you don't, the fine parts break off easily," Some larger pieces need gluing, which is acceptable. "You get into real large carving, and it's very difficult to find a piece of wood big enough to make the larger carvings, so gluing larger pieces is quite common. A lot of your large pieces will be hollowed out to avoid the weight and glued back together." The first snake Alexander carved was from a piece of quaking aspen he found on the mountain. "As I looked at the wood I saw it had the potential of a snake. I vV.'s rattler ready to strike is one of Archie's works. that home and brought the features out that I wanted. Some- took times you'll see something in a piece of wood, and it's a challenge to bring that out," he said. Most wood carvers begin with a pocket knife. But, as skills increase, they get an exacto knife, and then chisel. Ultimately they end up with power tools, such as a Dremel or Foredom, which are specialized tools for carving. A type of hand grinder completes the fine detail work and takes the wood off like a knife (but it's much faster). "It's hard after you've used power tools for so long to go back to a knife because it's so slow. to That is the skill of carving maintain the patience for what you want to do," he said. Alexander has become a power-too- l carver because he can accomplish so much more in less time. He still uses a knife to touch the items up. can ing ventures. He has been supporting in the area for some time, serving in various positions of the Wasatch Whittlers "& (WWW), LcludingTresi-dent- . wood-carve- rs Wood-carve- rs He has represented the and Utah Woodcarvers Association working extensively with the management of the Monte L. Bean Museum to start the annual Bean Museum Woodcarving Show which has been held for the last three years. Alexander said local area are in the process of putting together a national woodcarving contest and show that will be held in conjunction with the Freedom Festival on July 4, 1990. "I do this for my own enjoyment, not for the commercial or economic gain. I give away more of my carvings to my children WWW wood-carve- and friends. My rs kids come through and like a certain piece, and the next thing I know they have it hanging on their walls." "For many years we and our predecessors have looked to the day when tithes and offerings would cover essentiall all expenses incident to Church membership," the letter read in part. "We have been concerned over the financial burdens resting upon some church members who have, notwithstanding these pressures, been faithful in paying their tithes and fast offerings and also have made substantial contributions to ward budgets. "We have now reached the point where initially in the United States and Canada, general church funds can be made available to cover all ward, branch, and stake expenses." Mark Wolsey, bishop of the Cherry Hill 6th Ward in Orem, said he welcomed the change and said the announcement that came in November may have been the biggest financial announcement pronounced by the church's first presidency since the emphasis on paying tithing pronounced by the first presidency under church president Lorenzo Snow. "My first reaction was that this is a major change in Church policy," Wolsey said. He said it may make the work of U.S. bishoprics easier in the long run. But he said the transition may initially tax the mental resources of some bishoprics. (See BUDGET, Page 8) East Bay Business Center Featured by Site Selection Magazine as one of America's premier business locations s ite Selection Magazine says East mixed-usBay "is home to a 450-acr- hotels and restaurants e a business and research center For different ambience. decidedly example, East Bay Business Center's environment contains campus-lik- plentiful, inexpensive power, municipally-owne- d with e extensively landscaped open space, waterways and even a wildlife habitat." near downtown Provo's financial district W0MW near Brigham Young University MiA 0 areas internationally famous nearby educated, productive labor pool Major Tenants: For more information: Novell. Inc. Dynix. Inc. Department of Economic Development 152 West Center Street Sears Telecatalog Center Professional Lithographers Inc. Provo. Utah 84501 (801)379-619- ZCMI U.S. Regional Post Office mimjtHmi Price Savers Wholesale Warehouse I McDonald's Arby's Va'ley Bank Chuck-a-Ham- & Part City RecrejKXi Am Trust a Payiess Shoes I Deseret Book Bjreaj k of business center Pnri 1 East Bay Golf Club Dayfc-ea- Airport a i & 1 l Your East Bay features that attract new businesses: corver.ett location 5 rrmutes from Salt Lake lr,:e-r.- oral Airpon i oay Reciaaiic1 Day Care 27 ho'e goif course cee'C:a' 'eta:! certer 7 The LDS Church's dropping its policy of asking its members to pay an annual budget fee came as a surprise to many Mormons. In addition to paying the 10 percent of their income members believe their God asks them to pay into the Church's tithing program, members had also shared costs of woods. J Page By PATRICK CHRISTIAN Carta Green photo A !'.'." dried properly for woodcarving and wood working." He advises new carvers to use the dried woods that can be bought commercially. There are many other woods which are suitable for carving, such as quaking aspen (for small- he said. .V.vN. ". - new uiluyei system was a surprise to most wards hobby for local man life-lon- g "It's really By CARIN GREEN THE HERALD, Provo. Utah, 25, 1990 oay Business Belongs in Phase II |