How deep to carve Shari?

[MrG]

Hey folks,

I am not finding this simple concept answered clearly (probably my fault but I have been trying to find it at least).

Should just the outer bark be removed to the cambium, or should the cambium be removed below to dig into the wood more?

I am contemplating how to hide some fine razor marks that I foolishly made in outlining my Shari moves… lesson learned obviously. I’m considering digging into the bark more now to hide the lines a bit if possible.

Best,
MG

 

[Srt8madness]

You want the cambium removed

 

[MrG]

Ok great thank you! In that case I will probably widen these strips just slightly and dig down to hopefully mask those ugly razor marks.

 

[johng]

sometimes a wire wheel on a dremel is a great way to hide tool marks...

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Time can also hide the tool marks, but with a little practice you can make none at all.
I got some round edged wood scrapers for my birthday a couple years ago and they're great for shari.
But I got some dremel bits as well, and they do just as fine of a job.

 

[MrG]

Time can also hide the tool marks, but with a little practice you can make none at all.
I got some round edged wood scrapers for my birthday a couple years ago and they're great for shari.
But I got some dremel bits as well, and they do just as fine of a job.

Nice - great to hear this and thank you!

Yea my big mistake was outlining the cuts at all. I had wood chisels but didn’t use them until after the initial cuts. Doh!

Do these photos look like I cut deep enough or do I need to remove more material?

Thanks all,
MG

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

The pics show a little green on the wood so I'd scratch it with a knife to make sure you destroy whatever cambium is left. Just so it doesn't grow back weirdly. But I think this is deep enough.
If it's not, you can always redo it.

 

[SeanS]

Don’t be too stressed about the cut marks. The cambium will start to heal from the outside inwards, over those marks. Then you go back in a year from now and widen the shari. Under the cambium that you remove that time will be new “wood” ( the white part that you expose) that will more than likely have grown and developed over the original cut marks.

It’s hard to explain, you need to do it and see it for yourself. Be patient with creating shari, the results of letting the new wood develop under the healing cambium is amazing when you see it for the first time!

Here’s a small juniper trunk I’ve been growing for the last 4 years. I’m grafting shimpaku onto it. Each of those lines you see in the shari are the successive layers of new wood that was laid down between each shari widening session. On the upper circular shari you can see nicely how the new wood gets laid down.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Developing shari is not a one time procedure as the cambium can grow back aggressively on healthy trees so don’t be surprised if the wound is almost healed over in a year. By repeating the process over multiple years you widen the shari and develop the striations that occur naturally in the wild.

 

[Japonicus]

I find it easiest to grab a splinter of bark/wood and use bonsai Jin pliers
to roll the bark down from above repeating until I get the depth and width I want.
Do not Jin completely down to soil line as rot can shorten the life of a bonsai.
You want The pliers to “spool” the wood around the tip as you roll it downwards.
A GOOD pair of needle nose pliers can do the same but is more tedious.
The dremmel with wire brush is also good to locate live vein edges to avoid trespassing.
Juniper can take a pretty good sized Shari 1st go of it.

 

[August44]

Can I get information and likes and dislikes of the model of a Dremel to use...corded, cordless, model number etc. Also what are the best attachment to get for the tool. I finally have decided to get one and would like input before doing so. Thanks for help.

 

[Japonicus]

Can I get information and likes and dislikes of the model of a Dremel to use...corded, cordless, model number etc. Also what are the best attachment to get for the tool. I finally have decided to get one and would like input before doing so. Thanks for help.

I'm using the corded 4000 model.
Corded will avoid any lithium ion battery fire and you're down time will not be due to a low battery.
Haven't graduated beyond the wire wheel yet as I only use mine to clean deadwood. Wire wheels don't last too long so have a few on hand.

 

[Japonicus]

@August44 no issues supporting fine jins with opposite finger and wire wheel contacting your skin, whereas sandpaper would break the finer jins.