Creative Woodworks & crafts 2005-04, страница 23
J Fig, 1, Maple burf cap with very fine detail Fig. 3. Grey elm burl cap Internet suppliers who sell caps by using a search engine and keywords such as "burl cap," "(op piece," and several wood types such as maple or redwood. A third way to source caps is through suppliers at woodworking shows. For some reason, my supplier, tidgar, is always sold out. (He did iiave some very nicc elm and box eider caps recently, bctoic 1 bought the whole box!) What to look tor In a burl cap Aside from the obvious "must fit in a scroll saw'" rule of two inches or less thick, look for (lie following characteristics: -The surface area should be free of deep indentations, which will limit the surface area you have to work with. -The thickness of the cap should run consistently from thin to thick from the edge lo the center. -The surface of the cap should have interesting features, i.e.. don't buy bald caps. -The detail on the surfacc should be to the scale of die castle dial you plan to make. h'or example, if you want to make a simple castle with one or two towers, coarser featuies on the surfacc work well. If you want a complex multi-ticrcd castle, then you have to have features that fit that scale. The maple bud in Figure 1 is an example of fine features, whereas the one in Figure 2 lias much coarscr features. -The bottom of the cap should be flat and free of any major dcfcct. -The bottom of the cap should also have attractive lines and swirls in il, as these will show up in the sides of the castles. -The edge of the burl should be free of any major gouges or cracks. -The shape of the burl should look like an area of a hill or small mountain for ihe castle to sit on. In general, 1 look for smaller caps bccause they make better castles. If I find attractive bigger ones, I tend to cut chcm into picces so I can make smaller castles (see Figs. 4 and 5). Just use a No. 5 or No. 7 blade with the scroll saw at 90" and cul out natural shapes (ovals, triangles, rcctangles, etc.) that would make good platforms for castles. A few words of warning: the cap features can be very sharp, so you have to be careful when handling them, and you may have to wear protective gloves to properly hold down the cap when you are cutting the castle. Basic principles for making a castle 1 use normal fret cutting techniques at a slight angle from 90° true to cul: ihe castles. By doing fret cutting, the structural integrity of the cap is maintained and I can also pul in fitter dclail by using finer blades. Each castle is composed of conccntiic pieces, which I normally cut. from the inside out. I leave an outer ring of cap as the "ground" dial the castle was bui lt on, so you should consider this as you arc cutting out from the center and leave enough spacc for that outer "ground" ring. Always consider perspective when deciding where to cut, as you likely want the castle 1o have more room at its front when it is finished. This would normal ly mean that the tower should be slightly to the rear of the castle to give it better perspcciivc when on display. For more complex castles, I use multiple towers by essentially creating smaller castles within a larger one. YVTicn I do this, I find it easier lo cut the outside of ihe entire castle first, but we'll start with a single tower in the next scction. hi all cases, die castle design is fteel'orm, (lough not lo have those lines to follow for the first little while), but you should liy lo incorporate features in the burl cap into the design. For example, there are usually round bumps in the cap thai can be used as the top of a tower, so cul Ihcm that way. Castles also look best when you avoid straight lines, so I lend to use lots of cun'es in the freeform culling. You always have to k«:p in mind that you arc cutting wood, so you should leave enough width in each ring so that: the castle walls arc strong enough. Hence, when you are cutting the rings, keep in mind that you have to allow sufficient width for as many of the rings as you plan to cut (usually three to five for a simple castle). Making a simple castle If you still have money for the clcchic bill alter die eBay experience, start by cleaning the top of the burl cap with a hard bristle or paintbrush and sanding the bottom of the cap smooth. Place the cap down in front of you and kx)k at the top. 'there is a castle in there waiting to comc out. and what you have lo decide is where it is. continued on page 24 CreatNB Woolworks & Crafts April 20C5 • 23 Fig. 5. &url cap from Figure 4, after being cut up for smaller rasties Fig. 2. Spafted maple burl cap with coarse features |
