Creative Woodworks & Crafts-059-1998-Fall, страница 45

For a good contrast of light and shadow, make your cuts at a 65 degree angle in the wood (see Fig. 3). When making curved cuts, stand the knife up as shown in Fig. 4. The tighter the curve, the more perpendicular the knife must be to the wood. If you drag an excess amount of metal around the cut, it will generally create a chatter or a choppy appearance. Remember, however, that the 65 degree side tilt of the blade must remain constant. Making crescent-shaped chips where curved lines are drawn will add fullness and a three-dimensional appearance to your carving.

To carve straight lines successfully, train your eye to look ahead of the blade. Never look at the blade itself and never use a straight edge as a guide.

When two tapered chips of the same shape must be brought to a single point (see Fig. 5), you will be able to keep the center ridge straight and unbroken if you bring only one chip all the way to the center and hold the

second back slightly. This is especially true when cutting cross grain.

Make all of your cuts only as deep as necessary to remove a chip. Avoid any excessive undercutting that might inadvertently remove wood you want to remain. Your work should look clean and crisp, so don't leave little bits of wood in the bottom of your cuts.

You may want to lightly sand the box and lid edges, but be careful not to sand away the carved areas, and do not use your carving knives on the box lid after you have sanded. Remove any sawdust, then apply finish

of choice.

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Based on Chip Carving Patterns by Wayne Barton, reprinted by permission of Sterling Publishing, Co., Inc., 387 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10016, c 1990 by Wayne Barton.

The Best of Creative Woodworks & Crafts 1998 45