Creative Woodworks & Crafts-059-1998-Fall, страница 49

Gouge patterns

H§ Each gouge has an arc which can be used in various combinations to make decorative pat-r terns. With a liLlle Lime and imagination, you :can press the tools inLo pieces of scrap wood H to discover Lhe arcs each will make, and then m combine these arcs to create geometric or H floral patterns. For example, a No. 5 tool has H| the arc shown in Fig. 7. By turning the Lool IS to make use of its concave and convex func-|§ tions, you can make a variety of forms like Lhe |§ ones shown. You can imagine the endless If possibilities when Lools of various sweeps and lp sizes are combined. The design shown in Fig. Il 8 was made using this technique.

m Creating a level-surface carving

m If you are doing a curved edge design, it is 11 helpful to make the arcs malch Lhe gouges l| you have.

Set in Lhe lines with chisels, gouges, and a

Fig. 5. An example of a simple chase carving.

Fig. 6. A chisel pattern composed entirely of straight lines.

In chase carving, gouges and V tools are used to incise designs in the wood without taking away the background or modeling Lhe forms. A good place to begin is with Lhe example shown in Fig. 5. The pattern is a single line drawing.

Use carbon paper to transfer Lhe design onlo a piece of hardwood. With a No. 11-2mm gouge, carve an even groove along the lines of the pattern. Two hinls: first to follow a line, dissect it with one edge of the blade. Focus on just one edge of the tool as it culs through the line. Sccond, keep a consistent tool depth by controlling lhe angle of the tool with your blade hand (see the accompanying sidebar). You must grasp the Lool firmly with that hand—you increase or decrease the depth by raising or lowering the handle. Note: never bury the corners of a carving tool, and never twist or pry with it. ft is safe lo use considerable forcc straight ahead, even with a mallet, but twisting is very hard on the edge.

Level-surface carving

In chase carving, the design is cut into the surface. With level-surface carving, however, the background is carved away—the remaining surface becomes the design.

Chisel patterns

Designs that are composed solely of straight lines are set in with chisels. It's easy to lay these types of patterns out on graph paper simply by shading in the areas that are to be removed. Most of the designs are composed of repeated patterns; so a small area can be designed and then repeated to fill the space to be decorated, as shown in the frame section of Fig. 6.

Fig. 3. Move the gouge side to side, while at the same time rotating it, to grind the entire sweep.

Fig. 4. Polish the cutting edge of the tool by pulling it across a leather strop.