Popular Woodworking 2009-06 № 176, страница 43

Layout and the Arch

When I come hack to the panel to do the carving, I fin* take a few light passes with a very sharp plane to produce the final finish tothe surface. Then I mark out the margins andccnicrtinc. I Icavecxtra lengthomhciop and bottom ends of the panel, but lirimil to the final width. Thecxccssat thcendsallows me to nail t he panel to a hackhoard of pine that is in turn held to the bench with a pair of iron holdfasts. This way the holdfastsare not in the way of the carving, Alternately >ou could fix the picce to the bench with dogs and a vise. The holdfast is nice because it holdsthe stockdown.

The pattern I carved in the following photographs is one fromagroup of chests attributed to Thomas Dennis (16*8-1706) of Ipswich. Mass. Additionally there are numerous examples of related carvings on chests in Devon. England. This group

show? a wide variety of patterns and ideas, and consequent ly. I have used and adapt.-d them over and over again. I often combine elements from research photographs and notes I have collected over t he years. Sorre-timesa chest I build will be a direct copy of a piece; Other timesthey are combined frcm a couple of period examples.

After fixing the panel to the bench and markinga verticalcenterline and margins, the first step is to scribe with a compass in arch at the top of the panel. This is about tl»e extent of the layout for the caned panel

With a V-tool and mallet, I cut the oat-lines for t hisarch. I usea turned mallet made from hickory. The first one lasted about 10 years before it was too beat up to keep. N<w it knocks live wedge on my pole latlie, and this mallet Is my second one. It weighsabcut 28 ounces.

After the arch is cut. the next step isto

outline the basic shapes of the panel. 1 eyeball a spacingapproximatelyonethird of the way-down the panel and cut the tulip-shaped fronds that connect back to the arch. The angle at which I hold the V-tool s handle in relation to the panel dictates the depth of the cut. The lower the handle, the shallower the cut. ilk- higher the handle, the deeper the cut. Beginners tend to cut too shallow. Too shallow a cut is actually more difficult to steer, being more likely to veer off the intended path.

I don't use a pencil to mark out the shape I want tocut, but sometimes I might scribe a ghost of a line with an awl. Even then, what 1 scribe and what I carve will vary. Work first one side of the vertical centerline. then the opposite. Keep aiming Cor tin- general shape, not lor perfect symmetry. Although a template is not used for this style of carving, the gaal is toachieve a generally symmetrical

find the right angle. I lere I m defining the tulip stupe hetoss• the arch. Defining the leasts. A tow down to the kisser third of the panel and use Mxe the angle of the tool. LkJng too shaBc*s> of an angle will make it dii' a V400I to define the drooping leatvs emerging from the um. ficut to steer.