Woodworker's Journal 2008-32-6, страница 52

mallet; you'll maintain lots of control that way. As you go along, make minute adjustments to the angle of your gouge, in order to maintain appropriate depth without digging too deeply or cutting so shallow that you lose your cut. Carving simple lines like these effectively should only require one pass, but if you need to make another one to refine certain areas, read the grain and "work" each side of the cut to avoid unsightly tearout.

A few swipes of shellac in the carving lines completed the project. There you have it. Feel free to sit, stand, jump or park a tank on top of this bench. You won't find a much sturdier piece of furniture or a tougher wood from which to build it. It's gorgeous, too, just like the great American Southwest.

Frank Grant is a professional woodworker and a frequent contributor to Woodworker's Journal.

Mesquite carves surprisingly well and holds nice, crisp details. Just be careful in those cross-grain areas that are close together, to avoid a potential chip of wood breaking free. If this happens (and you can find the chip), simply glue it back in place, like a real woodcarver would do. Go nice and slow with the gouge and

The tid supports have a dovetailed edge, which is captured by the two sections of the top assembly. See the Drawings for details.

To Carve or Not.

We understand that carving is not something every woodworker would choose to do. It is, however, a traditional element in this type of Southwestern furniture. Carving atso is one of Frank Grant's signature design motifs, so it just made sense to include it in our design. But if carving is just not your cup of tea, don't let that keep you from making this fun and practical project.To prove the point, we asked Frank to make a second entry bench out of mesquite, identical to the first, but without the carving. As you can see in the photo above, the beauty of the wood and the construction elements of the bench are sufficient to make this a beautiful project without the carving. Even so, simple relief carving is within reach of most woodworkers. If you try it out, it just may show up in your work on a regular basis.

— The Editors

Woodworker's Journal December 2008

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