An interesting commission to create a wall panel/carving in Butternut of a Bonsai tree. The client furnished the design concept.
The initial excavation around the tree was done with a hand-held router. Unfortunately, I was waiting in line for cataract surgery and my vision was getting worse by the day.
The roughed-out design and background.
Here I am trying to decide on the relative heights of the different areas of the “tree”. It was at this point my vision had gotten so poor I decided to seek help from my friend Neil Cox, a wonderful carver.
With Neil’s help we found a “style” for the foliage we liked which allowed us to work the foliage in clumps somewhat similar to a Pine Tree. Neil roughed out the foliage while I had my first eye surgery.
Here I am lowering the background a little more after most of the carving was done.
Next came a period of careful clean up and undercutting. By this time both my operations were over and my eyesight was like new.
A first coat of oil applied. I added Neil’s name to the carving in thanks.
The completed carving mounted in place in the sunroom of my client’s home.
1. The prepared blanks in White Oak were mounted on the lathe. The blanks were very heavy.
2. The blanks were all turned to cylinders so I could see what I was dealing with.
3. The cylinders were turned down to specified dimensions.
4. The carvings were laid out on the blanks to best work with the grain.
5. Roughing out around the carvings.
6. The blanks were then cleaned around the areas left for carving.
7. The carving details are laid out.
8. Roughing out the carvings.
9. Shaping and cleaning comes next.
10. Applying the buttons.
11. The finished legs after the buttons have been shaped and a final cleanup has been done.
12. The legs being applied to the dining table base in the cabinet shop.
1. I had a picture frame design in mind for a nice print. It is hard to make something original when it comes to frames. Once approval was given and Ash was chosen as the material, the machining process began. I created a jig to hold the frame pieces on an angle through the Thickness Planer.
2. The inner and outer frames glued up using keys to reinforce the mitres.
3. Fitting the ebony pegs and checking the alignment of mortices on the inner and outer frame pieces. The sample is in the middle.
4. The frame disassembled and the finish being applied.
5. The Ebony pegs being inserted and pinned in place.
6. The completed frame hanging on the wall.
1. The commission was for 32 White Oak newel post caps to sit atop 32 newel posts in a large residence. Blanks were glued up in long lengths before being machined to size.
2. Cutting the angles on the top.
3. Rough blanks ready to carve. The sample carving for customer’s approval is in the front row left.
4. Laying out the design.
5. Routing away excess material on the sides.
6. Routing excess material on the top with a smaller router.
7. Turning the button at the top of the cap.
8. The carving was done in stages to ensure uniformity across all 32 pieces.
9. Using a different style of vise to gain access to difficult areas.
10. Final clean up.
11. Sanding the bottom area most of which will be covered with a moulding used to secure the cap to the post.
12. Ready to ship.
1. Every design starts with a concept drawing. I wanted to make a small entrance cabinet with drawers in the style of Art Nouveau. The design was fairly ambitious so the shop drawing was kept fairly simple.
2. The initial glue up of the front frame. The design rested on this area of the piece.
3. Preliminary shaping of the front. Carving in mirror image side to side is tough.
4. Before long the carcass needed to be glued up so carving could proceed evenly around the sides.
5. Lots of shaping to be done. A friend gave me an electric carving machine to try out.
7. As the design evolved I eventually added a cock-bead around the inside of the front opening to add detail.
6. The carcass frame is starting to take shape.
8. All the drawers ready to go.
9. The cabinet is almost complete. Here I am gluing on the false fronts in place.
10. The cabinet disassembled while I begin to apply the finish.
11. The cabinet ready to go.