Carved Applique Restoration
25 Jan 2012 2 Comments
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Here is a piece that just came in. It’s for a piece of furniture that a local company is refinishing. They send me pieces from time to time that need repair, duplication or in this case just splice in some wood and complete the carving. I originally wanted to re-carve the pieces but they felt they would have no problem matching the stain and having the repair disappear. Besides , it saved them some money I don’t think they budgeted for.
The photos and brief description tell the story.
Here are the two pieces in need of repair. The overall piece is approx. 11″ X 3 1/2″ X 1/4 inch. As you can see the bottom of the pieces have been knocked off. I started by making a pattern using the top edge of the piece for reference. As these are mirror images the one pattern worked for both. I simply placed a piece of card stock under the carving lining it up with the top edge for reference and just drew what I thought the missing piece looked like.
Once I had my pattern I then went to the table saw and cut away the remaining damaged sections on each piece getting back to solid wood where there was no damage. One would pass into the saw with no problem using the top edge as a guide. The other had to be placed over the saw with the blade down and then gradually brought up to cut through the piece as the top edge and location of the broken piece wouldn’t allow me to make a conventional pass through the saw. Then a simple matter of completing the cut using my band saw.
Once the cut was made I used my pattern to determine just how big , and what shape the repair piece needed to be. I cut the repair piece out of a matching ( grain wise) mahogany that was cut to the thickest dimension of the applique. Once the piece fit perfectly I glued and clamped it into position. The sections I glued in were approx. 3 1/2 ” long, and one was 2 1/4″ and the other 3 1/4″ wide
Here is the right side piece with the new wood glued in place. I then drew the design on the wood and followed with my router on this piece to remove the deepest part of the design to match the depth of the rest of the carving. Then with my chisels carved the rest of the design following the contours of the original. Pretty simple as carving goes as it was primarily bevels . Then a quick sand with some 220 blended it perfectly with the original piece.
The resulting carving on the new section matches just fine with the old section. I always have to restrain myself doing pieces like this as I’d do the accent lines differently but in cases like this I have to remember to try and match the “hand” of the original carver and the style of their carving.
The left side didn’t require me to use the router as the splice didn’t extend into the deeper area of the carving. This, with the Mahogany , was a few quick passes with a #2 wide chisel to essentially complete what was needed in the way of carving. The small area inside the curve was a #5 to create a bit of a curve then finish it off with a few passes of the #15 to complete the small lines. Generally before doing the small lines such as the ones here, you have to sand the piece to it’s final shape and then add the lines. Otherwise you’ll just sand away some of the crispness of the lines and have to do them over.
Well that’s the job. Now call the client and have them pick them up. Hope you found something useful here. Things like this are a welcome break from the norm, are fun and a bit interesting to do, and it still adds something to the cash flow.
Thanks,
Mark
Shaving Bowl and Stand
24 Jan 2012 Leave a Comment
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I made this piece some time ago when I got interested in using as well as restoring vintage razors, both double edge as well as straight razors.
The reason I’m posting it now is because I just made a razor to match the set.
It’s made from Cherry, the same as the rest of the pieces. The blade was in fair condition, but I restored that to a mirror finish after fixing several issues with it and modifying the shape a bit. For these handles which will be exposed to water I use CA as a finish to stabilize the wood.
The blade as you can see has a bit of wear to it along with the rust. I addressed both issues.
The blade is leaning against my chisel, but you can see by the reflection the rust and pitted finish is now gone.
I roughed out then sanded the basic shape of the handle, then drew the design on it and carved it using a V tool as well as some 2′s and 3′s. The one side is nearly finished as some sanding has been done and the other still shows the chisel marks.
The finished razor and the set it now goes with.
The brush is held in place with hidden magnets and it is filled with a Silvertip Badger knot.
Oak Church Carving
22 Jan 2012 6 Comments
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I had posted this job a while ago and have now wrapped it up. It required 4 capitals, 6 large and 4 smaller Fleu de Lis’ ,a Cross and 72 Crockets for the Spires. This was the first time working for this company who is doing the primary woodwork, finishing and installation.
Now I don’t imagine they have much background making up pieces for woodcarving considering the blocks they prepped for me. Let alone the time frame they gave me. Initially I was to have 3 months for this project giving me more than enough time. As it turned out I didn’t hear from them for some time as they indicated there were details to work out with their client. Fine. Then one day out of the blue without warning the called and said how soon can you pick up the pieces and start carving. “We need this done within 1 1/2 months” . Great! Did they ever consider I had other work in the shop with their own deadlines that I had to complete first while I was waiting for them to get their act in gear? And then after a couple of weeks into the project they called and asked if they could pick up the pieces. And,,,my time frame just got shorter. Rather than the end of the month,, they needed the rest of the pieces a week to two weeks earlier for final fitting, staining etc. as they now moved the installation up a bit. It’s always the carver that gets the short end of the stick, but I got it done with a day to spare. Sure,, after giving up sleep and going from 9 AM to 2 Am almost daily.
The blocks as I mentioned. Why glue up massive blocks such as the capitals (12 inch square X 11 high) when most all of it needs to be removed? The Fleur de lis ,,6 inch blocks. And they needed to be 2 inches X 5 inches. The cross, the main members are 2 1/2 inches square with blocks at the end for the ball shapes. They prepped a massive cross using 4 inch blocks. Why? Make up a cross out of 2 1/2 inch stock ,, and add blocks for the ball shapes. And don’t glue it all together as they did the original piece. They were supposed to call me when it came time for carving blocks,, but that never happened. So I made them redo the cross at least while I was there.
Anyway,,, here is the project,
This is the main part of the Altar. There are also two side altars that are niches for statuary that look like the arched area in this shot.
The blocks they prepped for the capitals.
The spires which will receive the Crockets in the small flats along the edges.
The box of 72 – 1″ X 1″ X 2 1/2 ” blocks for the Crockets.
The other pieces were just simple blocks for the Fleur de Lis, but here you can see how I started to prep the blocks for the capitals. I used my table saw to cut lines ( after determining the profile) along each side of the block. I started where the large curls would be to establish a given line. I then kept moving down the block, cutting depth lines to the profile I had determined and then using a large chisel from the bottom up, I just pounded off each layer of wood. After getting a square profile I used some power to round everything off.
Unfortunately I was so wrapped up in this and pressed for time that I don’t have shots of actually carving the blocks. But using templates I was able to locate each element, use more power to rough everything into basic locations and then carve it all with my chisels to the final shape. Templates for this work is very important as you need to have everything on each side of the capital look the same as well as from piece to piece. Without them there would be too much room for error.
Here are some of the templates I made. On the left is the profile for the capital. To it’s left is the template to lay out the patterns for the leaf design as this had to be repeated 6 times on each capital. Next to that is the template for the Fleur de Lis. Above that is the template for the small leaf design that fits between the large curls that extend from each corner of the capital.
And a finished capital. I also made templates to define the outlines of the leaves and how the ‘V’ section for the middle area gets defined.
The finished ( some sanding of course) capitals.
Nothing dramatic here. Transfer the design from the pattern to the wood, band saw it , carve it.
The finished Fleur de Lis.
The finished cross sitting on the cap’s.
For the Crockets I made these profiles, top and side, to allow me to band saw them first
Here I band sawed the top and side profiles on each of the 72 crockets. That’s 15 cuts for each keeping the parts in place with an incomplete cut to facilitate cutting from different sides, then 5 cuts to release all the parts. That’s over 1400 band saw cuts just to get them roughed out. One,, two,,, that leaves 1398 more to go,,,,I must be nuts.
Once the pieces were cut on the band saw, I made this frame/jig to hold them so I could use my duplicator to further rough them out. I carved a model in some scrap wood ( NOT OAK!) , hardened it with CA and used that to start the process. I also made indexes to locate each block in exactly the same spot by using the table saw to make a channel for the blocks to sit in and then only had to locate a hole in each one in the exact same spot using a jig on my drill press so they located the same on each and every piece. Now the duplicator was only able to cut one side at a time. So after doing all the pieces on one side, I was able to reverse the pieces in the jig and then cut the second side. Trust me, there were lots of steps to make these stupid things.
Once out of the duplicator and rough sanded to shape and eliminate the router marks I made this jig to hold the little buggers. Here I made a template that matched the mortise on the corner of the spire to transfer the carving marks to the crockets to keep them uniform and eliminate much carving when installed.
Once the area where it sweeps into the corner of the spire was done, I was able to flip the jig on it’s side, carve the details of the ball shape, flip it over and carve the other side as well as the area under the “hooded” area. Again,, I had to do this process how many times for each? Turned out , even though it’s oak, I was able to knock these out in 3 minutes each. OK,, not too bad but I’m still not done with them as they have to be installed and do the final carving. Believe it or not, each crocket had it’s OWN LOCATION on each spire! These guys know how to drive me nuts.
Here they are all glued into position awaiting final carving /sanding to get them to blend perfectly. Well, the two on the left are done, but still, how many more to go?
Not finished here but it shows how they have to appear to sweep up out of the corner of the spire.
Finally they are done. Now call them and get them out of here as I’m tired of looking at them!
A good trade
15 Oct 2011 Leave a Comment
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A friend stopped by my shop the other evening. He knew I collect straight razors and brought over his collection for me to see. It turns out he had previously decided to give me one which was the one I was drooling over as I dissected his collection. Well,, I believe he had ulterior motives for giving me the razor. He primarily collects knives, especially Sunfish patterns. So he hands me a well worn Sunfish whose Celluloid scales have seen better days. Actually celluloid can break down quite quickly for no apparent reason. He knew I made my own material for scales on straight razors as well as turning custom brushes so he “wondered” if I could make up something for his deteriorating knife. I told him it wouldn’t be original,, but he didn’t care. His response was that it would be a carry knife and not a true collectable. And , he reasoned,, it will probably be better than what it is now.
So once he left I brought out my resins,, colorants ,, etc. and set about making up a color that would first appear as if it was of the time period and also blend with the brass of the bolsters of the knife. I then removed the badly deteriorated scales, cleaned up the liners and prepped it for new scales.
The next day I had a sheet that I could cut up and turn into scales for his knife. I didn’t remove the pins. Instead I made a template and fitted my new scale material around the pins when at the same time kept within the length dictated by the bolsters. If you ever want to know the hardest way to do something ,, ask me!
Anyway,,I got the new scales fitted ( each side was different so a pattern wasn’t a consideration) sanded to the proper thickness and then polished them to what you see here.
The photos tell the rest of the story.
I hope he likes them. I think they blend well with the rest of the knife, the brass , and they seem to have a old school celluloid look to them. The photos don’t show how they really sparkle with the brass showing through the translucent scales I made.
Here you can see how the original Celluloid has very quickly started to blister and deteriorate. After 100+ years it seems a shame that this happened.
After I removed the old scales the brass liners remain along with the pins. The brass has also been damaged by the deterioration of the celluloid as well. Regardless, I polished up the brass to act as a reflecting plane behind my translucent scales to add a bit of brilliance to them.
Granted ,, It’s a bad photo,, but you can make out the condition of the knife overall.
Here are my scales fitted and polished.
Another view,,,,,,,,
The knife with an extra piece of the scale material I made.
Medallion and Acanthus leaves
05 Oct 2011 8 Comments
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Well I wrapped this up as it is being picked up tomorrow, well , considering it’s 2 AM ,, today!
The medallion was interesting to do. I was able to do quite a bit of the roughing out with a router. This though required several steps in a succession of depths and cuts. Since this is basically one bowl inside another I needed to be able to keep the references from one to another as well as keeping the curved shape in the center. What I did was establish the center first. Doing this allowed me to determine the depth of the outside edge of the center as well as the height of the center since this area is essentially a convex shape. I was able to set the height of the “bulge” of the center as well as set the depth while at the same time define the outside edge of this area. Since I wanted this area to be the deepest level I was then able to establish the outside line of the inner “bowl” which was a bit higher than the inner convex shape. Once I had this I was then able to determine the depth of the outer “bowl” and determine it’s depth. You’ll notice I didn’t cut out the entire shape but I did use the band saw to cut in the outside perimeter of the entire shape but I didn’t cut it free. I wanted to keep the additional material to provide a base for the router to work from. Had I cut out the shape first I wouldn’t have been able to use the router to do much of the roughing out work.
I not only used a small router bit to define the outside lines of the bowls but I also used a bullnose type bit to clearance out much of the curves of the bowls themselves. Once all the router work was done I completed the cuts to have the final shapes.
One thing I did do was not to cut out the top and bottom profiles. I knew I need to add wood to these areas to provide material to carve the flowers and the lower acanthus leaves. To solve this I first made up a section of wood that I would add and drew the flower and lower design on to them. I then cut them out in preparation to glue them to the surface. But I first used the cutouts to transfer the profile to the main body of the carving. Doing it this way instead of cutting out the main body and trying to add the cutouts eliminated the mis-match between the two pieces. This way, the additional pieces provided the exact profile to transfer the profile to the main carving perfectly.
Once the outer profiles were established it was a simple matter of using a compass to transfer the width of the bowls to the design accurately by using the previously defined outer edges to use as a gauge to allow me to use the compass.
May seem complicated but it’s really very easy but requires frequent bit changes on the router as you switch from core box bits to clearancing bits and back again. The steps I used though eliminated much guess work, maintained accuracy as redrawing on the piece would have bee difficult and eliminated much hogging out of waste wood that would have been necessary had I not done it this way.
The cabinet company ,where this piece is now heading, gave me the panel that the carving is attached to. The designer asked if I could texture the background with chisel marks. Easy enough. Once I had the carvings completed I placed them on the panel and outlined them. Then I was able to use a shallow chisel to add the texture he asked for before gluing the carvings into place.
After drawing the basic design on a board I was able to use my router to start to establish the outside lines as well as the inner convex shape of the Medallion. I used a 1/4 inch bit to define the lines and a curved bit to clearance much of the waste wood.
As I worked the router I also used my chisels to keep defining the shapes I didn’t want to loose. This also gave me a good visual as to where I was heading.
Once the outer lines and depth were established with the router I was able to use a compass to define the thickness of the “bowls” of the Medallion. You can also see the outside band saw line that I need to establish the outside perimeter of the Medallion.
Here I made the extra piece to be added to the original block and used it as the profile to transfer to the main panel prior to cutting it out thus ensuring a more accurate cutout.
Here you can see the lower section with the extra piece. Doing this also allowed me to have better access to the carvings needed on the main panel which wouldn’t have been accessible had I tried doing it out of one big piece. Also, there would have been quite a bit of wood that would have to be removed had I decided not to add wood but try doing it all out of one piece.
The upper section has only been roughed in but the lower section has had enough carving to be able to see what the design will be.
The bottom section is pretty much done at this point
Starting to rough in the upper flower design.
Moving along to the Daffodil. All just being roughed in at this point.
The three flowers, one for each of the birth months of the father , mother and their child.
The medallion at the point of needing some sanding.
Here I finished the carvings and attached the pieces to the board that will fit into the custom cabinets.
Acanthus leaves
20 Sep 2011 3 Comments
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I just started on this project consisting of Acanthus leaves and a Medallion. Unfortunately I don’t have a step by step process but you can see the results of my efforts on this one piece.
It’s the follow up to the Medallion and Acanthus leaves post.
The starting point carving the right set of leaves. There are two which are mirror images of each other with the medallion in the center.
This is the left leaf but it shows where I started in the same scenario with the right piece. I just forged ahead with the right one and neglected to photo this part of the sequence. Sorry.
Here you can see that the very end has been brought very close to being done with just the rough in done as I moved across the piece going right to left.
Here is the piece roughed in overall. Here you can see how I follow my credo of carving the forms before carving the details. The details fall within the forms so to me the details aren’t important. Get the piece to “flow” before trying to add details. Details in and of themselves won’t do a thing if you try to carve them too soon.
before,,,,,,,
after,,,,,
Neither of these photos show the finished piece as it will be done along with the other side in order to “unify” them. But as it sits here it is about 90 percent done.
The left and the right essentially showing beginning and ending points. The center Medallion is currently on my drafting board waiting for a piece of wood.
Backyard for Wildlife
10 Sep 2011 1 Comment
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As an aside to carving here is something else I love to do.
Back in May there was an article in our local paper about trying to get Bethlehem listed as a city for Wildlife Habitats. They needed so many homes, schools and businesses to get listed with the National Wildlife Foundation for providing habitat for wildlife. I submitted photos of my yard and got it certified as a National Wildlife Habitat. In addition to this there was a contest for the best back yard habitat in the city of Bethlehem. Turns out I won for the “Most Artistic Wildlife Habitat” with an award ceremony on Sept. 17th.
My wife and I were quite surprised. We consider our yard an extension of our living space as long as the weather permits. Countless hours are spent there dining, reading, enjoying a glass of wine or just watching the antics of the birds at the feeders or the calming effect of the fish pond, modest as it may be. For a small yard in the middle of the city it has become as most visitors comment that it’s a “sanctuary” where everyone , human or wildlife, seem to enjoy themselves and relax for a bit.
These photos are fairly recent and therefore the yard isn’t at it’s prime as it would be during the Spring or Summer. Many of the plants and flowers are gone or cut back but you’ll get the idea.
Stepping out my back door leads to the entrance of my Studio. The mural was painted by my wife years ago and the small fountain attracts birds with the sound of water dripping as it’s a working fountain. The post in the near ground supports a Wisteria vine planted only a year ago. This spring when it bloomed the flowers hanging along and through the pergola roof looks and smells wonderful. The back half of the ‘roof ‘ is covered with ivy. Amazing how this really creates a room effect with a living ceiling.
Instead of heading to the Studio but turning left will lead you to the side yard as this view shows. The cluster of plants on the right is a small Herb garden located close to the back door. I also enjoy Gourmet cooking and I’m constantly using these herbs in a variety of dishes. Basil, Oregano, Chives etc. really wake up and make a dish.
Standing in front of the small fountain on the patio in front of my Studio looking down to the rest of the yard. Steps off to the left lead to the deck or making a right leads you to the gravel path to the rest of the yard.
As you continue to the side yard you can follow the path along the front of my Studio finding a variety of plants and flowers or if you made an immediate left turn you’d find yourself on the covered deck.
The end of the path opens to the main area of the side yard with the deck on the left. Most of these plants I started from cuttings and some were bought in small containers. At one time most of my plants were mere twigs ankle high.
Looking back from the far end of the yard towards the deck and my Studio in the background.
A view of our outdoor living room. The ceiling of the deck is painted sky blue with clouds and also sports dimmer controlled track lights and a ceiling fan as well as built in stereo/speakers. Along one side of the deck is a grill for cookouts.
Play Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata with the lights dimmed on a summer evening while sipping a glass of wine is something I always enjoy. Also cutting into the covered deck area is a small Koi pond as well as a fish shaped fire place. Here too , light up a small fire on a fall evening and I’m a happy guy.
And of course everything you see I grew or designed and built myself. It’s a labor of love that I don’t think will ever be done as it keeps evolving.
Angels, Done
07 Sep 2011 2 Comments
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I wrapped up the final painting and sealing this morning. I called the client and will be delivering them this afternoon. I kept to a similar paint job that they had but naturally added my own touches. It wasn’t necessary to have them be duplicates to the originals as these are not going back to a particular setting.
The wings , now that they have the paint and gilding on them, look good by comparison I think. To the average viewer and considering the lighting as well as the distances these will be viewed in a typical church will for the most part look like nothing is out of the ordinary. Actually several visitors to my shop had a difficult time picking the carved wings at a close range. I’m happy.
I hope you enjoyed this project seeing it from the layout ,carving, priming and to the final painting. Here are a few photos showing the results.
The paints are acrylics done primarily with an air brush. The facial features and details are done by hand. The gilding is liquid Gold and sealed. Without sealer it would eventually turn brown.
Angels update
02 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
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This is only the first prime coat on the wood and wanted to show where I’m at with these pieces. When one wing was painted and the other in wood it was difficult to really pick out details. Now that everything is one color I can more readily see some details I want to carve into the wings. Actually , once they’d get painted as the originals were any differences would probably just disappear.
But I have to carve ‘em the way I see ‘em.Once that is done and a couple more coats of primer I’ll post them with their final paint jobs.
Pretty close at this point.
Joints came out quite well.
The back of the wings are a good match.
You can see how the planes of the wings match the originals with the same angles, pitch etc.
Just a bit more carving here and there to address small details which are readily apparent when everything is one solid color. I’ll get them closer. Also additional paint will take away the “wood” look and make them appear as smooth as the plaster wings.
Reredos Carvings
01 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment
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My visit to Philadelphia went well. An hour and a half drive one way for what amounted to 5 minutes work seemed rather silly but the meet and greet part of the job is important.
This project was just approved and I think it was important to meet the principals involved as well as see the actual church and the carvings to be duplicated.
I’m using the term Reredos as it best describes what is being built. The back wall ( behind the Altar) is currently Marble which was done around 1950 or so for the Churches 100th anniversary. Parts of that Marble are now being replaced with what was ORIGINALLY there! Go figure. What was old , and torn out, is now new again. The sketches show the main back panel behind the altar with the Tabernacle now centrally located ( it is now off in a side room). The smaller niches will be to the left and right of the main panel which will house two statues.
I’ll be responsible for all the carving which really doesn’t amount to too much besides quantity. There will be 4 larger Corinthian style capitals for the main section with 4 smaller ones needed for the two side niches. I’ll also be doing at least 4 fleur de lis , one large cross and possibly several tops for current spires that are missing. In addition to this there will be 96 crockets for all the spires ( the little curved pieces along the edges of the spires) all done in Oak.
Here are just a few of the photos I took for reference. The sketches are only preliminary at this point and will be refined with shop drawings.
The preliminary sketch of the main back panel. It will lay flat against the wall with very little projection.
One of the two side niches that will house statues on the left and right of the main panel.
Currently in the Church is this Confessional which has the Architectural elements that will be copied for the new Reredos and side Niches.
A rather peculiar stylized version of a Corinthian type capital that will be used on the new Reredos and side niches. It’s not Doric, nor Ionic,, so I’m calling it Corinthian in style.
An example of one of the Spire tops that need to be copied to replace several that are missing in the church. Elements from this piece will be used to design the main cross on the Reredos. You can see them in place in the photo of the existing Confessional.
An example of one of the 96 Crockets ( little leaf designs on the edges of the Spires) that will need to be carved.
One of the side niches where some of the red Marble will be removed to accommodate the new wood work. The main section is similar to this layout and it too will require Marble being removed to make room for the new Reredos.
It will take several weeks from this point to begin actual work as another company out of Philadelphia is doing the main case work. Until they have some blocks prepped for me to carve ( I may make my own to my specs) as well as providing me with scaled drawings to go by I can wrap up some other projects. Nothing like Architectural carvings to keep you busy,,, and in business. What they may lack in variety ( though I find this interesting) they usually make up for in volume. I can live with that!
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