rozetka.pdf

Cherry

Highboy

Flame finials

and carved fans

by Randall O'Donnell

three days later, packing up and mov-

ing again. That's what it's like to be an

exhibitor at a furniture show. Setting up a

booth is hard work. After the carpet was

down and everything in place at a recent

show, I caught my breath and watched as

prospective customers walked into my

booth to take a closer look at this highboy.

It's almost ft. tall, and the figure of the

curly cherry is exceptional.

Invariably, admirers would walk up to

Curly

complete this classic

I magine moving your household and

UPPER AND LOWER DRAWER FANS

upper case, one on the center drawer of the base and a third, much smaller,

one at the top of the scroll board (see the drawing on p. 57).

the highboy and somewhat tentatively run

their fingers over the fans carved into the

two center drawers. Carving seems to

serve as the touchstone of a piece (see the

photo at left on the facing page). If the

carvings look and feel right, customers stay

to ask questions, take a brochure and, per-

haps, place an order.

I make 18th-century-style furniture.

Working within this form, I like to play

with the details—to put my stamp on a

piece. And nowhere is the ground more

fertile for expressing individuality than in

carving. Although I have no reservations

about using machines for preparing stock,

carving is one of several things that I do

completely by hand.

In the last two issues of Fine Woodwork-

ing, I described building the base and up-

per case of the highboy. Now it's time to

carve the fans in the two center drawers

and turn and carve the flame finials that

crown the bonnet.

This highboy also has two smaller drop

finials in the base and a small, round fan

carved in the center of the pediment.

These parts use the same carving and turn-

ing techniques and are shown in the draw-

ings on p. 57.

Lay out the fans

with a compass and coins

The fans (or shells) in the center of the up-

per chest and lower base are one of the

most eye-catching details on a highboy.

There are many regional variations. I adapt-

There are three carved fans on this highboy: one on the center drawer of the

Fans carved into

drawer fronts at the

top and bottom of

the case help give the

highboy its distinctive

look. The 20 rays in

each fan are laid out

and carved on a ser-

pentine background.

A coin for the scalloped edge—A

A scribe line marks the depth of the carved sur-

face below the fan. This area forms the transition be-

tween the fan and the case rail.

drawer fan. A nickel fits the lower fan.

To prevent wood from splintering in-

to the hub surface, outline this area with

carving tools.

Shape the fan background across the

Smooth the surface with a sculptor's

rasp. A uniform surface makes carving

grain. Developing the S-shaped surface

with mostly cross-grain cutting gives

greater control over the tool.

the fan's rays easier.

ed these fans from several Boston pieces.

To lay out a fan, I start by drawing a verti-

cal centerline on the drawer front and then

marking the horizontal baseline by eye (see

the drawing on p. 53) The intersection of

these two lines forms the center point of

the fan. From this point, I scribe the outer

radius, inner radius and hub diameter with

a compass. These lines establish the overall

size of the fan.

The fans are sized in proportion to draw-

er height, and each of these drawer fans

has 20 rays. I found that the edge of a coin

works well for laying out the ray spacing

and scalloped edge. Starting at the center, I

lay the coin on one side of the vertical cen-

terline so that the coin just touches the in-

ner radius (see the top left photo above). I

trace a semicircle around the coin, stop-

ping at the outer radius.

I continue scribing the semicircles along

the length of the arc and then repeat the

procedure on the other half of the fan. I use

a penny for the upper drawer fan and a

nickel for the lower fan. With the spacing

established, I draw lines from the center

point to the scallops, marking the rays.

Because the lipped drawers stand proud

of the case, the fan carving needs a transi-

tion to the horizontal rail below the draw-

er. To do that, I lower the surface of the

drawer front immediately below the fan. I

complete the layout by setting the drawer

front in the case and scribing a line on the

lower edge of the drawer using the rail as a

guide (see the top right photo above).

Carve the background

and then the rays

A crisp scalloped edge heightens the con-

trast between the fan and drawer surface.

To prevent wood splintering beyond the

area being worked, I cut the outline of the

hub and scallops into the drawer face with

carving tools (see the bottom left photo

above). Using a gouge with a sweep that

closely matches the curve makes this easy.

The area on which the rays are carved is

penny is the right size for the upper

A V-parting tool is used to define the

rays. Because the surface is S-shaped,

wood grain can change direction. Take

care not to run tools against the grain,

which could cause tearout.

Use a bench chisel to remove the waste below the fan. This surface provides the

transition from the carved drawer to the case rail.

A successful fan carving is symmetri-

cal Shape the rays so they appear uni-

form in width and depth.

worked with gouges to form a shallow

S-profile. This S-contour makes the fin-

ished fan sensuous. The serpentine effect

can be further accentuated by the depth of

the individual rays, so don't hog out too

much material at this stage. I get the best

results by removing the waste in a series of

cuts along the curve. This is mostly cross-

grain and skew-cutting (see the bottom

center photo on the facing page), which

minimizes the chance of taking too much

material at once.

Once the bulk of the waste is removed, I

smooth the surface with a sculptor's rasp

(see the bottom right photo on the facing

page). I don't use sandpaper until all carv-

ing is completed because grit particles left

behind can quickly dull carving tools.

Working the surface to the serpentine

shape removes most of the ray lines be-

tween the hub and the inner radius. Now I

redraw them.

The rough-shaping for the ray surface is

complete. I now hog out waste below the

hub and bottom rays, making the transition

to the rail on the carcase. A -in. bench

chisel works well for bringing this surface

down to the line scribed earlier in the lay-

out (see the photo at left above).

With the scallops and hub incised and

the ray surface formed, I start carving the

individual rays. A ray, in cross section, has a

Sand the fan. The scallops and hub

should not be rounded over.

CARVING THE FLAME FINIALS

crowned shape. The height of the crown

remains constant as the ray broadens, ex-

panding from the hub to the scalloped

edge. I begin carving the rays by defining

the lines with a V-parting tool (see the top

right photo on p. 55). Because of the ser-

pentine surface, I have to change the tool

direction so that I am always cutting down-

hill in relation to the grain. This helps me

avoid lifting a big chip or having the wood

split far ahead of the tool.

I use gouges to shape the rays. Starting

from the V on either side, I cut along the

ray, gradually working it to a rough convex

shape (see the center right photo on p. 55).

The faceted surface is smoothed into a

continuous curve.

The hub is slightly tapered and crowned,

but this detail is carved last. The hub can

get nicked if you get too close with a

V-parting tool or a gouge. These nicks are

cut away with the final shaping. Periodical-

ly, I check the rays to make them the same,

deepening the V between rays where it's

needed. I crown the surface of the hub and

taper the sides slightly. Finally, rifflers and

sandpaper complete the fan (see the bot-

tom right photo on p. 55).

A strip of paper wrapped around the finial creates a helix. The ends of the

Finial layout

Three flame finials cap the top of the upper case.

Each has four flutes, which make one complete turn

around the finial.

Flame finials start on the lathe

These finials use the burning-torch motif

that's seen on many high chests and tall

clocks. The lower part of the finial is an

urn, and the twist above it represents a

flame. The overall shape is developed on

the lathe, and the flame is then carved at

the bench. The finials are made of

-in.-

sq. cherry stock.

I start by cutting the billets about 2 in.

longer than the overall length of the com-

pleted finial (see the drawing at left) and

then locating the center points for mount-

ing them on the lathe. I turn the finial to

shape and use a parting tool to establish

the key diameters and gouges to cut and

blend the sections together.

I turn a -in.-dia. by l-in.-long tenon on

the end of the urn, nearest the headstock.

Then I turn the tip of the flame to in. dia.

and sand the entire finial. Even though the

flame surface will be carved, a smooth sur-

face makes it easier to lay out the twist.

The flame detail is somewhat like a screw

thread—four grooves spiral up from the

urn to converge at the tip to a point. Each

groove (or flute) makes one complete turn.

To lay out the flame, I mark the middle of

the length of the turning. Then, using the

indexing head on my lathe to hold the

stock in position, I make four longitudinal

Begin carving with a narrow

veiner. Be careful not to cut into

layout lines.

To form the flute, remove

waste from between the helical

helices are brought to a point by eye.

grooves with a larger gouge.

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: