Over the past few weeks I have been busy working on establishing some new themes for my carvings but I have also been researching other people websites. My conclusion was that I found many Lovespoon carvings would follow a similiar theme regardless of where you look on the World Wide Web and I have looked at many websites for inspiration but I find many to be repeats of the same but with different levels of carving ability.

There are many that are only carved or have relief on the front face with the back face flat or only have the corners taken off to give some dimension. These Lovespoons I felt would look often mass produced but the prices are so reasonable that it would be very easy for the enthusiast to start a collection but is this a course that I would want to take.

For me to try and establish myself as a carver of some sort, especially with Welsh Lovespoons most of the carvings that I make end up on eBay for auction and it is there that I try to gauge the feeling of how the design is perceived.

The amount of traffic or should I say small amount of traffic for this sort of carving is primarily from enthusiasts who are looking for a bargain and will frequently stop by. If the design is a success I would find six to eight watchers over the course of the auction and maybe six to eight bids at the end of the day, giving me a good sense of achievement. I like to think it is the quality of the carving and the unique design that sells the item and not purely the price but as we all know eBay is the site for bargains.

When I first started this type of carving I decided that both sides would have to have the same amount of detail so that the Lovespoon could be handled and not just be displayed on a board. It is only when it is handled that the true appreciation for the craftsmanship can be determined and the fact that it is hand carved, saying that it also brings the flaws closer to hand.

To determine the themes I have tried to align them with special holidays or occasions during the year such as Valentines Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter and so on, that way I can focus on those particular elements that are relevant and meaningful.

The big question is, would it be worthwhile to establish a standalone website with Lovespoons displayed so as to sell them as commissioned pieces or just continue on as a hobby. Everyone has dreams of being successful at something they enjoy but when it becomes a job the romance begins to fade and maybe it’s not as much fun anymore. These questions always arise when job security becomes questionable and you start romancing on ways of earning a living and in todays climate that is an even bigger factor than ever before. I know it’s not a practical solution but it’s important to have some sort of goal, it’s the only way to remain positive and be truly independent or as close as.

Well that’s something to contemplate but not for too long, as carving for a hobby is the only option for me right now. Maybe in later years there will be more time to pursue the dream rather than just having one hour a day but then again, who knows what tomorrow may bring.

I had noticed during the drying process that the end of the log had started to split and by that time it was too late to think about coating the end to stop the quick evaporation. What I should have done in the first place was to coat both ends of the sawn log with some spare latex paint to even out the evaporation and this may have reduced the amount of cracking. I would estimate that the cracks had penetrated a full one inch into the log at this time. The project that I wanted to do called for a piece eleven inches long by three inches by two and a half inches which would be marginal with what I had to work with. With the hardness of the timber unknown to me I had decided to use a base made from one inch thick figured oak that had been lying around and I knew this material would give a base that would be hard and durable.

My first task was to cut a flat on the tallest side and with a few stubs left over from branches that had been trimmed off, this provided the stability needed to run it through the bandsaw. I had also placed a wedged piece of pine along the length to stop any grab from the blade as an extra precaution and feeling confident I took the first step to cutting a flat on that side.

With that first freehand cut I was pleased with the flatness and could then cut another length off at right angles to give me a square face for marking out the blank. I set the fence of the bandsaw at three inches hoping to get the overall width that I needed and cut off the excess strip. I found there were only a few inclusion of bark and I felt confident that most of this would be lost during the shaping process. I had already decided to use the figured oak block for the sole of the cabinet scraper so the thickness for this blank could be reduced to one and a half inches. This face would be the one that I would glue the oak block to as there would be no inclusions just solid wood. I was well pleased with the drying out process, the wood cut cleanly with no grab from the bandsaw and the surface was dry to the touch.

Now with the blank cut out I will sand the faces to flatten off and glue the one inch of figured oak to the face that would be the sole of the scraper. I’ll use a couple of wooden none marring clamps to glue the chunk of oak on so as to keep a minimal glue joint, once cured I would cut and sand the block to the size required.

I had photocopied the layout from the magazine as a quick guide to laying out the design on the block of wood, firstly, so that I would not mess up the magazine and secondly, as a working drawing it was bound to end up grubby. With these plans I then enlarged the photocopy to fit within the block size that I had and with both front and plan views enlarged I could scribe on two controlling lines on to the wooden blank. These lines would be the centerline of the cabinet scraper and a longitudinal line or the line that would cover the breadth of the tool. This would allow me to center up the photocopy and also control the placement of the photocopy for the outer edges of the tool. On each of the photocopies I notched out on the centerline and on the longitudinal line that would correspond to the scribe line on the block of wood for ease of placement.

With the photocopies prepared and the scribe lines in place I sprayed each with a Super 77 contact adhesive by 3M so that the paper would stay in place while the profile was cut on the bandsaw. Each profile is cutout but the resulting offcut is not discarded but re-taped into position so as to provide a stable platform for the next operation. This method was used for the top and front face profiles removing all the excess timber leaving a rough shaped blank ready for carving.

To shape the handles I mainly used a three quarter inch paring chisel rounding off the edges so the feel was good between thumb and forefinger. The shape of the handle nestled nicely in the palm of my hand giving it an overall feel of good balance and control.

To further shape the handles I used a wood rasp to fine tune the radii and cleaned up the shape with various grades of sandpaper. Where the wood had cracked during the drying process I filled with a five minute epoxy resin. This enabled me to go back in and reshape without having to wait too long. The resin worked well with the coloration of the wood and the various gray tones that ran through the grain, stabilizing any further shrinkage and possible disaster should the handle splint in two. I know I went into this project with a “It doesn’t matter attitude” but now that I’m enjoying the results I want it to work.

Once I had the shape I further shaped with a garnet based sandpaper which is as coarse as it gets to take out any lumps from the resin.

With all the body form complete apart from a final smooth down with fine sandpaper I next marked out the blade holder which at this moment is still attached to the main body of the scraper. The blade holder has an overall thickness of 5/8 of an inch at the top and would be cut on the bandsaw at an angle of 85° that means an angle tilt of the table of 5° taking off the slice would then make the blade holder. I flattened the face of the body of the scraper with a small block plane and checked with a straight edge to make sure it was flat. The blade holder was flattened by rubbing on a sheet of sandpaper because the minimal thickness made it awkward to hold in a vise. I could have held it down with double sided tape but I still had the photocopy of the blade holder on the outside that I still had to shape to so I opted for sanding.

The blade holder was offered up to the body to make sure that the two faces met squarely without too much of a gap so that when the two are screwed together there will be less material to remove from the bottom of the scraper to realign. I wasn’t too concerned with the faces being completely flush as most of the face on the blade holder would be removed to create the throat and clearance for the wood shavings.

I was now at a stage where I had to make the blade of the scraper, for me this is not a problem. My main occupation involves clay modeling and with this type of job I use many different thicknesses of spring steel to form the resulting clay shapes. I had some spare 0.032″ thickness of blue spring steel and I was able to shear a piece three inches by two inches to give a reasonable size blade ideal for this application.

With the blade size now determined I could scribe a line around the blade onto the blade holder giving me the outline where it would sit. From this scribe line a parallel line of 1/8″ was placed inside indicating the position where the material would be cut away to give clearance for the wood shavings and allow 1/8″ for the blade to seat and be held in position. The throat would taper from 3/16″ at the bottom to 3/8″ at the top giving plenty of clearance for the shavings to pass through, for this exercise I just chiseled the material away from both ends rather than cut on the bandsaw.

With the clearance now cut I then rebated the 1/8″ shoulder that would retain the blade in position once screwed to the main body. Plenty of care had to be taken when I approached this as the depth of cut was only 0.030″ so that the blade would remain clamped tight, if I overcut the depth then I would have to shave the face of the blade holder down so that it would secure the blade tightly. I resharpened my chisel and gingerly cut each shoulder down checking numerously with the blade until the depth was correct leaving the faintest feel of the blade above the blade holder. Satisfied with the result I could now use the still attached photocopy to drill the positions of the screws that would attach the blade holder to the body.

The screws that I used were two 1 1/4″ sheet metal screws easy to find from any hardware store, make sure they’re pan heads though so that they sit on top of the wood once tightened. The clearance hole was put through on the drill press so I had to drill the pilot hole with a drill gun because of the slight angle. The face of the blade holder was at 5° so with the hole being square to that surface there would be a slight change in angle and I needed to keep the pilot hole square to the pilot hole to eliminate any slip once screwed together.

The design called for a 1/4″ thumbscrew by 2″ but I opted for a 3″ bolt instead because it is much easier to find and there will by little resistance when operated to flex the blade so a thumbscrew is not absolutely necessary. The nut I made from a piece of 1/8″ steel plate and tapped in the thread, with the nut being square it will be a lot easier to rebate in with only four sides to be aligned.

The clearance hole for the bolt was marked out on the back face of the main body and this was set at 3/4″ above the baseline and on the centerline. Once the clearance hole was drilled the bolt was inserted and the nut attached so the outline could be marked on ready for rebating. The rebate is easy enough with a 1/4″ chisel and it doesn’t have to be completely flat at the bottom of the rebate, the important thing is to retain the nut in the rebate tightly rather than to be loose.

The final finish for the cabinet scraper is a liberal coat of boiled linseed oil with all excess being wiped off after several minutes and a coat of paste wax. The blade had a 45° angle placed on and a burr to aid in the removal of wood shavings as described by the article. I’m not so sure that this is the best way as I always refer to my clay modeling experience where the steel has to be square with no burrs but I will try it both ways. The thing with placing a burr on the tool is if it is too curled the edge will not cut as the edge has returned on itself whereas a square edge will always remain sharp. I would be interested in anyones thoughts on this but I have tried it out both ways and it cuts like a charm, now all I really need is a good old gnarly project!

To me the most important aspect of carving is to first learn the tools that you have chosen to be your companion and the easiest way is to use a timber that can be readily purchased at a Home Depot, Lowes or a DIY store. There you can get good quality lumber without it being limited in availability, for instance, Select Pine is knot free, soft enough so that it carves like butter with a sharp tool and priced so that it doesn’t matter if the carving is not quite up to speed. With this type of wood you are not struggling with a hardness issue and can concentrate on the design and the carving, knowing that you can control the tool without excess pressure. Yes, I know this is a soft timber but to gain experience with sharp carving chisels and gouges the last thing needed is an extremely hard timber like Walnut to debut your carving skills!

With the Select Pine, care still has to be taken so that it doesn’t tear when excessive amounts of material are taken away. It will split, so carve with the grain when you can and use fine sandpaper to finalize. What can be better for your self esteem than a successful first carving.

If you are feeling more adventurous and want a harder material then the next best timber available from the DIY stores is a hard wood such as Poplar. This has a close grain that carves very clean and you will find that it is knot free. This material you will find needs more control of your carving tools because of the firmer material but nevertheless cuts cleanly and precise. For me these two timbers, Select Pine and Poplar are the best to use if shopping at Home Depot.

• Availability, always available and in different widths.
• Price, Select Pine is priced per board and Popular by board foot.
• Knot free, this is always a bonus as you will find the grain runs generally quite straight.
• Hardness value, first initial carvings need a user friendly material until familiar with carving tools.

As your carving skills increase the more challenging timbers that are readily available are Red Oak and Maple, both of these timbers are priced per board foot. With Red Oak you will find it is a lot harder material with a more open grain that is prone to stringy tears if you try and lever the material away on a deep cut. With any type of depth carving it is best to work the material from all angles to eliminate this type of problem. As in furniture making Red Oak finishes well and has a nice grain that would compliment any carving.

The hardest of the available timbers at Home Depot is Maple, this is a creamy white wood with very close grain and a hardness factor that will challenge most carvers but it does hold very good detail. With this wood it is important to maintain a very keen edge to get the best results and also for safety reasons. With Maple being a hard timber a dull blade is more likely to just skid across the surface rather than cut it leaving you more prone to injury. I cannot stress enough the importance of keeping those cutting edges sharp.

To give you an idea of how Maple looks when carved check one of my previous posts “Carving with Passion” the beauty of working with a hard wood is it will sand and polish up like glass with the right finish.

If the carving is going to be made from a thicker material than supplied by your local home improvement or DIY center then there is no problem in gluing several layers together with waterproof glue. It is important that the layers are clamped together to ensure that the glue joints are as thin as possible to the extent that is it near impossible to detect the joint and that the grain does flow in the same direction. The reason behind this is to reduce the amount of cutting against the grain and to give the impression that the block was indeed one large piece. If carving an irregular shape then the block can be glued up locally to give the necessary bulk to the areas that need it and again make sure the grain runs in the same direction.

I’m finding with my carvings that in trying something different I’m using offcuts from branches from the garden due to windfalls or annual pruning. It is surprising the different textures and shades of wood that you find that are not as readily available at your local timber store. The beauty of this is it’s free and if it doesn’t work out, I had fun anyway.

A meaningful project will stimulate the mind and keep the interest there even when the going gets tough, whereas if it were only an exercise it is so easy to move on to the next topic.

I know you’re eager to get started and you have already purchased the carving book, wanting to tear into the first design offered but sit back and think. Carvings are not just about trinkets that adorn your curio cabinet, they can be functional objects like cabinet handles or wardrobe handles. I know most people have walk-in closets these days but children rooms often still have the free standing cabinets and many of these handles can be replaced with a more organic shape than the regular round knob or the u shaped handle. Kitchen cabinet handles lend theirselves to be replaced with carved handles of fruit, vegetables or flowers to give a more country feel. These are small carvings that are functional and will give you self satisfaction on an everyday basis plus a learning curve into the durability of your carving. A reminder of how to better it the next time.

When you first start you have already eagerly been to your local woodworking store to purchased the carving set or the carving tools that you think you will be needing, or browsed online at the many woodworking sites with their selection of carving tools. This in itself can be intimidating to the beginner, there is such an array of carving tools to choose from but by doing your research you can normally narrow it down to a few prominent manufacturers.

Carving tools that come to mind are Henry Taylor, Pfeil, Ashley Iles, Flexcut and Robert Sorby. These tools have been crafted over a long period of time so anyone of these manufacturers will deliver a lifetime of service, in most cases it is simply which tool feels most comfortable to use.

By purchasing good quality tools it will eliminates any doubt about the tools ability, leaving just the carvers skill to be questioned if the carving is not just right. In starting out, remember, it is not a race to complete the carving as fast as you can. Take your time and perfect the details, that is why it is important to start out small. As your confidence grows so can the size of the project, gain experience with the new tools until they feel like an extention of your arm and remember, keep them sharp.