I recently needed to make some wall-shelves. I needed three, they needed to fit on a specific wall, and they had to be made of a light-coloured wood. I didn't have any other criteria or requirements. The piece of wood I chose to use was a yellow birch cant about 4 x 6 x 36 … Continue reading When Curves Are Easier Than Straight Lines
Now that Valentine’s Day has passed, I can share this fun little project. After finding a suitable scrap of hardwood, I printed a template and glued it on with a thin coat of wood glue. I let it dry for about ten minutes, then used a small plunge router with a ball nose bit to … Continue reading Carving A Heart-Shaped Dish for Valentine’s Day
Fascinated with the form of the tripot, and interested to see what was involved in making one, I started my own. I couldn't think of a better way to understand and appreciate it than to make one myself. In my first two articles about making my tripot, I showed how I shaped most of the … Continue reading My Tripot: Final Cleanup
This question kept me awake in the wee hours one morning: What would it look like if I carved a knot in a piece of wood? I lay in bed trying to visualize it, and figure out how best to attempt it... Start by finding a fairly thick piece of rope, tie a knot, use … Continue reading Knotty Pine
In all the creative work I have done with live-edge material, I have always looked at a cut section - where a limb was removed or the material cut to length - as a shortcoming. But recently, I had an epiphany. Like so many of my revelations, this one came while experimenting on a piece … Continue reading Defects Are Hints For Something Better
Anytime I go somewhere and anticipate the possibility of having some free time, I like to have a knife with me to carve. My First Modified Carving Knife I started with a German #8 chip carving knife with a fixed blade. I modified the blade to extend the cutting edge right to the handle, and … Continue reading Woodworking On-the-Go with Modified Knives
The latest addition to my catalog of air-dried slabs for sale is butternut (Juglans cinerea). A relative to the highly sought-after black walnut, butternut shares the same grain patterns but the colour is lighter - similar to the shades of bigleaf maple (Acer macrophyllum). Butternut is also lighter in weight and softer than black walnut, making … Continue reading Butternut – it Carves like Butter with a Hot Knife
Last week, I saw a picture of a roof top that resembled a wave. The roof prompted me to ponder the question: does a tabletop really need to be flat? Running with that notion, I carved this maple sample, dyed it black and waxed it to increase the sheen. I was really pleased with the sample, … Continue reading 21st Century Writing Desk – Making the Top
Artist Name: Ohtake Ryousuke Title: Spiny Lobster Details: circa 2014 - 31cm - Boxwood, "beard of whale" Why It's Notable: The form of the spiny lobster was impeccably replicated in boxwood. But the realistic appearance wasn't enough to get recognized as a Notable Inspiration. This was: the joints were carved so they move just like a real lobster would. This amazing video … Continue reading Ryousuke Ohtake – Spiny Lobster
During the five years that I've been in business, I have made some great contacts, including local wood carver Grant McMillan. Recently, a customer bought a cribbage board (Cribbage Board #8, the last one available) from me and requested to have some letters carved in it. Since I am not particularly experienced with letter carving, … Continue reading On Team Flair: Grant McMillan
