Follow My Carving - Step 14 - It's Finished

The finished carving is ready. The dark walnut frame truly compliments the honey-brown carving. And the beautiful sienna and white stained glass are a perfect accent, creating a dramatic backdrop for the old oak.

Visit the Heartwood Art site to see a slide show of how both the tree and glass change color with the light.

If you have enjoyed watching this carving as it was created, leave a comment or drop me a line at carvings at HeartwoodArt dot com.

You can see more carvings at the Heartwood Art site.

Follow My Carving - Step 13

To celebrate Heartwood Art carvings being featured in the winter issues of Woodcarving Illustrated and Scroll Saw magazines, a new series is being added to the blog and site titled "Follow My Carving". The prototype of this piece will be shown in one of the magazines. Now you can follow along as it is finished, step-by-step.

It’s time for the final assembly. After checking all the pieces for fit, holes are drilled in the lower frame piece and in both feet so they can be attached later with small screws. A rubber band is used to help hold all the frame pieces together while the stained glass is inserted behind the carving. The rubber band also helps hold the full assembly together while the corners are being glued. This allows each frame piece to be separated at the corners just enough to swab the interior with wood glue while still holding the rest of the pieces in place.

After applying all the glue, special right-angled metal pieces are placed at each corner. One side is bent to fit under the frame while the other side is bent in the opposite direction to help keep the banding strap in place. The orange banding strap is slowly tightened as the frame is routinely checked for a square fit. Once the strap is secured as tight as it will go, the assembly is left overnight, allowing the wood glue to cure fully. The next step will be to insert tiny nails into the corners. Gluing the assembly together first ensures that it will be held dead square when the nails are inserted.

The finished piece will be ready soon.

To see more carvings, please visit the Heartwood Art site.

Follow My Carving - Step 12

To celebrate Heartwood Art carvings being featured in the winter issues of Woodcarving Illustrated and Scroll Saw magazines, a new series is being added to the blog and site titled "Follow My Carving". The prototype of this piece will be shown in one of the magazines. Now you can follow along as it is finished, step-by-step.

Now that the carving is oiled, it’s time to move on to finishing the frame. The pieces have been cut to size and interior grooves have been routed to a depth of 1/8 inch. These will securely hold in place both the carving and the sheet of stained glass that will go behind it. Careful placement of these grooves is tricky business because so many factors must be considered. First, enough depth must be left in front to have a little interior frame face before the carving begins. Second, enough space must be left in the back to give enough frame for a wall hanger to penetrate the frame enough to be secure, but not enough to hit the glass. (Wall hangers on carvings with glass are optional, but not usually requested by clients.) Third, enough space must be left between the grooves to allow the base feet pieces to be screwed into place. This space also yields just enough distance between the carving and the glass to give the illusion of even more depth to the piece by allowing the tree to cast shadows on the glass.

Now it’s time to do the stinky stuff. To stain the frames, I made a couple of hangers, pictured here. I got the idea from a banana hanger. The same technique used on the carvings is employed here. Staples are placed in the ends of the pieces and they are strung top and bottom to the hanger on the left. This holds them in place while all surfaces are stained. When finished, they are hung from the top from the hanger on the right and allowed to dry fully. The carving is left in the suspension frame used to oil it while a very thin coat of clear lacquer is applied. This type of sealant is necessary; else the oil would leach out over time and dry the wood to the point of becoming brittle. The lacquer also gives a wee bit of sheen to the carving that catches light on the highest points, giving the illusion of even more depth in the valleys of the bark.

The next installment is coming soon.

To see more carvings, please visit the Heartwood Art site.

Follow My Carving - Step 11

To celebrate Heartwood Art carvings being featured in the winter issues of Woodcarving Illustrated and Scroll Saw magazines, a new series is being added to the blog and site titled "Follow My Carving". The prototype of this piece will be shown in one of the magazines. Now you can follow along as it is finished, step-by-step.

Danish oil is applied to the carving. It takes several light layers. The raw wood really drinks in the first two coats, which can be applied the same day. After that, each coat must be allowed at least a day to soak in before the next coat can be applied.

Here you can see that the oiling process helps deepen the illusion of shadows created by shaping the limbs and varying the depth of the bark carving.

It also gives the same illusion of depth to the roots and helps distinguish one from another. Since the wood has just been oiled, it has a slight sheen to it. That gloss will dissipate as the oil soaks into the wood.

Below is a picture of the carving strung to the oiling frame. Several coats of oil have now been added. Notice the rich honey-brown color the birch wood is taking on.

Suspending the carving in this type of frame allows it to be oiled on both sides simultaneously. It also lets the carving dry properly between coats.

The next installment is coming soon.

To see more carvings, please visit the Heartwood Art site.