Mary May – WoodcarverCeltic Design for oak table
Today was a very busy day working with messy, dusty machines. If I know I have to use grinders, routers, or whatever it is, I try to do it all in one day to get it over with. I really could do without doing this part, but I guess it gets me to the fun [...]
Duplicating details for an altar table
I am in Savannah, GA working with master furniture maker and restorer, Greg Guenther (www.guentherwoodgroup.com). He is making a new altar table to match an existing one, and I am going to be carving the details. There will be 2 large capitals, egg and dart going around the entire table, and some leaf molding at [...]
Final photo of Elmira College Sign
Wayne Ferree sent me a photo of the finished carving of the Elmira College sign I helped carve back in December. I spent a week focusing on carving the building, and they finished the landscaping and tree carving after I left. It’s exciting to see the finished piece – lots of blood, sweat, and tears [...]
More progress on carving the shell niche
I’ve made some good progress on the acanthus detail in the center of the shell niche. I am happy with the way it is turning out. Many times I will draw the design on paper first, but with the scroll design and the contours involved, I really needed to draw the design straight on the [...]
Carving a Tiny Little Rosette
I had a fun little job the other day where I carved a tiny little rosette to match a rosette for an antique chair. It was about the size of a quarter. I got out my micro-tools, and it’s amazing after carving a huge thing like the shell niche, and then go down to something this [...]
Grinding away the shell niche
Here is a photo of me grinding away the inside of the shell to shape the surface before carving the flutes. Soon I should be at a point where I can start to carve the scroll and acanthus detail in the center. That very fine basswood dust sticks to everything! I like hand carving – [...]
Starting Another Shell Niche
I am working on one of three shell niches that I am carving for a historical home in Louisville, KY. These are quite a bit larger than the previous shell niches I did. These are 32″ wide x 16″ tall x 12″ deep. My husband figured out the measurements and band-sawed out much of the basswood before [...]
Back from Berea, KY
What an absolutely beautiful area of the country! Berea is about 30 miles south of Lexingon – real horse country. And not just country hobby horse farms – these are multi-million dollar horse racing farms. Berea itself is a lovely little artist community. There is an artisan center just off the interstate that sells high-end [...]
Teaching in Berea, KY
I’m off to teach a beginning class at Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking in Berea, KY. It’s my first time teaching at this school, and I have heard great things about it. I have driven through Berea, and it is a wonderful little artist community just south of Lexington, KY. I have been working on [...]
Fixing a Pressed Acanthus Leaf
Sometimes I get some very interesting work. A client has brought a 4-post bed in that has a pressed acanthus design. I am not really sure how they did this, because it is very deeply pressed. Maybe this wood allows it. He wants me to touch it up to look hand carved. I never turn down [...]
