I have the inside of the shell pretty close to the final surface – some touching up still needs to be done, but it is basically there. I have a lovely long-bent that is a #4 or #5 gouge that has been very helpful in getting around the curved surface (you can see in the photo – the gouge on the left side). I tried to use a spoon bent, but was not “spoon” enough – it just dug in.
I am ready for a weekend to rest my hands and my right shoulder. I can carve with both hands when I push the chisel through the wood, but when it comes to using a mallet, I’m locked in using my right hand. If I tried putting the mallet in my left hand, I’d probably do too much damage to my poor right hand. Every other attempt to hit the chisel would miss – and the learning process is too painful, so I haven’t tried.
I used a cardboard template with the curve profile to get the correct curve throughout the surface. It is a slow process, but I got there!
Looks like Hurricane Irene has given us a little wind and rain today, but nothing significant. We are praying that she decides to go wander off into the ocean and leaves our northeastern neighbors alone.
Nice “hogging out”! I see your layout lines. It sounds like you were given the size of the cabinet and are making a shell to fit vs. working from a known pattern. How do you determine the radius of the curves (front to back and top to back) to form the shell? Are there general proportions that are used?
Hi James,
I was given the exact curvature of the curved cabinet shape by the architect’s drawing. I simply took this, enlarged it proportionally, and made a template. I used this template to form the curves as it goes from front to back, and top to back
The bottom (where it will set on the curved cabinet) is more of an ellipse because it is 24″ wide and only goes in 9″ deep. However, the front view is a perfect half round. 24″ wide x 12″ tall.
Any other shell niches I have carved have always been basically a quarter spere. This ellipse is a little more difficult