Mary May - Woodcarver
  • Blog Home
  • Mary’s Carving School
  • Home
  • Wood Carving Education
  • Ball and claw foot
  • How to Carve a Ball and Claw Foot

How to Carve a Ball and Claw Foot

November 9, 2011 / Mary May / Ball and claw foot
Page 1 instructions
Page 2 instructions

Page 3 instructions
Page 4 instructions

Page 5 instructions
Templates for ball and claw foot

Fiished ball and claw foot
My 96 year old apprentice, Bill Cox, making a free-moving ball and claw foot – out of one piece of wood!

For anyone who is interest in building period furniture (anywhere from 1740s to 1840s) learning to carve the ball and claw foot almost seems to be a “right of passage” in the carving world. I put together these written instructions for a traditional Philadelphia style ball and claw foot. These instructions go with my instructional DVD, and I also provide these to my students when I hold ball and claw carving classes.

I remember one person saying that there are over 158 different styles of ball and claw feet. Now I’m not sure if this person actually went around and did a thorough research and recorded each style, or just counted all the different shapes he saw. But the bottom line is that there are many different types out there – Philadelphia style, Boston style, New York style, etc. Each has their own unique version, and there are many unique versions within each location. The studies on this could be endless – I think you could probably write a very large book going through the history, styles and techniques – just on the ball and claw foot.

But, safe to say, in all ball and claw styles – there is the ball (supposedly representing the pearl of wisdom from Chinese tradition) and there is the eagle’s foot with it’s talons and claws. The Philadelphia is probably the most basic, and most commonly seen.

I always find it fascinating that people who have never picked up a carving chisel before are able to carve a ball and claw foot, once they understand the step-by-step techniques. It can seem pretty daunting looking at it, but if you take each step, finish it completely, then go on to the next step, and finish that completely – before you know it, you will have amazed yourself with a finished ball and claw foot.

2 comments on “How to Carve a Ball and Claw Foot”

  1. John Brinson says:
    November 12, 2011 at 12:23 pm

    Thanks Mary. I am going to give this a try. Just starting carving and I have always loved these feet.

  2. Vince Parisi says:
    February 28, 2012 at 4:24 pm

    Thanks Mary! This is exactly what I have been look for. I just wanted simply step by step instructions to try carve this. Thanks again!

Watch a Sample Lesson from my Online School

Your Free Membership offers 12 Free Lessons. See more at My School of Traditional Woodcarving.
Facebook You Tube Google plus Linked In twitter-24

Recent Posts

  • Carving the Acanthus Leaf Book with Videos and Study Casts
  • Last Chance to Pre-Order Carving the Acanthus Leaf Book
  • Enter to win FREE resin castings of acanthus leaves
  • Preview a FREE Chapter of my Carving the Acanthus Leaf Book
  • Carving the Acanthus Leaf – Now Available for Pre-Order
news-sm

Keep up with my online Woodcarving School

A weekly newsletter tells of the latest video episode. My monthly newsletter announces upcoming video lessons, carving tips and tricks, a free template and class schedule.

Categories

  • Acanthus book
  • Acanthus Leaves
  • American College of the Building Arts
  • Antique furniture reproduction
  • Book Review
  • Brookgreen Gardens
  • Cartouche
  • Carving wildlife
  • Carvings for churches
  • Chair Carving
  • Charleston Rice Bed
  • Creche
  • europe trip
  • Finials
  • Fleur-de-lis
  • Grinling Gibbons
  • Guest Blogger
  • Handworks Show
  • intaglio- maple leaf
  • Magazine articles
  • On-Line Woodcarving articles and TV interviews
  • Online carving school
  • People
  • Philadelphia Highboy
  • Savannah
  • Scrolls
  • Shows
  • Society of American Period Furniture Makers
  • Tools
  • TV Shows
  • Uncategorized
  • Videos
  • Violin Scroll
  • WIA Show
  • Wood Carving Education
    • Ball and claw foot
    • letter carving
    • Mary's story
    • Tips & Tricks
    • Woodcarving classes
  • Wood Carving Projects
    • Acanthus Leaf Repair on Tables
    • Bed Carving
    • Carving faces
    • Carving Hands
    • Carving Reeds
    • Celtic design
    • Church carving in Savannah
    • Coat of Arms
    • College Sign
    • Corinthian Capitals
    • Deep relief carving
    • Dragon Carving
    • Egg and Dart Molding
    • Kings Head Bracket
    • Misc. Antique Furniture Repair
    • Newport Shell
    • Period Furniture Carving
    • Picture Frame
    • Rosettes
    • Shell and Acanthus Leaf
    • Shell Niches
    • Shell wall sconce
    • Sunburst
  • Wood Carving Tips

Archives

  • January 2018 (1)
  • November 2017 (1)
  • October 2017 (2)
  • September 2017 (1)
  • July 2017 (1)
  • April 2017 (1)
  • March 2017 (1)
  • January 2017 (3)
  • December 2016 (2)
  • July 2016 (1)
  • May 2016 (1)
  • April 2016 (1)
  • March 2016 (1)
  • February 2016 (1)
  • January 2016 (2)
  • November 2015 (3)
  • October 2015 (3)
  • July 2015 (1)
  • June 2015 (2)
  • May 2015 (2)
  • April 2015 (4)
  • March 2015 (4)
  • February 2015 (5)
  • January 2015 (9)
  • December 2014 (8)
  • November 2014 (6)
  • October 2014 (6)
  • September 2014 (9)
  • August 2014 (4)
  • July 2014 (8)
  • June 2014 (2)
  • May 2014 (8)
  • April 2014 (13)
  • March 2014 (3)
  • February 2014 (1)
  • January 2014 (3)
  • December 2013 (1)
  • November 2013 (1)
  • October 2013 (5)
  • September 2013 (5)
  • August 2013 (2)
  • July 2013 (8)
  • June 2013 (3)
  • May 2013 (3)
  • April 2013 (5)
  • March 2013 (9)
  • February 2013 (3)
  • January 2013 (3)
  • December 2012 (6)
  • November 2012 (5)
  • October 2012 (5)
  • September 2012 (4)
  • August 2012 (4)
  • July 2012 (6)
  • June 2012 (5)
  • May 2012 (7)
  • April 2012 (8)
  • March 2012 (7)
  • February 2012 (9)
  • January 2012 (11)
  • December 2011 (8)
  • November 2011 (7)
  • October 2011 (21)
  • September 2011 (18)
  • August 2011 (7)

Blogroll

  • Bob Easton
  • Giant Cypress
  • High Rock Woodworking
  • Matts Basement Workshop
  • Modern Woodworkers Association
  • Penultimate Woodshop
  • Renaissance Woodworker
  • The Sunday Woodcarver
  • The Wood Whisperer
  • Tom's Workbench
  • Wood Central
  • Wood Net
  • Wood Talk Online

Links

  • Alan Breed
  • Alf Sharp
  • American College of the Building Arts
  • Charles Neil Woodworking
  • Charles Ramberg Furniture Maker
  • Christopher Schwarz
  • Connecticut Valley School of Woodworking
  • Dan Hamilton
  • Greg Guenther Wood Group
  • Highland Woodworking
  • Kelly Mehler School of Woodworking
  • Lucy Churchill
  • Lumber Jocks Woodworking Showcase
  • Marc Adams School of Woodworking
  • Mark Van Abbema
  • Philip Lowe
  • Pro Woodworking Tips
  • Ronnie Sextion
  • Society of American Period Furniture Makers
  • Studio 3d Creations
  • Thaddeus Stephens College of Technology
  • The Acanthus Workshop, LLC
  • The Mill, Inc
  • The Renaissance Woodworker
  • The Woodwright's School
  • Wood Carving Guide
  • Woodcraft Supply
  • Woodworking Workshops of the Shenendoah Valley
Mary May - Woodcarver - Copyright © Cornerstone Creations, LLC, 2015
Privacy Policy

Thank you

Your feedback have been received.

Close