Do you carve standing or sitting? About what height is your bench in relationship to your height? I would have sent this via email but that part of the website is not working at present.
I generally stand while carving because of all the different angles I need to get to. Also I end up leaning into the carving quite a lot and wouldn't be able to do this as well if I were sitting. The only time I sit it if I am doing something very small and very focused (or after I had a long day of carving and am just tired). The best height of the bench for relief carving is about 2 inches below elbow height. That usually means that the standard bench height needs to be raised quite a bit, depending on your height.
Also, thanks for letting me know about the email issue. It has been corrected.
Dave's question is one I had a while back. Google gave me lots of answers when I searched "ball and claw foot." The images results are especially good at showing the variations, and each image leads to a page with more information, sometimes just marketing info, other times good information about style.
I also have an article I wrote for Society of American Period furniture Makers that shows 3 basic shapes - Philadelphia, Boston, and Newport. Contact me directly and I can e-mail the images of these styles.
Hi Dave,
I know Al Breed is very knowledgable about the various styles and he has castings of the Newport style available. He's also a great carver and woodworker.
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