Recent Comments

Hi Charles,
The simple answer is this - go as deep as you can with the v-chisel, without losing definition of the petals. I went just about 1/8" deep around the center, and slightly deeper as I detailed the larger petals. It might be an idea to make several passes with this v-cut. Make the first cut 1/16" deep, then take another cut a little deeper - until you get to the desired depth.

The vertical cuts that are made to define the edges of the petals really define that final depth. Even if you can't get deep enough with the v-chisel, make sure those vertical cuts go the full and final depth.

The deeper you can go, the more shape to the flower. The deeper you can go, the more fragile the petals. CAREFUL!

Thanks Chuck,
Terminology gets a little tricky here. It's so much easier to show. I think the word "edge" gets confusing - what edge???
The edge I am referring to is the area of the linenfold that rounds over to appear like it is folding under. Hmmm. That probably doesn't explain it any better.

The bottom line is, most times when you cut across the grain in this "bowl" cut, and you want to keep a crisp edge, you twist the tool AWAY from the edge to keep that edge from breaking.

The twisting is VERY important when cutting across the grain, and it is not a massive twist - just very subtle - enough to cause it to slice rather than just push through the wood. This slicing is also important when you want to have better control over where the gouge will stop. It is a good cut to get the hang of - I use it quite often.

Have Fun! Hope this helps.

Bob,
For this particular molding I cut several pieces of wood with a 90 degree notch and placed these throughout the length of the molding. Then just placed bar-clamps at the location of these cut-out pieces (the clamps would be on the curved surface of the molding - If the clamps are metal, you may want to put some protection between the clamp and the wood such as leather, cardboard, etc to protect the wood from denting - this also holds the clamps from slipping). The longer the molding, the more of these you will need to have because it can get springy if there is too much space between these braces. Another way I have done this (especially with long lengths of egg and dart) is get a length of wood (maybe 2 ft) and do this same 90 degree notch down the length of the board. Make 2 or 3 of these boards and use these as supports for the molding.

The only draw-back with this process is that every few feet you have a clamp to deal with. So either skip the clamped section and continue the production technique on the other side of it, or move the clamps around. When you're into production mode, it's hard to stop and re-set clamps, so I usually just skip over the clamped areas and do those areas at the end.

This technique of clamping held the molding so the angle was comfortable to carve and supported it solidly. If the molding were just clamped with the flat edge against the bench, it would be awkward to make many of these cuts, and the clampling process would be difficult because any clamp would go on the fragile edge of the molding, and not on the curved surface.

Hope this helps!