Carving - Love Music (12/2013)
This carving was a Christmas present for the Mother of a friend of mine. My friend’s Mum’s is such a talented musician; teacher of piano, violin and flute, and active member of the local orchestra. I wanted to create a simple design that symbolised her love for music and would not look out of place in a rustic setting.
I decided to use some small offcuts of European Oak that I had been saving for something just like this project. the burn marks on the stock were most likely caused by a dull or dirty table saw blade, but could also have indicated a slight misalignment between blade and guide. In any case, I was hoping that I could make a feature out of them, and I had an idea that just might work…
The design I decided to use comprises an upside-down treble clef against a bass clef, forming a heart. This design would be carved in reverse on one piece of oak and a stand would be made from another. I scaled the design to the size I required and aligned it to make most effective use of the burn marks. I cut the design out a little at a time with a scalpel, transferring it onto the stock with a pencil as I went.
I removed the bulk of the waste material using a router with a straight-cut bit. I then used various chisels to finish the design and add texture to the background. The design slots into the base via a double stopped mortise and tenon with angled tenons. I’m afraid I forgot to take detailed pictures of the joint and the base, so you’ll just have to take my word for it…and yes that little piece of sapele near the varnish has the STi logo on it 🙂
The texture that I gave the background makes the timber look rough and closely matches the rough-sawn sides. I made a feature out of the painted end stock for the base; the red really contrasts with the rest of the design and draws your eye to it from across the room. I’m really happy with the subtle effect that the burn marks created on the carving, creating just enough contrast for the design to subtly stand out against the background. Finally, the compound angle between the piece and base adds a little extra geometric interest. Oil was used to really bring out the character of the oak.