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Carving

Primarily an ornamental treatment today, carving on furniture has its origin in purely practical reasons, such as the need to shed water, prevent dust buildup, disguise joints, or provide softer edges. Similar to molding, which may be thought of as a
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  • Personalize Your FurniturePersonalize Your Furniture

    by Charles Shackleton

    Hand carving dresses up a piece of handmade furniture and makes it truly personal. It’s also a chance to cut loose from the bonds of ruler and marking knife and ...

  • Carving Leaves on a Turned PostCarving Leaves on a Turned Post

    by Allan Breed

    Two carving lessons by Allan Breed are the focus of this article. Working on a turned bedpost, Breed teaches readers how to carve two versions of corn leaves. Once ...

  • Three Simple MoldingsThree Simple Moldings

    by Lee Grindinger

    It’s a small step to go from cutting a mortise to carving a pattern on a molding that will embellish your next project. According to Lee Grindinger, whose portfolio ...

  • Carving Tool Tune-upCarving Tool Tune-up

    by Ian Agrell

    Carver Ian Agrell tells his students to treat sharpening as an art in itself. More important than the choice of sharpening system is knowing what shape is required ...

  • Router-Assisted Cockleshell CarvingRouter-Assisted Cockleshell Carving

    by Howard Wing

    Howard Wing figured out a router setup that could shape the basic spherical surface of a cockleshell as well as rough out the flutes. He developed a two-axis router ...

  • The Basics of Classical Relief CarvingThe Basics of Classical Relief Carving

    by Nora Hall

    Master carver Nora Hall teaches beginners how to carve, and she marvels at how quickly students develop skill at manipulating light and shadow to create realistic ...

  • Carving a Ball-and-Claw FootCarving a Ball-and-Claw Foot

    by Mack S. Headley, Jr.

    Mack Headley, Jr., studied the furniture and carving of Peter Scott, a cabinetmaker who worked in Williamsburg, Virginia, from the early 1720s to the mid-1770s. ...

  • Relief-CarvingRelief-Carving

    by John E. Meyers

    John E. Meyers compares relief-carving to a magician’s tricks; here, he explains how to visualize the foreground and background as many layers. He talks about how ...

  • Cabriole KneesCabriole Knees

    by Mack S. Headley, Jr.

    Colonial Williamsburg cabinetmaker Mack Headley explains how to make a leaf pattern on a cabriole leg adapted from one found on a chair from the 1740s. It’s a strong, ...

  • Turning and Carving PiecrustTurning and Carving Piecrust

    by Eugene E. Landon

    Here are 17 photo-illustrated steps demonstrating how to turn and carve a piecrust top, using traditional methods. The original of the table shown in this article ...

  • Carving a Scallop ShellCarving a Scallop Shell

    by Mack S. Headley, Jr.

    Colonial Williamsburg’s Mack Headley, Jr., offers step-by-step instruction how to carve a shell. He explains the numbering system of carving tools and the importance ...

  • Carving Incised LettersCarving Incised Letters

    by Roger Holmes

    Fine Woodworking’s Roger Holmes talked to Frank Cushwa, of Kent, Connecticut, about how he came to the art of carving lettered signs and how others can carve them. ...

  • KerbschnitzenKerbschnitzen

    by John Hines

    John Hines took a class from Wayne Barton on chip carving, or kerbschnitzen, which describes a style of carving that uses a short-bladed knife to cut intricate ...

  • Cabriole LegsCabriole Legs

    by Philip C. Lowe

    Philip C. Lowe reviews the history of the cabriole leg and its foot styles and explains how to make a Queen Anne style leg, which terminates in a spoon foot, also ...

  • Linenfold CarvingLinenfold Carving

    by Rick Bütz

    Linenfold carving originated around 1450, and surviving pieces show how stylized it became before being replaced in the Renaissance by floral patterns. Rick Bütz ...

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