Round Mirror with Carved Rim

Matt Berger, contributor

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Turned and carved round mirror based on examples by Vermont furniture maker Charles Shackelton

To create this carved diamond beading I shaped a triangular ridge with scraper tools on the lathe, then individually carved the two sides of the diamonds with a chisel by hand.

Another view. Not a great photo, sorry.

Turned and carved round mirror based on examples by Vermont furniture maker Charles Shackelton

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My family and I love to visit Woodstock, Vermont, during the summer and when we do I always make a stop at the mainstreet showroom of furniture maker Charles Shackelton. The sometimes Fine Woodworking author builds amazing custom furniture incorporating elegant carved details. After admiring his collection of round mirrors I decided to try to make one of my own.

I turned the mirror on a large shopmade plywood faceplate on the lathe. After gluing together four segments of African mahogany with splined butt joints, I roughed out the outside perimeter of the mirror on the bandsaw. Then I mounted it on my faceplate (carefully centering it), and shaped the mirror on the lathe with scraper tools. In addition to the curved profile, I shaped a triangular ridge into the face, which I later hand carved with a chisel into a diamond bead ring. Shackelton demonstrated this diamond carving technique in a video on our Website.

The mirror is roughly 2-1/2 in. thick and 24 in. dia. finished with garnet shellac.

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