# Stuff for my BA submission in August. AKA Welcome to The Dark Side.



## Adam W. (20 Apr 2021)

Currently working on my submission for a BA in carving and I've been working on a carved chest made from one of these, converted by riving.....












The front is joined and carved and the lid, back and sides are plain wainscott.







With these panels as infill on the front...






I made this from construction grade spruce. It's a copy of part of a 15th. century Della Robbia terracotta heraldic shield and will be gessoed and polychromed, which is why it looks a bit rough and ready.



I've got two more frames to make before I'm finished, a walnut Sansovino and a gilded tabernacle, both copies of 16th. century Venetian picture frames.


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## Blackswanwood (20 Apr 2021)

Superb


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## Adam W. (20 Apr 2021)

Thank you.

I wanted to try out the spruce frame, as it was a species which was used in Italy during the renaissance for carved picture frames, but is much overlooked as a carving timber today.

Although it was slow grown, it was very soft, but surprisingly it carved well if the tools were sharp enough. The local builders merchant is now suddenly awash with excellent and very cheap carving timber and I'll use the same stuff on the tabernacle frame.


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## --Tom-- (20 Apr 2021)

Really impressive work.


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## Inspector (20 Apr 2021)

I'm glad I clicked on this thread. I doff my hat.

Pete


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## Ollie78 (20 Apr 2021)

Holy sweary term that will get edited. 
That is nice work.

Ollie


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## Cabinetman (21 Apr 2021)

Stunning work, particularly liked those four infill panels, those medullary rays can cause real problems when they start to lift. Lovely to see that carving like this is still being taught and practised. Ian


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## Trainee neophyte (21 Apr 2021)

I'm not even qualified to comment, other than "WOW!"

Can't wait to see it assembled.


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## LJM (21 Apr 2021)

I love this sort of thing; absolutely not my taste, but the skill and craftsmanship are compelling, and there is beauty in that, whatever ones taste


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

Thank you, I'm glad you like it, and I appreciate that its not to everyones taste. I do it for the historical journey, as I think it's like time travel in the workshop.

Imagine having all your furniture in the house carved like that, with patterns on the walls, ceiling and floor too, plus all the patterned fabric they used at the time.

It should be finished next week, once I've finished the modelling for the Sansovino frame, so I'll post a photo of it all in one piece.

It's been a lot of work, as I converted the timber from stems I selected at the road head and the only power tool I used on the chest was a chainsaw to cut the stems to length before splitting. Luckily I found some super straight and defect free ones in the lot, so the riving went well. Should I post some photos of that ?


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## Iestynd (21 Apr 2021)

Brilliant work. I'm replying to make sure you get credit for the work.. simply stunning, but also as if you update this thread with more pictures i'd like to see them


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

I'll put together some more photos of the process from tree to chest then.

In the meantime, here's a piece of unfinished coursework. They always seem to be unfinished, as I'm eager to start on the next idea that pops into my head.

BTW. The rheumatic finch is supposed to look like that, all stiff legged.


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## Fitzroy (21 Apr 2021)

Marvellous! Can't see the photo of the shield tho? Everyone loves a rheumatic finch. The more photos of the process the better!


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## Wood&StuffLtd (21 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Currently working on my submission for a BA in carving and I've been working on a carved chest made from one of these, converted by riving.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Adam, lovely work. Have you ever seen the work carried out


Adam W. said:


> Currently working on my submission for a BA in carving and I've been working on a carved chest made from one of these, converted by riving.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Adam, lovely work. Have the ever seen the carving of The Wall, Tasmania? Google it, it is rather splendid. Good lick withe the degree.


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## Wood&StuffLtd (21 Apr 2021)

Wood&StuffLtd said:


> Adam, lovely work. Have you ever seen the work carried out
> 
> Adam, lovely work. Have the ever seen the carving of The Wall, Tasmania? Google it, it is rather splendid. Good lick withe the degree.


Sorry about the typos, iphone screens are just so small.


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

The Wall in The Wilderness is lovely work, thanks for pointing that out. Not sure I could last 15 years on one carving, it's impressive.






The Wall in the Wilderness


Official site of The Wall in the Wilderness - a 100 metre sculpture by Greg Duncan situated in the central highlands of Tasmania.



thewalltasmania.com.au


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## xy mosian (21 Apr 2021)

All I can think to say is Crikey!
xy


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

As promised, I'll post a bit about selecting and converting oak by hand, using only hand tools once the stem is cut into lengths. You'll have to bear with me, as I can only post during coffee breaks, so it'll be chopped into sections.

I live in an area of Jutland which has some amazing oak trees that grow as straight as telegraph poles. The species is _Quercus petraea _otherwise known as the sessile oak. This grows in abundance in Europe and the British Isles and is sold, once converted as European oak and is easily mixed up with _Quercus robur_, the English oak or pendunculate oak.

The way to tell the difference between the two trees is to look at the acorn. Pendunculate oaks' acorn grows on a stalk and sessile oaks' acorn doesn't. The other distinguishing characteristic of sessile oak is its straight growth habit.

Sessile oak, also known as Baltic oak in the 17th. century was imported into the port of London in huge quantities after The Great Fire and can be seen in the magnificent interior joinery and paneled halls of the period.

Baltic oak was also used to make furniture and its straight growth, free of defects, lends itself to being split and converted from stems into panels and other furniture components.

I have the fortune to know a tame forester, who looks after an estate which has been cultivating oak and beech for several hundred years, and regularly has timber lots for sale when they harvest during the winter.

Last year they had a sale and I was lucky enough to be he first one to view the lot before it was shipped off the China to be made into Ikea laminate flooring  (I don't normally use emojis, but that called for one).

It was a decent lot and looked like this......



















You can see a "V" chopped into the butt and that's my mark, so that the haulier knows which ones to take when he comes to collect.

I had a very strict selection process and managed to find 7 good ones from the lot. I chose only those which had straight splits in the butt, no twist, no epicormic growth (small shoots from the stem which make the cats paw pattern in sawn oak boards) and no bumps or lumps from earlier trimming of branches.

Delivery day came and they were dropped over the hedge into the garden. I had to chop them in half to get them into the garden, as they were 11M long and took up too much space.

Although there's an obvious large branch on the one in the foreground, the stem between the branches was beautiful and straight and it came at a great price because of it.






More later........


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## RobinBHM (21 Apr 2021)

Lovely work, really lovely. 

I love the oak chest.
Where are you doing your carving BA?
I went to Buckinghamshire college, back then they did fine craft - it was great to see the high quality cabinetmaking ( I did a furniture production degree, not an art based course)


I grew up in Edenbridge, the parish church is 900 years old. It has some amazing carved work, all in oak.


Out of interest, how do you feel about your sort of work being machined by CNC?


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

RobinBHM said:


> Lovely work, really lovely.
> 
> I love the oak chest.
> Where are you doing your carving BA?
> ...


Thank you.

I'm at The City and Guilds of London Art School in Kennington. I wanted to study historic joinery, but there wasn't a course for that, so I got a place on their historic carving course instead.

I get told off for doing too much joinery study though, but they've got used to me and my funny tools and wooden planes. As long as I do the carving bit as well, I'm left alone to do my thing.

I studied Historic Timber Building Conservation at The Weald and Downland museum before that and I hope to get some work in the large London jobs combining both disciplines, which work together very well.

Most of my work before was in conservation and repair, so there wasn't a call for CNC made stuff, as the emphasis is on making things in the traditional way, using traditional tools and materials. I have to be able to read tool marks and I study lots of 17th. century pattern books to decipher how things were made. Then I do loads of experimenting with method and materials to get it just right before I begin.

So I guess I don't feel threatened by automation at all. Lots of things are being made with 3D printing nowadays but there isn't really a huge demand for it in grade 1 listed buildings.


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## Inspector (21 Apr 2021)

One area that I have always liked is linenfold carvings. There are very few examples here and any books on carving will only have a poor illustration or two and that's it. Every now and then I see in the background of a TV show or movie some but goes by way to fast. I don't suppose you have any resources I could look at that would show more details? I would love to make a bed with linenfold panels someday. 

Pete


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

Inspector said:


> One area that I have always liked is linenfold carvings. There are very few examples here and any books on carving will only have a poor illustration or two and that's it. Every now and then I see in the background of a TV show or movie some but goes by way to fast. I don't suppose you have any resources I could look at that would show more details? I would love to make a bed with linenfold panels someday.
> 
> Pete



I've got loads of pictures from different periods.

The process is the same for all, but the design becomes more elaborate with the development of the wooden moulding plane.

Basically, its a process of creating a series of planed hollow and round grooves along a board and then cutting the end to create the folds. The early ones are just a series of troughs cut with a round moulding plane and the ends are cut at an angle, but with the development of the moulding plane and the creation of hollows and rounds they introduced the hollow plane which creates a raised curved section and then the snipes bill plane was introduced which creates an undercut and makes the linenfold fold over on itself, like the panel below.

I forgot to add, once you've cut all the gouge cuts straight downwards, remove the waste and undercut it to create the shadow edge at the bottom.


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## Bm101 (21 Apr 2021)

Thank you for taking the time to share Adam. Absolutely fascinating. Other than the level of skill involved in the carving it's really interesting to see the depth of knowledge involved in the timber selection and processing by riving onwards all by hand.


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## RobinBHM (21 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Thank you.
> 
> I'm at The City and Guilds of London Art School in Kennington. I wanted to study historic joinery, but there wasn't a course for that, so I got a place on their historic carving course instead.
> 
> ...



many thanks for the reply.

It is fantastic that there are people such as yourself who want to learn these skills -It is a valuable part of our heritage.

I used to run a joinery company and Ive worked on many listed buildings and indeed a few churches. A builder friend of mine is a preferred contractor for an ecclesiastical architect an dIve helped with a few refurbs -not historical really mostly kitchens, tea serveries etc. But Ive seen lots of the original work - beautiful linenfold panelling with carvings.

I know the Weald and Downland museum well -been there a number of times, its an hours drive from my house.


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## Sgian Dubh (21 Apr 2021)

Adam, I've very much enjoyed reading about your experiences, the skills and learning you're undertaking, and the issues you're discussing. I'm looking forward to reading and seeing more. Slainte.


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

Bm101 said:


> Thank you for taking the time to share Adam. Absolutely fascinating. Other than the level of skill involved in the carving it's really interesting to see the depth of knowledge involved in the timber selection and processing by riving onwards all by hand.



Thanks.

There's no point in keeping it all to myself and I believe in sharing knowledge around. Other people have shared their knowledge with me and the least I can do is share it all further.


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

Sgian Dubh said:


> Adam, I've very much enjoyed reading about your experiences, the skills and learning you're undertaking, and the issues you're discussing. I'm looking forward to reading and seeing more. Slainte.


Cheers, I'll post a bit more about the conversion tomorrow. I hope to read your book one day.


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## thetyreman (21 Apr 2021)

impressive carvings Adam, look forward to seeing more as well.


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## doctor Bob (21 Apr 2021)

Great stuff, excusemy ignorance but BA, is that a degree in wood carving?
I assume it is, I employed a guy with a degree in furniture making a few years ago and was amazed at what you can do degrees in these days, but also rather saddened the there was a necessity to turn a trade into a degree.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not under valueing a trade. I'm more interested in why it was made into a degree, bit like why it was necessary to make nursing a degree.
Prehaps you can shed some light on this for me and educate me.


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## gregmcateer (21 Apr 2021)

What the f...!!!!
That work is superb, Adam. 
I'm blown away by it. Please keep posting pictures on here.


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## Adam W. (21 Apr 2021)

doctor Bob said:


> Great stuff, excusemy ignorance but BA, is that a degree in wood carving?
> I assume it is, I employed a guy with a degree in furniture making a few years ago and was amazed at what you can do degrees in these days, but also rather saddened the there was a necessity to turn a trade into a degree.
> Don't get me wrong, I'm not under valueing a trade. I'm more interested in why it was made into a degree, bit like why it was necessary to make nursing a degree.
> Prehaps you can shed some light on this for me and educate me.



It was a diploma when I started, but it turned into a degree in the second year.

I'm not sure why that was to be honest, but I guess it's how things progress in education and maybe the college gets some more funding that way, which I don't begrudge, as they have done a lot to keep the subject alive and it's a very small independent college. They are supported by most of the London guilds, so the trade links are still there and I receive bursaries from The Worshipful Company of Carpenters and The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers and without their support I couldn't do it.

Turning it into a degree has upped the student numbers, which is possibly because students can now apply for a student loan to study there. I'm sure you'll agree that more people studying historic woodcarving is a good thing for historic building conservation in the UK, no matter what the qualification is at the end of the day. 

It's a huge amount of work, I do 11 hour days, and we have to become proficient at drawing, including life drawing, clay modelling, gilding and woodcarving.

Where are the industry lead apprenticeship schemes for trades these days anyway ?


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## Garden Shed Projects (21 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Currently working on my submission for a BA in carving and I've been working on a carved chest made from one of these, converted by riving.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Absolutely amazing. It’s hard to imagine how these things can be made by hand. Well done


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## skeetstar (21 Apr 2021)

Lovely, lovely work, brilliant craftsmanship. You need to change your name to Grinling.


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## Sean33 (21 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Currently working on my submission for a BA in carving and I've been working on a carved chest made from one of these, converted by riving.....
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Beautiful work, thanks for sharing and imho you already have a 1st


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## Adam W. (22 Apr 2021)

Thanks. I wish it was that easy, but they ignore everything other than carving, although I view it all as essential, but joinery other than a lap joint is definitely seen as an extra curricular activity.

I will come out with much more knowledge than I went in with and I'm considering doing an MA and that's where I can really get going with stuff like fan vaults and segmented pediments, but that's for another day and another thread.

I'll do a thread when the time comes and we can all have a good laugh as I take an unguided trip down another rabbit hole.

But, to whet your appetite, here's a picture of some 3" long boxwood planes I made to work on the pediments sprung cornice moulding .


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## Sgian Dubh (22 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> I hope to read your book one day.


That's much appreciated, Adam. Maybe there's a copy handy in the college library, and if not, perhaps I should get in touch with the highheidyin's there to extol the tome's virtues, and to persuade them they require multiple copies to satisfy the learning needs or goals of their students, ha, ha, (tongue firmly in cheek on the last bit). Slainte.


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## Adam W. (22 Apr 2021)

That's a good idea, I'll put in a request. Should she get intouch with you directly or just buy it from a stockist ?


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## alanwetherall (22 Apr 2021)

Absolutely brilliant.keep posting I love it


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## Sgian Dubh (22 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> That's a good idea, I'll put in a request. Should she get intouch with you directly or just buy it from a stockist ?


I wasn't really trying to promote my own product, just making a bit of a joke, but since you've asked, I don't sell copies of the book. I leave that to *Classic Hand Tools* or, in the north-east, *Woodsmith Experience*. Slainte.


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## Adam W. (22 Apr 2021)

Anyway, back to converting timber by hand.

The logs get bucked into the desired lengths with the chainsaw. Mostly I go for 6' lengths for stock, as I can make muntins for wainscott panels with that and most furniture uses lengths shorter than that, so its a good compromise.

This one's 4' for the chest components.






So I start off with a maul and some iron and plastic wedges, you can use timber wedges too if you want.

Starting at the butt where the splits normally are (you can see them in the earlier photos where the stem has started to split into quarters from sitting in the wind), drive the wedges in and split the piece in half along its length.






This one sat over the summer and some mycelium has caused the dark staining, I don't worry about this, as it will die when the timber dries down below 18% which is classed as air dry.

Note where the split has gone wiggly along the pith in the center. This is from the sapling moving around as it grows upwards. The fibres in that middle portion are quite sloping and brittle and it gets chopped off as waste later.

I use the axe to cut any fibers which don't separate with the wedges. The two pieces will just fall apart when they are cut.

You can also see where the butt flares out at the near end, on the left, and starts to form the buttresses which support the tree and brace it against the wind.

This one didn't split exactly into quaters and the pieces vary in size. I can use this size difference when I'm selecting pieces to use for joinery.







Continue splitting each piece in half into eigths and sixteenths depending on the thickness of the section required. I wanted nominal 1" thick pieces so I went down to 16ths. If you want thicker for 2" legs, stop at eigths.

For misericords you want to stop at quarters, that's why they are that shape. Take a look next Sunday and you'll find they are invariably quarters from riven stock with medullary rays on the seat part.











Take a look at the end of this where the broken off branch is and see how the fibers grow around it like water flowing around a rock in a river. That's why you want to avoid bumps in the bark when you choose the log, stuff like this is hidden inside and it affects the end product greatly so it needs splitting off.






That's about it for converting the timber and it's then to the stump to start the work of the broad axe and square the section before planing.

Check out the orientation of the annual rings and straightness of the grain, that's quality timber right there, and for very little money too.






You can't really see the medullary rays on this piece, as it's still very wet, so I'll talk a little about that next time when I make a panel with the froe and beetle on a brake.

It's got its own language too, full of strange and wonderful forgotten words and for me that all adds to the richness of the experience.


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## Adam W. (22 Apr 2021)

Sgian Dubh said:


> I wasn't really trying to promote my own product, just making a bit of a joke, but since you've asked, I don't sell copies of the book. I leave that to *Classic Hand Tools* or, in the north-east, *Woodsmith Experience*. Slainte.


That's OK. I want to read it and the college library will benefit greatly from having it.


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## davedevelopment (22 Apr 2021)

Splendid thread, please keep it coming whenever you get the chance


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## toysandboats (22 Apr 2021)

Like many others, I'm in awe of your skill and determination. Please do keep posting your work and methods, it is inspiring.
David


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## Fitzroy (22 Apr 2021)

misericords - had to look that one up! 

You've also made me want to go and split a tree apart and make some timber. Had never thought I may be able to process such a large log with relatively few tools.

Super interesting thread btw, thanks for your time on it.


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## Adam W. (22 Apr 2021)

Excellent, I've done my job if you do.


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## Wood&StuffLtd (22 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> The Wall in The Wilderness is lovely work, thanks for pointing that out. Not sure I could last 15 years on one carving, it's impressive.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


They are large panels which display the history of Tasmania. Also the coat on hook carving are truly realistic. The location is in the middle of nowhere on a road through forest land.


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## Adam W. (22 Apr 2021)

It reminds me of Tilman Riemenshneiders' carvings in Germany. He was good at hair and veins too.


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## Fergie 307 (22 Apr 2021)

Looked at this thread for the first time today. Wonderful craftsmanship. So good to see these skills are being kept alive.


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## Thingybob (23 Apr 2021)

Absolutly bloody marvelous


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## glenfield2 (23 Apr 2021)

As someone who can’t cut straight without a power tool I am in awe of your skills and knowledge. 
Even more importantly to see traditional skills passing down the generations. As an old codger I often see others of my age working on steam engines, joinery, machine tools, old vehicles and the like and wonder ‘who will do this when they have gone?’ 
Well now I know at least someone somewhere is.


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## Adam W. (23 Apr 2021)

I cant cut straight either, that's why I do it this way. 

When I get to the putting it together part, you'll see that no two pieces are the same width or thickness and some aren't even planed straight, even or flat.


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## Simon89 (23 Apr 2021)

Wow that’s very impressive


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## Adam W. (23 Apr 2021)

I haven't managed to find a piece to split into a panel just yet, but I'll keep looking.

In the meantime, here's what I've been up to this week..............










It's a term figure for a version of a 16th. century Venetian walnut Sansovino frame which I'm going to attempt in June and July. You can see part of the frame in the background.

There's still lots of work to go on the model, but once it's done I'll make a two part silicone mold and cast it in gypsum so that I can take it to London.

By making a model in clay I can work out the depths and levels of the carving before touching any expensive walnut and I need to do all the prep before hand as time will be tight to get the wood, do the joinery, carve it and then gild it.

I'm completely out of my depth at this point, as I've never carved anything like it before and there are two of them, one on each side of the frame, so I've got my work cut out to get it done in time and I'm glad I'm making a model before hand to get a bit of practice.

There's also a very interesting stepped lap joint instead of a lapped miter at the bottom corners which steps around the carving of the Ibex and ends in a short miter. I'm obviously going to have to do a dummy run then join the frame before carving it as I don't want to cock it up at the end of the day.

I hope she ends up turning out more like a young Princess Margaret in The Crown than a Margaret Beckett.


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## Adam W. (24 Apr 2021)

I want to talk about this picture a little more, as it'll lead us on to splitting for panels.







On this piece, I've chopped off the feather edge which had formed by chopping across the grain with the axe to cut the stringy fibers of the juvenile wood which surrounds the pith of the tree. This stuff is laid down quickly as the sapling races up to get to the light in the woods and as these trees are plantation grown all the other saplings are racing against it, so it has to be fast if it wants to survive.

The juvenile wood needs to be flexible and strong to resist all the forces the sapling is subject too, such as whipping around in the wind and carrying a snow load, so it develops sloping, stringy, bendy fibers, which don't plane well at all and is regarded as a waste product during conversion.

Once the juvenile wood is removed, I'm left with a much broader surface to view the progress of the split when I'm using the wedges. You'll want to go easy when you get to this stage and it's where you can start to control the split a little. Notice that I've switched to plastic wedges and an axe. I can drive the plastic wedges in with the poll of the axe without damaging it and it's a nice axe, so I treat it well.

Also, I need to keep cutting the fibers to make the split go easy and I can guarantee that my axe will meet with an iron wedge if I use one. I don't need to explain what will happen then, but there will be cussing.

This piece wiggles about a bit, but it has no twist (spiral grain) and twist is your enemy, as it makes for a lot more work and a lot of waste wood. That's why I'm careful about stem selection when viewing the lot at the road head.









You can't really see small amounts of twist on the surface of the bark, but you can see a lot when you learn to read it. If you look at stem No.2 from the right, it's clear that this one has been wiggling about when it was growing . When you split a stem like that you'll end up with sections which need a lot of hewing and they'll also have sloping grain. That's just a pain, as you really want to be able to plane this stuff in both directions. It makes for a straighter piece of furniture if you can do that as it's assembled green. More about that later.

Once I've made my initial selection, I'll take off a length of bark and have a look at the patten of the fibers at the cambium layer underneath it. You can get a better idea of what's going on and see the slightest bit of twist, but it's subtle and needs a bit of an eye.

I didn't choose stem No.1 from the right, even though its long and very straight, because it's covered in loads of dark splodges. That's epicormic growth and although it makes for a nice bit of figure in a flat sawn board it's not your friend if you want a riven piece.

The forester was adamant that it was OK and wanted to sell me this stem, but I had a feeling about it so I resisted his wily charms and I'll show you why later.

They're cunning folk these forest folk, so you want your wits about you when you go in there to meet them.


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## Adam W. (24 Apr 2021)

Hmmm.... It's suddenly gone quiet around here, have I said something wrong ?

Anyway, onwards and upwards. I"ll split this bit into two parts.

There are some specific tools that you need if you want to get involved in riving sections such as stiles, rails, muntins and panels for joinery. There's the wedges and maul or hammer which we saw in the stem conversion part, they're useful for busting apart shorter sections of stems which are gong to be split for panels, as the froe doesn't exert enough pressure to split a really large round section.

You'll need an axe. Any axe will do but there are also some special broad axes made for the job. The ones below are used for specific finishes or products that I wish to create or to replicate either a regional hewing technique or particular tool mark. This is a bit geeky, fringe conservation type stuff, so I won't go into it in detail unless you want me too.

So from top to bottom; A Gilpin single bevel side axe from Scotland, a modern Wetterlings double bevel broad axe and a modern Gransfors right handed single bevel side axe, both from Sweden. Their cutting edges vary from 5" to just under 6". They're hefty things and require a bit of getting used to, as they're used single handed for this work.







Here's what they look like from a different angle to show how the blade is forged.

Firstly the Gilpin. Bevel on one side and flat on the back. The cutting edge is offset to give clearance for the hands when hewing beams and stuff. It's got a laminated blade with a hard steel cutting edge welded in a forge to a softer body. They've even taken the time to give it a bit of fancy decoration.














The Wetterlings has a double bevel and is hung like a regular axe, but with a longer cutting edge.






The Gransfors Bruks, single bevel and flat on the back it also has a blade which is cranked over to give clearance for the hands and is really good for hewing wide panels, as you can work across the whole width of the panel without bashing your knuckles.






The froe and beetle. Sounds like a bijou pub name.

The beetle drives the froe by giving it a wack on the back. Its made of a hazel stem with a branch coming out of it or any other gnarly wood with a handle.

I made this about 7 years ago for driving hedging stakes and has served me well. The froe comes from Gransfors Bruks in Sweden, but if you're handy with a welder they can be made from a leaf spring off a truck.







Lastly there's the brake. That needs to be strong and heavy, as you'll be exerting a goodly amount of force on it. Its made of bits of oak bolted together and has a device which can hold a piece of timber wedged in it. You stand in front of it and drive the froe into the end of the timber and pull down on the handle. This splits the section open.







Like this.







More later.


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## Inspector (24 Apr 2021)

We're watching and learning even if we don't say so with every post.  

Pete


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## Jake (25 Apr 2021)

Fascinating. A whole new side to woodworking - two actually, the carving and conversion sides.


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## NickM (25 Apr 2021)

I’ve just stumbled on this thread and it’s fascinating. Your work looks absolutely first rate to me and I absolutely love that you’re riving your own timber. I rived a large ash log recently and it’s a very satisfying process (although mine did not come out as nicely as yours!).

keep up the good work.


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## Adam W. (25 Apr 2021)

Thanks all, let me know if I'm pratting on too much about it and I'll do more pictures and less text.


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## mr edd (25 Apr 2021)

Keep on prattling
I am enjoying it as I am sure many others are here


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## Phill05 (25 Apr 2021)

It's a joy to see and read of your extremely talented work keep it up please, I am more interested in the carving side but your explanations of how you get there is also needed.


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## mrpercysnodgrass (25 Apr 2021)

First class work. Well done.


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## Adam W. (25 Apr 2021)

We'll get to the carving side soon and you can all have a giggle as I fumble my way through it. And judging by the caliber of the audience I'm going to have to up my game.

I do look at all your websites btw and it's top drawer work.


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## Cooper (25 Apr 2021)

This is all fascinating please keep posting. 
Perhaps a silly question but are you very strong or is there special technique? I split small logs to turn and have had enormous difficulty making any headway until the split is nearly done. I had a real struggle with short (40cm) pieces of Oak of about 30cm diameter, you are dealing with much longer lengths.
Thanks 
Martin


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## Adam W. (25 Apr 2021)

A lot of it depends on the selection of the timber, which is why I've spent so much time going on about it.

Species also plays a large part in it too. What timbers are you splitting apart other than oak ?


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## Cooper (25 Apr 2021)

Hi thanks for the reply, I find quite a lot of stuff being removed from neighbours gardens, by tree fellers. If there is a piece I think may make a little bowl I get a few logs. I've been working on Bay, as I mentioned what I would call American Oak (the leaves are more spiky than the Turkey Oak in my garden) Turkey Oak and the other day some Holly. I haven't started on the Holly yet and any advice would be very welcome. With the Bay several logs produced lovey radial splits but getting the split to cross the centre takes, for this old bloke, a lot of effort.
Cheers
Martin


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## Adam W. (25 Apr 2021)

Er, well. That's mostly above my pay grade.

I'm pretty sure you won't get much result from trying to split holly and small diameter oak doesn't seem to split very well either and I think that it might be because the tree hasn't matured enough and you're fighting against a higher proportion of the fibrous juvenile wood than I am with larger stems. Most of the stuff I go for is 2' or over in the center, so those stems I chose were a good 2 1/2' at breast height.

I do try to use wedges as much as possible and the Sessile oak is known for its riving qualities and is used a lot for wainscott work because of that.


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## Adam W. (26 Apr 2021)

I'm going to cover a couple more defects to look out for and if you can avoid them, your experience will be a lot more rewarding.

To take the guesswork out of riving panels, it's important to know what piece to go for and what to avoid.

The two pieces on the left have splits in them which bend around. This is where the rays are, but on these pieces they are curved instead of straight. As the best results are achieved by splitting along the rays, which are a point of weakness that we exploit, it's best to avoid stuff like this for good face work.

They should be OK to use as secondary faces like backs or floors of furniture, but expect to be producing firewood and you won't be disappointed if you manage to squeeze a panel or two from it.

The pieces on the right are better, as the rays are straight.

!!Anorak alert!!

I want to explain what the rays are. Their technical name is ray parenchyma cells and they grow in sheets within the xylem under the phloem (wood and bark to you and me). All trees have them and they are food storage cells which the tree draws on in times of stress . In some species they are more pronounced than others and there are two types which produce figure. Medullary rays, which emit from the centre of the stem and intermediate rays which are laid down in the spaces between them as the stem increases in girth.

There's also tyloses which is found within the cell structure of the heartwood and is produced by the ray parenchyma bursting through the cell wall. It looks like that squirty foam stuff that comes in a can if you look at it under a magnifying glass. Checking for the presence of tyloses is the easiest way to distinguish white oak from red oak, as red oak doesn't have it.

Read Desch and Dinwoody _Timber - Structure, Properties, Conversion and Use_. if you want to delve further into this fascinating subject.







The next piece has straighter rays, but it's dished in the middle. This won't produce a flat panel, but you can get around it by splitting a thicker section off and hewing and planing it flat. I can't guarantee that it will stay flat when it dries out and it will have sloping and reversing grain too.

Rive along the splits for an easier life.






This is the stuff you want, however. Its straight and flat and the rays are flat too. That splits nice, but oddly it comes from a tree which was grown on a steep slope and is normally something I would avoid as the tree has a lot of tension and compression (reaction wood) in it and tends to bow and split open when sawn into boards.

It's not the straightest parenchyma but I wanted wide panels and it's what I had, so I took a chance.






It splits lovely, even though it has been hanging around on the ground for over 10 years, and the panels look great.

Straight, flat and thin, nice.







To split this stuff from a wedge of timber into panels is the job of the froe, beetle and brake.

Put the froe in the centre of the piece, give it a wack on the back with the beetle....






place it in the brake and pull down, but take it easy as you might need to try and steer the split......








which I'll talk about later.


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## Adam W. (26 Apr 2021)

Feel free to ask questions as I go along.


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## Adam W. (27 Apr 2021)

What do I do if I'm on my last bit of good oak and I want a 5" muntin, but if I rive it along the rays I'll only get a 3" piece after it's planed ?

By splitting across the rays, you'll end up with a section which looks something like a rift sawn piece.

Rift sawing is a way of converting timber on a mill which looks something like quater sawn. It won't give you the spectacular figuring of true quatersawn, but it does produce a section of timber which is as dimensionally stable as you can get.





























So if you've got yourself a decent piece of timber, it's worth trying this and creating stuff for stock instead of throwing it on the woodburner. I'll hew the sapwood off that last little bit and make it into a triangular section.

This will up your yield of quality joinery timber to a percentage which would make a sawmill owner blush.

The last bit will be good for carving picture frames, as they often taper like that. Also this outer piece of the tree, just under the sapwood, is usually the best piece of timber as the annual ring per inch count increases the further you get away from the pith as the tree increases in girth. 

This timber is much milder to work than the faster grown timber of smaller diameter trees, but it usually gets thrown away by the mill as slab.


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## jcassidy (28 Apr 2021)

Sgian Dubh said:


> I wasn't really trying to promote my own product, just making a bit of a joke, but since you've asked, I don't sell copies of the book. I leave that to *Classic Hand Tools* or, in the north-east, *Woodsmith Experience*. Slainte.



@sgiandubh Classic Hand Tools - Old Tools & Clearance - Uncle Albert

Best laugh all month. thanks for the tip!


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## TominDales (28 Apr 2021)

Cooper said:


> Hi thanks for the reply, I find quite a lot of stuff being removed from neighbours gardens, by tree fellers. If there is a piece I think may make a little bowl I get a few logs. I've been working on Bay, as I mentioned what I would call American Oak (the leaves are more spiky than the Turkey Oak in my garden) Turkey Oak and the other day some Holly. I haven't started on the Holly yet and any advice would be very welcome. With the Bay several logs produced lovey radial splits but getting the split to cross the centre takes, for this old bloke, a lot of effort.
> Cheers
> Martin


Just come across this thread. It maybe your wood is too dry? Riving is usually done on wood with 30% moisture content on young wood, sounds like you are scavenging freshly cut trees, but have they dried out?


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## TominDales (28 Apr 2021)

Adam W. said:


> What do I do if I'm on my last bit of good oak and I want a 5" muntin, but if I rive it along the rays I'll only get a 3" piece after it's planed ?
> 
> By splitting across the rays, you'll end up with a section which looks something like a rift sawn piece.
> 
> ...


Thank you for this fascinating set of articles, I've just read it from start to this one no 70. I've wondered how riven timber was properly prepared, only really read about it from a furniture perspective. really good read, I look forward to learning some more.

If I'd seen this a few weeks ago I'd have got the axe out as my neighbour has just felled 4 mature trees - very tall - a beach that had hollowed, and x rayed, an Ash with nothing wrong other than the tree surgeon wants all ash trees felled, and a properly dead plane and a maple out the back. He has about 20 mature trees running along the bottom of his garden onto Kirkby road. He has, on average, one removed about every 3 years, all condemned by the local tree surgeon. The first one about 15 years ago ended in a big row with Harrogate council as they refused permission but being a lawyer, neighbour informed the council that they were now responsible should a branch fall into the road. Since then they have rolled over. In my view the tree surgeon condemns a tree when he is in need of a big job. Some involve climbing up and removing all the branches for £5000 a go. The last lot, he got a cheaper set of guys to take the trees down. He kept the branches for fire wood and the lads kept the trunks. Even my neighbour felt the Ash tree was in fine form. As far as I can tell there is no dieback and the canopy looked fine. I'll pock over and see what is left of his wood pile, I think the lads left the trunk at the back as there was a row as to how much wood they took away and they had to drop some back.
I see you have just joined the forum, lots of typing. good luck with your BA. its 40 years since I did mine, in those days people were sniffy about degrees and non degrees qualifications, i'm glad that these historic skills are getting proper recognition. My colleagues in work are building robots that will replace so many skilled professions that we will need to find ways to preserve how things were done, especially as you need great understanding to do work properly by hand. Thanks again Tom


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## Adam W. (29 Apr 2021)

Thanks for bothering to read it and for your reply.

I'm on my third degree at the moment and all have proven very useful in a practical sense, I guess its the only way to learn these types of things these days. Not that the carving degree has anything to do with timber conversion though, and it's not even taught, except when I start to rattle on about it

I've been converting wood for 25 years and it's the only way I know of getting exactly what I require to make sure my work is historically correct, not that it matters much to most people. Now I just want to pass it on to people who I think could also benefit from my learning as I have the time at the moment.

My friend reckons I'm going to become a professor of woodchips when I'm done studying.


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## Jacob (29 Apr 2021)

Only just picked upon this thread! Brilliant stuff.


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## MCTWoodwork (29 Apr 2021)

Jeez... that is amazing work, well done! Bravo! You've got a job for life with that fine workmanship. Amazing 

Roy James Martin is a fantastic carver I follow on Instagram - but i think you have edged it - no pun intended!


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## Adam W. (30 Apr 2021)

I wanted some wide and quite thick panels for the front of the chest, so I cut a slice off this stem which has been hanging around for at least 14 years. I bought it as one long stem for £30 per cubic meter, which is firewood price.

It was too big for the mills and weighed about 4 tonnes. The timber crane had to drag it along the road and through the gate to get it into the yard and I've been chopping at it ever since.

It has been living under trees and all the sapwood has been eaten by the bugs and it has some nice brown streaking because it has started to decay, but inside it's beautiful and still full of moisture.

I needed to get the big saw out for this one and there's no way I'm going to buck this stuff up by hand.







You can see that the pith is off center and it's the fat side where I planned to get the panels from.







It splits alright, but was a bit wiggly.







Not being a huge fan of measuring, I just offered it up to the frame for size and if it's too big, then it's just the right size.

Initially I lay out the outside dimensions of the chest on a rod and that's where the measuring ends. All the other stuff is scribed and eyeballed. I use a square on the outside though, as I don't want a wonky piece of furniture.

I've done enough framing to be confident with dealing with odd sized, out of square and tapering timber sections and close enough is good enough.

The flatness of the face and sides is crucial, so is square on the outside, but the rest can just sit where it lands.






So it's to the stump and hew away until I get the twist out, make it flat so it sits on the bench and take it down to a rough thickness. Then I dress the back with a scrub plane and finish the front, make the sides parallel and it's ready for carving.

As it's still very wet, I put it out in the wind for 3 weeks whilst I get on with something else like carving the frame of the chest.

None of this wood is seasoned and it dries out as I carve away at it and because I've been careful in choosing the stems and all the pieces are straight riven sections, I'm confident that the chest won't wrack when it dries out.

See the mortice at the far end is too large, that's where I changed my mind on the design. It's not an issue as all the joints are pegged and the panels sit in a trench where that mortice is.

The members of The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers had a fit when they saw it, but I'm not worried as this isn't modern joinery and that mortice could be the whole length of the stile for all I care. All that matters is that the shoulder of the tenon on the underside sits against something solid, the panel fills it all up anyway. Plus having baggy mortices makes it's easier to pull apart, as the whole thing gets taken apart and put together countless times.

Modern joiners eh! Far too worried about airtight tenons.

As the saying goes "You should be able to drive this stuff together with your hat."


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## peterw3035 (30 Apr 2021)

Hi Adam, just found your thread and I'm going to have some interesting reading when I can look at it on my PC. 
In my youth I was a time served carpenter & joiner and have recently taken up woodturning & green wood carving. I've found the whole subject & practice of turning trees into useable timber fascinating. To the extent that I've spent more time processing rather than making.
I'll be reading your posts with great interest.


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## Adam W. (30 Apr 2021)

Excellent, I look forward to hearing about it.


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## Adam W. (30 Apr 2021)

These wavy patterns are from epicormic growth, which deflects the grain pretty much to the pith. In this example there is a small cluster in the upper segment and the lower one mirrors it.







This is the inside surface of the back of the chest before the panels are finally dressed with the scrub/fore plane, which gives a historically correct and very beautiful undulating finish.

All the panels on the back show distorted grain and this is perfectly acceptable for a secondary surface on this kind of work.






You can also see the finish from the axe and that the muntin on the left isn't square. These are all typical surface finishes seen on historic chests and can be used to date furniture. I've left one surface on the chest showing a modern finish, but you can't see it unless you turn it upside down.

There's quite a contrast between primary and secondary surfaces in this type of work and it would probably be unacceptable today to have such rough work on the interior or backs of furniture.

When it's finally pinned together the joints on the outside will close up tight, but there will always be a gap on the inside at the tenon shoulder to accommodate any movement as the timber dries out.

The adze isn't used on panel work, as it's the job of the broad axe to dress the surface and an adze would be impractical to use on such small surfaces.

I think that's about it for the moment and I'll finish off this part when I've completed the chest and pin it together.

I hope I've managed to make it understandable so far and that it's easy to read. I apologise if the grammar is a bit random at times.

Cheers, Adam.


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## Jacob (30 Apr 2021)

Talking of rough backs. This is the back of a door in very ordinary Victorian dresser. Softwood and brown varnish. A bit rough but the fronts are all perfect.







Taken out of the frame and cleaned off. Photographed placed in a beam of sunlight skimming the surface in an otherwise darkish room and you get slightly "collimated" light which shows up and exaggerates all the surface blemishes.
This is the same panel you'll have to take my word for it!





I guess finished with adze and the bevels planed with a jack.

I've seen a lot of stuff like this.
A spectacular chest of drawers in a French house had backs so rough the owners thought it had been attacked by bears! I'll see if I can find the photos it was some time ago.


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## Adam W. (30 Apr 2021)

That's interesting. I can see it's the same panel, just the other way up.

If it's Victorian, I wonder why it's not sawn ?


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## Adam W. (4 May 2021)

One for the carvers.

The initial modelling of the term figure is now done and it's cast in silicone to make a one piece block mold. Once that's done I'll cast a couple of examples in plaster and carve the details on to them, then I'll make a final mold of that and cast it as a model to carve from.

I found the Ibex head tricky and had three attempts at it. It's funny how the eye tricks you into believing things are OK, so I take a picture of it on my phone and look for errors there.

I had to keep slicing 4mm off it each time to get it into line, as it was way off.

Still loads of work on the details like her ears and the hair on the ibex head and its horns, but its good for a starter.


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## Adam W. (5 May 2021)

So, the mould was made as a one piece block mould in two part RTV silicone and it came out alright.






The clay model will go in the bin, as I can make repeat copies of it now. It will crack badly anyway, so there's no point in keeping it.

The first cast came out alright too and I'm fairly happy with the result.







I should be able to fix it to a piece of timber the same size as the frames, with a rebate for the moulding which forms the sight edge. My plan is to make one side of the frame as a mock up so that I can find out the exact size of timber I need to order. I'll make the egde moulding and carve it so that I get used to the pattern. It's a bit like egg and dart in my first post on this thread, but with flowers instead of eggs.

I don't have any measurements of the original. All I have is this photograph to make it from and I'm scaling off of it with dividers.


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## Inspector (5 May 2021)

Can I ask a question? Did the traditional carvers a few hundred years ago also make models and work out the details like you are or did they carve straight off a sketch or drawing? I had always assumed, perhaps incorrectly, that it was the latter, their skills and eye being honed from a lifetime of steady carving.

Pete


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## Adam W. (5 May 2021)

That's a good question Pete and it's something I think about a lot when I make these kinds of things.

I did a lot of research into 16th. century applied and gilded stucco frieze for picture frames from The Veneto region of Italy for the next frame that I'm making and they were modelled and cast. I'll post about that in a week or so.

It's clear that the person who carved this frame knew a lot about human and animal anatomy judging by the quality of the torso of the term figure and the Ibex, and to carve that from memory would be quite a feat in my opinion.

I've had 3 years of life drawing for four evenings a week and all day Saturday and there's no way I could do what he did from memory.

Flexible moulds for casting plaster were around in the 15th. century Venice and they used gelatine and yellow wax to make the form for mass produced stucco, but I've found no conclusive evidence that these one off frames (although this is one of a pair of frames) were modelled in clay beforehand, but I haven't really looked that hard for it. Maybe that's something for a doctorate thesis.

A fully carved frame like this was an expensive thing, as it takes a lot of man hours to complete and the gilding is unusual, as it has a gesso ground for parcel gilding. Usually it's done by oil gilding which cannot be burnished.

Although I'm speculating heavily, I would like think this would have been modelled beforehand, as it makes the carving much easier, but I'm a beginner. What an expert carver in 1500 would have done is anyone's guess, but I think it's worth finding out.

That's not much of an answer either way is it ?


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## Inspector (5 May 2021)

No it is a fine answer. I would have thought the designer would draw what they wanted to some degree and the carvers made a reasonably close representation. I'm speculating though only because I can't recall ever seeing any old clay models kept from any project even if they were considered a throwaway. 

Pete


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## Adam W. (5 May 2021)

All the professional carvers I know carve straight from clay models which get thrown away afterwards, as they always crack badly. So perhaps times haven't changed so much in this trade.

I'm casting in plaster solely because it will be nearly two months before I get to carve it in wood and a clay model would never survive the journey from Denmark to London anyway.


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## John Brown (5 May 2021)

Like many others, I am in total awe of your work.
As to "why do they make it a degree", I reckon the amount of knowledge you've acquired and research you've done, far outweighs a lot, if not the majority of degree subjects.
Please carry on posting.


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## Adam W. (5 May 2021)

John Brown said:


> Like many others, I am in total awe of your work.
> As to "why do they make it a degree", I reckon the amount of knowledge you've acquired and research you've done, far outweighs a lot, if not the majority of degree subjects.
> Please carry on posting.



Thank you.

I'm really enjoying myself and have decided to continue to an MA, where there lies masses of curved architectural work.

I'm really looking forward to diving deeper into the subject of "how on earth did they do that ?"

It's fascinating.


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## Ollie78 (7 May 2021)

This is fascinating, thanks for sharing this amazing work. 

Ollie


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## aspire53 (7 May 2021)

Fascinating, so much to learn.
Congratulation on your decision to continue your studies. You are a natural teacher.


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## Adam W. (7 May 2021)

Thank you all for your encouraging comments.

I'm lucky to have found the right people to share it with.


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## doctor Bob (7 May 2021)

great thread.


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## marcros (7 May 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Thank you all for your encouraging comments.
> 
> I'm lucky to have found the right people to share it with.



It is certainly very interesting. Have you considered how the knowledge can be retained and shared beyond this forum? It would certainly have time implications for you, but I could see potential for some magazine articles and YouTube videos. It is very well written and explained, I wouldn't be surprised to see something similar in the glossy pages of the weekend papers- unusual careers, or interesting commercial craft work is often featured.


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## Adam W. (7 May 2021)

Thank you, but I think it'll be a bit much for me to be honest and I like the partial anonymity that the forum provides.

So what that means is that as long as you're enjoying the content on here, I'm happy to provide it, but stardom really isn't my bag.


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## Adam W. (7 May 2021)

This is photo heavy, as it's best that way.

I've now got three casts made, one's hanging on the wall in the shop so I can keep looking at it and see where the work needs to be done.
One is mounted on a board for re-carving. The board is also the base of the new form for the final silicone mould. The last has a section of timber glued to it to form a mock up of the complete piece of walnut I'm going to carve from. I'll attach a piece of carved moulding to that and this forms the sight edge of the picture frame and I can work out the amount of timber I need to order.

To make this moulding I'll be using a selection of wooden side escapement planes and a sticking board.

I start off marking out the central fillet with a tite-mark. I like this marking gauge as it has a fine adjustment wheel on it.

Once this is marked out two grooves are cut either side of the fillet to define it and raise it up from the ovolo on one side and the ogee on the other.

To cut out and raise the fillet is the job of the snipes bill and rebate plane.

Snipes bills come in pairs and save having to turn the section around, as you can work from both directions.









As they only cut on the curved side, the non cutting side can be used up against the fillet.








These work backwards along the section and create a quirk for the edge of the rebate plane to run in.

Like this....







First I cut into the waste side with the rebate plane to preserve the fillet and level level it up square to form the rebates when I'm at depth. It can also be used on its side to clean the edge of the fillet and make it uniform in width.

On the ovolo side I plane off the arris to form a chamfer for the hollow to run on. It needs a track formed by both corners of the chamfer to run on. Most of the waste is removed by a jack plane and preserves the cutting edge of the hollow plane.

Carve out the ovolo. You can plane it if you want, but I like to approach it as if I'm carving with these planes.







And burnish it to a nice finish with some quality shavings.

No sanding is required on these mouldings as the planes give a good finish and we need to preserve the sharp arrises and small fillets that are created.







That side can be done in a vice, but the other side needs a sticking board with nails sticking out of the fence to keep things in place.

The shoulder of the fillet is formed in the same way as the central fillet and the side rebated out to form the toe of the ogee.






As it's a small one, a pair of no.2 H&R planes are used to carve it out.






A small rebate is formed for the round plane to ride in and a chamfer for the hollow. Then it's a matter of just carving with them to form the shape required.

Like so.






Blend them together and give it all a burnish and we're done.







When I come to make the frame, I'll stick and carve the whole moulding in one long length and chop the miters in succession when it's all carved. That way the moulding will match at the miter.

I think that's about it for that bit and working out the carving on the sight edge moulding comes next.


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## stuckinthemud (8 May 2021)

Loved this thread, learned a lot, thank you Adam, regarding carvers in late medieval/early modern, the master would prepare drawings and carve maquette in plaster, or more commonly in carving wax, his team would take measures from the models. Michelangelo made a miniature of David to carve the full size from. Working from memory was not even considered as an option, DaVinci had a famous falling out with his patron for going slow on a commission, his justification being he couldn't find people with the right appearances. There is a portrait of Gibbons taking measures off a head with dividers


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## Adam W. (8 May 2021)

Thank you.

I think you're right as its one of those trades, along with stone carving, where things don't change much over the centuries.


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## Jacob (8 May 2021)

Normal practice for makers of all sorts to work up maquettes, models, samplers, full size working drawings drawings like joiners' rods, boat builders'"half block hulls" etc. Nearly all gets chucked away!


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## stuckinthemud (8 May 2021)

Sad isnt it? One of my personal favourites in National Museum Wales Cardiff are the plaster carvings Burgess carved of the animals for the castle bridge, made for the masons to point from


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## Adam W. (8 May 2021)

There have been some famous carvers at the place I'm studying at. The college had very close links with The V&A and Natural History Museum and the carvers there did a lot of the work on the fronts of the museums when they were built. 

When they excavated for the new carving studio a few summers ago they found loads of thrown away figurines which had just been dumped in a hole and covered over. Some of them were by famous stone carvers when they were students and the carvings now live in the flowerbed at the college.


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## Adam W. (2 Jul 2021)

Blimey !

I think I've got scrolling acanthus fever.


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## Inspector (2 Jul 2021)

I hope the fever doesn't break for a while. Superb.

Pete


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## Wood&StuffLtd (2 Jul 2021)

At least a 1st. I guess when and if you have time you can do the other three sides and the lid! Magnificant. Did I comment last time and refer you to view on- line The Wall in Tasmania? Keep up the good work.


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## Adam W. (2 Jul 2021)

Yes you did, The Wall is amazing. 

Luckily for me the sides and lid are plain on this one.


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## AJB Temple (2 Jul 2021)

Outstanding. Great credit to you. I admire your skill.


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## Phil Pascoe (2 Jul 2021)

Adam, I assume you've seen the work of Tilman Riemenschneider - Wikipedia (at least in pictures)? Incredible stuff - I touched a Riemenschneider tryptich when I was sixteen (it obviously wouldn't be allowed now) and I remember it 50+ years later.


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## Adam W. (3 Jul 2021)

I do know a bit about Riemenschneider. I'm a big admirer of the Münnerstadt altarpiece, particularly his rendition of Mary Magdalen. He seemed to have had a thing about hair.

Incredible work!


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## clogs (3 Jul 2021)

just seen this ......terrific.....
hope u have as much fun doing it as I have just looking.....in awe.......


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## Phill05 (3 Jul 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Blimey !
> 
> I think I've got scrolling acanthus fever.
> 
> ...


Adam,
Can I please ask the design on the chest, is this from an old sample or have you laid out the design yourself?
Why I ask when I started many years ago I was given some old drawings and I used some parts of in my own work, some of your work has a close resemblance to it.
The papers were said to be from the early 1700 to 1800 by a Mr W T Whitehead London.

I also found a thesis by a P A Kirkham on London furniture makers and designers but runs into nearly 400 pages I have not found out anymore from that yet.


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## Adam W. (3 Jul 2021)

Very nice, they look like they're from a pattern book.

If you look at Chippendales' director and Sheratons' Cabinetmakers drawing book you'll see similar designs for panels and furniture.

Mine is copied from a chest which is part of the V&A collection, but held in Turton Tower. It was found in Cornwall, but the design doesn't seem to be English, so it may have come from one of the larger sea ports and have been carved by a craftsman from another country. It doesn't seem very provincial either, as the carving is far too elaborate.

I've carved it because I'm interested in Sir Paul Pindar who was Charles 1st. ambassador to the Venetian republic. The front of his house from Bishopsgate is in the V&A and I'm putting it together with the two Venetian picture frames I'm making in an attempt to illustrate the kind of furniture that he may have had in his London house during the 17th. century.









V&A · Sir Paul Pindar's House


The façade of Sir Paul Pindar's house is an outstanding survival of a London timber-framed house built before the Great Fire of 1666.




www.vam.ac.uk


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## Steliz (4 Jul 2021)

I've just found this thread and I have found it interesting, well written and also fascinating. Thanks Adam. I do a bit of carving and I'd love to have a go at something as intricate as what you've done but the wood preparation I will leave to my trusty machinery.


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## Adam W. (11 Aug 2021)

Back to the box.

I've joined the chest together with riven oak pins and started on the frame of the lid. There's an inch clearance all the way round and this may get planed down once I've had the hinges made and joined it together for good.






This gives me the chance to get the fancy rosewood brace out for a spin and I'm using a shell bit ( I think that's what it's called) to bore the holes with. I use this particular bit as it's easy to steer and doesn't cause any tear out when it breaks through the other side.







As I'm going to be sitting on the chest I wanted a smooth finish to the lid, so I've used a 3/16 ovolo on the arris to make it a bit more arris friendly and cut down on the splinters.

I did a mock up to make sure it fit with the position of the trench for the panels before going ahead.









Once the muntins were moulded and the lid trenched to receive the panels I could begin to plane them down. It was tight with sizes and to eliminate all the defects on the visible side I planed raised panels, which I think looks quite tidy.






I'll finish this off tomorrow and that'll be it for the chest until I decide on any carving for the lid.


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## Adam W. (12 Aug 2021)

One more panel to go.....I get marked at 10:45, so plenty of time.

Not quite the exhibition gallery that I had envisioned, but there you go. It's period correct and the lighting is just right.






Mad furniture in the 16th. Century!


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## Adam W. (12 Aug 2021)

Welcome to Adam W's degree show private view.....






Thanks for watching.


FIN!


I'm off to fix the handbrake on the car.


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## Jamesc (12 Aug 2021)

Wow!


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## Linus (12 Aug 2021)

Superb. My flabber is gasted!


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## CaptainBudget (12 Aug 2021)

(shouldn't just respond with a GIF, but...)


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## Garden Shed Projects (12 Aug 2021)

I agree with CaptainBudget. Exceptional work


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## Adam W. (12 Aug 2021)

Thank you, I'll let you know what grade I got in due course.

I must get on with all the shiz that's been put off while I've been carving and gilding, and I'll post some photos of what's on display at the show next week.


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## misterfish (13 Aug 2021)

Thanks Adam for your superb write-ups and i am astounded at the quality of your work. It's been a real eye opener and your skills are amazing.

One thing you mentioned was a frame you made a while ago for a Milan museum - I'd love to see the finished article with its painting.

Jeff


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## Cirks (13 Aug 2021)

Adam W. said:


> Welcome to Adam W's degree show private view.....
> 
> View attachment 115842
> 
> ...



Very impressive Adam. Mirror above another piece reminds me of my nephew’s wife’s prize winning graduating pieces from her course


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## Adam W. (13 Aug 2021)

Here's some better pictures....


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## Adam W. (13 Aug 2021)

misterfish said:


> Thanks Adam for your superb write-ups and i am astounded at the quality of your work. It's been a real eye opener and your skills are amazing.
> 
> One thing you mentioned was a frame you made a while ago for a Milan museum - I'd love to see the finished article with its painting.
> 
> Jeff


I wanted to gild and polychrome it, but the curator wanted to keep it natural. I'm not sure why, but it's her choice and I'm sure she had a reason for it.


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## misterfish (14 Aug 2021)

Adam W. said:


> I wanted to gild and polychrome it, but the curator wanted to keep it natural. I'm not sure why, but it's her choice and I'm sure she had a reason for it.
> 
> View attachment 115880



Thanks, another excellent frame. Brilliant work

Jeff


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## Adam W. (18 Aug 2021)

No grades as yet, but I got a couple of prizes which was a treat.

The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers prize for best carving student. Sponsored by the J&C but awarded by the college. Apparently it's the first time it has gone to wood, ever, and I was pleased to break the dominance of stonecarving and fly the flag for lovers of lignin everywhere. The J&C were suitably thrilled for one of their own to finally take it, so that made my evening.

The City and Guilds Award for gilding and decorative surfaces 2020. There was no show last year, so they kept it back.

Not a bad result, and it was nice to meet the people who have been so generous in supporting me over the last three years. Now I have to endure a week of waiting for the grade to arrive.


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## Inspector (18 Aug 2021)

Congratulations. Well deserved.

Pete


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## dzj (18 Aug 2021)

Well done, Adam! I'm sure everyone who followed your thread here would agree that you deserved the prize.


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## Linus (18 Aug 2021)

Superb work and well done. I can't see you getting anything other than flying colours. Thanks for sharing with us mere mortals.


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## John Brown (18 Aug 2021)

Fantastic stuff, Adam. Thanks for all the explanations and running commentary, along with the pictures.


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## Sgian Dubh (19 Aug 2021)

I can confirm that I've enjoyed watching this thread develop as I indicated I would in my earlier post, a long time back, I suppose.

No doubt you're keen to see your assessed grade, but I strongly suspect the result will be very positive. The awards you've already garnered for the carving you've undertaken bode well for your final assessment. Slainte.

PS. Did you manage to persuade the college they really needed a copy of my printed twittering? Just curious.


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## Adam W. (19 Aug 2021)

I need to butter up the librarian a bit, but I will go and see her about it when she's back.

The more timber science in that place, the better I reckon.


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## MARK.B. (19 Aug 2021)

Congrats on your prize  i think you deserve a medal for all the work involved in those pieces


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## foxbat (21 Aug 2021)

Amazing outcomes to match the incredible processes - thank you for sharing


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## Adam W. (26 Aug 2021)

The grade arrived and I got a first, so I'm very happy. When I started the course I never imagined that I would get anywhere near that, as my precision was way off, I couldn't draw and I'd never done any carving.

I still can't saw in a straight line though.


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## John Brown (26 Aug 2021)

Adam W. said:


> The grade arrived and I got a first, so I'm very happy. When I started the course I never imagined that I would get anywhere near that, as my precision was way off, I couldn't draw and I'd never done any carving.
> 
> I still can't saw in a straight line though.


I'm sure you'd have been awarded a zeroth, if that were a thing!


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## Garden Shed Projects (27 Aug 2021)

Well done Adam. Ritchly deserved. 

I was at Windsor Castle yesterday and the chapel was open. I was fortunate enough to get to visit the knave and it was absolutely stunning the quality of the craftsmanship is beyond. I can understand why you would want to become part of this kind of tradition. Good luck in York.


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## grumpycorn (27 Aug 2021)

I was thinking of this thread yesterday when trying to wrestle my moulding planes into submission on a much simpler picture frame.

well done on getting a (well deserved) first. Enjoy York, I can’t walk past the Minster without stopping to look at the carvings and if the masons are out I can happily lose an hour or two watching them.


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## Adam W. (27 Aug 2021)

Thank you. I'm really looking forward to going to York and getting a look behind the scenes.


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## Linus (28 Aug 2021)

Congratulations and well deserved.


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## bobblezard (28 Aug 2021)

Your award is very well deserved but, I suspect, another step on a long and rewarding path - I look forward to learning more, thanks for sharing what you do.

I hope you have some kind of rest, relaxation and self-reward mode


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## Adam W. (28 Aug 2021)

bobblezard said:


> Your award is very well deserved but, I suspect, another step on a long and rewarding path - I look forward to learning more, thanks for sharing what you do.
> 
> I hope you have some kind of rest, relaxation and self-reward mode



Thank you.

Unfortunately there's no rest for the wicked I'm afraid, as I'm diving into the MA straight away. I guess I'm having a break with a bit of historic carpentry and I'm combining all that I've learnt so far into a project which has been calling me for a long time.


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## Adam W. (2 Sep 2021)

Another bonus is that I have been invited to become a Freeman of The Worshipful Company of Joiners and Ceilers.

What fun, and a nice bit of London tradition. I wish my uncle was still alive, as he would have loved it!


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## Cooper (2 Sep 2021)

I trust you will enjoy lots of long well lubricated lunches and incoherent speeches. Congratulations.
Cheers
Martin


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## Adam W. (2 Sep 2021)

And hopefully get to see behind closed doors in the City, as the J&C don't have a hall of their own, so they use other guilds halls and some of them have truly amazing historic interiors.


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## Sachakins (2 Sep 2021)

Congratulations, a first is such an achievement, but I think we all knew that would only ever be the outcome you deserved.

I hope you go on to greater things, (which I no doubt you will) and hope you keep in touch on here.


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## Adam W. (2 Sep 2021)

Thank you.

There's the MA fan vault thread if you fancy joining in for a giggle as I blunder my way through cathedral carpentry of the 14th. century.


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## baldkev (3 Sep 2021)

Fantastic thread and great carving! 


How long would you estimate it took for the various processes? It would be interesting to know, as centuries ago, with no power tools etc, everything must have taoen an age! Imagine being on one of those pit saws!! Or trying to build a stately home without battery powered kit!


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## Lignumvitae (10 Dec 2021)

Have only just seen this work as a new member.
Amazing! Well done, lovely to see.
Thank you for sharing.


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