16th. Century Venetian gilded tabernacle frame with hand cut and carved mouldings.

[bobblezard]

I'll cut my pearls tomorrow or later today and I'll post a description of it.

I would struggle to stick them on in a straight line and wouldn't recommend it. I reckon yours are still on a small fillet which is glued into the rebate in longish sections, as they're very straight.

So I'd clean out the rebate , make a new fillet, stick it in and carve them that way.

They are oak and the grain goes in a different way to the rest of the panel, so they are applied in one section after being cut.

Hi Adam, thanks very much for your response and sorry for the delay replying. I've been working and wanted to check but there is definitely no rebate or fillet. The line of pearls are each connected to the next and just glued down onto the front panel of the clock.
I will have to work something out but am a bit stumped.

 

[Adam W.]

@bobblezard , Oh, it looked like there was a slight lip on the panel. I still think they are carved in sections and applied, as the grain in the top piece is 90º to the grain direction on the panel, also it's the standard way of applying decorative beading like that.

Maybe you could take a couple more photos ?

 

[bobblezard]

@bobblezard , Oh, it looked like there was a slight lip on the panel. I still think they are carved in sections and applied, as the grain in the top piece is 90º to the grain direction on the panel, also it's the standard way of applying decorative beading like that.

Maybe you could take a couple more photos ?

Hi Adam, yes I think they are carved and applied as you say but I wouldn't have a scooby how to do that. Would you use an in-cannel gouge? The pearls are a tad over 5mm so start with a 5mm wide piece of oak, carve the pearls along the edge and then cut them in a strip away from the rest of the blank?
There's also a pic of the other small section of damage, I'll probably start with that and try to get it looking something like...

 

[Inspector]

Those look machine made to me and can still be bought. Not sure if they can be had in oak. If you had a lathe you could turn short lengths and then either saw or sand to make a flat back.
https://www.osbornewood.com/pearl-moulding.aspx
Pete

Oak ones are available.
http://www.woodnshop.com/MOULDING/Wood_Moulding_252038.htm

 

[Adam W.]

Well there you go, I bet you could get them here off the shelf too.

@ bobblezard But they will be easy to carve with a small regular gouge too. I'll post something at the weekend about it.

Cheers

So I'm starting on the capitals for the frame and I've found a nice bit of spruce in the off cut pile. It's just the right size to carve both of them side by side, which should speed things up a bit.

So I just lay it all out with a cetre line and find the size of gouges I need by drawing the outlines of the elements with them. I try to use the same gouges that I used on the other parts of the frame, as the original carvers would possibly had a more limited selection of tools than I do.

That's my theory anyway and it seems to hold true.

Once I'd carved the post for the central flower on the capital cornice, I used a plant pot with the correct diameter for the segment as a template for both of the capitals.

As I'm carving two together, I can repeat the cuts with the gouge I have in my hand and this speeds things up no end.

I cut the segment with a regular chisel held bevel down to cut and carve the internal radius. Then I removed all the waste, as I had my high points and as everything else is below that, I can chop away quite happily.

I cut the cove and the bottom fillet of the cornice and cut a trench down to the second from lowest level on the carving. The lowest point is in another trench and I'll cut that out last.

I'm getting a nice shiny surface from the gouge and chisels and the cutting was easy despite it being mostly end grain, so I know the edge is good. If I have to push, I know it's time to strop the edge and touch it up.

I've also laid out the volutes and cut the angled faces for them at the same time as the cornice. Hopefully I'll have the face of the capitals done tomorrow and I'll start fitting them to the pilasters.

 

[bobblezard]

Well there you go, I bet you could get them here off the shelf too.

@ bobblezard But they will be easy to carve with a small regular gouge too. I'll post something at the weekend about it.

Cheers

Thanks Adam that would be great.
I had a quick look and couldn't see any in the UK but hard to work out what to search for, pearls and beading etc just brings up loads of jewellery findings.
Sorry again to hijack your thread.
Really looking forward to more on the tabernacle frame

 

[Jacob]

That's right, although it was quite common for the artist to design the frame. There are examples of Bellini and Lippi design sketches for frames, plus a whole host of other great artists of course.........

Was the case in general?
Reason I ask - was on a trip around Birmingham Art Gallery years ago and found myself looking at the frames too and thinking how elaborate and interesting many if them were, carvings, mouldings, paint effects and so on. Not just routine framers shop frames but highly crafted.
I guess a "frame" can be anything from Passe Partout tape to a whole side chapel.

 

[Jacob]

Thanks Adam that would be great.
I had a quick look and couldn't see any in the UK but hard to work out what to search for, pearls and beading etc just brings up loads of jewellery findings.
Sorry again to hijack your thread.
Really looking forward to more on the tabernacle frame

If not machine made I think you'd carve or rasp them on the edge of a board and then slice it off. There's often routine stuff like that in the older books Wood Carving by Percy Blandford - AbeBooks but not later as it's out of fashion, which of course is a pity!

 

[Adam W.]

Was the case in general?
Reason I ask - was on a trip around Birmingham Art Gallery years ago and found myself looking at the frames too and thinking how elaborate and interesting many if them were, carvings, mouldings, paint effects and so on. Not just routine framers shop frames but highly crafted.
I guess a "frame" can be anything from Passe Partout tape to a whole side chapel.

Unfortunately the details of who made the frames are lost to history and most paintings have been re-framed many times to follow interior design fashion.

The Bellini frame that I showed earlier is very special, as it is thought to be the original frame for the painting, which is a rare thing.

They are fascinating things when you start looking at them, aren't they?

 

[Ozi]

Yer well I cut two bits of wood today and they were the same length!

I am in awe of some of the things I see on this site

 

[Inspector]

Thanks Adam that would be great.
I had a quick look and couldn't see any in the UK but hard to work out what to search for, pearls and beading etc just brings up loads of jewellery findings.
Sorry again to hijack your thread.
Really looking forward to more on the tabernacle frame

I just did a search for pearl bead wood molding UK and got one place. Not Oak but Beech. If I can do it so can you.
https://shop.naturtrend.com/uk/wood...ing-for-wooden-furniture-restoration-264.html
Pete

 

[bobblezard]

I just did a search for pearl bead wood molding UK and got one place. Not Oak but Beech. If I can do it so can you.
https://shop.naturtrend.com/uk/wood...ing-for-wooden-furniture-restoration-264.html
Pete

Thanks Pete I guess moulding was the search term that made the difference, unfortunately these are too big, mine are a shade over 5mm but I'll keep looking

 

[Jester129]

@bobblezard here's a link to a ball cutter set from banggood if it helps: Drillpro 24pcs 6-25mm alloy ball cutter woodworking drilling wooden beads drill rotary bead molding tool Sale - Banggood.com . Cheers.

 

[Adam W.]

The first capital didn't work out, as I had cut the volutes too deep, so it met the woodburner.

As I don't have the original or any detail measurements, the whole thing is a bit of trial and error. To be honest, I like it that way and I get a lot out of trying to find the quickest way of doing this stuff. Not that It saves me any time, but I think I get better at carving by making lots of kindling.

Once the big cuss was over, I decided to set up a production line as I had two frames to make capitals for.

So now it's nine in a row, cutting between the knots. There's a reason for me to do this and it forms part of my research into this frame.

I'll tell all about it next week when the carving's done and dusted.

 

[Adam W.]

Beads, pearls, hand cut ornament and shopping.

This way please ☞ .....https://www.ukworkshop.co.uk/threads/hand-cutting-ornamental-mouldings.131040/

 

[MCTWoodwork]

Beautiful work Adam, can't wait to see it stained/sealed or even guilded??

 

[Adam W.]

These are proving to be a bit of a challenge...

So I made 9 in a row, thinking I had enough for 4 capitals and a spare.

This was not to be, as I need 3 per capital.

Glue at the ready......

Mitered together with a bit of infill to adjust the rebate. Most of it gets planed off in the fitting, but it's better to have more than less.

And I can start carving them. This is where I learn about grain direction, as if I even look at it the wrong way it crumbles into tiny pieces, but cut it the right way and it cuts a dream leaving a nice polished surface.

The dodgy looking gap at the edge of the volute gets carved off.

My good lady said it looks like a random mess for the burner. She's got a "Danish" way with words that one, straight for the jugular.

 

[Adam W.]

Blimey !

A bit of adjustment and we're done with the woodwork.

I need to sink the capitals a little more.

And add a couple of bits of moulding on the fields of the pilasters.

Then it's back to clay and plaster.

 

[Adam W.]

It's starting to come together now.

The carving is about done and I've started to apply the stucco once I get it thin enough. It's taken a few attempts and a bit of fiddling to the formwork to get it right.

The entablature frieze ended up at about 1mm after I sanded it, which was my target thickness, but I think the predella frieze will be a bit thicker and need some adjustment once it's in place. It's a bit of a squeeze getting it on, but it's all there.

While the predella frieze is drying, I'm starting on the modelling of the sight edge decoration and hopefully that will be done by Friday and I can then start on the pillasters and tart up the carving once everything's fixed in place and it acts as one unit.

MA interview tomorrow.

 

[Inspector]

Best of luck with the interview. Not that you need it with your skills.

Pete