Crucible Holdfasts – made from ductile iron in a century-old Illinois family foundry – are now back in stock. These beefy, 1″-diameter holdfasts are based on an old French design salvaged from a barn. They work consistently in benches from 2″ to 8″ thick for three reasons: a tight fit between the shaft and hole, a rough surface finish and the fact that its shaft isn’t tapered. And because of these qualities, it also will clamp objects as much as 8″ off the benchtop.
And in case you missed it, another tool that’s been long-awaited is also now available – the Crucible Card Scraper.
Learning to carve the acanthus leaf is – for carvers – like a pianist learning a Chopin étude, a young oil painter studying the genius of Rembrandt or an aspiring furniture maker learning to cut dovetails by hand.
For carvers, especially those who focus on Classical Western ornament, there comes a time they will inevitably encounter the acanthus leaf, learn it, master it and finally incorporate it into their own designs.
“Carving the Acanthus Leaf” is a deep exploration into this iconic leaf, which has been a cornerstone of Western ornamentation for thousands of years. May, a professional carver and instructor, starts her book at the beginning. She covers carving tools and sharpening with the efficiency of someone who has taught for years. Then she plunges the reader directly into the work. Below is chapter 7, which teaches you step by step how to carve an acanthus leaf in a rosette.
Various styles of rosettes have been used since the Roman Empire as decorative accents and are often used as appliqués (applied to a surface) to adorn furniture and architectural features.
FIG. 7.2 Cast metal rosette, Aiken-Rhett House Museum, Charleston, S.C.
Here are some of the design elements for rosettes:
• They are symmetrical and can be circular, oval, square or rectangular. • There is a small bead in the center that is either plain or carved. • In oval or rectangular designs, this center bead is also oval. • Square or round rosettes that are symmetrical can be turned on a lathe before carving to establish the basic profile. • There are typically four primary leaves evenly positioned around the rosette. • The leaves start at the center bead and flow outward toward the edge, with the tips of the leaves defining the outer edges. • For square or rectangular rosettes, the tips of the leaves end at each corner. • The midribs or center stems get narrower as they reach the ends of the leaves. • They often have small, secondary leaves that are between and appear to be positioned under each primary leaf. This example does not contain these secondary leaves.
FIG. 7.3 Deeply carved rosette in cherry on a antique wardrobe, George Davis Antiques & Interiors, Savannah, Ga.
FIG. 7.4 Painted wood detail on a fireplace surround, Humphrey Sommers house, 128 Tradd St., Charleston, S.C., 1769-70. Photo by permission of Dr. Telfair and Hope Parker.
FIG. 7.5 Corner of antique table, carved in wood and gilt, Arthur Smith Antiques, Savannah, Ga.
HOW TO DRAW THE LEAF This design has similar structural elements to other leaves, but some details, such as positioning the eyes, will need to be visually located without guidelines.
FIG. 7.6
STEP 1: Draw a square. This example has slightly curved edges. Draw the center circle and the mid-rib (center stem) of each leaf ending just before each corner. Notice for this design that the midrib connects from one leaf to the next. This is often done to create a continuous flow between the leaves.
FIG. 7.7
STEP 2: Draw the eyes close to the center circle. These eyes represent where two leaves overlap.
FIG. 7.8
STEP 3: Draw eight circles as shown that intersect and slightly overlap at the pointed end of the eye. These locate the edges of the overlapping lobes.
FIG. 7.9
STEP 4: Erase the parts of the circles that are no longer needed. The remaining lines should extend from the pointed end of the eyes. The dotted lines represent the edges of the lobes underneath.
FIG. 7.10
STEP 5: Erase the dotted lines. Draw the two eyes on each leaf about a third of the way up the leaf at a slight distance from the midrib.
FIG. 7.11
STEP 6: Draw circles as shown that represent the overlapping secondary lobes. The edges of these lobes should extend from the eyes drawn in STEP 5. The dotted lines represent the parts of the lobe that are underneath. Sometimes drawing the edges of the lobes first can help locate the eyes, so steps 5 and 6 can be reversed.
FIG. 7.12
STEP 7: Erase the dotted lines. Draw the pipes that start from the eyes drawn in STEP 5 and curve and flow them alongside the midrib.
FIG. 7.13
STEP 8: Draw the lines that locate the serrations as shown. These are typically positioned perpendicular to the center veins on each lobe, but in this design there are no center veins on the side lobes. Draw these lines at an angle located approximately halfway between the eyes and the tip of each lobe. Note that the center lobe has two of these guidelines that are perpendicular to the midrib. After learning how to position the serrations in the next few steps, these lines are usu-ally no longer necessary as guides.
FIG. 7.14
STEP 9: Take a deep breath. It really isn’t as complicated as it looks. Draw small circles that locate the serrations along the edges of the leaf. These lines should start at the edge of the leaf and curve down to meet the guidelines drawn FIG. 7.14 in STEP 8. The dotted lines show the correct direction of the curve. These circles are simply used to show the curvature of the serrations. Erase the parts of the circles that are not necessary. This process of drawing the circles is often not necessary after learning to understand the shape and position of these serrations.
FIG. 7.15
STEP 10: Erase all lines that are no longer needed. Complete the edges of the leaf by connecting the serration lines as shown and also complete the tips of the leaves.
FIG. 7.16
STEP 11: Erase any unnecessary lines.
FIG. 7.17
STEP 12: Draw lines starting from the inside corners of the serrations that flow down each lobe. These lines represent a high edge (or high corner) in the leaf.
FIG. 7.18 This is the finished drawing with all details.
HOW TO CARVE THE LEAF
STEP 1: Prepare the Wood. Study Chapter 2 to learn about different methods to transfer templates to wood. I used carbon paper. Transfer all the lines from the template at the beginning of this chapter and cut out the outline of the design on a band saw or scrollsaw. This will be an appliqué.
FIG. 19
STEP 2: Carve the Center Bead. With a 6mm V-chisel, make a 1/16″-deep cut along the outside edge of the center circle. Define the edge of the bead by making vertical cuts directly on the line with a #5, 8mm. With the same #5, 8mm, round over the bead to a half-sphere. Use the #5, 8mm to lower the leaf to the edge of the bead, starting 1/2″ from the edge of the bead.
FIG. 7.24
FIGS. 7.25 & 7.25
STEP 3: Round the Leaves. With a #3, 18mm, round over the tips of each leaf starting 1″ from the tip and carving down 1/4″ at the tip (to make the rosette more shaped, this can be rounded deeper). Re-draw any lines that were carved away. NOTE: STEP 1 and STEP 2 can also be done on a lathe.
FIG. 7.27
FIGS. 7.28 & 7.29
STEP 4: Carve the Midribs. With a 4mm V-chisel, make deep cuts that define the edge of the mid-ribs. These should be 1/16″ deep toward the center and fade off just before they reach the leaf tips. With a #7, 10mm, carve a slight hollow in the midrib as it comes toward the center bead.
FIG. 7.30
FIG. 7.31
STEP 5: Round the Leaf Next to the Vein. With a #4, 14mm, round over the surface of the leaf down to the edge of the midrib.
FIG. 7.32
FIG. 7.33
STEP 6: Define the Overlapping Lobes. With a 3mm V-chisel, start in the middle of the eye and make a 1/16″-deep cut along the edge of all overlapping lobes.
FIGS. 7.34, 7.35 & 7.36
FIG. 7.37
STEP 7: Carve the Eyes: Study Chapter 3 to learn more about carving eyes. With a #11, 3mm veiner, make a 45° cut at the base of each eye. With a #5, 5mm, continue this cut on either side of the eye to create a teardrop shape that has a sharp, inside corner.
FIG. 7.38
FIGS. 7.39-7.40
STEP 8: Define the Overlapping Lobes. With gouges that fit the edge of the overlapping lobes (#5, 5mm and #7, 10mm), define the edges with vertical cuts directly on the line.
FIG. 7.41 & 7.42
FIG. 7.43
STEP 9: Lower the Underlying Lobes. With a #5, 8mm, lower the parts of the leaf that appear to go under the overlapping lobes and create a slight hollow cut. Make sure that the sharp edges created by this cut flow in the correct direction.
FIGS. 7.44 & 7.45
FIG. 7.46
STEP 10: Carve the Pipes. Study Chapter 3 to learn more about carving pipes. Re-draw pipes that have been carved away. With a #11, 3mm, make long, sweeping cuts along each side of the pipe, starting on either side of the eye.
FIG. 7.47
FIGS. 7.48 & 7.49
STEP 11: Round the Leaf. With a #3, 6mm, soften any sharp edges in the leaf surface that were cre-ated by carving the pipes. NOTE: Often pipes are rounded over also, but because these are so small, it would cause them to lose definition.
FIGS. 7.50, 7.51, 7.52 & 7.53
STEP 12: Hollow the Secondary Lobes. With a #7, 10mm and #7, 8mm, hollow the three secondary lobes in each overlapping lobe.
FIG. 7.54
FIGS. 7.55 & 7.56
STEP 13: Hollow the Remaining Secondary Lobes. With a #7, 8mm, hollow all remaining secondary lobes.
FIG. 7.57
FIGS. 7.58 & 7.59
STEP 14: Carve the Serration Notch Cuts. Study Chapter 3 to learn more about these defining cuts. With a #5, 8mm, make one cut defining the serration edge and a second cut at a slight angle creating a small triangular notch cut.
FIG. 7.60
STEP 15: Clean the Edges. With a #3, 6mm, make a 45° chamfer along all edges. This will create a clean, well-defined edge and will remove remaining template or pencil lines.
Where shall we put these? How about as decorative details on the upper corners of door frames? Small rosettes can be added to the corners of kitchen cabinets or accents on dressers or headboards. Then there is that wonderful architectural feature that just begs for carved details – the fireplace mantel. Be creative and either make the rosette a central design feature, or a secondary detail for a simple accent. How about custom coasters and leave a large flat area in the center for wine glasses to fit? I’ll have to think about that one over a glass of wine.
I’m glad to find that contemporary woodworking editors are merely upholding an at least century-old tradition of cutlists/parts lists containing errors. (And – dare I say – readers haven’t changed much either!) The Woodworker and Art Metal Woodworker, June 15, 1905 (again, thanks to Buz Buzkirk for the old compilations!).
— Fitz
A Tool Cupboard in the April 1902 issue.
Dear Sir, – I send herewith [a] photo of [the] tool cupboard made from the design published in The Woodworker, April 1902. This style of cupboard suits my requirements very well indeed, with a few alterations. I have made mine 30 ins. wide, not having room for a wider one. By placing the saws on the left-hand door, the upright division can come more forward, thereby increasing the width of the shelf, and the straight narrow division between the planes allows a little more shelf space in front, as per Fig. 1. By this arrangement the tool racks come above and below the shelf, so that it is only necessary to allow 1-1/8 ins. instead of 2 ins. for the room taken up by the hammer handle and saw handles. In fixing the saws by a turn-button which fits close down on the handle, it does away with the lower part across the blade; also the tool racks on brackets make a strong neat job, although entailing more work. As you will see I have put the nosing round the bottom as well as the top. Is there any reason why this has been omitted? It seems to me rather an advantage, as it allows the doors to swing clear of any obstruction.
A Compact Tool Cupboard, by G. E. Evans.
In the list of wood required, given at the end of the article in [the] April, 1902, issue, the three drawer bottoms and one door panel have not been counted, making in all about 7 ft. more of wood required.
Referring again to the photo, just above the top drawer is a specimen of the puzzle dovetail joint given in The Woodworker, May, 1902, made in birch and black walnut.
At the mic in the audiobook/voiceover recording room at Primary Studios. The masks were off during recording in the booth but went back on again as soon as we were done each day.(Photo: Magda Hiller)
This week we hit a big milestone: the completion of recording and editing an audiobook version of “Shop Tails.” I’m so relieved. The project has been a joy to work on and has given me the juice to keep going for the past several weeks.
The recording alone was an experience. I don’t think I’ve previously recorded an entire book, but this book, in terms of length and content, seems to lend itself to an audio edition. For one thing, it’s informal. Second, having been introduced to one of my favorite authors, David Sedaris, through his recording for NPR of “Holidays on Ice,” I know how effective it can be to introduce readers to new titles and authors through this medium. It’s a great way to capture the author’s peculiar voice, which, in the case of me and Mr. Sedaris, can lead to a long-term relationship between author and reader (albeit remote; we haven’t met), and in this case evoke important details of the context in which we are doing the recording. While my voice has never been smooth or sexy, it now implicitly conveys the realities of six-plus months of chemo and a soupçon of the exhaustion that typically accompanies radiation and other cancer treatments. (This is not intended as a downer. To the contrary – though admittedly the subject of the book is not the happiest ever.)
And big thanks to my friend Bert Gilbert for the final push that moved me to look into what’s involved in making an audiobook.
“Shop” Tails contents in color. (Photo: Magda Hiller)
I could write reams more but will instead leave you to the the audio book itself.
Editor’s note: “Shop Tails,” the audio book, will be available next week.
— Nancy Hiller, author of “Kitchen Think,” “Making Things Work” and “Shop Tails.”
Two crochets. A.J. Roubo’s crochet from 18th-century France (below) offers little wedging action. It works fine, but is not as “grabby” as the one shown on my bench from 2005 (above).
The following two early workholding methods are excerpted from “Ingenious Mechanicks,” by Christopher Schwarz.
Workbenches with screw-driven vises are a fairly modern invention. For more than 2,000 years, woodworkers built complex and beautiful pieces of furniture using simpler benches that relied on pegs, wedges and the human body to grip the work. While it’s easy to dismiss these ancient benches as obsolete, they are – at most – misunderstood.
Schwarz has been building these ancient workbenches and putting them to work in his shop to build all manner of furniture. Absent any surviving ancient instruction manuals for these benches, Schwarz relied on hundreds of historical paintings of these benches for clues as to how they worked. Then he replicated the devices and techniques shown in the paintings to see how (or if) they worked. This book is about this journey into the past and takes the reader from Pompeii, which features the oldest image of a Western bench, to a Roman fort in Germany to inspect the oldest surviving workbench and finally to his shop in Kentucky, where he recreated three historical workbenches and dozens of early jigs.
The crochet (French for “hook”) could be described as a planing stop attached to the edge of the workbench, but that doesn’t quite capture its full utility. A good crochet is also good for securing work for dovetailing and tenoning.
There are a couple kinds of crochets out there. Some of them are like wedges. You press the work into the opening and its V-shape helps hold the work (though you will still need a holdfast to complete the job). Old French ones, as shown in “l’Art du menuisier,” work more like a planing stop as opposed to a wedge. Their opening is square instead of V-shaped. Both forms of crochet work, but I prefer the V-shaped ones on my benches.
Good enough for dovetailing. A crochet and holdfast (or bar clamp) do a fine job of keeping the work in place for dovetailing.
I make my crochets out of a tough and springy wood, such as oak or ash. I recommend you make the hook big enough so that it can handle 8/4 stock. So, the opening should be slightly larger than 2″. Many early crochets are shown attached with nails. I prefer 6″-long carriage bolts with washers.
Using the crochet for working on the edges of boards is straightforward. Typically, you secure the work to the front of the bench with one or two holdfasts (depending on the length of the work). Then you push the end of the board into the crochet to prevent the work from shifting as you plane it.
If I have a lot of boards of similar widths to work (say for a large tabletop) I take a different approach. I use holdfasts to secure a 2×4 to the front legs of the bench that will act as a platform for my boards. Then I press the end into the crochet. Gravity and the force of the plane immobilize the work.
Crochets can also be used to affix the work so you can cut dovetails or tenons. Put the edge of the work into the crochet and affix it to the front edge of the benchtop with a holdfast (or a bar clamp across the benchtop, if you are sadly holdfast-less).
Notches & Wedges In many old paintings and drawings you’ll see benches that have no vises but instead have a large rectangular notch cut into the edge or end of the benchtop. In many cases, these notches are used as face vises. You put the work in the notch then use a wedge to immobilize it. I’ve had great – actually, quite spectacular – success using these notches for cutting tenons and shaping the work with chisels, rasps and files.
Don’t dismiss it. We were all shocked at how much holding power a wedge and a notch could provide. Tenoning and even planing the end of this 12″-wide oak board (shown above) was easy. Photos by NN
It took a little experimentation, however, to get the wedges right. As it turned out, I was making things too complicated. At first, I used oak wedges in the shape of a right triangle that I planed clean so they had an angle at the tip of about 15°. They held the work, but not reliably. So, I tried isosceles-shaped wedges with a variety of angles, looking for the magic number.
After several hours of messing with the oak wedges, I thought I was headed down the wrong path. So, I went to my scrap pile and grabbed a white pine 2×4. I sawed it to 12″ long and tapered one edge with a jack plane (I later measured the angle at 2°). Then I drove it into a notch.
It cinched down as hard as any screw-driven vise I’ve used. It worked so well I laughed out loud. If you are interested in making these notches (what do you have to lose?), here are some details. In the old images, the notches have vertical walls. Some fellow woodworkers have suggested cutting them at an angle that is sympathetic to the wedge’s angle. I haven’t found that necessary.
Left: Figure Slow going. Chopping out a notch in the end grain is more difficult than performing the same operation in the edge of the benchtop. Saw the sides of the notch. Chop halfway through, then flip the bench and chop the remainder out. Right: Quick work. With the notch on the edge, you saw the walls and pry the waste out easily with a chisel. Then clean the long grain of the notch with paring cuts.
On some benches, the notches are in the end of the benchtop. In others, they are cut into the edges. I tried both. Functionally, I couldn’t tell any difference between them. They both held just fine. Making the two kinds of notches, however, is quite different. The end grain notches take about twice as long to make because the wood is fighting you the entire time. You have to rip saw the walls of the notch then chisel out the waste like cutting out a huge dovetail. There is a lot of chopping vertically then splitting out the waste. It’s not a horrible task, but it’s much more difficult than creating a notch in the edge of the benchtop.
There you crosscut the walls (crosscutting is always easier than ripping). Then you split the waste out with a few chisel chops. Splitting wood along the grain is always easier than chopping across it.
Ready to go. With only about 10 minutes of work, you can create a face vise for any work surface. Just make some softwood wedges and get to work.
Here are the measurements for my notches. Don’t feel compelled to copy me, however. The end-grain notch is 4-1/2″ wide and 2-1/2″ long. The edge notch is 4-1/4″ long and 2″ wide. I have a variety of softwood wedges scattered about that can handle work from 1″ wide to 3″ wide.
One more nice use for the notch comes when cutting curves with a bowsaw or coping saw. Place your work over the notch while sawing and it will vibrate less.
