Here's My Woodcarving!
by Brander Roullett
Seattle, WA
Click on any picture to see a larger version.
I am almost entirely self taught in woodworking, but I have always been capable with my hands so woodworking is a natural addition to my life. I've always been fascinated by history, and how things are and were made, so I've been drifting toward hand tools for a while. I've been inspired by the works of Peter Follansbee, Jim Tolpin, and Chris Schwarz as well as many others. I have also read quite a bit of the historical books on the craft trying to glean knowledge from the old hands. The book "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" really captured my attention in a big way, and really encouraged me to do and learn more of the Hand Tool arts.
I have a small shop that I carved out of my garage, and I'm still working on my skills by tackling increasingly complex projects. I started out with boxes and dovetails and am attempting a small three drawer cabinet. Things have slowed down because of the summer and family trips but I did manage to get a woodworker's tour of the Gamble House (Greene and Greene) on our summer road trip to California. I'm considering trying my hand at a few Greene and Greene boxes now.
The carving on this toolbox is inspired by a panel on a carved joined chest dated 1676 from a New England carver by the name of Dennis.
I used all hand tools to carve this design, using carving chisels to set in the outline, and relieve the background. The texture on the background is done with shop made punches, and finished with clear shellac. The sides are air dried Alder from the pacific northwest region, and oak and walnut for the ends and handle.
Here are a few more examples of my carving work:
Check out Brander's website at
www.badgerwoodworks.com
for more details about all of these projects.
Would you like to see your carvings in this column? We invite you to
SEND US PHOTOS
of your
favorite woodcarving projects along with captions and a brief history of your woodcarving. (Email
photos at 800x600 resolution.) Receive a $50 store gift card if we show your carving work in a
future issue!
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