Australian Wood Review – June 2017

http://www.woodreview.com.au 49

WOODCARVING

3

2

1. With a compass set at 145mm, from the mid-point of one
   end, mark an arc across the other end. From one end of this
   arc, close to one side, mark an arc to intersect with the other
   end of the arc. This locates the three corners of the bowl.
   Draw in the three arcs, and carefully cut out the shape, using
   any saw that you have handy that will do the job.


2. Prepare the wood by cleaning up the base. I used a
   handplane, but could have used my jointer (beware of
   using a thicknesser, as the blank might not be long enough
   for your machine). I used a compass plane (Stanley No.20)
   to clean up the sides, but you could also use a drawknife,
   spokeshave, linisher or disc sander. Don’t ignore this step,
   or hard experience will teach you why it is important.


3. With a drill and a bit of around 6mm or 1/4", mark with
   tape a depth of 30mm, which will leave a bowl bottom of
   10mm thickness.


4. Drill a vertical hole in the centre to this depth. This will
   keep the centre marked after you carve out its pencilled-in
   position. Using each corner as centre, I used my compass
   to mark in a series of randomly spaced curves, parallel to
   the outside of my wood block, to guide my carving.

1

This shallow bowl is one result of that process. I made it
triangular this time, after an earlier round version, because
I thought that if I am carving it, I should make a shape
that can’t simply be turned.

I have used my favourite Australian red cedar, but you can
use any medium density wood that you think will carve
well. At its best, cedar carves beautifully, but a bad piece
can be a horror. Stay away from it if it is light in colour or
in weight, or soft, or furry. Look for a piece with a rich,
deep red colour, and at the hard and heavy end of the
cedar scale. If in doubt, try carving a bit at the end of the
board, and see how it goes. You need a very, very sharp
tool to carve really soft wood, and that is especially so for
carving soft cedar with a V-tool.

If you find the prospect of making all the fine V-cuts a bit
daunting, you can replace them with shallow curves made
with, say, a No.7 or No.8 gouge. The numbered steps that
follow match the photos.

4