Here's a couple of early American fans I carved recently. Wood is mahogany.
They're pretty easy to carve.
Mike
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Here's a couple of early American fans I carved recently. Wood is mahogany.
They're pretty easy to carve.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
Member
Well done Mike crisp and clean.
Member
Really nice Mike! Any details to be shared?
Scott
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I'll share anything you want to know (that I know). But I'm not sure what you're looking for. I'll be teaching how to carve the first fan this Sunday so I could take some pictures of the steps in the carving if that's what you'd like. Let me know what you want in the line of details.Originally Posted by C Scott McDonald
Mike
[The only thing that's a bit tricky is the cuts at the end of each fan element. The reason is that the bottom of each cut is rounded. You could modify a gouge for each cut - make the end of the gouge rounded - but that would restrict the gouge to making just those cuts (you then couldn't use the gouges for anything else). So you have to be a bit inventive in the use of your tools to make those cuts.]
[BTW - here's another picture of the second fan which shows the shape of the fan elements a bit better. I made them undulating from the center to the outside. The picture in my first posting doesn't show that third dimension very well.]
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 10-10-2008 at 11:49 PM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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Beautiful pieces...Mike
Especially in mahogany which isn't easy to work with, and I know you spent a fair amount of time keeping your tools razor sharp because this wood demands nothing less! I just finished a piece in mahogany which I will post on a separate thread. Parts of it gave me fits, but there is nothing like a mahogany piece when it is all done.
Nice work!
Member
Mike,
Nice work as usual from you!
All,
There is a great article in the November issue of Pop Woodworking on pg 58 by Glenn Huey. It covers the process for these from beginning to end.
Dewey
"Everything is better with Inlay or Marquetry!"
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Thanks, Dewey.
There's also an article on carving a fan in Nov/Dec issue of FWW (issue 201), pages 92-94, by Phil Lowe. That's the article that inspired me to carve these. The FWW article covers the first fan in my posting.
Mike
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 10-11-2008 at 6:08 PM.
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Mike,
I have seen these on drawer fronts and other frontal decorations. What are you building? Just for the class?
Dewey
"Everything is better with Inlay or Marquetry!"
Contributor
Mike,
Great looking work....
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Yep, just for a carving class. These fans were used on the center drawer of lowboys - and on other furniture of that same era. But these are just for teaching.
Mike
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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nice work....real clean.
Contributor
Mike,
The fans are beautiful.
If you don't mind me asking how did you go about carving the scallops without a modified tool?
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Robert - Thanks for your comments. I used two techniques for cutting the ends of the fan elements - both worked.
One was that I used a knife to make the straight down cut (along the curve of the shell). That allowed me to vary the depth of the cut. Worked okay. The second technique was to use a narrow gouge with the correct sweep, and plunge cut in several plunges. But the plunge cut was not made directly downward - it was made at an angle so that the cut was deeper towards the middle than at the end. Also worked okay.
To make the inward cut (on the first fan) I used a #7/25* gouge and cut until the corners of the gouge reached the previous (downward) cut. Be careful not to go too far in or you'll mess up the corners. I then withdrew the gouge and cleaned up with a #5/5. The reason for the #5 is that I wanted the corners of the gouge to be above the cut so I didn't leave lines in the cut.
For the other fan I use the same technique but I don't remember the exact gouge that matched the cut.
If my explanation is not clear, let me know and I'll take some pictures and post them.
Mike
*The #7/25 makes a deeper cut than a #5/25. I preferred the deeper cut look. Try a #5/25 cut first and see how you like it. You can always follow with a #7/25 if you want it deeper. You can also control the depth a small amount by the angle you hold the gouge when you make the cut - but changing to a #7 has more impact.
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 10-17-2008 at 11:52 AM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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Also, just a general comment. On the second fan, I think I put in too many fan elements. I think it would look better with less elements - it's too busy.
I stepped off the elements with a set of dividers so I could have reduced the number of elements fairly easily - and next time I do one I will. This fan has 22 elements (18 in a half circle and four below the half circle). I think I'll do the next one with 18 total - 16 in the half circle and two (one on each side) below the half circle.
When you look at the fans "in person", the first fan, which only has 12 elements, looks "cleaner" than the second. Maybe that's a modernistic influence but that's my opinion after looking at them for a couple of weeks.
Mike
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 10-17-2008 at 11:46 AM.
Go into the world and do well. But more importantly, go into the world and do good.
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Mike,
Thanks for the excellent detail on how you carved the scallops. Pictures would be great..
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