A try at veneering

[Rocky]

I want to share what I finished yesterday.
I have done several projects like this for practice.
My plans were to do a bed-headboard, but I am re-thinking that.

This is for one of my granddaughters who loves horses.
The idea started about the time that DH shared one here,
and became a "had-to-do" when I got Katie's picture (upper right of attached).

Ken,

That is just beautiful. The horse carvings look great. Did you make or buy the patterns.

Nice work!

[DocWheeler]

Rocky,

Thanks for the nice words.
The patterns were purchassed from Carvewright, that is WAY beyond my current abilities.

I forgot to mention that it is walnut and poplar on oak.
And another thing I forgot - I used 6 mpcs to make it.
1) Back name and picture cutout.
2) Front finished carving.
3) Large horse head.
4) Regions to glu in smaller horses (smaller than finished carve regions).
5) Pattern for mare/foal region.
6) Pattern for "Rearing" horse region.
I made patterns so that I could align the grain and/or save wood.

[Audie]

Excellent craftmanship Ken. I love how a thought becomes a thing even when the thing becomes something different from the original thought! Way to hang on to the concept! Whew!

Audie

[Kenm810]

Supper Project Ken,

The different color wood grains makes the patterns really stand out.
Very well done, I have to mark it down on my to-do list!!

[mtylerfl]

I want to share what I finished yesterday.
I have done several projects like this for practice.

Holy Smokes, that is gorgeous! Another true artist!!

[DocWheeler]

Thank you for the kind words; not sure that you saw my edit to prior post where I said that I used 6 mpc files to create it.

I have attached an intermediate photo or two.
One photo shows my first attempt that had too many boo-boos.
The last straw was the board slipped so that the cut-out was wrong.
The second photo is of the back-side carves.
And the third one shows the project with the small regions cut and filled with hand-cut wood cut by using the patterns carved by the CC.

Added: Note that when I corrected the mpc after my first attempt that I had to add a little bit of wood to the length, 24" was not enough.

[JVallario]

Beautiful work Ken - thanks for sharing it.

[cnsranch]

Now I know what DOC stands for -

Doctor of Carve

You are da' man.

[DocWheeler]

Again, thanks for the kind words.

A couple of corrections, I am not an artist - I try, but art is something that Michael Tyler and Ken Mauran (if I remembered the spellings correctly) do.

If you have not tried this kind of carving, it is not difficult, you just have to plan ahead. I would gladly share what I have learned.

[thelittleboxshop]

Be very careful about veneering over solid wood. Wood moves! Before stable sheet goods were available, craftsmen veneered over solid wood because it was all they had. Over time, the veneer will come loose and even crack because of the seasonal wood movement beneath the veneer. This is ESPESSIALLY true in homes that do not use humidifiers/dehumidifiers during summer and winter months. Veneering over a solid lumber substrate stands the best chances if it is cross banded - one layer of veneer on each side of the core with grain running perpendicular to the grain of the core; then face veneered, both sides, grain parallel to the core grain. You'll recognize this as similar construction to plywood. It will greatly increase the stability and longevity of the piece vs. applying veneer directly to the core. 100 years ago the golden oak era was king, quartered white oak over chestnut solids. Many people must do repairs usually because of misuse, neglect or combination of glue failure over time, and same grain direction failures.