This part of carving is termed "life," or "feeling," and it is this quality that lends the beauty to the finest wood-carvings. The work when completed should have the appearance of the third cut in Fig. 4, and if nicely done it should be a credit to any beginner. The effect of this panel can be had also by applied carving, which is a very simple and less tedious process.
The design is transferred to a thin piece of wood, and cut out with the fret or jig saw. The pieces are then glued in position on a thick piece of wood, and the feeling carved in a similar manner as described. The former method is called carving in the solid, while the latter is known as applied carving.
Such pieces of carving can be used as panels to small drawers, to cabinets, and to form the sides and covers of useful little boxes, etc. If these simple suggestions are carefully followed, the inventive boy should be able to design some very pretty patterns that can be carved nicely in any desirable wood that is not too hard.
When flat, or relief, carving has been mastered, it would be well to attempt something in figure or bold work, such as animals, fruit, or heads, on all sides of which some careful study and good work can be done. It will be some time, however, before the amateur can successfully accomplish good results, so that for some time the flat-work should be practised, and as improvement is noticed the ornament can be undercut to lend it a richness and boldness.
Chip-carving, or engraving, is a simple but effective manner of ornamenting flat surfaces, and some very pretty results can be obtained in a little while with the gouges and V tools, also the spade chisel and veiner. There is no grounding out in chip-carving, as the pattern is produced by chipping out the figure itself.
Fig. 1 is a simple pattern of a vine and leaves; the stem is engraved with the V chisel, and with a small firmer the leaves are cut. Two curved incisions will cut the leaf, and the angle through the centre describes the main vein. The chipping can be shallow or deep, as a matter of choice, but more effect can be had by cutting fairly deep.
To finish wood-work in most any color, it is possible to obtain stains at a paint or hardware store, and over the stained surface, when dry, several thin coats of hard oil or furniture varnish can be applied. The back and edges of a carved panel should always be painted to protect it from moisture and dampness, and in this manner warping and splitting are avoided. Some pieces of carving only need oiling with raw linseed oil, while others may be varnished. A favorite mode of darkening oak in France and England before it is varnished is to expose it to the fumes of ammonia, or to paint ammonia on with a brush until the desired antique shade is obtained; this, however, is not so satisfactory as the colors resulting from the use of prepared stains that can be purchased.
FIG. 5.—A PRACTICAL WORKBENCH.