It’s all in the tool. Grain direction is not such an issue when using a V-parting tool. Use the narrow cutting tool for the finer lines of the rays and the wider tool as you near the outer edge.
Which direction do you carve? The cutting action of a gouge near the middle rays is mostly cross grain, but as you move to the outer rays you have to read the grain.
No big deal. It’s only with the small back-bent gouge that you’re able to round the edge of the rays near the inner circle.
Big impact. Even though there’s a little touch-up work left on this fan, you can tell now it adds impact to the design of the overall project.
roll the ray’s edges to form. This is where you need to pay attention to the wood grain. The grain changes throughout the fan, depending on where you’re carving. Watch carefully. If you cut against the grain, you’re more likely to tear the fibers instead of cut. And due to the shallowness of the work, a small area of tear-out can be irreparable damage.
If you’re working with particularly difficult wood – which I don’t suggest if this is a first attempt, but I also know how, as woodworkers, we hate to practice – you can wipe the area with a dampened cloth and gain better results from your carving tools. It’s the old “how-to-trim-end-grain” trick – it works on flat grain as well.
Begin rolling the edges with the 25/13 gouge. Work from the outer edge inward. Shaving small amounts of wood while you traverse into the valley from the outer edge is easily accomplished. The idea is to carve the ray into a semicircle at the outer edge, but I must admit that my rays are a bit flattened. To produce the full half circle requires deeper V-grooves and more work.
It should take a couple passes to finish the rounding of each ray. As you move
inward you’ll reach a point where you need to change to the smaller-width back-bent tool. The smaller tool allows access to the narrow ends near the inner circle. Repeat these steps with each ray while trying to keep the surface smooth.
After you complete the rounding of the ray’s edges, make another pass using the 15/6 V-parting tool. This pass cuts a bit deeper due to the edges of the rays being cut away. No longer is the shoulder of the carving tool rubbing against the wood. Then use the back-bent tool to round any edge as needed.
Because I’m carving a drawer front that rolls into a drawer divider, I need to remove the material below the fan’s baseline. The bottom edge of the inner circle is trimmed with the straight gouge leaving the edge at 90º to the drawer front. The squared edges, the continuation of the outer edge, are rolled down one side and left flat toward the center.
If your work is anything like mine, I know you’ll have a few line wiggles here and there. Because the majority of the carving is complete, you get the feel and look of the fan in its
finished stage. Take a few minutes to go back and straighten any misaligned ray lines.
A great tip for this step is to use a low-angle or raking light. Let the light shine across your fan. As much as it might scare you, any imperfections will jump right out. But, please don’t get caught up in trying to attain perfection. I view fan carvings as I do building 18th-century reproduction furniture and dovetails: If they’re perfect in every way, how am I going to know they are handmade?
When you’ve smoothed the fan as much as you can with your tools, that’s the time to turn to sandpaper. Don’t start with anything more coarse than #150 grit. And if your carving is anywhere close to smooth, you’re better off starting at #180-grit sandpaper. Please don’t be tempted to use a flap-sanding wheel to finish your fan. That apparatus hurts more than it helps. Be patient. Sand by hand, then add the completed fan carving to any of your projects. P W
Glen is a senior editor of this magazine, a published author and the host of the Wood worker’s Edge DVD series. Contact him at 513-531-2690 x11293 or glen.huey@fwpubs.com.
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