heartwood

To celebrate Heartwood Art carvings being featured in upcoming issue of Woodcarving Illustrated the “Follow My Carving” series was created to give you a an insider’s view on how the art is made. The pattern for this gnarly tree has been adhered to the wood blank using a 3M spray glue that is mildly adhesive,…

The first two coats of Danish oil have been applied. You can tell by the sheen on the surface that it will take another day for the last coat to fully soak in. The backside shot shows how the oil really brings out the quality of the grain. A few more light coats and then…

No, I didn’t kill the carving, but I did hang it out to dry. The Gaia is now ready for the oiling phase. For extra height, I modified the jig I use to stain frame pieces for the tree carvings. I also placed a staple on the underside of the carving, just as I do…

The rough sanding is nearly complete. A little more has to be done in the tight V areas between the branches. That requires using the pencil type sanding sticks pictured above. A narrow band of sandpaper is placed around the stick. Once an area of sandpaper is used up, the band is simply rotated. You’ll…