Birch wood spirit

First in class at the Sussex Woodcraft Society www.sussexwoodcraft.co.uk 2012 Annual show.

Wood: Silver birch (Betula pendula)

Height: 25 cms

Finish: Linseed oil and Rennaissance  wax

This was carved in wet Silver Birch, the tree having been cut 2 months before work commenced. Drying checks (cracks) were avoided by flattening and grooving the back of the log with a chainsaw to equalize the shrinkage stress between front and back (heartwood and sap wood).
Carving emphasis was placed on framing the image by a surround of deep cuts to create shadows, all done with a scarey sharp knife.
Rennaissance wax was developed for the British Museum to preserve all it's antiquities. It dries hard and is resistant to finger marking.

Apple wood spirit

This is a wood spirit carved in Apple that was copied from an article by Keith Howard in Woodcarving Illustrated Summer 2011. I was interested in how the author had achieved such a good depth of field which in time I think I managed to achieve after many hours of work.

Wood:  Apple (Malus spp)                            

Height: 34 cms

Finish:  Linseed oil and Rennaissance wax

The wood was carved within 3 months of the tree being felled, and in order to minimize drying checks (cracks) the back of the carving was flattened with a chain saw and deeply grooved into the heartwood throughout the length. Two years on the wood is dry with no cracks.

Depth of field is enhanced by deep "framing" cuts done with a very sharp knife and lots of work.