Book Cases for Sharon
I Started millwork on this piece of walnut timber today. It will eventually make four ball and claw front legs for our bookcases. The first step is to make a template for the curved leg.
The size and pattern I have chosen is for a wing back chair, but it will also work for a bookcase.
Next I will size the lumber.I need 4 pieces 14 inches long and 3″ by 3″ to have enough meat to cut the leg shape. As you can see below , the raw timber yielded some very pretty walnut. I still have about 30 inches left for another project. I also know this lumber has air dried for at least 3 years.
I want to orient the grain so that left and right legs will be pleasing to look at. By orienting the growth rings to point toward the knee of the leg we can make the grain follow the contour of the leg.
Before I cut into this walnut, I will make a couple of legs out of some Douglas fir I have left over from the porch post project. I can cut and carve on these until I am ready to make the real ones.
When I have ruined enough of these legs in Douglas fir to feel confident, I will try my hand with the Walnut . I want to practice up on my lack of carving skill before I tackle the real ones. That will be the next post.
See you then.
Crabtree Woodworks 