Carving a Chain and Ball
How to Measure the Block
By L.S. Irish
Carving a Chain and Ball – Introduction
Open Linked Chain Page 1: Measuring the Block
Open Linked Chain Page 2: Establishing the Central Cross
Open Linked Chain Page 3: Creating the Links
For this sample chain carving you will be working on a chain grid that is 5 units wide x 5 units deep x 5 units long. This will create a chain link that is circular in shape. If each unit is equal to 1/4″ and each link is 5 units wide and 5 units long, this will make the final size of each link 1 1/4″ x 1 1/4″.
The length of the carving block is determined by the number of chain links you want in the final work. In this example the chain contains three full links along the horizontal line of the pattern. So 3 links multiplied by 5 units per links equals fifteen units needed.
To determine how large a carving block you will need multiple the number of units used per dimension times the size of each unit.
Width: 5 units wide x 1/4″ per unit = 1 1/4″ wide
Depth: 5 units deep x 1/4″ per unit = 1 1/4″ deep
Length: 3 links x 5 units per link = 15 units x 1/4″ per unit = 3 3/4″ long
Carving Block: 1 1/4″ x 1 1/4″ x 3 3/4″
Would a diagram help?
Let’s do that again!
If the chain is to be worked over a 3 unit wide by 3 unit deep by 6 unit long grid (see carved example on Open Linked Chain), and each unit was to be 1/2″ in measurement, and you wanted five full chain links, your carving block would need to be cut as follows:
Width: 3 units wide x 1/2″ per unit = 1 1/2″ wide
Depth: 3 units deep x 1/2″ per unit = 1 1/2″ deep
Length: 5 links x 6 units per link = 30 units x 1/2″ per unit = 15″ long
Carving Block: 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″ x 15″
Welsh Love Spoons Tutorial:
Welsh Love Spoons Introduction
Basic Cutting Techniques
Open Linked Chain
Ball and Cage