“No Vacancy” Birdhouse Relief Wood Carving and pyrography Project, by L S Irish
June 5th, 2024 – I will be working this project over several days of posting. Please bookmark this page so that you can get the latest steps, instructions, and ideas. – Lora
Supply list: Links are to Amazon.com
8″ x 10″ round-top, basswood plaque
Set of wood carving hand tools
Bench knife or large chip carving knife
Sharpening tools, strop, honing compound
Compass and pencil
T-square
Graphite tracing paper
Painter’s tape
220- and 320-grit sandpaper
Variable temperature wood burning tool
Stiff brush for cleaning
This project is worked from “Relief Carving Workshop – Techniques, Projects,& Patterns for the Beginner”, by L S Irish, published by Fox Chapel Publishing, available at Amazon.com
This is a small, fun pattern that uses four separate levels of the pattern to guide the depth of the carving. It has a rounded border, round gouge textured background, and carved wood grain in the birdhouse. When the carving steps are complete, the details will be added to the work using a variable temperature wood burning tool. The finishing steps include the final clean-up and painting of the design.
Step 1 – Sanding the plaque, marking the center lines of the wood.
Lightly sand the entire wood plaque using 220-grit sandpaper. Clean the sanding dust for the wood then sand a second time using 320-grit paper. Clean the dust from the wood using a clean, lint-free cloth.
As you sand work the paper in the direction of the wood grain. This avoids any cross-grain scratches that can occur. Be sure the sand, using both paper grits, along the rounded top of the plaque.
Using a t-square ruler find the center point of the plaque both vertically and horizontally. Mark a guide line with your pencil to be used to center the paper pattern to the wood.
Step 2 – Center the paper pattern.
Hold your paper pattern up to a light source as a sunny window or desk lamp. You will be able to see the pattern when viewed from the back, un-printed side. Fold your paper pattern first horizontally and then vertically by matching the farthest pattern point on each side of the design.
For the vertical fold line match the edges of the lowest roof shingles. To find the horizontal center of the pattern match the bottom edge of the bird house to the top point of the roof.
Fold your paper pattern into quarters with the printed pattern facing in. Place the folded point of the quarter paper to match one quadrant of the plaque as marked by your pencil lines.
One the folded paper one time and check your alignment to your pencil guidelines.
Completely open the paper pattern, the creases of the folded paper should now match the pencil guidelines.
Step 3 – Use painter’s tape to secure two sides of the paper pattern to the wood.
Painter’s tape is a great asset for wood carvers and pyrographers. It has a low-tack quality that will secure your pattern without out leaving a glue-type residue on the wood. By taping only two sides of the pattern paper you leave open two sides where you can slide your graphite paper under the pattern easily.
Slide a sheet of graphite paper under the pattern. Using an ink pen, trace along your pattern lines. Note in the photo for Step 4 that you only need to trace the outer boundaries of each element of the pattern. In the early stages of carving the detail lines will be lost as you work the rough cut stages.
Step 4 – Marking an outer border to the plaque.
Use a compass and pencil to mark a 1/2″ wide border along the rounded top of the plaque.
Step 5 – Mark the border by pulling the compass along the outer routed edge of the wood.
Place the metal pointed arm of the compass at the outer edge of the routed edge. Let the pencil point lie on the wood. Gently pull the metal point of the compass along the routed edge. Let the pencil mark the wood as you pull the compass. Your pencil mark will be equal distance from the wood edge all along your plaque.
Step 6 – Ready to begin the first wood carving steps. See you tomorrow!!!
