M7 Side Five Glamor Shot

[joe mendel]

This side hosts the only painted element of my entire design.  The bridge is made from 1/16-inch maple veneer that I glued up into shop fabricated plywood.  I needed there to be zero voids in the plywood, and I wanted to manage the overall thickness and trustworthiness of it having a minimum of seasonal wood movement.  As a woodworker I prefer traditional furniture styles, methods of construction, and finishes, which is why the bridge was finished with white milk paint.

I have used Swiss pear wood in projects in the past because I completely appreciate the color and the grain texture.  This was the first time that I carved the material, and I was very pleased with the response of the wood.   I am planning on carving the same design on a larger scale for a wall mirror, again utilizing Swiss pear wood. 

[Dave H]

Wow......wow! Amazing work.

[wtnhighlander]

That is some lovely detail carving. Do you find it difficult to hone your curved gouges?

[joe mendel]

On 2/2/2022 at 12:57 PM, wtnhighlander said:

That is some lovely detail carving. Do you find it difficult to hone your curved gouges?

I hone the edges almost constantly on a strop.  I found that the polishing compound sold by Tormex works great on a flat leather strop.  I only use the Tormex wet grinder if and when something goes terribly wrong with my edge.  Most times a few passes on a white, then black Arkansas oil stone, regenerates my chisel edges.