Walnut, live-edge top, 36”h x 36”w x 12”d
Decades ago, when I had my first shop, I had to make some fan carvings in walnut for what I don’t recall, but, although I had no training in carving, I had my Uncle Vito’s carving tools and somehow figured out how to use them with the help of an article or two from something like Fine Woodworking magazine. I enjoyed the process. A bit later, I did two oak lion’s heads in relief and immediately learned how much more difficult it was to carve oak, to say nothing of living creatures. For some reason, I did very little carving after that beyond the occasional Chippendale chair leg that had been shattered.
Lately, however, I’ve fallen in love with carving walnut and the result are a series of hall tables that I have been making. At the same time, I’ve become intrigued by using wood mosaics. You can see examples of both in the hall/foyer tables. This one shows several trees in the general shape of those standing outside my shop window across the street. I’ve textured the trees and the field they are set against with gouges. I intentionally placed the light-colored sapwood at the top to suggest sky. I used shellac on the carving and wipe-on polyurethane for the rest of the table.
