. -

...

-,.., ....

,. i"

... • ~.:':'..: • .I.

~~:=.... -;."' --::-----~.:::---~ ·- :.. . r . . .• . . '.:Q- •.j:..

...

.. . _, .· ' 7 •

·. ~ I

.... --.... . ' r:- ":"' - '\ -·- ' ...

:.:.

:.

=---.. .. . """:7"---=---=--

...,

------..

• 0

-..... ~ ... - - • v ....

--~ » ..r .. t ~- ,., .•.

- .... -; .. ~ · .... r • • I- ' • .. . " .. .

CoNTeNTs

Introduction

GETTING STARTED

Tools and materials 6

Workshop safety 8

THE PROJECTS

Celtic knotwork border 12

Knotwork overlays I 5

Initial memo holder 18

Claddagh lovespoon 20

Double photo frame 23

Eagle wall plaque 26

Message board 31

'Tree of Life' seed keeper 34

Hand mirror 37

Dragon trinket box 4 1

Knotwork jigsaw boxes 44

Celtic cross 48

Fun photo fram(' 52

Mirrored cJndle scone~ 57

Zoomorphic lovespoon 61

Coasters in holder 64

Trivet 67

Claddagh mirror 71

Stained glass uplighter 76

Bathroom set 82

The project designs for tracing and photocopying 87

Glossary 126

Further readi ng 12 7

About the author 129

Index 130

1NTR00UCTION I ... • ...... ,

I

t Columba; Who ~s born In Jreland around A0520,_ was possibly one -of the rnost Influential people Jn

the history of Celtic art. Following a dispute with the king of Ireland In·

Ao563, over the copyright of a book he

had duplicated, St Columba enug,ated to Iona, off the west c.oast o.f SC'otland, ta set up the monastery. From th~re hli; impact spread throughout Europe~ and many of the manuscripts still In existence-were produced as a direct result of hls-1nfluence.

St ColumQa understood the Importance of lea ming hvm ~st ma$ters. not only Jn an artiStic sense, but also In ·a sp1rtruaf' way, a _l~son that still hAs ~fw .. P®:' today. In his dying prayer forth,'.mqf)e'. of Wna he said:

-see thal you be at peace amdhg youru~, ~ chl1d!en, arid love one-anothtt. FOllC1W the example of good men qfoid~

Much of modern c~ftlt dest•n fs 'taken from Irish manuscripts o( the -~tXth to eighth centuries, rriost noiablf from The Book of Kells, the Llndl$fii:m~­

Cospels and The Book of Durrow. , Q-~

the arti~ts who decorated the ~spels c:on{<;l1ned ·Jn these books we~ dr,awtng on a much okler pag~ artistic tradition, developed· by ,aooent Celtic tribes.-From about IOPOac.tbey ()qruj>ted

a vast area radiating from «ntral Europe to Scotland, Ireland and Spain. Altho_ugh many different tribes existed and

developed their own cultural dl\letSitt~ mqctt of Celtic symboll-srn --~l~: romril~n ~to them all.

:rhe_·Qtlgtns of CeltlC artg0:1>adc:.as fat as :JOOQec;, when megalithJt stone carvings .were decorated With geometric patterns, but 1ts foll devel9Pment came between 450Bc .;tnd:;$Ql!c,.a tfme_known as La Tene petiod• The C!l.ts: ofLaT~lie

period prQduC'ed l,Jr()nze repouS&.t oblects for pe™>nal wear, as well as:Wr: hoPSe ornaments and religious purpoM.

Frqm SDsc the Roman Emptre grew in str~ngth and Influence and consequ~11tly much of the. Celtk culture was su.ppress-ed arrti: , dtJu~. -~ ~ote

outposrs of Western·:eu:~m~ .. ro tetaln their :tradftfO'ris.-aml $.ntlnued to

~lop their art. th~ -~'5- -\\le~ Caltcla In NOrthern spmn, Br!tta:11y. Wales; ~.tland, Cornwall, the Isle of Man and lrelarJd. In Ireland especlatfy, ha\il~: rertudned ttce from Roman control. G¢1tlt_ art flourished, so by the time ·Chrtstlanlty reached. there Jn: _the fifth at1d sixth ceritury Ao the Celtic artlsrs were able to brlng thclr own .unique Influences to th~ )fJL!lrilnated manuscripts that me mohasterJes ,pl'O(juced. Their pagan af:lfs~ ttadlllons we.re not swept aside by the coming of Chrtstlan tty, but weie-· 1:ncorporated Into the artw9r~- _:that d_ecorated the handWrirten pJ1e/$ and enriched them greatly. Th¢se tnSU:lar -manuscripts were made 1.1p qf the four N~w Testameni gospels of Matthew, Mark, Lu~ and

John, written In the Latin of the vutg<1te

Tbp-of-tlte-rangt scrol/saw

6 CELTIC WOODCRAFT

Tools It is possible to make all the projects In this book with a falrfy basic range of tools and, where I have used power tools. I have tried to suggest less expensive hand

tools that can be used Instead. Having said that, there Is no doubt

that power tools can save a lot of time In shape-cutting, and in reducing the bulk of material In certain projects. For the reader who Is thinking of Investing In new tools, my advice Is to buy the best you can afford. I would also recommend taking a training course to acquire power tool skills before making a purchase. Many tool stores run half-day or full-day courses to teach the basics In

routing, scrollsawlng etc., and these are Invaluable for finding out which mode! would best suit your needs. If It Is not possible to attend a course, a lot can be learnt from demonstrators at woodworking e.)(hibltions. wha will willingly give free advice and tips on

8"51r bench~top scralfSRW

~ ~ : ~ ·· · · ,'"; .• "' .• .... . . . . . ' ...... ' ..

.... a Jjns/(' Jigsaw f1nd rotary tool with commonly used accessories

their products, so never be afraid to ask.

The power tool I use most is a variable

speed scrollsaw, b1,1t I also us.ea plunging

router, Dremel rotary tool, electric drill

and power sander.

On the facing p~ge th~re is a ba.$lc ... benci:i-top scrollsaw ( 1)1 a top...of-the-

. 'range scroll~w: (2)' a basic jigsaw that can do a Lot of the work of a scrollsaw

(but not the fine fretWork), and a rotary tool with some commonly uw.cf

accessories (3). Where a scroflsaw is .not available for making iritemal cuts, a hand

fretsaw with removable blade can be used.

When !t comes to woodcarvingr hand

to.o!s, there Is a bewildering variety ava1Jable, but the projects ca.n be ma<ie

without having to .invest in a great ran:ge of them. I tend to. use my f avourlte two pr

three palm tools and a German chip knife in mostof my work.

Lt really is a case of your personal

preference when it comes to choosing

and .using tools. There are. many bo.oks you can refer to. in order to 1¢am more

aboutwoo<lcarvlng tools, but !t ls be,st to

work your way systematically ·thr0ugh the projects .<ind only acqutr-e new too.ls as and when you need them. This wfU hot apply, of course, Jf you alre<1.dy have

all the necessary tools .. and are just

looking for new designs to work on.

The. most important thing Is that,

whatever your choice of C<jrving tools,

they must always be. kept in good

condltl.on and sharpened pro~rly.

Mate:rlals There :m m4tly ti.ti!~' $~1~, m. ~ngJ1'l gertet.a4b.U;r;~~~ate

desfgn:s. <J.kn~~e ;;lJ~ ~~ .ti)~f. best when the. ar.e made ftiifuie.~ .Y, ' '' .' " ' " .· ··.' ' ''"·'',· .. ,·· · .. and •. · it tti~(b1n-hty• ft red. ti~ •. 0;· ~ .. no. . ~ ··, ~ .. . .··· .. n 9f. ~ m,(}$ sg~b.J~ ts Itn:re.~/al~9 ~~It~ bassw60Q, :as It ha~fa: ftrl~ -e.ven .. ~tn and, alth~gft ft ts, fairly &Off ut;~~/Jt

ls. classed as a harciwooq. syoam0.re 1.s. alsci: a s.ooc1 timber for carvin~ Celtic

designs. BQ.th st these \.Voods ·are v¢cy light In colour; s.o you rnay prefer tQ

experiment with darker timbers, such as mahogany or cli~try, providing th~ gra)ri paneming Is not'.too prono1.mcect

softwoods such as. pine- may at first

s~erti .ealiy to qr\'¢> a11d can eye us~ tot

certain a:pplicatlorts~ l;>ut they do noi hold del<iil .W!d.I and. cao be eaS!ly damaged.

I

A selection of palm c111vi11g tools and chip carving knives

Some Qf the materials needed to complete the projects

Matertals several phot~pi~Of t~rfiplatc IA (sc~ page Slf,

.e:t

e-9fargcd J>y I 25 %

P.fne st4fr wood, 6 x 6$mm ·{It, .x ]Min) ~ lengtlt

req~i'l rcd

~posl.!f~gable ·Sp_r~y.

adhesive

Dooble-slded s~ t~P.~!

Palnt. V¥nlsh or wax fjflish, as ~equ l rcli

Tools

Sc~llsaw. etectrk Jlgsa\¥. or hand tretsaw

Orlll fined with sm~P blt

I 2mm ('hln) ~~t ch1,e1

craft knife or~~P !qufe

12 CELTIC WOOOCRAFT

CelTtc kNoTWoRk BOR0eR

his. prOJ~t $hQws you how to aclill!Ve the ribbon-like Interlacing so typical of Celtic knotwork, whJd:t

forms the basis of many of the designs, in this book. The simple but lmpresslv¢ border adds the perfect finishing touch to a room and, by using a variety of

finishes. you can achieve a hlghly Individual look.

Celtic knotwork, which appears on stone crosses of the sixth century AD and onwards, and In the Intricate pattern­fllling designs of the eighth-:tentury Illuminated manuscripts, ·can Qe. made up of one, two or more Interlacing bands. Some people believe that there ts no symbolism att;:r~he_d to the different types of knotwork; and It Is probable that meaning has been conferred In more

recent i:frneS,; It is easy to see, however, why other peaple belleve that the unbroken bands of the knotwork ~present a saqed path through llfe, with no beginning or end, an .. et:e.r.n~I Journey of spiritual growth.

This project may look daunting but. beCause the de$lg,n Is worked In small manageable sections, It Is not difficult to make. The main sklll required Is patience, and. In my eXperience you wouldn't be a woodworker if you did not already possess this trait.

Once the sections are <:omplete. they Join to make a continuoiis border, as shown. which can ~ rut to tit corners. Alternatively, lf y<;;u. want to use the bor~r to decorate small pieces of furniture, cupboards or boxes, simply redU.~e the design to the size required.

Mc b"d I (Ui lf't ~1r1ri drllled hole first. A scrollsaw Is Jdeal

gt ~ §S

1;h"1H11 tc upc- 10 tg 11 'O

ae design, carefully separating the

"' r pieces and removing all traces of ~ i -11 sticky tape.

I:'.

6 Using the original template as a "---"

1 nrtL r;J lhr udnJ guide. transfer all the crossing lines \ Cts onto the pieces with a light pencil

rurs mark. It Is essential to copy the lines

faithfully so that the woven effect is ........._

"' L~ even and continuous, especially .. h1-eadl lht M~ when pieces are Joined end to end. -~:-

CELTIC ICl'IOTWOU BORDER 13

--- -

I

I .

14 Ce:L.T IC WOODCRAFT

7 With a sharp chip knife or craft knife. score along 1hesc lines to a depth of 3mm ('hin).

8 Using the chisel at right angles to each line. gradually slope the wood down towards the line. so that the band appears to weave under and over. as shown. Also reduce the wood by 3mm ('/91n) at each end of

the border where ft wlll meet the next piece.

9 Give each piece a final light sanding.

To complete the profect, you have a choice of finishes:

• Varnish the border, then fix it in place around the wall using a suitable adhesive such as 'No More Nails'.

Tl1t 11nl/qut, wcalltt r(d-bronze effed

• Alternatively, ff you wish the border to contrast with Its background. prime and paint the sections first, then glue

in place as above.

• To give the effect of a plaster relief finish, prime the wood before sticking

It In place, then paint the whole wall and Celtic border with the same paint.

• Or, to achieve the antique weathered­bron ze effect. apply a base coat of emulsion paint In a terracotta colour after priming. When dry apply a coat of metalllc copper paint. Allow to dry

and then dip a small stencil brush in gold metal paint, wipe off until almost dry, and then stipple randon:ily over the copper. Repeat with another darker

shade of copper until the desired effect ls achieved (see below).

kNoTWoRk oveRIAys

he previous knQtwork border is just one example of the variety of Celtic knotwork designs

that exist. Single knotwork motifs can be used to great effect as overlays on a variety of objects, and are mad\? using similar techn'iques to the

previous profect. Four different templates for overlays

are provided on page 88 but, once they have been mastered you will be able to use other patterns from Celtic art source books to.make your own overlays.

The templates can be enlarged to any size to suit the object they are to decorate, and I suggest enlarging by

140% for the first attempts, as this will make the internal cuts easier.

Some suggested uses for the overlays:

• Decorate the lid of a purchased or home.,.rnade box (above left).

• use four matching comers to deeorate a chunky plain picture frame (right). • Decorate drawer~fronts or doors on furniture. • Make the same design In contras~ing tlnibel"S to create a semi-abstract picture. • Connect the open-ended pattern (template 2A, on page 88) with straight strips of matching timber to form a frame, as shown in the drawing overleaf.

Materials

EE\larged pho~opy' of template 2~, 28, i.c or ZD (iis prefepie.d: see page S8J

Assorted timbers to siz~ of

template Cot ~!lla~ment~ 4-6mm P~•'Airl) thick

(e.g. pinft ivory. jarra,

American hard maple, hardwood strip)

Repositiona~le $pray adhesive

Double~slded sticky. fape

Glue

Cfear wai< poltsh. varnish, or pref~~~ finish

Tools

SCfollsaw or hand fretsaw

Small chisel

Chip knife or craft knife

Drih with. s~!l drill bit

16 CELTIC WOODCRAFT

a

Method

Place the chosen template onto the smooth face of timber using spray adhesive. Drill pilot holes In all the areas to be cut out.

2 Using a scrollsaw or hand fretsaw, thread the blade through the pilot holes and make the internal cuts. Make sure the corners have sharp

angles. with no roundedness.

.u

guide to which way they cross. It Is Important to get the lines right at this stage so that the weaving effect w!ll be correctly carved.

s $cg~. ~IQng'.· the l~s using a sharp knlftt ·

6 Use the chisel at right angles to the bne and I~ the material on either side of a crossing band, ·to give the appearance of weaving underneath. Slope It down to about half the depth of the tJmber. The angle of the slope wtll depend on how cl<>sely the band& are to each other - sotne Wt.II nftd. to be quite sreep to acht~ the depth; while others can be. mo.re~gradifal.

7 The photographs above show a different, enlarged, template (28)

being used on a piece of 'pink Ivory'

variety of timber, which was used to decorate the box lld on page ls ..

8 [f you wish to make a set of fq\tr corners. use the same ;sta.ek­cuttlng technique .as in the

previous project (see page 13). Cut

four pieces of timber to the

approximate size. of the template

and layer firmly together using

dou ble-slde.d tap~. suck the

template on top usl.ng spray­mount adhesive.

9 Drill pilot holes through all four la~rs·

1 I ,,...,,,. ··."»{'- . ~-.··- ~ ....

i _· - ~-~~~~- ~ r'c·-- -----

• 10 Cut out the waste areas.

n Cut round the outside of the-de~;

12 carefully separate the prece.s af:td ciean off any glue residue. itansi'et. tJte llnes onto the face of~ pt~

t 3 score atong the llne.$_W.ttha sharpknJfe.

I 4 Lower the '.nfiit~fial .Ort each stde of the croS$1ttg :~mi to create the

weavtrig effect_;

1 s $eal the QVei'lays using i:lear. wax­pollsh, varnish, paint or any Pth~­cltosen ftnlsh, before gluing u:f ybiir c:hosen obfed.

KNOTWORI' OVERLA'VS 17

MatertaJ~. P'ftotq¢opie!t~ let~l tef'l)p'i.;itesA~¥$­r~~iredr(~~~es S<?;l,l3i,! ~larg~)i¥, Izsf&

Fo:r _:ach 1n1r~\:~,~ faie·,dl' tlrri_lSe-r app~x, ~-x 1m x 2$nm (~ Jt~~ 1c 1iry) (Some ~tiers rrufy~ulte l~ v.ider. p;'~atJJJWe;"Jb b~r)fr1

P1¥'e -0f wiR 7®'m (2'1~) ..c.: ~-- """ ..•. :.~~~·

l~g, 2mfn U~) dia~~ett

Srnal! ¥~led~

GJ\w'

~tposit~a~~.pr~i a.uhestv:e-

Tools

~~ro11~~ er -frc~~~ d~n Wfth 2rrim ·PA~lfl) bit ;

.-

Pliers

S~all·c~5el

di!P-.Arv1nkntf~ ' ii'd:aij' kJff{-· _ ~A:;·'· r: .if:i

18 l:ULTIC WOODCRAFT

lNITIAf_. memo boLOeR

,._ he previous two projects

~ _ have demonstrated the

N:.l method of carving !>-~~ 8Sl knotwork in a fretwork

style. Thi~ proj¢d $hows; you ,how to c-aiw krtotWbtk fi:i: low relief; thafls, on:ro: the; surfa<:t? pf the tlml>¢r. Th:lS: te¢hniq® :wlfl be ¢mploy~ · (n ritanY ofthe:prof~~ tM:t follow.

1n1ttl;l( .len¢:r1>ow:eye:·~w«~~tethf.' manusci'fp'is prOdu#cf by :'CeltJc arttsts;

:rs~~~h·~:~~=i~::~~=--letters: fmaglnabfo~ l~ -some are so ~labt.'irat¢ that 11 c:an: 0¢'· dlffiettlt for the: Wttralnecl eye, to d~)f'her them. Jn inaituscrlpts rudras: The &rok:'b-f kells thts,­\V<lS: alroQ'St Jffi!{¢y.\mf, 'SlhCe: 'the artist could Jnd11lge l:n ~tunning ~lgpts qf fantasy when decofatt~g ~tters, sure In the knA\V~clge that the -scllolcirly reader

WOU]d be vecyfamlli.9J with the text. /nit/a/ letter A In the stykcf The Book -0f Kells

Ornate Ciipn.l m

loc.1 :.e a p.aro;:u ~ lh..

small

Method

cal ' 'Shdppl • >r r iey couW,; U

ie::oratt

1 Photocopy the chosen letter apd s~

It to the Umber with spray adhesive. If necessary, drrll a pilot hole for blade access to cut out the cenue of the letter.

2 Use a scrollsaw or fretsaw to OJt out

the letter.

3 To transfer the ~ign to the wood, place carbon paper between the template and the wood and trace round the design.

4 Score carefully along the outsJde lines of the design usfng a sharp chip knf~

or craft knife.

5 Carefully lower the background around the knotwork to a depth of l-2mm ('A•-'kln).

6 Score the crossing lines of the knotwork to half the depth of the raised bands II using a sharp knife. Slope bands down

at right angles to the llnes on either side of the crossing points, as In the previous project (see page 16 step 6).

7 To assemble the clip holder, fasten the

crocodile clip around one end of the piece of wire, using the pliers to achieve a very tight flt. Make sure that the dip .cannot mo\le· around on me wh:e~ using a dab .of:glue!/~

8 Drlll a hole In the top of ihe Jetter

using the 2mm ('l,&aln) drlll . .btt. (Jf~ piece of wire Is of a dlffeJCnt ~ie.t. use a drtll bit that coi'mpehdS t<rii.)

9 Place the ptaln end ot the Wire In the drilled ho~ uslntra small amount of glue to h9lq. It. lrr place It ne<:e$Sary.

10 Stal d:\e. '~With .~.or varnish as pm tr~

INITIAL MF.MO HOLDER 19

20 CELT1C WooCICRAFT

he tradition of giving

lovespoons Is alleged to have originated Jn Wales during the seventeenth

century, when a young man would

carve a piece of wood Into a spoon to give to his love as a token of courtship. 1t Is possible that the degree of Intricacy In the carving reflected the greatness of his love.

l.;Q.V~s~n· ~~e:sig.ilil Qften fnco:rporate ce.ltlc :kll<>twor-k iitlong; th~ handle, arid I .hav.e :d~wlo.ped this ld.e.a further ·by· .adapting th~ tra:ditlona I Claddagh design from Galway. claddagh Is a .small vJIJ.age on the co~s.t of :~lway Bay Jn Ireland, and tM. ~ltit1,n~lve Claddagh design Is s~d '.ta: ·tta~: be:en: developed by a native ~i the. vJUa.ge; Richard Joyce. who fashioned gold rings.

The heart, hands and crown re.present love, friendship and loyalty. The legend Is that when the. Claddagh ring Is worn on the right hand with the heart pointing .outwards, It shows that the wearer Is unattached, with a free heart. If the heart.points Inwards a love Is betng constdered. Worn on the left hand with the heart pointing Inwards means .two · loves .have become Inseparable.

There are many suitable timbers

that can be use<l tG mJke the lovespoon - here 1 nave used American tul!pwood, which is fairly ea:sy:to c.atve wfth the most ba$.lc of tool~, Y.ct1 can see from the ph'afugraphs that gOOd results can be acliteved uslng; e~n the lea~ exp.ensl'.ve of ~raft knifes. As always chough, use the .toots that you are most comfortab~ With anq, most ln:ipQrtantly, always keep a good sharp edge.

Method 1 Pn!pare a good~ surfac:eon ~

bade and front on yolir timber. use a plane If it is very une'Ven, then sand

with medium ( 120 grade) to. fine

( 180. grade) sandpare~ Pl~· . the templa~. to the ftont of the th'rfbf.r using spray ~heslve.

2 Drtll a pilot hole tn .each at the shaded areas to allow . access for the frecsaw/scrollsaw blade

3 Make all the Internal cuts first~ by threadtng-the fretsaw/scrollsaw blade. through the pilot hole, ·th•n c:.umng round the Internal llnes.

4 When all the tnt~rnal cuts are complete, cut around the out&lde Of the lovespoon. Remove the template and transfer. the. gµldellnes onto the: wood as shown.

5 Starting with the central ~~die' section, use a sharp chip kiiltei craft knife, or chisel to score ~n11thel1n11:s

Where the bands will .at)$$ over and under. It is essentialiU).keep these In

the rfght order so th~ weaving. worb correctly. Score to a depth of about 2mm c~min) to begin with, then using

a straight chisel at right angle~ t9 each Urie; gradually reduce the WOod at each .side of the weave.

6 Next round over the edges of the

b.inds using a knife or chfsel,

taking care to also round. the corners where the band appears· to. cross under another. Round off the bands all the way round the wp and down as far as the point where they meet the cuffs above the

hands, then reduce the area behind the cuffs by a mlllfmetre or two to

make the cuffs more prominent.

Materlallli

Ti'aCilJi or Pt.!etocopy or teMplate 4A (see. t'ag~ 94),

en1argect'by rtl %

PJece of timber, 230 x 70 x

I .Zmm (9 x 2 )C hill)

(Arjt~rican ~llpwood)

R'posltlOnable 51pray adhesive

Wax or other- j>f~errcd finish

Tools

Pl¥1e foptLmi;tat If the tiinber Is very uneve.D)

~ndpcg>er~ If reqtlfred

Sergflsaw, t18s~ fitted

with scrplling blade or band~w

orm fitted whh small

wciod bit

~Ip knife or craft knife

I 2mm (~hfii') chisel

Rorary tool fopttonal) or g!1ugc fQI' bow~ shaplrJg

Round pu~h and hammer

C LADDAGll lOVESl'OON 21

22 CELTIC WooOCRMT

1 Shape the back of the spoon Into a convex shape, tapering the pointed end more steeply towa.rds the fron~. ([f you need help with the s.hape, use the shape of a sl>oon from th~

' catlery drawer as a guide.) t used ..a . . . . •· tungsten burr bit · fitted on :the

Dremel to remove ·.the bulk of the waste, followed by a sanding drum •. but you · could use a gP.uge to shape the back lnttead.

s SCQOP- ~u.t the Inside bowl of the spQQ.fl!': carefu1!y ch~ing . the depth a:s. you go along and matching .the.wpJngyou. have given the back: · ~I'll to ac!ileve an even thtckness over the whole Of the. boWI of the sPQOn.

Ag~n tu~ the bremel for this, but a

gouge can ~, u$e.d If preferred•

9· :!9.un~ gy~r ri.t~ ~~s . of the . c.u·f.f$ a·nd mmds, then.taper the ends of the fin~rs and thumbs down, so th.11t they tlppear to be holding the heart from just behind. Next, score along e.ach sid.e of the ~and.s at .the wrists, taper ~own ~-~- wood on both sides of iheSe, ·then round over the edges, of th~ b;ind <J.~shown, Re-mark the guldeJln~ ~;. tlle:frlll~ on the cuffs and the fingers.

10 Use a V-tool, If you ha\te one, td

make the lines be~~n · ,ire tiJ{f$

and flnge~ othe..Wtse .a ~ft krl1fe or chip kntfe can be used. Round over all the sections Of the cuffs . .-.nd the fingers.

I I Now shape th~ crown. Fl~t r.e~t.1q.e

. the dept~ by abcut 2m:m 0n'2fn) and ' use a 'chisel ro. btVel It down where

. ; It meet$ the top b.and. Notch the : 'V' of the lite.le t.r.langular shape at

. ~the top,. then curVe Just thfs part.

12 Using a punch about 4mm ('h,Jn) in

diameter. make a series of circle shapes all round the outside and

down the middle. I Improvised as

you can see. by taking a ball pen to

pieces and using the metal ferrule as a punch. Fortunately ii survived the

experience and lived to write

another day.

I 3 Mark a line around the Inner edge of the punched circles, then score it with

a sharp knife or V-tool. Cutting from

inside this line. angle the blade and C'\.lt away some of the wood to give the

appearance of puffy material. Create

some creases at the bottom using

either a V-tool or knife.

I i Sand If necessary, then apply a coat

of wax (or your preferred finish). l ftnd

an old. soft toothbrush ideal for this,

as it can get Into most of lhe nooks

and crannies of the carving. When

dry, buff with a llnt~free cloth.

1.5 To hang rhe lovespoon, di1U a small

hole In the back of the crown. -A small nall or tack In .the wall Is all that Is necessary to hook It onto.

OouBle pboTo p~me / .

his project introduces the

Celtic zoomorphic motif in

an ek111entary form.

combined with the style of

knotwork used for the Initial lvlemo

Holder (p .. ~gl' 18) . The serpentine body of

a dog forms the borders of the frame.

1.vith its hc;:id and tall L~Ompleting the

design. The ear lappet extends to form

the knoiwork on one si e, with t.he lail

dividing to 111~1kc tlw knotwork on the

opposing .side. As i~ comnwn in

zoomorphic design. the tongue also

gives rise to a little nourish of irs own .

Normally a dog design would have at

least two legs visible, bl1t I wanted to

keep the outline of the irame fairly

simple. so this hapless cre<.,tme \Viii have

to n:· rnain J victim of artistic licence.

There w,1s gr·eat bclid ,1mong the Celts

that tlwir deities were c,1pable of shape-­

shifting or meL:1111orphosis. laking on the

guise of animals and birds. This gave rise

to the mnny zoornorphic forms to be sct•n

in the ea rlit•st Celtic Jrt. A panel on the first

century nc Gundestrup Cauldron depicts

the forest gpd Cerunnos with antlers on his

head and holding a sn,1kc that has ram ·s

horns. GL1th !h<C ,1ntle1·s and snakeskin arc

symbolic of regenerCltiC1n . as rhey can be

shed and re-grown. l\'u merous other

examples of zoomorphfc design appear in

manuscripts such JS The tlaok of Kells .:ind

the Lindisfarne Gospds. and tht•

magnificent /\rdagh Chalice and Cross of

Cong. housed in the N,1tional Museum of

lrel,111d, Dubli11 , have n1.1ny exquisitcly

crafted filigree panels of interlaced birds

and beasts.

1\nimJI$ were revered by 1he Celts and

symboliied the power of nature. yet 1vcre often cL1mpan~d to hum.1ns in terms of

the ir qualitk's of loyalty and bravery. It is

this mdding of human and animal

qu,ilities thar m,1h·~ the zoomL'rphic

de-signs so fascinating.

I have ddiberately u!;~d 25 mm (I in)

deep timber to make the frame. so that it

will be frl'E'Sla nding whe11 finished . Ii you

would prefor ir to be less chunky. then by all mc<ms use thinner stock and make thl'

rebate shallower, then make either ,1

supporting stand for the b,1..:k. or attach a

h .. rngt'r Ill the back for wall ha riging.

'' --'

Materials Photornpics of template

.51\ lsc-c page 9 5)

RepllSith.>11c1bk !lprcly

adhcsi c

l-'iel·e 1.1f timber 2 20 x I 50

)( 25mm (8'/.I x 6 x Jin)

(syc.:lmorel

2 piece's of b.Kking timber

approx. I JDrnm x !OS mm

(S·A x ~'I.in) {plywood or

MDf)

2 picccs l1i acetate approx .

I JO x 105mm (S ,~ x 4'/1 inl

( option,1 ll

Sm.:ll! t.;icks or glaziers·

points

Tools l'l.;;ne (if reqLliredl

s.111dpapl'r: 120 grade

(nwdium) and 180 grade

(fine)

5crol!saw or fretsaw

Router '"-'ith 4mm (·;;,Jn)

st r.,ight bit (optional}

Chisels ,111d gL)Ugcs

Cle.ir w.ix polish or preferred finish

Crail knife or chip knife

Method

Ensure that the face and b1.Kk of the

timber are periectly E'ven and smooth.

planing if necessary. then sanding

with medium or fine s,rndpaper. Stick

!he templ.:lle to the face side of the ' timber. using spray adhesive.

2 Cut round the outside of the design on

the scrollsaw or. if you prt'fer hand

tools, use a fretsaw .

J Drill a pilot hole in Cdch of the thrt'l'

shaded areas to accept the scroJlsaw

or lrt'tsaw blade. then cut out these

internal a re as.

4 Carefu ll y lift off th!'.' 1empl.1tc and

r 'move any glue residue from the face

of the timber by sanding with fine

sandpaper. Replace lhC' template on

the wood, slip some carbon paper

beneath it and place ,1 litik masking

tape al rhe side to hold the tt•mplate

in pl,Ke. Trace the knotwork design

onto the surface of the WOl)d.

5 Before starting to carve, turn tht' frame

over .and make lhe rebates kir the

photographs: mark a line approximately

4mm f'/dn) in from rhc cutOlJts and

then rnake a reba!e with th~' router to a

depth of I 2-15mm ! 'h- 'A: in). (If you do

not have ;;\ccess to a rouk'I', thl" rebates

can be made using a chisel.) You will

need ro make several p.1sse. 1vith

the router. about 3mm ('kin) deep

each successive lime. 10 avoid putting

('XCcssive pressure on rhe cutting bit.

6 To make the backing pieces th.;it hold

the photographs in pl.1cc. lay the

frame foct side up on the 'I mm ('/,in)

board and draw a line round the

inside of the rebate onto the boc1rcl a s

shown. Cut these Lwo pii?ces out

using a scrollsaw or fretsaw.

7 Next. turn the frame face upw.;irds.

nnd score .:ilong the Jims oi the

knotwork using J chip knik, craft

knife or chi sel.

B Using the chisels ,111d gL1llges, remove

the material between the bands

of knof\vork. ,1i111ing to cut tht­

background to ,, depth of 2-3mm

( ';. , - ·;~i n) to allow for definitiL,n. Some

of the sm.:ill .-ircas to be removed an::'

besl tackled with rhe point of J chip

knife, or a sc.:ilpt' I can be ust'd on

softer timbers. B

9 When all the background has been

lowered . begin to m,ike the weaving

effect oi the bands. Make sure that

the crossing lines have been scored,

then lmver· the m,1 terial on either side

of each crossing point using a

str,1ight chisel. working at right

angles to each band. \l\lhcre a band

crosses .;mother in dos•' proximity.

the gradient of the cut must be foirly

steep, but can be more grc1dual II where the crossing point is further

.:tway from the next.

10 Where each of the bands comes to a 11

end, form it into J bJ/I shJpe.

then round the sides of the eyeball by cutting rhe scored lines down at an

angle. 1v1ar·k out the sm..ill circle at the

ccntTe of the e-ye.

I 3 Complete the fr<imc by carefully

sanding where neccss.Jry. then apply

at teas! two coats ol dear W c"IX pollsh.

I I Reduce the depth of the body on

either side of the head by abolf!

l-2rnm ('/i,.-'h,in) to enable the head

to be carvC'd. Round off the !op of !he

head and reduce the level of the

material around the jaw line and up

to I he car lapp<'I. RoLmd the edges of

tlx' check . jaw and snout and give

ddinition lo tlw tongue and te::cth.

f\.1ake a groove ior rhe nostril with a

knife or V-tool.

or a finish of your choice. II

12 Shape the eye by marking out the

lines with a sharp knife. Remove the

trlilngul.:ir shape behind the eyeball

14 Cut ~1our photos to size using the

bading pil•ces as a template . li you

Wish to make a protective front for

the photograph. cut a riece of

acl'lille the s<1mc size. Put th e acc1,1te ,rnd photograph in the

frame. with the backing pil'ces

behind, and hold it all in place \>./Ith

sm<1ll tack or glaziers ' points. m

- -- -- - - -- - - ------ -

1 '

Materials

Phocornry of tc-m pJ ,1t(' 6A

lst'l' rage 961 . en larged to

I 76'Ki

Timber mcasming

.390 x I 65 x 2smm

115 1<.x ti h x linl (lime)

lkpositionabk sprcly

adhesive

Ckar wax or p 1·cfcr red

fin ish

Tools Scro!Jsaw or fret :;aw

Rotary tool (opt ional)

Craft kn ife or chip kni fe

Q_Gle wAl.l plAque

he e a~~ll' is ,1ssod atcd w it h

strength .ind \\·isdom. It

appea rs m.:rny rimes ln

il lumin.itcd ma n uscri~>ts

as an evange li st symbol for St lohn.

al though in The l:klLll.: iJf D11mw the eagle

is used to repre enr Sr Mil rk. In Durrow.

the eagle is very stylized. having a

pe rfectly round head and eye facing righl ,

with ,, illrW<ird fac ing body.

In The Book of l<dls the eagle appe.:irs

much more frequ ently. giving till'

opportunity for a iar gr eater variety of

designs. Some eagles are depic ted wi th

fuu r \,vings . and one ha · even bcc~1 given

a h"m d w ith which to hold a book.

Along with the three other ev.:mgdist

symlxi ls, lic•n. calf •md m.Jn, the symh1..1ls \l.l('re

l.Jken as a refcrcnl-e 10 Christ's incam<11ion.

lhl:' soaring eagle rt•pn.,senting the i\sc~'n~ion .

En,1:k in 1/1,· ~ tylr of The B"ok ot Oum.1w

' ,.·:.: <S:P-

II

Method

I Paste the enlarged template onto the

timber and cut round the outside

using .:i scrollsaw or hand fretsJV./.

Take particular care .:iround the head

and ied and make sure the comer

cuts are nice and sharp.

2 Transfor the lines of the design onto

the timber, but don't transier all the

chest feather details at this stage. as

they would dis<ippcar during the

initi.:il shaping.

3 Begin roughing out the shape of the

eagle, r·educing the depth of the

front leg by abour half and the back

leg by about a third. Reduce the

depth of the left-band wing by <ibout

a third, working around the neck­

ring. To save time I rt>duccd most of

the bulk using a structured tungsten

carbid~' bit in my Dremel. but it

could also be carved with chisels

and gouges.

4 To allow the neck-ring to sit proud,

reduce either side by 2mm Ch:in}. and then round over the sides of the neck

and head . Reduce the t1No head

feathers at the same time by about

6mrn (1/.in) .

5 Reduce the beak by ,1bout 6mm ('!,in)

as you round off the front of the head.

6 Round over 1he edges o( the chest,

back and body down towards the

legs. Rol111d the legs and taper in

the Jnklcs.

7 Take about 2- Jmm e;.;-'4in) off lhc

depth of the whole right-hand

wing, belo\.\I the topmost feather

and large curl.

8 Keeping the over<Jll depth uniform.

round over· the top ,rnd bottom

edges of the neck-ring and curve it

around the neck.

9 Once all this basic shaping has been

.'.lchievcd, add the finer details. First

step down the wing feathers from

the top row, neare.;t the body. to the

wing tip. To achieve this. pencil in

the lines for the top row of feathers,

then scor~ around them with a sharp

chip knife or craft knifo. Create the

step- down effect by reducing all the

material behind the lines to a depth

of 2mm (1/,, in), working in the

direction of the wing tip . Once the

first row of fcather5 is complete.

mark out the next row, repcating 1he

process and stepping clown each

time by about 2mm ('/,,in).

10 Work the long lateral feathers in a

simil.1r way, stepping them down

from top to bottom lengthwise.

-

I

Ill

II When all the long feJthcrs have been

stepped down you will notice that

the previously carved feathers have

been left \Vith irre.gular depths. and

these can now be sloped down

towards the bL'ltom of the wing to

regain uniform depth.

I 2 !found over the top feather t IMt

runs the length of the wing,

reducing the tip as necessary to give

an even depth .

I J Smooth the chest of the ecigle and

taper the body where it meets the ring

of t<1il fc-Jthers by abotrt 5mm ('l..in).

Round ii over inio the back at the

same time.

14 Draw in the feathers on the chest and

then score along the lines. Work ing

from the neck end towards the tail.

define each fe,1ther by lowering the

adjacent feather where it meets, but

keep the tip of the next feather at its

original height.

Make sure that the original shape

oi the body is maint<Jincd while these

feathl'l'S are being carved.

I 5 Round over the edges oi the large curl

at the front of the right wing. to make

it into <J dome shape.

16 Round the two fe,1t hers at the back of

the head. making the t e rmirh~I Into a

ball shape as shown .

l 7 Reduce the depth of the tail feathers.

behind the two rings. by aboLJt .Smrn

(',{,.in) as for the body, ,1nd then round

over the sides.

18 Mark the line in the middk of the ring,

notch a ·v· along chis line and round

over the sides of the rings. Also shape

the ring around the bod}'· keeping

the depth uniform.

I 9 Mark in the two lines along the length

of the tail feathers and notch a 'V' into

them. widening the ·v· towards the

tip of the feathers. Round over the

side edges of e,ich feather as before.

20 Round over the sides of the legs and

toes but leave the cla\vs as high as

possible to allow for sh<1ping. Milke

each claw appear to grow out of its

cuticle. by notching into the base of

the dmv to create a crease.

21 Taper the tip of the claw downwards

and round along its length . Next. make

two creases behind each culide by

marking out with a curved gouge and

!hen undercutting behind the curve.

I •

m

ID·

r r\GtE \.\I.Al I l'L/\Qlll" 29

22 To finish the head, reduct• thL' 101,vcr

half Df thC' bc,1k by scoring ,1long

the mid-line and raring .l\Vay ahLUl

2mm l '/.>in).

RL•u nci over the cop J nci luwer

edges of the beak .

2J Undercut the point whert:' the

forehead ornd dieek meet the I c:ak to

give gn:'cltt'r rJefin it ion.

24 Pe1Kil in the eye, then use .1 goLtge

with the• same sweep oi rnrve to

mark it out. keeping tlw t )L)I

at right .~ngles 10 till' h c,~ d .

25 Sh.-ipc the eyc- by chamfe1·ing intl• the

marked line with a shMp k11ife.

leaving the centre of tlw eye

dome-sh,1ped 1\.-lark the mall circle in the c~ ntre

of the eye with the tip of a knife.

26 The diagonal lines along the wing

fcatht'r" <1rc made by cul1 ing duwn at right ,111gles with a str.:iight chisel. or by

using a V-tool to mark along the line.

27 If nCCl'SS&iYy, sand lightly. ;.111d then

apply the iinish of your choii.:C'. l used

a clear w.:ix polish .111d thi:n, lo give

the c1ppt•a ran ·e of age. I went over it

wiih a d.1rk wax polish. 1 wiped this

off before it dried. so that it stayed in

lh lil1l'S and creases, tlw11 applied a

further· L'(1Jt of clear wax polish.

28 To allow tlw e,1 glc to be hung on

.:i wall. drill a 2mm ('/, :i nl hole in

the b:ick. slight ly off-centre tLl

countl'Tb..'llance the difkrerKc in size

and slui pc l)f the \·Vin gs. This c .. ~n

then he hooked over ,, sm,1 11 nail

tapped into the wall. so that it . its

flLrsh agai nst the wall.

he border on this mes~age

bck1rd introduces a 11l'I"'

styk of knotwork. lnstc.:id

of Lhe opcn-wt'ave

knotwork of the previous pro jects.

her(' it is closely intertwinL'd so th,H

no spaces are vi sible between the

bands. II is still ~'ossiblc L 1 trace the

p<lth of each b,111d rhat makes up each

eternal knor. but it reqLtires jLtst a little

mor"l' conccntratiL)n .

Cl111ccrH1·a ti on is ,1 lso the key to

-uccc sfu/ carving in this project. in

order ro m.1imain the currcc.:t wcaws oi

the bands bL1t. once you master the

technique, the effect is very pleasing.

The message bo.nd itself is a blackboard

for good old- fashioned chalk. which can

be cleaned .-ind re-wri tten . but alternative

surfaces could be use such as a cork

board. u.,;cd with rushpins. or a

whitt'boar·d that can be used with dry­wipc markcr· pens.

The wording ill the top o( the bo,1rd

can L'a -ily be ch.:inged for something that

has <1 personal me,rning; it doesn't

11ec1.:•ssarily have to be ,, place.:'. as I h<Jvc

cho:.;l'n. i\ singll- wurd works best.

hm·VCVL'r. sc) th<1t the letters can be jllincd

and cut vLI[ as one. If nothing inspires

ymt. you could do w >rsc than choosing

iust the word ·messages'.

Materials

PhL•tocory oi templalL' 71\,

t•nlargcd to I H80o (sec

page 97) and rn. c or D.

if dcsir1.•d (SL'l' pagt> 98)

Piece of tirnbt•r measuring

•100 x :?.90 x I 2mm < 15 '• x

11 1.6 x !in)(lirncl

Pii.'cc L)f MDI· measuring

't00 x 290 x -Jmrn ( 15'., x II '.I'. x '/,.jn)

Rcpositionable sprvy

.Jdhcsive

Carbon paper

Wood glue

v,1rnish

Primer

Bia kbo.Jrd pJint

Toe> ls Scrollsa\~1 or fretsaw

Drill

Router lif avai/,1ble)

Sdcction L1i chisels and

Chip knife or craft knife

JI

II

~ :l , .. \' . ' "~\ 1. I

..

11

II

32 (LITlC W Ot'OCR 1H I'

After much deliberation. chose

·Glastonbury· as rny header. Glastonbury

in Somerset. England. is a mystical and

enigmatic rlace . .:ind the Tor rhat rises

from the surrounding pl<iins h.is given

rist' lo m.:iny myths and legends.

The early Celts regarded high ground

<i s ,1 sacred place. and revered it as such.

The Celts s.:n..v their gods as the

1)crsonification oi the natural fo rces

around which rheir lives revolved.

The Tor Itself was believed to be

m<igic,illy holl01.v. with ,1 secrel entr·ance

IL) I he Isle of Ava Ion hidden in iL side.

Av,1 lcm was the re.:ilm of King Arthur

\·vho. in the sixth century. ddcnded the

Celts against the 1\11glo-Saxon invasions.

following the withdrawal of the Romans.

End I 'SS myths and lego nds have grown

up around King Arthur and his Knights of

rfo~ r~ound ·r~ible, and niany places lay

claim to being the site of his court.

including Cornwa.11 and Wales. The truth is

that as a great king he would have had

many strongholds up and down the

country. Clastonbury 'JiJr being lxH one,

albeit a signiiicant one. His iamous

111agid.111. Merlin. was credited with laying

out a huge ten-mile wide zodiac around

the Tor. using fc.:itures in thio' landsc.:ipe.

The Tor is also reputed to be the burial

place of the Holy Gr.iii: a it er the

c.rucifixion. Saint JosE'ph of Arirn<1theil is

said lu have brought the chalice ti sed in

the I.as! Supper to Glastonbury. and

buried it on the Tor at Chalice Well.

Whatever one chooses to believe, there is no

doubting the imporuncc of G!astonbmy in

folklore. and ln the continuing fascination

with its mystical associations.

Method

Stick photocopied template 7 A onto

the face of the timber, using spray

.:idhesivc. Cut around the outsidl' \Vi th

a scro ll sav .. · or fretsaw.

2 Drill a pilor hole in the cl"ntral waste

are<i 10 ,1llow the blade to pass through.

Cut out the internal waste, carefully

follmving the curves ~>f the design .

3 Transfer the design onto the face of

the framework , using tracing paper.

4 On the reverse, rn.irk a straight line

5mm f>li.inl away from the cut out

section. Use this as a guide to make a

4 mm (51J, in) deep rebate.

If you want to mJke pierced

letter ing rather than r<i ised lt>tt01·ing.

make the rebated area rt'ach within

Smm (';,,.in) of the top of the frame.

following the arched shape. You can

then cut letters out so that the black

of the b.Kking bo<ird shows through

(see step I 2). If possible. use a router

to cut the rebate - otherwise use a

chisel. and squar~- off the bottom

corners using a small chisel.

5 Cut out a piece of the 4mm ('h,in) thick

MDF. to fit in the routed area. The

easiest wily to get an accurate iit is to

lay a sheet of tracing paper on the

board, tr·ace the routed shape, then

use it as a template. When cut out it

will be used to make the ch.:ilk board.

bur it ciln be pur to one side for now.

6 Scor·e along the lines of the design on

the ftice of the frame. using a sharp

chip knife or craft knife.

Ii

7 If you think you may h.ivc difficulty

in identifying the thread of the

we.we during carving, try shJding

the arec:is that have to be reduced

wirh J p~'n or pencil.

8 LO\ver thC' bJnds where the~' wcJve

behind. ;ind make a dt• •p 'V' b~ tween

bands that pass alongside each other.

9 Use an inverted curved gouge or a

knife to rmmd the long edges oi each

band. to form a rope-like shape. Th is

will help separate the bands and

define the knot\.vork .

JO Where a band turns sharp ly back on

itst'lf. use the point of a knife to cut

the tiny triangle ell the bend.

11 When the entire knotWlJrk fr,1me has

been c.1rved. reduce the area at the

top. between the two bands, to J

depth of 4mm (>Jdn).

l 2 Using a scrap of 4mm p;, in) plywood

or MDF. cut out your chosen lettering

templa te. D1·ill smal l pilot holes where

necessary to make the internal cuts.

If you prefrr 10 have the letters cut

out, as described in st<'p 4, do th.1t <it

lhis stage. Rear in mind that the

throat of your scrollsaw needs to be

1..:irge enough to accommodate the

length of the board.

13 Protect the frame with a cl~<Jr v<irnish.

This is part icularly important ii it is to

be sited in cl kitchen.

14 After priming the MOF backboard

<ind lettering. apply at lcasr

two coats of blackboard p.11nr

to both.

I 5 To Jssemble the message bo<.JrJ, glue

the backbo,~rd and lettering in pl,1cc.

I 6 As an optional extra. you can make

,, chalk holder for the board. To do

this . take a piece uf mJtching sGap

timber mNsuring 10mm high x 50mm wide x l 8mm deep ( \ 'h x 2 x ;/,in). Cut it to an 'L' sh,~pc .

leaving the back 4mm f/d n) deep

and the bottom leg aprrox. Smm

(';,. in) dec1 . Make a concave

groove along the top of the leg as

shown on the right.

I 7 Cut a 4mm ('k in) rebate into the b;ick

of the frame, at the bottom where m shown, for the chalk holder to sit in,

and then glue it in place. V.Hnish the

chalk holder to match the frame.

l 8 Ttl ensure that the message board

doesn't move about when in use.

fasten it to the wall using adhesive

foam pads.

Materials

Photocop y of lempl.Jtc 8;\

ex 8B (rage 99 or 1 OO),

and 8( (page 101 l. cnl.:i rgcd by I 25S·&

Suitable timber measuring

270 x 160 x I 2mm for

backboard ( IO"h x 6 /, x Ainl (lime)

~l ,1tching t imber 270 x 60

x I 2 mm for shelf ( IO'!. x

2'/< x 'hin)

Carbon p<iper

Repositionable spr,1y

adhesive

2 brass SCl\ 'WS

Wood glue

5 empty -15mm film

c.:mislers. prd<e'rahly hl.ick,

for seed swr.1ge

W r:ix or Vilrn ish finish of

choice

2 picturt' hangers

'TRee OF l1Fe' seeO keepeR

/

recs held particu lar

significa nee fL11· the Cel ts,

w ith their bran ches

reaching heavenward and

th ~ir mL1ts fi rm ly plan ted In r-. lo thcr

Earth . Trees represented not only a link

between the= upper and lower world. but

were also a reminder of the etern<il cyde

of the scnsons.

The ' tree-of-life' motif is found in both

p<1g.1n and Christian art. Jnd stands as a

symbl1I of b.1larn.-e .md unification of the

two rea lm s. In ordt~r to in(orporatc the

'tr~~· of lift'' into m,1mrscripr decoration.

the d,'sign was often m ade 10 emerge from

~1 ~'Ot . which symbolized 1vlother Earth.

The tree itself was mostly portrayed as the

vinl' .rnd ~ r.lpl'S . a symbol associated 1..vith

Christ, which represents the 1·esurrect io 11

and his l'te rnal Ji(c_

The mNif Jppca rs in The /fool? (If Kells several t irncs. the 'ArTc!';t of Chri. 1 '. folio

11 '1 recto. being .:i good l:!).'.amplt.> (. ee

lntroducrion. page I) . The vine and

grapes appe.irs 011 either side of the head

of Christ as well as on th0 co ltun ns .:it

either side of the piclure.

Grapes frequent ly appear in th r<X'S,

which is an important number in Celtic

mythology . .:i s it represents the trinity.

Thu s in this on~. JpparC'ntly simpk'

mot ii. many laycr·s of symbolism exist.

The ·cree-of-liic" motif has bl~Cn used

as the basis of th is project. wh id1 is

dcsig 11 ~'d to store St' c•ds g.ithcrcd .1t

harvest time .1nd prescrwd in the d.:i rl< and

dry. reJdy for sprin' planting. Tlwre cir~

1wo designs ro choose from. one of whid1

is heJdcd ·seeds ', the 1.1 thcr ·oo..:has ·.

which trJnslares from the Irish into 'Hope:

I chose the word because I feel th c1t when

we 1ilant nc\v seeds. we pl<lnt ho pt• for the

iuturc. continu ing the circle oi life. Both

designs ure made in the same \V,~y ,1pa r1

from chunging the letters.

For the project shown here, I Llscd lime

wc1od (basswood). The film can!stt'rs used

are bl,Kk so thal lhe seeds can remain in

the d.~rk owr win ter. If prefern.:•d, they can

be painted on the outside . but in that case

k,we the art«1 where the lid sn~1 ps () 11

unpainted. to ensLrrl' a good fit.

The project c,111 easily bc ;:idapted for

olht•r storag~' ust•s, such ..:is papN clips.

push pins. sewing pins, golf tees, or even

J'.imm films. For· some of these it would be

useful to use clear plastic film canisters

,rnd in any case you would. of course.

nt•ed to choose ,, more appropr·i,1tc word

than ·seeds' ro identify the contents.

Method

Place carbon pilper bet\wen your

chosen templa te and the larges t piece

of timber ,1nd trace the design on to it.

Cut round till' outside lines.

2 Careflilly reduce all the backgwund

from around th<' 'tl'ee-of-lift' ' design

to a depth of 5-6 111111 (';.,-'/. in). I used

a router fitted wi th a 7mm ('/d n)

s1raight cutter for most of the 1vJste

remova l. then used a 2111111 h'dnl

cutter tu get to the smaller areas. If

you don't h,wc .1 router. tht' IVJste C'Jn

be removed using chisels and gouges.

II

3 Next. trim along the pattern lines to

produce clean vli'rfic.1! side s to JI! the

branches. kaws and gr;:ipcs. This

will ensure th<it you have ,1 good

t'Ven design to work wilh w hen you

1·m111d th e br.:rnchcs. I used .1 chip

kn ife to score .1long the lines. and

then cleared the waste away using.

. ni.111 chisels and gouges. Trim a long

the inside of the r·aised bordl'I' in the

s.~ me way.

4 Sh.1pe the pot from which the

tree grows by l'L1Linding the sides

and bowl.

5 lkgin shaping the branch1.'s.

sta rting .:it the I oint w here they

c111erg"' from th~' f L~t. and w1.1rki ng

towards tht' ends. This way you c,1n

gr,1dually reduce tht' branch depth ,1 s

you go along.

6 At the point wht-re branches wc.:ivc

under Jnd over. score J long the lin l'S

thM crns . then USt:' the chisel .11

rlghr angles to grade down the

rn,11 erial to give the appearance of

weaving under. Only l'OUlld th e sidt•s

after you .. 1J'c sati sfied with th e depth

L1f the weave.

7 As )'O u come to a leJf. reduce the

dt'pt'h of it by .1bow half. and sh.lpe

the stem into it. forming ,111 invertl'd

·v· where it meets rhe leaf.

Tools

Scrollsa1v Dr frets,1w

Chis('\s .md gouges

l1rill wil h bit to matd1

br.iss SLTl'WS

Collntcr~ink bit

.12mm (I t,in) ilat 1\'LK1d bit

k1r h1..ik culling

CrJft kniic or chip knife

'T1<1 I· o r L11· c ' s ~r r• ~l·t l'~ll .35

:-: 1!..... · .. .. . ~

~

' .

. ··. ... . -. '

8 As you come to a bunch of grci pes, redL1cc the depth by only l-2mm

( ',~o - '!d n) and re-draw the three

circles. Cut out the small tri.rngle

formed at the centre of the circles

using a chip knif<' or craft knife

then round l.'ach of them over to

form a ball shape. Again. sha re the

str--rn into the grapes. The grapes

can be made tcJ look more re.J listic

by undercutt ing them slightly.

using a srna II gollgc to rt-move ,,

little of the material all round the

base of eJch cluster of gr.oipes.

9 i'v1ark the curved lines lll1 each leaf.

Llsing a small gliugi:- held vertic.illy.

IO Tidy up the lettering. making sure

1ha1 the sides are vertical. I have kept

the letters at their full dt•pth. b111 you

can reduce them if you preier.

11 Next, make the shelf to hold the

canisters. Stick templ.~te 8C onto the

smaller piece of timber, using spray

adhesive. and cut to siZl'.

12 Using the flat bit, CLlt out the five holes

as shown. The 1.Jrgest flat bit avail,1ble

is 32mm (I 'J.inl. which is jL1st slightly

too small for th~ 34mm (I '!..in)

diameter canisters. so sand them back

to size ,~iter CLttting. This is easily done

with a small sanding drnm.

I 3 The shelf. ready for joining to the

backboard. is shown above. Che~·k

the holes for size.

14 With the shelf held at righ1 angles lo

the bottom of the b,Kkboard, where

indicated on the template. cfrill rv.10

pilot holes for the . crc\vs. Use a

countersink bit on the back of the

backboar·d so th.H the screws ca n sit

flush with the bJck. I !old the shelf in

place in a workhend1 or vice. apply a

layer of wood glue along the edge.

then scre•v the b~ickboard to it.

Is Finish the piece using cirher wax or

varnish. lf the seed keeper is going

to be hung in an outbuilding. a

\Vaterproof varnish would be the

most suit<1ble finish . Attach two

picture hangers to the back of the

seed keeper. to ensure that it ha11gs

firmly as the canis ters are taken

in and out.

16 Make ,1 se t of labe ls ior the

canisters to identify the ~'.ontents oi

each. and stick them onto the

canisters near thC' botlom, where

they can be more easily read.

•

bmo Q)IRROR

his hand mirror introduces

,, new clement of Celtic art,

that of the spiral . The

spi1·al. m tr·iskck. is made

up ot three legs or curves thal radiate

from J common centre, and is thought to

represent the sun and the movement of

heavenly bodies 0th <: rs interpret the

three coils as representing the three

elements of hecwc11. eanh and \Varer. and

a safeguard against evil.

The spira I motif appears in very

(',uly pagan Ct•ltic .art: one of the oldest

examples is on the entrance stone at

Newgrange i11 County Meath. Jrel<rnd.

which dates back to 3000L1c.

Newgrange - a p.1ssage-tomb and the

alleged bt1rial place of the JIKient Kings

of T .. 1ra - is one of the most famous

prehistoric monuments.

Spirals with two coils appea r on

e<irly Celtic jewd!cry. such as bron zc­

,1ge tnl"tal clo,1k f.i steners <ind th ird­

ccntury Iri sh horse orn<iments. These

mot ifs are also found on ston e crosses

carved by stonemasons working in the

sixlh century.

\

'·

Matcri.-iJs Photocopy of rcmplat(' l)1\.

on pcige I 02. cnlMgtd by 125%

Carbon paper

Rl'positionabk spr .. ,y <1dhcsive

Timbl.'.'r. at lc .. ~st 160 x 260

x 12mm (o/, x 10•; , x 'tin)

(European oakl

Round mirror. I 25mrn

(Sin) in diarnL'tl'r

Gluc SLlit.:ihle fr.'r stil'king

glass to timber.

Tools

Scrollsaw or hand fr('tsaw

Ro111cr wirh straight CLllC"r

fllptk1 nall .1 nd 1K1n-slip mat

Dre1ncl \·vith cutler bit Nl1

9936 (upt iL1n,11)

c .. uving ch isels and guugl'S

Chi1 - carving lrnift•

(optil.m.11)

Clear wax polish . or firn~h

of your choicc

·r/1t' double-sided cross slal>-~lt>m· /11 1lbalrm110 churchyard_ i\11g11.~

Stirnr at A/Jale111110

Spira ls appc;,1 r in pictorial form in TIJe

Book of Kd/s, where the Celtic cul isl look

the simp le sriral and introduced

fantastic variati ons by adding anim,11

clnd bird features.

The mirror ieaturcd in this project

follows the tradition oi the enamelled .. ~ nd

engraved bron ze mirrors prL1du.:ed by nJitsmen of the pre-~oman i._dtic i.wrkd

of British culture.

The Celts were p.:irticularly co11sck1u~

of their .:ippcara 11 ce. especiall y th1:ir

cloth ts and hair. so mirrors and combs

were ve1·y impona nt L)bjccts. M<1!1)'

Pictish stone carvi ngs beJ 1- .1 mirror ;.ind

comb motif. In this dra1V i11g of Jnorher

oi the i\berkrnno stones. the mirror ,i nd

comb can bc seen in the luwcr righ l ­

hand corner.

The actual design on !he bark o( the

mirror has been adapted from rhc cent ral

motif on the eighth-century High Crnss of

1\bcrlcn1110. Scotland. : hmv n bek1w.

Two legs from the Jowe1· spirals brL·.1k

away t\.) create the knotwork 011 th~·

h.;indk-, for ming an eternal knot.

For thi s project. I ust'd Europe.:111 o.1k

for strength . as the handle hJs ti'.' be strong

enough to support the 1.wight of tlK'

mirror. O.:ik is not the ec"l ~ ieq of woods to

carve. as thL' grain is quite coarse. but lhc

fini~hed result makes ii worth the effort.

U.:tai/ 011 th,· dghtl1-ccn/11ry lli>:/1 Cross of 1\bcrlc1111w

{ •• •. I

a

Me th o d

Either trace the dl'Sign for the b.~ck of

the mirror frame (templ .. 1te 9A)

thr 1ugh carbon pa per onto l he

timber, .:ind cut <iround tlK' outside of

it, L1r sl ick the tcmpl<ite onto the

timber for cutting out using spray

adhesiw. as shown hen.·. I prekr the

la11e r method. as l find ii easier to

foll ow a black lini;- c111 white

background. but it me.ms that thic

design must then be 11-.~ccd onto the

timber .1frer cutting out.

2 Turn 1hc mirror frame over. and

posit ion the mirrur ccntr .. ~lly on the

larw' circle. holding it firmly in place

with one hand. ur·.:iw 1·ound the

mirror to mark w here the rebate

needs to be cut.

3 The rebate is cul to lht.' depth o( the

mirror, plus an extra millimt> tre to

,1llow tor gluing .ind tin,;d sanding. A

router is the ohvi~1~1s choice for th i~

Of'eration. but if you dL) not have

,1ccess to a rou!C'J' L r <> Dre me I witl1

rLiuting facility. the rebate can be

made usi 11g ch i~eb and goL1g~·s,

making su1-e l'h,1t the base of lh~'

rebate is s.moolh .:ind even.

Nlost st.111d,1rd roulers will have to

bL' used frceh.:ind IL cw the ci rcle. as

the diam C' tc r is roo . mall to be cu l

us ing th e centr.11 pivo t method. Th is

is not a problem if both hands ~n··

u~~d to guide rh e basl' of the rout~ r

i nstcad of using the h.1ndks. As \·Vi th

any routing operatirn1. ensure that the

base i · kept level at all times. so that

thl' cutting bi t cuts .:ii an even depth

throughout. Use .:i 11011- sUp router

111.1t under the wL rl< t ll l1L1ld it in place

during the routing oper.~tk1n .

-I J(oLind ufi the mttsidc edges. also

using the rnuter fitted \Vith ,, round­

O\ er bit. i\ 'ain. if no router is

.. w ailabk. you c,111 use .. ~ gouge,

chisel. or a rotary .::.1rving tool.

5 Working still on the mirror side.

shape the handle by rounding il .ind

slimming down rhe '\.vaist ' where' ir

meets the l.;i1·gcr ~·irc l e. This c.;in bl'

quickly .:ichicvcd using a strucllll\.'d

tooth tungsten c.:irbide bit in a rotary

tool. but only if you arc well ~·ractised

in its use .• 111d are smc of vour ahilitv , , ro contro l the cuttl'r. Othen.visl::', use J

gouge or chip l'.:t1·ving knife.

6 Next bl'gin the carving on the reverse. lk'forc starting Io carw the spirals,

the ce11tr<il Jinl' must be scored. There

arc several ways l•f doing this - the

choicl' is yours: you can cut the sh.:tpe

using .:i gouge o ( !he same SWl'CP oi

curve. he ld at right angles; mJrk !he

line with i.1 V-tool. or score it with .:i

chip knife or craft knife.

Tire rdmi.· wt It) /rl lf1<· mirror. mtd l/tf rdgc.< nl!1mfrd

7 Deepen a \I-shaped grl1ovc between

the coils by removing material evenly

on either side (1f the sco1-ed line and

cu rve OVt'r the top of e.Kh coil ,ls it is

formed. Work Jt right .:ingk's to rhe

cenrrnl line. unle s u. ing .J \!-tool.

8 When .lll the spirals are complete.

remove the areas between them

(shown shaded on the template) to

an even depth. Try to make th i s

depth the same as the depth

between the coils of thi: spirn ls.

9 Reduce the outer ring to the same

depth and round over the large coil

th.-it is left rndosing the spirals .

10 Work the knotwork design on the

handle in the sa me rn.-inner as in

previous chapters. by scoring the

lines then reducing the backgrou nd.

11 Using <1 fine 5mm (-'A. in) :;t raight

chisel, redt1ce tht' r<iiSel bands 011

either side of each crossing point to

give the effect of them weaving under

<1nd over cJch other.

I 2 When <1 11 the c.-irving is complete.

sand as appropri.1te and apply the

iinish of your choice. I used a clear·

wax polish. as the colour and grain of the wood needed no further

cnh.:inccment. Do not apply .my

fin ish to the ar .:i where rhe mirror is

to be glued, however, as it may

prevent <l good bond.

13 GILi(' the mirror firmly in place on

the reverse side.

his rro;cct i ntroduccs

a zoomorphk design in J

different material: ,1 brass

dragon inset into the lid of

the box. For once. there is no <.Klual

carving to be done, since the pattern is

woi-ked on the scrolls.:iw (or fretsaw) and

with an engraving tool.

The dr..:igon i~ a mythic,11 bea ·t that

appears in many shapes and guises in

Cl'l!ic folklore. Dr.:Jgon pairs, 'S' sh.-tped

and placed back to back, ;ippcar in Celtic

art from as early as the fourth century

BC. mainly 011 meia!\-vork objects such as

sc,1hbards and spears, This signifies the

pro1cctive role they played.

The symbol oi the dragon has

particular signiiica11ce in 1he Cdlic

l·ulture of the Welsh. Since J 901 the red

dragon has been adopled as a national

symbol. and became part of tiK' \\/clsh

fl<ig in the mid-twentieth century,

1\ recurrent theme rhroughLlut the

history oi lhe dr<1gon has been one L'f guardianship, The dragons of f.iiry tales

famously guard caves full of treasure. so

what better symbol tl.1 protect the

cht?"rished possessions within yom box.

Method

U~c doublc-sid,,d st ic ky l<1Pl' to

attach the dragon template JOA to

the f,1 ce of rhe brJss. If the brJss is

thin. it (',111 be stuck lo a piece of

SCl'up plywood lo make cultin~ and handling easier. If not, slick a layer

or two of masking t.~pe lo thl'

underside of the brass 10 prevent

J.1mag~· ll1 the s.11w tabk and to m,1ke

hJndling easier.

4t

Materials Photocopies of k•mplJtes

IOA .1nd JOB. on p<1ge 103

Piece of brass me.1suring

90 x I SOmm (3'/. x 6inl

rimbcr. 100 x \ 50 x 40mn1

(4 x 6 x l'f in)

Timber. IOD x I SO x 601m

{4 x 6 x 'Ain)

2 pk•i:es of timber, 100 x 150 x 4mm / .. \ x () x '/dn)

Double-sided sticky tape

Wood glue

General-purp~) S1..' glt1c

~u-.:h as Bostick

Fast-dry enamel. matt

black paint (uptkm.:ill

Clear varnish

Brass polish and lacquer

Repositionabk "pr.1y m.lhesive

Tools S1..·rollsaw or frc1s.1w

Drill fitted with 2mm

('A ·in) bit

Rotary 1001 fill 'd with

small t'ngr.:iving bit

.r

2 Drill pik1t holes in the sh..ided o.=tn'<l S of

the dragon design 10 .:illow the

intern.:il 'Lits to be made.

3 Using .1 iine-tLx1thcd bl21dt> .:ind half

speed, cut out all the intern.ii w,1stc.

4 When all the internal \vastc has bee n

re moved. cut aruund The outside oi

the drZJgon motif.

5 \:Vhilst thl~ template is still .ittachcd

to the brass moti f. use thi.:· small

engrJving bit iirred in a rotary 100110

cardully cngr-ave th< lines that make

up the rest oi the design_ The

eng1·avi11g bit w ill cut th rough the

paper onto tht.> brass. I ut the

presence of tlw p<1per 1vill stop the bit

from slipping.

6 Remove the tcmpl.:ite and st1cky tape

and file .1ny sharp edges as necessary.

7 Polish the brass and. if desirl'Cl. define

the cngr,wed lines by going uver them

1\1th a ii11c, blZJck, W<1tcrproof ink

drawi ng pen. When this is dry. it is a

necessary to apply .:i co.:it L)f l.icqw~r to

prevent oxidiz.:itio11.

8 Use double- sided tape to st.Kk lhc

omm ( 1.t inl piece of rirnber onk1 thl'

10mm (I '.!: in) piece oi timber .• incl

then stick the- box tcmpl.:ite. IOL\ , onto

the top osi ng spray adhesive. Cut

,1 round the outside of the box.

9 Separate the t0p from the botWm,

peel off the tem plate. and re-apply it

to the top of the '10mm (I 'hinl dl'ep

piece oi limber. which will form the

body of the box.

IO Drill J pilot hole inside the innt'r line:

th read the saw blade through, I hen

.:ut around lhc- inner line. ki form the

straight sides of the box.

11 Place the body of the box 01110 c.:ich

oi 1.hc 4mm ('/.,,Jn) p ieces of timber

in turn and dr,iw round the i11 siJ1..· of

the box to m ake u base and a reb:itt·

for the lid .

c

j

I 2 Glue one of the pieces into the base of

the box .1nd leave to dry.

I 3 To make the lid. place the br.:iss

dragon m0tif centr<1lly on the top of

the lid .:ind draw round the outside.

bu! don't go into every indentation.

make the line ,, smooth , gener.:il

outline.

I 4 Reduce the depth of the wood inside

this line to matL·h the depth of the

brass motii. This can be done \Vi!h a

chisel or gouge. or a router if you

h.-iw one. Make sure that the surface

is ldt smooth and L'Ven .

15 Paint the inside of this l'cbMe matt

black to create a strong contras! to

the brass. If vou 11.we chosen a dark

limb('r this may not be necessary.

16 When dry. glue the brass in place in

the reb,1te.

17 C:luc the remaining 4mm (·'1U n)

timber shape to the und~rside of the

lid to form an artificidl rebate th.1t

will hold it in p·lace when ii sits on

top of the box.

I 8 Tc.1 complete thl' box, ;ipply two coars

o( clear varnish. inside and our. II

[)I~ ACit PN TRrN to;(' r til>X 43

Materials

Photocopies of templates

11 A, 11 B and 11 C on pJgcs 104-6

I 90mm (7'hin) square

pieces of MDF. I each of

4mm. 6mm and 30mm

C'h·in. ·.~in .md l 'hin)

Spare 4mm C'h1in}

thickness MDF

Duublc-sickd sticky tap~

Repositionable spray

adhesive

Carbon parer

Impact adhesive

MDF primer (see scage I JJ

Emulsion paint

Paintbrush (I 2mm/ hin)

C.lndlc and 0000

sandpaper (opcionaU

Clei!r wax polish

44 Cr: TJc \'l<H'flC R.11 1

kNoiwoRk JIGSAW Boxes

hi~ challenging piece

comprises J set of five

ltdded boxes. which link

1ogethcr in cl jigsaw

f.:ishion . The greatest challengt' is to fit

all the boxes b.:ick togethe r in tlw l r

correct place. \virh their matching lids.

when th e project is fin i sh~ d .

Once all the boxes arc set up

togetht>r, the knotwork decoration on

the lids forms one continuous th n:- .:id

weaving from box to box. so

reinforcing the link . The continuity is

intention<il. a symbol of 'ternicy.

The equa l-a rmed cross with

interlc1CC is a common C'lenient of Cdtic

decoration, .Jl1d occurs on _ ewral pages

of The Doak of Kells. most prominently

flanking the figure Df Christ and SI John

(sec page viii. facing the Introduction}.

Several t' l.Jborar(> book covers and book

shrines also feature this design in

embossed metalwork ,1nd the notable

cross slab-stone of Ulbster in C<1i·thnes s,

Scotland, a Isa beMs the same P<l llern.

For thi s project \ have:• used a m.:in-·

rnade materi,1 I, medium densi l y fi breboard (1vWF). I chose this pcirt ly

because it is rc.:idily availc1blc in l ht.'

th ickness ncedt'd. partly because it ls

extremely easy co work, and also

becJusc I wzinted to use a paint finish.

J\s always when using rnan-madt.>

materials . pMticu!arly 1\1DF. dust

masks must be worn at all times . dL1c

10 the resins !hat arc used In lhr

manufacturi ng process. (You w i ll find

advice on workshop safe ty generally.

includ ing precautions to take whc:n

using MDF. on pages 8-9 .)

Method

I First prepare for cutting, by stacking

the three pieces of MDF and firmly

fixing them together using double­

sidcd sticky tape between the layers.

Pl.1ce the 4mm (-·.1i,in) piece at the

bottom. the 30111111 I I ',{, in) in the

middle. then the 6mm (' /,in) on top.

Tfwse \Viii be the box components of base. body and lid respectively.

2 Stick the box rc1nplnte 11 t\ onto the

top using spray adhesive. The boxes

are now ready lo he cul out on the

scrollsaw but. before l:ieginning. use a

set square to check that the bladc is

pE'riectly vertical .:is, if it is even

slightly out of true. you will only be

able to slide the boxes up or down in

one dlrc:-crlon instead oi both .

3 Cut roLind the outside o( all the boxes

first, before attempting to scp.lrate

the jigsaw shapes.

4 Wry c.lrefu lty cut Olli the jigsaw

shapes. Each has to be done in one

sweep to give a good clean single cut.

so !Jke care ncgotii.'ltl ng the corners

and curves. If you Me not completely

confident about it. practise by

making soml:' spare template copies

and cutting them out using waste

pieces of MDF. You will soon become

Cl11lfident enough to t.:ick!e rhe real

thing . Fortu n.:itdy MDF is inexpensiVl'.

s~ it ·s not the rnd of the 1.vorld if

you do make .:i mistake.

5 When all four ·arms· have been

separated from thl" centre blix, mark

each part of C<lCh box with the S<lll1'

letter or number. This makes it easier

to identify thl' com.>ct pieces whL'n it

comes to reconstructing it nil.

Carefull y sepcJrate the three layers of

i'v1DF l)n all five bOXL'S.

6 Tilking the middle section of each box.

mark a line 4mrn Ch in) in from the

edge. The cenrre will be cLlt out to

make thl' box c<ivity. The four ·arm'

boXL'S can be cut following the whole

box shape, but for the cl?ntral box just

cut J squ.;ire and do not attempt to

cut into the protruding circles (unless

you're a complete m;:isochist ).

Tt'mplate 11 B. on page 105. shows

how it should look.

Drill J pilot hole in the middle

waste area, th read 1 he scrolls.~w

bl.:ide through and cut along th~'

ma r-ked line.

7 Make a rebate to hold the lids in place

from rhe ·pare 4n1m ('h,in) MDF

Using lht' box body as a f('mplate,

dr.lw a line round the insidt' of the

Tools

Dust mask

Scrollsaw or hand frC'tsaw

Small chist>-ls and ~otigcs

!Jrill

Craft knife or chip kniie

cavify onto the MDF, numbering

each piece to its correspond ing box.

Cut th ese out using the scro lls,1w or

hand fretsaw.

8 Assemble each box. using impact

Jdhesive to give a strong bond. App ly

a layt>r of glue. 4mrn ('Jijn) wide. to

thL' edges of i he b:rsc to correspond

to the walls of the box , and to the

underside of the middle section.

Press together when dry. according to

the manufacturcr ·s instructil)llS. Gluc

the rebate to lhe underside of the lid.

m.:iking sure that the lid will sit

c~1rrcctly on the box befo re .. 111 ly ing

fin.ii pressure to the join. Above you

can st•e the four section of th(' box

glL1ed and ready tl' .:isscmble.

9 Assemble- the five boxes into their

finished shape, so tha t rhe knotwork

design can be transferred to I h<.> lids.

The Lwsr way to do this is to stick

a photocopy of template 11 C w sonw cJrbL)ll paper using spray

adhesive. then cut round the outside

of the design. Use masking tape to hold this in place on lhc boxes and

trace the design onto 1 he lids. Lift

th e template in -~ few pl;iccs l o

make sure the dt.•sign has

transferred successfully before

removing it comp lc t.d y.

10 All the carving is done wh ilst the

boxes are joined, so that lhl' lines

of tht' knotwork follow smoo thl y

from llne lid to the nex t. T,1ke a

sha rp chip kni fe or craft kni fe and

first score ,1long the pencil li nes.

Next, very carefull y rcdL1cc th e

b,1ckground between the 1·1bbons.

using a small gouge. Ideally. the

background should be reduced to a

depth of 2-Jmm (l,;;,-'J.i n) .

I / .

I

11 Once .1JJ the background has been

r~duced, crt ate the weaving eiiect oi

the interlacing by redLlcing the

ribbons on either side of each

crossover point. l\lv,1,1ys be mindful of

the way the ribbons weave regularly

under .:md over.

I 2 In the photograph above you can see

the progression oi the carving,

clockwise from the top: the design

has been scored along the lines. ihe

next lid h,1s hJd the b.1ckgrou 11d

reduced, ncx! shows the ·weaving'

completed, ,111d the final lid has been

sanded and is ready lo be painted.

I J Paint all the parts of the box wilh

primer. 1\l\vays use <1 primer that is

compatible with rhe fin.al finish- Wlwn

the primer is dry sand it smooth, .-:is it

v..rill have raiS('d the iibres of the MD~.

Apply two co,1ts of cream emulsion

paint. or whatever base colour you

choose. \Vhcn this is dry. apply the blue

paint (or what~vcr colour you prcier) to

the bad ground.

M If your skills 1-vith a fine p.:iintbrush

arc limited. you may find the

following method useful: take a w<ix

c4lndlc and rub it over the raised

surfaces of rhc knotwork. mJking

sure all areas are fully covered .

I 5 Next. rain! in between !he knotwork

without worrying if you get paint on

th~ top surfaces. When the paint is dry

n~rnovt~ the wax by rubbing down with

a very fine grade of steel wool.

prdN,1bJy 0000. This should k,we the

two colours separate. with a slightly

distrcss~'d type of finish .

J 6 Apply a th in application of dear v11ax palish to all the our_ ide surfaces. so

th.1t the boxes slide ap.ut easily.

All that rema ins is for you to pLlt the

boxes back together Good luck!

Celnc CROSS

concepts

he design of c.lrvcd stone

crosses evolved ()VCr

thousands of ye;:irs, Jll

amalgam of

.:ind cultures.

rn•iny There

arc influences from the standing ston~s

of so!Jr cults. frum the cross carvings

on 'ancestor stones· dating back to 10.ooonc France. through t·o chc Christ ian iz.Hion of the \Nest in the sixth

century. AlthL1ugh the cross shapt.> is

most obviuu sly associated \·Vith

Chris tianity. the Callanish Stones in

Scotland MC arranged in the form of

a Celtic Cross, {a cross with a rin

surrounding it) , and pre-dat<> Christianity

by at le.:ist 2 ,000 years.

The ringed cross is a particu larly

stron.' and striking image in Celtic <ir·t. It h

thought that"the design came about when

early missionaries carved crosses onto

standing stones, which had bet•n pagan

objects of worship. rather than alienating

their potential conwrts by pulling them

down. From there. slab-stones were

purposely carv d to take cross designs.

and then rhc slab-stones thems Ives were

carved into cross shapes.

The roadsid.:' cross-slab at Aberl re mno.

Scotland !see top right). is a fine example

of an eight h-ccnrury ring cross carved

onto a s:to11c slab.

Elaborate knotwork and spiral designs

began app0aring on the cross faces, then

later 1 r·ish crosses depicted scenes irom

the scriptlircs, which would h.Wl~ been

useful tcad1ing aids in a world when:~ the

written word was not familiar to the

masses. Pictish slab-stone crosst•s ()ften

depicted battle scenes on the bclCk. The

great c-ross-sl;,.~b in Aberlernno grnveyard

in Scotland is s.1id to he a depiction d the

Rattle oi Nccht<insmen:: that had been

fought nearby in A0685 {sec below lefLl.

Sevcr:tl stont• crosses haw bosses

carved on them, which have no fL11Ktion

other than to represent n.1il he,1c.1s that

would have bCl'n on wooden crosses. I

have incorporated a small boss <it the

centre of my design.

The frcl'slanding. ringed cross design

dcvcloptcf in Ireland. but is found in other

Celtic societie!S, ;.rnd m<iny fine examples

cJn be St'cn in Scotland. St Columba

tr,welled from Glencolumbkillc on the

northwest co.:tst of Ireland in the sixth

century and established a monastery on the

small isl,111d of Iona off the coast of S<'L1tland.

Many elabor«1tc stone crosses 1wrc C.Jrved

.:it this time, bllt tragically. puril.anical /.~·a lots

of the sixteenth ccnrury destroyed a huge

number, with over 150 being thrown into

the seas off Iona and other islands ,1lone.

The ·rin~· ('lcrncnt of rhe l'ingcd cross

is 1,vidc: ly rec"1gnizcd as a solar symbol.

lvlany interprct.1rions have been ascribed

to the de-sign as ,1 whole, one oi which

suggests th.-it the four points at which the

cross and ring inr.erscct represent the four

seasons, which the Celts knew as Jmbolc

(spring), Bcltainc (summer-). Lugnasadh

(autumn) and Samhain (winter) . This firs

in neatly with tht' solar symbolism of the

circle motif.

The stepped base is similar LO the one

supporring St Martin's Cross on Iona

(shown far right). and I h<wc made it

deliberately rugged to contrast wilh the

detailed symmc-try of the cross its!.' If.

Cross-slal• tit 1\hcr/cm110. Srntlmul

St M11rti11 's Cros.~ . Iona

Cross-slab /It Abcrlcm110 gmveynrd

Male rials Phow .. :opy of 1emplc1te

I 2A on p.~gc 107. enl.irged by I 251'.Jt,

T imher for cross: 280 x 180 x at lcasL 25mrn

llJ x 7 x I inl Oimel

Timber for b.~se: I 10 x 90

x 4Smm (4'/: x 3;, x 1 JAin)

(lime)

l~cpositionable spr.ay

.1dh<'sivc

Carbon paper

Wax polish. or pn·ierrC'd finish

Wt.iod glue

Tools Plclnc (optional - if required)

Mcdillm or fine sandpclpcr

(I 2.0 or I 80 grades)

Scrollsaw. fret~aw or

ek'ctric jigsaw

Drill \Vith wood bit

M~tal rule

ShMp kniic

Chisels and gouges

so Ci ill ( \i\/(ll) DCR~ fT

In this project the cross is ca1ved on both

the b.ick .ind front bees. so that it ca n be

viewed from both sidt•s, hLit you may

prdcr to carve just rn1e face-.

Method

Ensure Ihc11 both sides ~if the timber for

the ao. s .:ire perfectly smooth and

even - if not. plane whc'rc necessary

Jnd sand with medium or fine

sandpaper. Stick the temp1<11e onto one

side of the timber using sprcly cldhesivc.

2 Drill pilot holes into c.Kh of the centr,11

sh.~dcd areas of the design lo allow blade

ncn'ss. and make the lntl'rnal cuts.

Maki: sure that the points where

the ring and cross me('! art> shclrp. by cu lting in from opposite diri;:ctions -

do not cut the corner in one sweep. clS

this w 1uld round it.

3 \<\!hen all the internal CLllS helve been

m.:ide. cut met around the outside and

tht•n remove the tem pl.1te.

4 Draw in che Jim's where the cross

intersects the ring, on both back and

fmnt of the cross. using ,1 ruler for

accuracv. I

5 On the outside edge of the ring. dt«1W

two lines around the ci rcumference.

i:ach :- mm ('/".in) in from the front

and back as shown. These lines

Indicate the depth to which the ring

must be rcdLICl'd, so that t ht:• cross

sl;:inds proud.

6 To reduce the depth oi the ring by th is

amount, score c1long the lines on the

face of the cross. then use a chisel or

gouge to remove the waste from the

front cJnd back. as shown.

7 Trace the cle!>ign onto the arms of the

cross a11d ring on both sides. using

c.:irbon paper between the tcmrlat0

and wood. You will find it ecJsicr to cut

out the ring sections of the temp!.1tC'

before tri'lnsicrring them.

II '\. ...:.•--...,r- •::;-., ..

8 Use a metal rule and sharp knife to

sec re along the str.;iight lines.

9 Scort' along the lines of the

kno1work design. 1hen reduce al l the

background m.iterial to the s:ime

depth. This can be 1- 2n1m ('/i1,-·/',, in)

as preferred.

10 Create the weaving effect by

reducing the materi<JI on either side

of th e crossing points. as in projects

3, 5 and IL

I I Next. round over the sides of the

central boss.

12 Complete the tenon at the bcN;' of the

cros:;-, by taking 5mm (·'.\ .. in ) off the back

an i front oi the bottom e:i..'tcnsion.

I .3 Use the remaining piece of timber· to

make the base. Cut in two steps on .111

fom sides and then round off the

shoulders of the steps.

14 On the top oi thf:' base. cut iri a

mortice ioint tlw "imc size and depth as the tenon.

15 Gluc !ht cross onto the base and.

when dry. finish with two or rhretc' t:L1,1ts of wax polish. or JS prcfcJTl'd.

The: 111ot1ict 1111111..,1011 joi111 11s(d to joi11 tlir cro5$ 111 tlr<' l>ase

Materials

Photocopies of templates

13A. 13B and 13C on page

108

Suitable timber measuring

160 x 110 x 25mrn {6 '!. x

1'i-x lin) (sycamore)

N.B. See notl' <ibout

direction C.'f grain in Stage I.

R~positionable spr<iy

adhesive

Carbon paper

Approx IOOmm Hinl of

nilrrow cord or string

Acetate if required

lmp,1ct .ldhesive

Clear w01x and baby

toothbrush. or preferred finish

Tacks

:;2 Cf-. 1 1 IC \VO L'IDC~ .-\ FT

J=uN pboTo FRAOJe

,wing Lacl<led some of the

prcviou s projects. you

c.:in now rel,1x ,1nd have

some iun w ith this small ,

chunky. photo fram e. I have b.::isl'd the

design on a dog. which appe.H:> in

various forms in Celtic art .

Dogs had great symbolic significc1nce

in Celtic folklore: they were associated

wilh healing and protection and would

invariably accompany their masters into

battle, or on ianlastic journeys. SLKh

was their importance tha1 they

appe<ircd in almost every type of Celtlc

;in <lnd legend. including epic tales.

illuminared manuscripts. metalwork and

stone carvings.

I -I

Tile <:i,<;hl/J "'11t11ry SI 1\ nrlr~w ·s s11rwphr1>111s in Fift·. Swtlmttl, slmwi11g stwrnt /11111ting 1/ogs carved it/ lrtg/J rdie/

In th~' design used for this rrojL'C!, the

arms of Lhe dog arc fai rly normal , not

intertwined as might be expected. bLJt the

legs are something dsc altogether. The

interladng of the lt>gs is t;iken over by cords to which the feet are au.ached: 1hese

in tmn d.:rngle over the lop of the photo.

and it Is almost as if the toes are pointing

to the pkture contained in the iranw.

r~~-: I . ' 1 l , I ~ - -

'------- _ _)

l

.~

The chunkiness ~1( the' frame cn<1bles it to

bt> fr<.'estanding .:111cl self-supporting.

I u ed sycamore for the project, but

It works w ell if yuu use t\VO contrasting

timb<.>rs for the dog and fr,1n1(', as )'OLI

can see on the facing page. where dark

cmly jarra was used ior the dL)g, and

syc,rn1me for the frame.

Method

Stick the three templates L>nto the

timber using spr<1y adhesive. ensuring

tlMt the grain runs vertic<1lly. The feet

need to be con iclerably thinner than

the frame and dog. jL1st 3-4mm

('4 ':.',~ in) thick. so you could cut one foot

at 25mm ( I In) thick from y0u1· block of

wood. then slice off two sections the

required depth with a fretsaw.

2 Using a scrollsmv or hand fretsaw, cut

out the dog. frame and foot.

3 Drill small pilot holes for the blade to

m.-ike the intcrnJI cuts for the <.Jog

(template 1313). The area.s of the dog to

remove arc the rhree shaded are.i_s on

the ternplJ!(' between the r,1il. the two

s 'cl ions sep.irating the legs and the

gJp in the belly.

4 Drill pilot hoks for the intcrnJI cuts !n

the frame (template I 3i\).

I •

TooJs Scrolls.:iw l'r hand frctsiiw

Drili for pilot holes

Long-nosed pliers

(option,1 I)

small gougt's, chir carving

knife. or Cr.:111 knife

Ci rving tools or rot,1ry

tools and cutlers

Router ,rnd ~lraight cuttl'r

foptionall

T/11· <0111po11e11!.< rnl out r~111(1• lo b1·gi11 1/1c sllllfif!g

l' LJ.~ l'HOTO FR~MI· ~J

51 CELTI<. \ ·\'OOOCR1HT

s Slip some carbon p,1pN between the

template .:rnd the wood and lr.:insfcr

the remaining design li nes onto the

su rface of the dog.

6 Begin shaping the dog: reduce th e

depth oi the tail by removing Jbout

tOmm ('4inJ, kaving a dL'rth of about

I Smm L~inl. For this I used a

structure>d -too th tungsten cilrbide

cutter in a rot.l ry tLK>I. but sm.:ill

chisels or gouges could al L) be used

l'ffcctive ly. Keep the tJil area flat for

now. as this make!' ii easier to crcdte

the weavi ng l'ifcct later. but curw the

area of tht body where it meets the

t.1il to give a nice rounded b,1ck .

Continue c11rving all the edges oi the

body except the b<isc. wh ich needs to

be kept fla1 for attaching to the frame.

7 Reduce the depth of the top arm , so

that it .:ippcars to be b~hind the lmver

arm, and curve the edges over to giw

J. rounded look . This c.:in be done wi th

either small gou;~es. a knife - such as

a cfop carving knife - or even a craft

kniic. R.ernovc a little of the body

below the lower ztrm to cre<i tc

something of an armpit for ddini!iun.

and aga in curve the arm into a

smooth rounded shape. Reduce the

depth of the arm tow;:irds the ·wrist' so

that the I clW can be given deiini tlon.

B Remove .-ibout smm (-';;,.in} from

the leg that is ne.'.lrcst the centre.

at the point wher·e it meets tht' back

of the dog. Gradually slope it back

up towards the rump. curving the

sides at the same time. to m<ike it

look as if it is weJ.ving behind th e

back of the dog. Then remove a

similar· c1 1l10Lll1t of material from

belov.: the other leg to make it

clppear to we.:wc i11 front of the body.

Keeping the base oi the kg ii.i t,

curve the sides of the leg and body

in between the legs.

9 Score along the line that separa tes the

snout from the head. <ind then red uce

the snout by ;:ibout Jrnm {',~in) <ind

cmve over the edges.

10 Curve the edges of the rest of the

head, including the step tha t >V<lS

created when reduci ng the snout.

Remove some of the; material below

the ear .11 the back of the nt:>ck, to give

it grealer definilion. Curve the top

edge of the ear and taper the tip

down slightly.

11 Ensure that all the r~maining edges

of the body have been curwd over

to give a reall y smooth finish.

including the section of lhc belly

that has been cut out.

I 2 Now .::.:irve the knotwork on the t.:iil.

Transfer the guiddines onto the 1,1il lo

m,irk the \Ve,wing. Score along the

lint's using either ,1 knife. or a ~ot1gc

1h .. 1t h.~s the s.:imc curve as the line.

and then reduce the material on

t'ithcr side uf th~sc lines, as in tlw

pr·e-vious projects.

t 3 Make rhc end oi the tail into J hL'.1rt

shape. by redudnt; down the l .. 1sl

secliun of tail bdur·lC it goes inlL' the

he .. 1rt sh.:ipe. and notching,, ·v· shJpe

.:it this roint. Curve LWt r· all the sides

along the length of the tail.

14 The ft'et need 10 bt• shaped by curving

ovt.'r tlw sides and toes. but r,1ke .::.:ire

with your fingers, as they are very

tiny pieces 10 \.vork \Vil h - a p.Jil' of

k1ng-nL)sed pliers c.:in bt• used to grip

the" ket. if prekrrt'd.

15 Bdore adding the final features,

give the dL1g a good sandinf!, to

111 .. 1ke ii really srt'WOlh and cuny

Dr.:iw in the eye. mouth, nose ancl

shoulder curl lines firs.L and ! lwn

il1dL'nt along t ilt' lines.. J us\.'d ri

snwll V -- tool k)r this. but a chip Lil'

craft knife could ,1ls1.' be ~IStd.

16 The iinal iob is to make,, shape in the

bJ$C fL,r the cord of the leg to wcilve

iorward. Do this by cutting m11· 0:1

sm.111 sem[-c ircul.:ir share .1t the

bollum of the boJy, directly belmv the

(:-t:• ntre Llf th..:- le~ .

I 7 The l'Ord for the legs is iust pressed inlo

the IJL1les. rathe1· than thre,1dt'd tl1rL1ugh

thC' wood. Drill the holes with .:i bit

corl'espo11ding w the diameter Lli the

CL)fd, in this CJ st I mm (';;,.i n), and make

them only about I .Smrn (approx. 'A'..inl

dt'l'p. jusl enough IL• glue lhe cord into.

Drill <1 hole in the top edge Di each foo1.

and through the undt>rside or the belly

cutout at a point belD\\I the centr~' le~ .

about .5111111 (-·_;, ,.in I in from the t.'dF,L',

The photo below slKiws tlw position of

the Jwk'S , both on till' protrudin~ le~

and through the base immediately

bdow th is.

18 Cut l\Vo pieces of L'L11·d approxi rnatL•ly

40mm l J /:in) long and glue a fLlot to

one" end oi each. Assess the fin.;il

len)ilth of the cord by holding it against

the 1.fog. ,1110\ving ;;1 small piece ex tr.1

to fit in1L1 the drilled hole. then cur ro

length. 25-J2mm ( 1-1 '/.in). Thre<id

L1nc curd through tht> hok i11 the b.:isc

oind ~,luc i111L1 pl.:ic 12 in the prL1truding

leg. Gluc the other pil'cl' of cor·d into

the" hL;k L'>CIO\\' the centre- IC>g. allowin~

it to dangle in the groove helow.

19 Nuw work L11l the frall)e. Begin hy d1".11;1.ii11~ a line on the b .. 1ck. 5111111

( '.I. in) in from the eJgc of the cutolll.

Th is will be the rebate 10 take the

photograph. Rcb.:M this edge to ,,

ckptll oi I 2mm (',<; in I. lo bring the

photugraph closer tu the front of tht.'

fr.:i me. If you have ,1 router, fit a sm,111

st 1·.1ight cutter and, securing thl'

fr.1111e firmly to your workbench. rout

the rd1arc in a seril's L f cuts. taking Jmm l ' ,~ in) off at a 11mc.

.)6 Cf-LI IC... W1..Hll H." l~1' I I

One \Vay of making sLm' that your

route r stays level is to cut out the

shape of the frame from the centre

of a piece oi 2.Smm (I in) MDF. slot

the fr,1me .i1110 It, tlwn cl.:imp this to

the cvorkbench.

If you don 'l h.we Jcccss to a

router. then it is possible lo use a

rourer anachmcnl .:md straight router

hit ior the Drcmcl. F.lilin~ either oi

these pt ions. )'OLI ("111 form ,1 rebate

using a chisel.

20 Cut,, backing pit'Ct> to hold the photo

in place in the rl'bate - rhe e.1s iest

way is to draw arow1d the rebate onto

the ba ·king piece. If dcsirC'd, you can

also cur a piece of acC'tJte the ·ame

size to go in front of the photo.

21 Curve the front edges oi tlw frame

and cutolJt SC'ction, and sa nd to

give ~1 smo1..1th finish.

22 Glue the> dog in pl.ice on the to1 oi

the frame. with the lt>gs dangling

over the front. I USl'd <in impact

adhesive for this, as it nt•eds to be a

really strong bond .

2J Give the compktc-d frame a suitable

finish: I applied a clear wax with .:i

soft baby toothbrush. to get in all

the Ii ttle crevices.

24 Put yollr chosen photo in the

rebate . with acetate in front ii being

used . then fc'.lstcn the backing piece

in place behind with a small tack

top a 11d bottom.

GJlRROReO cmOle SCONCe

t i$ said that rhere circ two

ways of spre.1di11g lighi. ·10

be the candle, or the mirror

that reflects it'.

This project L1scs mirrors to reflect the

candlelight many times; rhe larger

mirror offers a continuous reflection

J nd, .~s the candle bl1rns lower-. so the

lower mirrors r·dlcct the flame. This

way. one sm.1 II fl;rn1c can spread its

light in many directions.

Candlelight docs more than dispel

d<.irkness: it represe nts powerful

symbolism in m<1ny faiths . C indles arc

Ii 1 for remembrance. for worshir. tor

purity and to represent Chrisl as the light

of the world .

l<notwork links the mirror~ at the sides,

and the spiral motif brings together the

three elements of the sconce. Tht'

number· three \.vas very sig11ific<int in

Celli<.: .irt. .~s can be seen in the

triplication of m.1ny stonc-cMved deities.

as well as on the decorc1ted pages of

manuscripts. lust for go0d measure. then: is al so ,1

sm;;11l amount oi an.::hi tectu ral-style

carving involved in the arches. which

show up to goLx1 effect \Vh cn the candle

ls lit. throwing ~hadows on to the curves.

Christmas tree candles .ire ideal for

1his project. 1101 only beouse of their

perfect size. but also because they burn

without dripping wax.

Tools

Scrolls.:iw m fretScl\V

Chisels and gollgl'S

Drill

Scalpel

Crail knife or chip knife

foptional)

Mdterials

Photocopil's uf templates

I 4A Jnd MB on page-s

109-10

J~crosit iv n.~ble spr<iy

adhesive

Timber measuring: 230 x

170 x IOmm for b.Jck

(9 x 6";,, x ·/ in) (lime)

-10 x 4Ll x I 20mm for sides

( 1 "/i,, x I'/,,, x 4'l<in)

{sycam1.1re)

170 x '10 x IOmm for shelf (6',~, x I'/. x ·;..in)

Sp.1rr timber for carving jig

I mirror measuring 160 x

68mm (b'/. x 2·1sin)

8 mit'l'or s1.1uares mea~uring

18 x I Smm (';, x ··,.'.inl

12 ruund mirrors I 3mm

( f in) in diamc.>ter

l\rletal tr< .. 'L'-1.·a ndkholdl'I

with srikc: in base

·1 ree-c:andlt' IOOmm Jong x

11 min c.li.:1111eter H x '!'. in)

._k.Jrproof vJmish

Stone glL1e (or similar

Sllit.Jbk to glllC g l..'ISS to

wood)

Wood gll1e

8 bras .. screws

l br.:iss pk·ture hJngrr and

2 small brass screws

.

Method

First make a carving pg. to rest the

sidepieces on whilst they are being

carved. The- jig can be madt> out of

scraps of limber or ~-!OF as follows:

cut four wedg6 of IVL10d "1pprox. 45 x

30 x 50111111 long (I'/.• x I'/. x 2inJ ,ind

make a slope of •15' Oil L1n c side along

1h ~. length . to 111..:ikc a wedge shape.

Take a piece oi bo.m! .:lpprL1x. 280 x

200mm ( 11 x Sin) and mark .J line

down the centre about 200mm (Bin)

long. Clue the wedges in pair~ at

either end of this line..'. so that the

slopes fo rm ·v· shapes into which the

sides can sit. Gluc and nJil a piece of

~<..Tap wood acrc..)5$ lhl' l'nd of one \!­

shaped block to form an end stop.

2 lake the piece of timber measuring

230 x 170 x 10111111 .:rnd stick template

14:\ onto it u.;;i11g ~pray <.idhcsivc.

J Drill ,1 pilot hc..ile to allow for the interna l

cut to be made. C~1t out the shaded

arc.J. keeping good sh<Hp edges wht-re

the circle comes in 10 .1 point.

•--~-~-

4 Cut round the rectangul."ir outside

edges o f the mirror frame.•.

5 Turn the piece over and position the

larger. rectangular. mirror owr the

cl'lltr.~ I cut out arezi. OrJW .1rou11d the

mirror's edges. then use •1 router or

~:hist-I to make a rebate for lhc mirror

to sit in. Check for iit - tht- mirror

shou Id be flush with the outt>r frame

when in position - then put the

mirror safely 10 one sid1.'.

o Position template I 4A 011 (he..' front of

the wood. slip in so1nc c.:irhon pJpcr.

then rr,Ke on the design.

7 Identify the ten rriangul.u ~hapt-s at

the top of the .=irc:h .:ind score .Jlong

1he Jines. Reduce the depth of each

tri.:inglc by Jmm ('l inl, keeping the

sides wrtical to ensure .:i uniform

slope. Once you have carved the b.:tSL'

triangle. you wi ll have- the line to join

up to the top of the slope.

I I

8 Lightly s.:-ore a line from the corner Lli

each triangle out to v.ihere it meets the

corner of rhe next lricrnglc. This will

give .:i guide for wlK'r·c the slopin~

edges will come together. Ch~1mfcr

down from ihc line of the outer triangle

to the b.1sc of the inner triangle to form

.:i uniform slope all round. folk1wing

the sweep of the curws.

9 Lightly score the two lines at the base

of the cutout an.:a, and then slo1x'

across the base down 10 -'Imm ('Jdn)

from tlw back.

to Slope thl' sidt•s in the same manner.

11 Slope the inner edge of the part-cin..:Jc

at the rop of the .:utout .m~a.

I 2 Cut out the small triJngle above the

cen tral spira I. sloping <ill th re'' sides

in to1.vards the centre.

13 Carve the spir.:il by srnring along the

lines using a V-tool or ,1 knife. thrn

makt> them into ·valleys·.

14 Three spi1·al legs \Vil) sta nd out from ml the carvl'd v.:illcys, which can then

be t\.1u11d~·d over to complc:te the spiral molif.

J 5 Carve the two smaller spir.11 motifs in

.l similar way. but reduce the Ml' a

betwern the trumpets ,1nd spirals by

about Im 111 ( _,;, in). These two motifs

.:ll'C qu ill' small and I k1und it 1;:,1si1;:•r· to

use a scalpel to shape 1hcm.

16 Pri.>p,1 re the sides

diagonally th rnugh

length of -10 x 40mm

by cutting

rhe squ.ue

limber. Th is can be difficult ~v' ithLlllt the right

saw. in which case tht' altern,1tive is

to rest a squ.~rc st>ction of timber in

the carving jig and plane down to

I '

, \ C01llJ•lt1t1/ $ 111111/ s1•/ml molif i$' $/1011•11

rrt tire l<>J' of lf1t· 11it·t11rr 011 Jhc kfl

m

form a triangular shape. Two

lengths oi timber will Lw 11L'eded for

th is. Cut e,1Ch side to length.

ma tchin g the length of the carved

b.1ckboard as far .1s the lin e at the

b,1sc of the carving.

r 7 Place one of the sides in the c.Jrving jig

for support and, u~ing carbon paper.

transfer the design from 1empl<1tc 14B

onto the surface. Begin the .::.arving by

rn.~king four. squ,m~ reb<Hes for tht'

mirrors. The depth oi the rcb:.'ltes

should be J 111111 ('/ieil1) greater th.:in the

thicknL'SS of the mirror tile.

18 Reduce the b.ickgrl'Lmd armmd the

knotwork <ind Ollt:icle of the spir.il

motif by I mm ('/, inl. leaving the

narrow outside border raised ,1lso.

19 Create the we,wing dfoct on the

knot\VL)rk in the USLIJI manner.

20 Position the smc1 ll round mirror· in

between the knotwork where

indicated on I h L' template <ind draw

round them as a guide.

21 ~,1ake J round rebate equal to the

de pth of the minm.

2 2 c.~rve the top spiral in the same way as

ior the backboard (sec stages I 3-14 l.

,ZJ Carw the other· side in th\C> s.:imc

way, making sure that it slopes

in the opposite direction from the

first side.

24 Glue all the sm .111 mirrors in place in

rl1<.'ir rebates.

25 Drill a hole in the shelf for the spike oi

the candlcholdcr. I h.:id to offset mine

tow.irds the frl111t. as the dianwter of

the cancHeholdcr was wider lh.:m the

shel f. If the '>rikc is longer than 10111111

( 4.in). cut ofi .:my surplus flush 1,vith

ihL' under·side of the shelf.

26 The components can n1.1w be

assembled.

27 Gluc the shelf in place ar th<' bottom

.ind use two screws thr·ough from the

b,ick to hold it firmly.

28 Gluc rhc two sidepieces in place .rnd

use screws from behind <1nd bek)\V to

hold them firmly.

29 Varnish the timber using heatproof

varnish for s,1ft'ty,

30 On the back of the sconce. cut a

rebate behind the hanging plate to

,1Hmv it to pass over a screw, zind

1·hcn screw the h.Jnging plate in

place, making sure that rhc screws

used are shortl'r than th(' carved

depth of the wood.

31 Fina lly. glue th~, remaining l.:irger

mirror in place and place a candle in

the holder. /\s the candle hums

down, its il,:irnc will be 1cfl1?cted in

the lm·ver mirrors.

Zooa)OJZPblc lovespooN

m the Claddagh Lovespoon

featured on p.lgc 20. I put

my Ol'-/ll interpretation (1f

.'.ln Irish theme into 1A.1h,1t

started .:is a very Welsh rradition. I hope

I cJn he forgiven therefore for- taking

the- pn.xcss one step fLlrt her by introducing ;i zoornorphic theme. There

.:ire very few projl'CI patterns availab le

rhat bring new approaches ro old

themes, Sl' I hope rhis will open up new

possibilities for people wanting 10 create

Celtic designs.

The bird in this design is t,1ken from

Tire undis{arnc Gospels. but simHar bircl

ornamrnts appear in The Book of Kells and

un Pictish stone CJ r·vings.

The Celts perceived the d ifferent

cl.Spects of birds' abilities clnd behaviours

,ls symbolic in various ways. Birds could

be the bearers of messages or the

pmtents L'r omens good .:rnd bad. They

possessed wide - ranging tr,1its. from

beautiful singing and g1·.iceiul swimming.

lo dcstrnction with talon and bcal<.

The <tbiliry ro fly was somcrhing thar

early 111Jn cou ld not ('Ontcmpf,11t\ so this in

itself g.:wc rise to many mythological beliei .

Only birds could bridge the space between

the worlds of hc;:iven, earth zind \V3ter. Jnd

they were rcwred for th;:it rl'ason .

Materials

Photocopy ot Ct>mplatc

1 5A rn1 pa~w 111, C'Tl !argccl

by 125%

Timber measuring approx .

260x6Dx Jlmm (10 /. x 2-',~ x 'Ain) ( lim~l

Rcp1..1sitio11abl~ spray•

adhcsivt>

Fine grade sandp.:iper

(I 80) or fine stt.'d wool

Carbon paper

Wax polish or preferred finish

Tools Scrolls.nv or h.:md fretsaw

Rot.:iry tool fittt'd with no

9936 nremd bit !option,1 I)

Chip knife or cr<1it knife

Chisels and gouges

,\/let hod

Stick 1111.' tcmplalt' to the prcp..:ired

smooth smface of the timber. using

spray adhl'Sivc. Drill pilot holes in alJ

the shadt•d .:ircas of the templat~· to

allow tlw scrollsaw blade to enter.

rnd then make lhL' internal cut~ to

remove rhc waslt'.

2 Rcrn(wc rhe te111p l,1tC' and sand off

any glue- residue using fine gr.:ldc

s.:rndpap~·r. then reposition the

template, slip some carbon p.1pl'r

undernC'ath it . .:ind trace the ci1?sign

onto !hc timber.

3 Shape the spoon by curving the

back into a convex ~hapc. I ust'd J

structur"'d tooth bit in my Drenwl.

but WOLild only re(tJmrn end duing

so if \'OU arc experienced in its use.

Otherwise gouges will do lhl' job

perfectly well.

r

4 Sh.-ipe the front of rhe spoon bowl in1o

J concave shJpc. using the dotted line

as a guide to 1.vhere to start !he

ck,wnward ·"lope. J\t this _ tagc I prefer

to just give the b.1sic shape to the bvw[

and return to the fina l finish \-Vhcn the

re.st of the spoon i. carwd. The simple

reason for this is 1ha1 ff I make any

irreversible errnr·s, then .:ill the rime

spent on the bowl is not \.\f<:lsted.

5 Begin to shapt' the bird by reducing

the depth of the knotwork design at

the neck. I Llscd a st ructmcd tungsten

bit in my Dr('md to remove the bulk.

then fini~hed off with .1 gouge. T1·y t(l

make a slope where the tW<.)

nt>ckpicccs join the body .::md head,

but keep th<' re-t of the knotwork .;irea

as flat and even as possible. If y1;1u

roJJow the bands of the rattern you

will notice that the ear l.:lppct actually

becomes thL• lL1nguc.

6 Using a sharp ch ip kniie ir crait knife

SCL)rc along tilt' wing from thE' large

circle to the tip. Shape the leg and tail

fe .. 1thcrs below this point by reclucin ~

the depth by 2rrnn t-'ldn) owrall , then

alklvving it to rise up ag.~in towa rds

the spoon bowl. i~ound the sides of

the lc.>g ,1nd toes and llSl' J \1-tooJ to

111Jrk the divi~k111 between the front

two toes. makln~ the front Loe slightly

lower th.~n the rc.1 r one. The toe .;it the

b,1cl< of the foot has to appear to

IN(;'.:ive under th e m.:iin t.1il feather.

over the middle feather then back

under the re .. 1r fc.:ither. Do this by

r·educing the m.1reriill eithl'r side of

e.1ch weave, as in previous projects,

but make the side oi tlw tOL' rounded

.1nd keep the fl•Jrhers flat in contrast .

7 Form !he claws by cutting a groove

into the line of c-ach Cllt iclc .:incl

curving the cl.1w .1 nd surrounding toe.

The. e can be exaggerated to make

them effective.

8 Score .~long the line that endc1ses the

t>ody feathers, then reduce the whole

section inside the line by 2111111 f'li·in).

[nsure that the surface of this area is

smoorb, then tr.1nsier the design for

the ft•<:1thcrs back onto the wood.

ScorE' along th ~' straight lines bet1vccn

the layers oi feathers then use 41

curved gouge at right angles to score

the bottom of L'ach feather.

9 1\4ake the vertical line between the

feathers using .1 \I -tool. sharp chip

knife-. or er-aft knik.

JO Remove the small t riangks oi material

between thl' bottom of the fo'<l thcrs.

11 Rou ncl off till' front chest of the

bird, .11!owing it 10 mel't up with the

curve of the kg.

I 2 Tract' on the knotwork design of the

1wck and SCl>re alLlng the lines in the

usual 1.v.~y.

13 Reduce- the wood 011 either side oi

E"ach b.:ind where it we<ives Lmder

another. When all rhe kno twork

has been completed . round off the

sides of the bands.

l 4 Shape the head by reducing th(' depth

of the !OJ beak. so that the head can

be curved. and reducing the lower

beak behind the tongue. Rou nd r..1ff the

edge: o( the head to make it meet up

II

with the curves of the neck and car Ill lappet. Qr.:iw in the eye and line of the

iaw. and curl of the car. then mark

them our with a V-tor..11 or sharp knife.

I - Compkt t' rhe carving 011 the bLW,d of

the spoon. then sand . mooth.

16 Wax 01· oil the fini shed lovcspOLlll. as

preierrnd . I gave mine an aged

appear.;incc by ,1pplying ,1 dark WcW

on top of a c!E"ar wax. th.:in wiping ft

llfi before it dri es. The dark wax st.:iys

in the grooves after polishing.

accc-ntuating the dl':iign.

I 7 Drill a small hok in the bad in

ordC'r to h<rng the lovespoon on a

n<1il if l'l'quired.

Materials Photocopies of templates

16A ,:ind 16H (page 112),

Jnd designs I 6C- t 611 as

required. on pagC' 11 J,

... ·n!Jrged by l25 l}iJ

Piece of timber .,~.,prox.

b30 x 100 x 6mm (25 x 4

x '/.in) for coaster o,~ses

(l\tncrican tulipwood)

Piece of timber approx .

110 x 110 x somm (4'!.. x 4'.A x 2in) for holder

(beech)

Contr.1sting veneers. at

lcJst 100 x IOOmm (4 x

4inJ. two per design

Wood glm·

Repositionablc spray

adhesive

Fine garnet sandpaper

White spirit amt lintfree

cloth

Waterproof ink dr.1wlng

pen (fine)

Doubk·-sidcd ~!icky tape

I IC'atproof varnish

Co~sTeRS lN bc1LOeR

his set of six coasters is

made up of knorwork and

;;pi1·,1I dcsi:rns. with rw

carving Involved. lnstl' .ld

of using three-dimensional techniques .1

in prt•viGus projects. I have used

contrasting veneers to give life to the

designs. which arc tlwn ser into a

recessed base. I have included a wooden

holder to store the 1.'.o<isrcrs.

The method I have uso.>d to make the

coasters and holder is specifically

designed 10 show tha1. ii are is taken,

roLind objects cJn be made without the

use of a lathe, 1.vh ich woLild be the more

obvious choice of power tool for this

prnject. l have used power cools such as

a scrollsaw and router. which nor

everyone w ill h,we acct'ss ro. but all th<..'

steps could be worked using hand tools.

If you do hJve .~ lathe. use the usual

turning me1hods to produce the tiases

and holder, then make the veneered

patterns as shov.m.

Using two contrasting veneers for e<ich

de~ign will produce rwo versions of the

s..:ime design reversed. This means that a

set of six coJstcrs can be mJdc using just

three of tht designs. or two sets of

coasters could be made with six differing

designs in each set. and eac.:h set

contrasting with the other. The patterns

chosen for the coasters have beJ?n kepi

simple, to rcdllcc the number oi cuts

needed. to c;itcr ior those who have not

used veneers be-fore. When the tech nique

has beL'n practis~d and mastered on !hes('

simplified designs. you could go on to

make yolll" own dt'signs using more

complicatt'd pattern$.

Method

Sa nd both sides of the timber that will

be used for the coaster bast s <1 nd use

J pair oi compasses to draw out six

coaster ' , using template 16;\ .1s .1

guide to help you set the radius of che

inner and outer circle ·.

2 Set the router· at a depth to match the

depth of thl' veneer. plus a little extra

to allo1.v for· glL1i11g and sanding. In

my case it was 0. 7mm in total. Ii

it is not possible to use a circle guide

with yom router bcc .. n1sc Llf the

small circumforcncc. hold the base

plate of rhc router instt>ad of the

handles to gain m0re contrl1I . RL1ut

out the central section of each holder

up to the innt•r line. It is easier to

rout the b.1ses before they Ml' cut

out individu "1 lly, as shmvn, .~ s this

gives the muter b.:ise a bigger are.:i

ior support.

~· '

\' \

J If necessary, tidy up the routed edges

with ,, :;harp knife. It is a goocJ idea to

rout just inside the final linl' if you .Jre

in any doubt .:ibout being .~bk to CUI

accurJll'ly co the line, J.nd yLiu (an

then cut b.Jck to the line with .J kniie.

4 Cut out the:· six discs. following the

outer line. using a scroll s.:iw. jigsaw

or fri,•tsaw.

5 Choose one oi the motifs ,rnd make

two phowcopies. Stick .1 remplate to

caC"h c.,f two contrasting cc.,loured

veneers, using a spray .1dhesivc.

6 Using a sh.irp craft knife and culling

bo.Jrd. c.-irefully cut round the de_ ign.

but do NOT cut any of the crossing

lines of the knotwork patterns.

As l'•Kh section is cut. cut the some

sectkm ~11 clic CL1ntrasting Vl'neer <ind

gradually rebuild the pallern by

II

Tools

Scrolls.:iw or hand frets.-iw

Router wilh straight bit or

chisel

ShJIT craft knik scalpel

or chip carving knife:

Compasses

swapping the cut pici:es. The cuts must

be m .. ~de to folk.'!\v the linl's of the design

,1.:curatdy. so that the pieces wi ll iic

b<ick together perfectly whL'll swappC'd.

7 Spre<id a thin. even layer d ~lut' into

the routed are<i of the co .. 1ster base

and carefully st ick rhc rc-asscmbk'd

p.:ittcrn into place. Somt' v.:irk tics of

wood veneers c<111 cock!.;- quit.;> easily.

for exam ~;lc the burr wnc~·r used in

the spiral motif. so .1pply prt.>Ssure ior

ris long as nei:cssary to 111 .. ~l<L' sure :ill

the parts of the vencl'r stick firn1 ly.

8 The fine corners are susct'ptiblc to

breakage 1Nha:-11 lhl' grain nms acrnss

the dL'sign . which i~ unavoidable.\ so

make any necessary repairs 10 chc

veneers using sm.Jll offcuts.

Don't be put off if !ht' co .. 1stcr looks

a little disappoint ing at chis stage.

Le.we it to dry thoroughly !hL'n ge11tly

sJnd it level tJ sing fin0 g.mwt p..ipcr.

Cle<in w ith a little whitL' spirit on ..

lint-free cloth and rlw fr~'sh rnlours oi

the veneers will Lx' rcvc.~lc ci.

9 Draw in the n:'m<iining lines of thC'

design using a fine. w.:ilerproof ink

drawing pen. then give 0<1ch coaster

two coats Lli heat-resistant v.Jrnish.

rubbing down gently betwe~'n coats.

VarnisJ1 the bouom .ind sides as well,

to prevent ,1ny mowmcnt of the wood.

10 Cut out two or five more designs in the

same w,1y, depending on whether you

want sets of three or six different

patterns, then make into coastc1· · as

explained abDve.

11 To make the holder for th(' set ~1f

co<istcrs. take tht' remaining limber

and cu t a "i -6mm {'/ ,in) SL'Ction fr~\!11

the bottom.

If you do nL'l hdvc tile facili ties tu

do this yourself. your kx .. 11 builder,·

mcrch.ints m wood y.:ird will

probably oblige. Stid< this piece b .. Kk

to tht' bL~!torn - tising ckiub ll:.'- sidcd

stk:ky ta~ie - ready for st.1ck cutting.

12 Use compcisses ro draw tcrnpl.:ite I 6B

for the coaster-holder onto the top

of the timber. again using th(.' template

.:is a guide for the radiu. oi the two

circles. Alternatively. !ht• t~mplatc

ca n bl' stuck directly on Ill the timlwr

if preferred.

I J Cut around the oulsi e cirdc of

the template then separ<rtl' the tw.._,

pieces.

14 · 1 ~1ki ng 1he largt'Sl lop section only.

dri ll a pilot hole in the n1iddle. then

cut round Lhe inner circle using a

scrollsaw or fretsaw. Gluc this .._1nto

the base and leave to dry.

I 5 To hcil iwre removing the coa. rers

from the holdt'I', cut OLlt a section from

the side of the holdt'r m1.' .. 1s11ring 35111111

(I 'kinl deep by I 5mm ('~{in) wide. and

round it at the bottom. as shown.

16 If liked. tlw top uf the holder cJn

also be rounded ~we r tu giw a

smoo1h finbh. Vilrnlsh in the c;ame

way as the co<1sters (St'l' stage 9)

then. once lhe vMnish is dry, place

the coasters in the h~1ldcr.

TRIVCT

he knolwLirk katurt•d in

this project shows how a

ci rcu lcir pcHlt' rn c.in be

incorpor.:ited into a

design. The (·ircle was important IL) the

Celts. not only because it is a solar

symbol. but also because the

unending line is a rc rnind1n of thL'

continuou s circle L)i lifo. Going b.Kk much further in time. it

w.:is. th(;' shape adopted for· lhe

construction oi many megalithic sitl's,

Stonehenge being pli'rhaps one of the

most famous circles of al! . E..1r!y huts

wcrli' round. cis were hill fons. because

the circle• was !hL)Ught to be prott•ctivc

both physi.:ally and spiri tually.

The knot\VL)rk design for the trivet is

made up of two bands. one which

IVE'.:\VC'S il. IV<l)I Ji"L)LJnd the design

without .:rny knots. <ind a second much

busier band that h.:is ~11 the work to do.

looping back on itself a!I the way Jround.

An ,1 Jt ' rnative way ll) highlight the

knotwork bc1nds is to paint them in two

differl'nt CL lour~ with diluted emulsion

paint before varnishing.

The feet of tlw trivet cll"C similM to a

lion dl· ·or-.1tion from The llooh of Kells .

HE' ~L'cnwd sul'h c'I humble and

subscrvirnt cr..-atllrc. thought lw

deserwd a bit of recognition. even

thou~h I h,we put him in a position oi

iurthcr suhservicrKl'. !.h1 11 d~<"(>f1//io11 l!i /hr style of l'hl' l\ook of Kells

67

Materials Photocopies of templutes

I iA. I 7ll and 17C Lll1 pJgc 114

Tlmbel' rnc<.1suri11g .1 pprox. 100 x 160 x IOmm (6'1, x

6 ;; x ',\\in) (beech)

Timber measuring .:ipprox.

200 x 70 x 25mm (8 x 2 Yi

x Jin) flimc)

Cork coaster. 95mm

iJ'/,in) in diameter

l~i:-posltionable spray

.Jdhesive

Heatproof polyurerhane

varnish (clear)

Tradition.,lly, the lion represen ts stn~ngt h

and majesty. and in Celtic art it is the

evangdist sym bol for St M.1rk (.:i lthough

in -U1c 1'00/1 o[ Oimow it was used as a

symbol for St John}. The lion was

sometimes given wings to emphasise its

divine nature.

Method

Use spray adhesive to stick the trivet

tcmpl.:ite. I 7C. ro the la rger of the two

p ieces of timber L)J' yoll can. if you

prefer, trace the design onto the

surfoce using c.:irbon p<.1per between

tlw t~'mplate and timber.

2 Cut roL1t1d th e outside of 1h e

design using a scrollsaw or hand iretsaw. If necessary, cut in .:it right

angles to the po ints wh ere the

knotv.,1ork \Vi ii wc<.wc, to be sure of

a sharp outli1ie.

.3 If not already done at step I. peel off

the design and tr,111sfcr it to the face of

the timber as desc ribed.

4 l~out out the circle to h Id the cork

coaster. Make this the depth of the

thickness of the co.:istc'r. plus 2 mm

('h in) to allmv for thi::- depth of the

knotwo rk l'.'.Hving. You can LISC

chisds and gouges for thL. if a router

is not available.

Emulsion paints (optional) ..... .

Tools Scrolbaw or iretsaw

~out~r (optional)

Chisels and gouges

Chip knife or craft knife

6S Ct 11 ll \Vt>«Ch:~ ... rT

5 Reduce the are,l between t hr.: Inside oi

the knotwork and the coaster by 2mrn ('k inl so that the coa sler wi ll be

lcvd with the b.:ickground \vhen the

carving is complete.

6 Reduce the small tri.'.lnglcs b~·tween

the knotwork to a depth of 2 mm

l·'.l,zin).) found c1 sharp chip knifo most

suit.lble for this.

7 ScL1re along the lines rh"1t cross th e

kno twork then. 1wrki11g at right

nngles. reduce the timber down

towar-ds thC' cut to give tlK•

appearance oi 1,ve.wing under. Repe<H

the process ior all the crossing points.

8 Gluc the coaster in place in the centre

rebate.

9 M.1ke a ca r·d tern plate of the lion

motif I 7"\ .:111d use It to draw three

lion shapes.

10 Cut out each lion cm a scrollsaw or

fretsaw. then cut oLrt the sma ll areas

under the chin and lx'hlnd the 1.1il.

11 Transfer the designs onto bo1h sides

of c.:ich lion , either by cop~ting

freehand. or tracing from the template.

I 2 Ornw the following lines on the front

edge oi each lion : down the centre of

the back legs: 8mm P/oin) in from th~

edge of each fronr paw: Smm C1..in) in

from each side of thC' forehead: and

Smni l'lo in) in frnm each side oi tht•

snout .. as shown.

I J Score along these lines, and along the

lines of the design on both sides of

each lion . Reduce the materia l around

the end of the tail on the lion's right

side 10 make it stand ouL, then carw Olll the waste between !he !ail and !he

ba~'k leg. curving tht' edges as you

work. C.1rvt' the tail inwards to make

it appe.1 r to .:-ome from behind the

legs. Slope 1hc end of the back leg so

that it tucks in behind th e front paw.

Round the sides of th e bcick ,ind front

legs and p.1ws.

I <I Reduce !he 1ri.1terial around the b.Jse

of the tail on the lion 's left side. and

carve a ·v· berv .. 1een the back leg clnd

chest. curving them inw.1rds. Make

the tail appear to wcavc bt•hind the

legs by sloping it inwards. Slope Lhe

end oi the back leg as on rhe left side,

to tuck it bt'hind the front paw. Round

over the legs and paws.

IE Progm~sivr singes of car11l11 .. i: l'!Zch si1h­of tht Ihm

TR IVEl 69

15 On 1hc front edge cut a ·v· between

the back legs along the scored line.

and round over the edges.

l 6 Cut out the space bct\vccn the front

p.:iws. t.:Lltting it right back Llntil it

nw~ts tht• ar~a th,11 has previously

been ell! under· tht <:hin, in st·eF' 10.

RLiund L1Vt~r thl' sides of the p.:iws.

I 7 N.1rr<:1w the he<1d from each side up to

the scored lines .~nd round the edges.

k'aving thC' mane full 'vvidth .

18 Shapi:- thC' back and shoulders but

le.:iw the top fi<.~t. ,~s this is where the

trivet will be fastened. Dip the chest in

below rhe arms .:ind shape the mane

and iacc. If any sanding is necessary.

S<>nd before finally adding the t'ye.

nose <ind mouth.

19 Glue the three lions to tht~ under-side of

the trivet. p l;i ing them ~'qu:il

distcinces ,1pan ( I 2ln. sLi rhat thC'

edge of the trivet is touching the m.rn,'.

Place a weight on the trivet Lrntil the

glue h<is iirmly set.

20 Varnish the trivet and lions with ti.vu

or three coats of cicM polyureth,im.

he Cladd.1gh motto is 'In

love. in friendship. let us

reign ·. A little of the

h istL1r>' of the C!,1ddagh

d1.:• ·ign hc'.1s been r·derrcd ro in the Claddagh l.ovcspoon project (page 20).

now I'll cx plc1in morL' <1bout its creJIL1r,

Ridiard l<.)ycc.

Richard loyce had b.:en taken captive

in the .MC'ditE'rr.:incan by Algerian pirates

.rnd sold ro a ~·1ooris h goldsmith. 1,1,rho

trained him in mctalWl'rk and set him to

work . v\lhen William l!I bccJ nw king L)f

: ngland in I 689 he secured th, relc.1se of

.:ill his subil'C ts held captive by tht' 1\foors.

Rich.:ird roycc·s master tried to pl'rsuadc

him to stay by offering his d.:\ughter's

h,1nd in 111orriage, bur [(1yce rrckrred to

rct urn to his n.:i.tivc (ishing village.

Cladd,1gh, Jll?M ,a lw.:iy in lrel .~ 11d. Here

he set Ll~J his 01vn business making

;ewellery. ;md designed the Claddagh

r·ing. The rings hec,1me immensely

popular and were passed as family

heirloom~ from mother to d.1ugh1cr_

The design L f the Clackf,1gh ring

became known ~icmss the 1.vorld as

emigranls left Ireland at the lime the

great famine of I S·'f?-49. Man\' more

r·ings were ldt ,1s security back in

Ireland . .ind used 10 raisl~ [ht' fa re to

escapL' the fam lne; poign,1ntly. many

were 11eve1· recla imed.

One v.;riJ tion th;.1t sometimes .1ppears

in the design is the height of thl' crown: a

high-dL1rncd crown \\'L~tdd have been

WL'rn by J queen ancl a low-domed

crown belonged to a king.

Materials Phok,Cl\pics uf temrl.ites

IS:\, 18H and 18( on

page~ 11 5-117, enlargcd

by 142'\6

Carbon paper

Timber me,1suring 380 x

360 x 3lJmm (!5 x 14 '/, x

I 't:., in) (sycamore)

4mm plywood. 320 x

320mm (12'.t.x l.2 ~{;in)

Mirror, diameter OSmm

( l 2 in)

CkM varnish

Glazier ·s points l1r t<icks

Picture rings and wire

Tools

Scrol Js,1w. jigs.:iw cir

frc1s,1w

Router (option,11)

Rotary multi-tool

!optional)

Selection of woodc.:irving

tools

Chip knife or craft knife

i"l

II

1-101v to fi11rl ti!" rcn lr1· ot' 11 firdr

/;,- -~

(I I I

\ ' ' \. \ \

\ \ \ i \ . I \i \ J ,~,

Dr1lh' two /im·s ()11 /he im>irle of Ille circfc m<

s ltown

72 (I i I IL \\1(1~ 11ICl~.'\I- I

In rhis pr-oject the Cladd.1gh design forms

part of the frame. which i$ remin iscent Lif

the ring shape. t\n clcrn., I knot \VC'cWC'S

J round the border.

Method

Pho1ocopy the three rempl<ites of the

design and cuL along !he dolled lines.

Tape them together Lo form the

complete design, making sure that

the places where thl' .Ktu.11 design

meets arc firmly joinl'd and taprd.

2 Cut the design out, including the

small g.1ps between thL' hands, lw.m

and crown. ,1nd tlwn trace the

tcmp l,::i tc sh.~1 c L1nto the face 1..1i the

timbc1·. usin~ carbon p.1per.

.1 Th e mirro r· fr,1111l' can now bl' cut 1..1ut .

Yuu can do thi s with ,, scro lls.1w,

iigsaw or fretsaw but. If you have

access to .;i router·, a far ri1or·e .:iccur,1te

part-circle can be m.lck'. If YL1LI wish

ro Lise a rouk' r. first loc.."Jll' the ccnt1·c

oi lht circle on yoLll" timhl'I'. The

diagrams below show )ll'LI how tL1 do

thi s accu r.1tdy.

~1·1 lllf co1111>nss1·s nt just over Ila/( tl1c S.:11gth of Iii•· lines . Pia«· tile

1>oi11l nl nth: ,·nil'"'" n1c11L· i11sitlt• 1111d r•utshl.- t/11· li111·. u.·p,·111 011 111.·

01'1cr /iii.·

4 Apply glue to the ct ntre base of the

t imher. att.ich it firmly to a pieCl:' oi

scrap wood. then either clamp the

base to tlK' worktop. or use a routing

mat 1L1 hold it in place.

5 Att.ich .i trammel bar to the router

Jnd locJte the pin in the centre mark.

Cut round the circle as far as the cuffs

of the Cbddagh design. making

several pusses, each 3-4mm C!i.in)

dcq1cr than the last, until the full cut

is made.

6 Reset the router tu cut the inner circle.

aga in cutting as for a · the cuiis oi the

Cladci.1gh design.

At this statje, whilst the router is

still set up for lace cutting. the two

fine lines on t.'ach side of the

knotwork can be incised. using a

2mm (',.;,in) str·aight router bit. lo a

depth llf 2.'.Jm (' .~ in). Routing gives J

very even line and make. the

knot1vork carving easier. but thi s tep

is l1ptional. as the lines c.;in be carved

using a chip-(arving knile and gouge

.11 step l 2.

Drnw tr litu bl'lwa11 Ilic two MIS of (f0S51'S. TJr,, u11lrr of

tl1e circk is al t/,.. /JtJi11! where tht>se two li11.:s cross

7 cut out the small gaps be l'\M?cn the

hands. heart .:md cwwn and then turn

the work over lso that the back is

uppt'rmostl, in order to rnark the

posi1io11 fo r tlw mirro r· n~bate.

8 Lay the mirror on the b.:ick oi the

frame so 1h,1t the gaps between

h.:inds. he.:irt .111d crow n .1re covcrl'd -

this will leave it ofi-centn.', tow.-irds

the bottom.

l) Dra\.\1 round the m irrnr and 1hen

find th e cen tre of this circle, ,1s

described previously.

Io RoL1l a deep re ba re for the mirrnr inside

the li ne, to .1 ckprh of I Smm e1,in). i.e.

half the depth of rlw frame. There is no

need to rou! the centre of the circle.

a. this 1,0.11 11 be removed when tlK

remaining Cl.iddagh design is rnt our.

11 Cul out the remaining section of the

fr.:ime. the Llt)dlfagh design. using a

. crollsaw. trl' tsaw or jigsaw.

12 0n the front ol Lhe frame. dr.:iw in the

line IVhL'f'C the cuffs meel the frame.

Using a str·.1ight chisel. bevel the

fr.1 me down to abol!l 2-3111 111 (i/'..i n)

below the lcwl of the cuii on each

sk1e of the frame.

I J Transfer r·he kn~i twork design onto the

frame using .::arbon paper and reduce

[4;·.:' ·- -::~.: .

the bJckgrOL1nd around the knolwork II by .3111111 ('A; in). Thi s \viii bl' l'JSier if

the t\·VO gL1idi11g b<111ds were 1u1ted at

stage 6. Tlw outside edges of the

knorwork can be removed by cutting

down vcnk·ally w ith a sm.111 chisel or

gouge and then lifting the vl.1stc out.

I 4 The small .Hcas between rhe light

bends can be rl' moved with the sharp

poi 111 of a knift'. 111 Ill

\ }

. ·

74 CELTIC W L'L11'<. Jl,\11

I 5 When all the background h.1s been

removed. score all the crossing lines

.rnd lower each !->ide to giw the effect

of interweaving.

16 When ~haping l he Claddagh pa rt

of the design . ii is Jdvisablc to do

the b<1sic sh.:i1 ing of one hali first

as a guide. then you can sh.:ipc the

L1the1- side ki m.at.:h it. L.::irvt' the

cro1-vn ailcr the h.mds and hean have

been completed.

L~egin by <rngllng the cufi down in

towards the roll at the wrist. and

matching the slope on the other side.

from the hand to thL' n.:11 . Take it down

quite deep to give good definition. Al

the same time'. round it over tO[' and

botton1 to gel rid L)f tlie squ.:ired-off

look . Sh.:ipe the hands hy reducing

the depth and angling the fingers

dow11wc1rds.

1 7 Curve the ski.;-::; oi the heart down to

meet Lhe fingers al the sides. Round

1hr thumbs .:ind make a dip al the base

of the thumb. Use your ov.m hands. or

those of ,1 1villing friend. to see the

sh,1pe they mJkc in this position .

18 Curve the edges of the roll JI the wrist

and round owr the botwm edges of

the hand. Shape the top oi the heart.

curving it in bclL1w the bottom edges

of the crown.

19 Carve the other side of th<.' d<.'sign to

m~1tch .:md, whe-n it is completely

even and b.;1la11ced. sand it smooth.

Next. dr.iw in thl:' line"> for the

finger"> .:rnd frills on the cuifs.The

di1rk rnMk on the fingers in th e ~ hoto

is from J knot th,11 I thought I 1vould

just miss - I 1-vas wrong. That's wood

for you. It does, howt'ver. serve .:15 a

useful reminder that you should t,~ke

JlL)\l' of knot:> ,1 nd nacks wlwn

choosing timber for a project.

20 Score iilong the lines. then cut a deep.

steep-sidL'd groove in bctwet'n the

fingers. R<. und over the sides of the

fingc-rs. then shapc the frills of the

cL1ifs In ,, similar 1.vay .• 1lthoL1gh the

grooves ,1 r·e not made as ck:q1.

21 To shape the crown. first reduce the

depth by 2-3mm ( .f.in) ovCt"all. so thJt Ell it docs not appear JS high .. 1bovc the

heart. Transfer the design onto the

crown .:ind score along the str<.1ighr

horizontiil linc.

22 Round Lwcr ihe edges of the straight

section, top ,111d bottom.

2J Score .1long the t\Vo ,m:hcd lines

and tllt:'r1 slope the pa!le-rn down by

.:ibout 2mm ('I.in) to leave !hi::

'pacldt•d Cllshions · un tlw crown

raised Jt thL' bottom.

24 Re-draw the lines and. at the top of

the .. uche -. bevL'i tht• cushions

inwards to givt a soft. rounded

appearance. Cut some creases Jr the

bottum of the cushions and round

over the bollom edge,

25 Slope in the bottom of 1hc- t~ardrop

sh.:ipe .1l tlw top or !he ..::1·01vn and

carvC' ou1 the little shape in thl' middle

by I mm ('l..inl .

26 Decorate the arches of the crown using

a punch. I ,1ctually deco1«1ted mine

using an old posidrive screwdriver. tut a round punch could be used.

27 Cut a backing piece ior the mirror from

the 4mm ('1.U nJ ply1.vood. DrJw round

the mirro1· to get the correct size.

28 Since lh~' frame is 111,1de from J

singk picct' of timber. the gr..'lin \Viii

run in .111 di1·cctions m~ind it. To

~-· •

minimise any movement lif the wood. co.it thl' fr,1me \Vith al ka st

two coats oi v.1rni$h. to ensure a

really good seal - this will also help

prcvl'nt the mirr-cH king crackt•d by movem ent in the wood.

29 Place the mirror in the rebate wilh

the 1 lywood b.Kking behind. Fasten

it in place using glazier's points L'I'

tacks.

JO Screw two small picture ring$ into the b<ick of the fr.:itne. level with each

other 011 ei ther side of the 1·ing. c:ind

thrt•ad a piece of pk:t ure wire through

Ill hang tlw mlrTLll·.

A ll'i11do 11• of tit<' 11111/rn/a1ory.

St Oswnltl '. Clmrr/1. '"'"''''I

STAlNe-0 GL\ss upl1GbTeR

~~~~~ ccasionall}' one CL")mcs

across .:i hidden :;.11ictuary

in the 111L1st t111expected

place. c1S I did wh en I

vislteti J d1urch at Ashton-in-M.;ikcrfield.

1K';i1· Wigan. Lancashin~. to view the l·larry

Clarke stained glass windows. I was

pr~'p.:ircd to be in awe of the windows

in this mcditJm. Unionun.Jtcly. thl:' vcr~'

n"1ttm.' of stJincd gl ~ss means th.it few

people hav~ the opportunity to see it in

all its spk•ndour tmk~s they .:ire .:iblc to

visit the chun.:hcs, and photogr<lf'hic

rep1·L~ductio11 is rarely able to ~fo

justice !o his jewel-like colour·s L11H.i

stunning designs (see leit).

thcmsdvcs. having already seen some oi As a s m,111 tribute to H.Jny Clarke. I

his work, but ! was iakl'll by surprise ro have induckd .~ rainted glJss panel in

find such an oasis L'f c,1!111 jL1st a shc1n this uplightN. The u plighter is dl'sig1K'd

dist.rnce from .:i roar ing mown,va\'· to hang L\11 a wall and gives off a soit light

For anyone who is not fomiliar with which rn"1kcs the panel gk.1-..v like:- ,1

th~' n,111w L>i H.:irry Cki rkc. hl' \Vas stained gl,1ss window. The fro11t ls

undoubtedly one L>f the twentieth removabk to allow <Kcess to the light

C<.'ntury·s greatest stained glass .Jrtists. fitting and it hns a carved zoomorphic

w ith a skill and vision rarely encountert•d design a1 rlw b.1sc.

1\RRY CLARKE WAS

HORN IN DLJ~LIN.

IREU\ND lf\.I 1889. THI~

SON OF /\N ENGLISH

fathL'r and an Irish mother.

His work Wcl~ strongly i11flt1cncc-d

hy the work of 1\L1brey f>eardslcy. as

can be SCl'll in his !llustrations ior lhc>

literary \vorks of au!hors such as

Edgar i'lll<in PL1~'. Sa111ucl laylor

ColNidgc, W. B. Ye.its. A!ex,11Kkr

Pope 0111d l lans Christian Andersen.

His reputation as J stained glass

.1rtist w.:is firmly csrablfshed through

his first llliljor commission, to design

and m.:ike the windows of the l-1L1nan

Chapel in Cork. lrt'land.

,\!though he suffered ill hc.:ilth for

most of his short life. he prodLICed .1

vast ,1mount of wo1·k ior churdws not

only in Ireland. but also in Engkrnd.

Scotland, \Vales. AustraliiJ and ~cw

Jersey. USA.

1 lis c:irly wo1·k in stained gl,1ss

was CXl:'Cuted entirely by himself

but. m; demand 111cTl'ascd and his

hc.:llth dctC'riL)rated, his stuc.!iD

undertook 111L)rL' of the 1>vurk. but

alw~1ys under his Sllpcrvision and to

his high stJndards.

I l;.1rry C/<1rkc died in Switzerl.rnd in

19JJ, at th.: agl' L•i 41 , 11.Jving

sucn1111hcd to 1he luherculosis 1hat

he h<1d battled with for so IL1ng.

SI Os1v11/d's C/111rdi, 1\s/1fo11-i11 -M11kaf1dd

Matcri.1ls

PhLltocopics of templates

J <JA a nd 191\. on pages

11 B-19. bolh enfarged by 113'~1'. and of J <JC on

rage J 20

1\IDF mC'asurlng: JOO x 355

.-: 9mm I 11 "1,. x ! 4 x ' . ·:i nJ

- milin front scc1iL)n

28 ~ x 70 x Ymm ( 11 '/ x 2'1. x

' k in) - small front section

IJO x 2i2 x 9mm (5 ·;. x

10 '/ 1, x ' ! · ·i nl - ~ pieces.

for sides

40.'i x 300 x (imm ( 15 ;,,. x 11 " ! x '/tin) - b.Kk

I :2 ·1 x 2~2 x I 2mm (·r/. x

11 / x ,:.in) - h,1,;e

Continued rwr/m/

Sn1m.11 1,11\oS UPLIC.11111< 77

Materials contlnu~d

Timb1:.'r measuring 210 x

:;o x lOmm (81, x 2 x '.!,In)

fur carving <lime)

ClcJr Jcrylic slK•et

mt.<.:isuri ng 290 x 200mm

(ll·/,x8inl

3mm self-adhesive

le,1d strip

Tube of silver i111ira1ic.111

lead liutliner

Glass p.1ints in d.:irk blue.

turquoise, red. orange.

yl'lkiw/gold. green

Wood ~lue

2 m.:ignetic catches with

flat mNal pl.:ircs

All-purpose glue

Strip light fitting. ~63mm

( IU ;,,,in)Jong. with 211 mm

(8 1. .inl. 30w light IUOI..',

mains iining

Acrylic primer

White paint

Metalli.: blue Cl1 .lmc:I p.~int

(or ~(,Jlour of your ~-hoke)

Tools

Scrulls..'!w. jigs.mi or

frt-t:'aw

Drill

Router (option a I)

Carving tuuls

71! C1-1·11c W1' t>DCRA 1 1

llf .,1115'' ,rnd - -14··-i­

ydkiw rn l>:cd

Method for the lighthox

t\egin by making the painted stained

gl.1ss panel. as this will be used to get

.:rn .:icn1rate ir,1mc for the front of the

uplightcr. T.~ke the cle.:ir acrylic sheet

<rnd tare templa1e I 9/1. underneath

so thl' design shL1ws thmL1gh from

bt.>low. Cut round tht> outside llf the

design u~ing a scrolls<1W at slo1N

spcc..•d. or use J frC'tsaw. A slow

cutting speed is llt'CCss.iry to avoid

melting the plastic .1s it is being cul.

which might jam tht• bbde.

l'dlu1v

DMk b lue J nd 1urguo1sr mi.wd

Do ts of s1h'cr or gokt 1m1l;itil'n l<'Jd

outlincr

T 1ryu0isc•

...._ Pu rpi<' (d,,rk blue , r1d red

mixed> C r~i.'11 (bl!Jt'

a nd l'e llow m1xcdJ

Or .. 1ng~

2 Clean the face of the ilcryllc sheet. and

then lay strip~ of sdi-Jdhcsive le.JL1

cilong the lines of the design shO\ving

through from undc-rneath. pet'ling off

the le.ad-backing .:is you go. If you arC'

using the type of lead that comes in a

double srrip. cut ii .1long the middle

iirst. LI sing uclirniry household scissors.

3 rollovving the manufacturer· ·s

instructions, use the tool supplied

with the lead strip to press it down on

the sheet il nd sea l the edge . m.::ik ing

sure no gap~ .:ire left for the paint to

scc'p through.

4 The sm.:ill lines of the face. scrolls. the

diamond shapes at the ror. etc .• 1re

drawn on using the imita tion I 'ad

outliner directly from the tube.

5 When the outliner is dry. fill in rhe

design with the gl.:iss paints. using

this colour chart as a guide.

6 To m.:ikc the hills look moonlit, paint

in a lint' ufciark blrn." .ii che bottom

whilst the turquoise is still wet Allow

it to blend in.

7 When th~- s~: .:i h<1s been painted. buc

before ii is completely dry. etch out

the lint's of I he 1.vaws using a wooden

toothpick. or round end of a small

paintbrush . The linl'S will show

through ,1s a silvery light when lit up.

Do the s.;ime ior the st.1 rs in the sky.

8 Once thli' glass rain! i. completely

dry. usli' scissors to cut .a\vay the

surplus ,1rl'a around !he outer edge of

the template. beyond tl1c outside edge

oi the le.id. Dc1n ·1 worTy if the panel

outline changed when the lead strip

was <ipplicd - it may well end up

slightly different from tht• original line

of the template - as it will provide you

with a wry .Kcurate template to ust'

in the nex1 stage.

9 Cut the rim I er ior the main front

piece (L1 the ize i11dic<1lt'd in the

matc-ri.1ls list. Placc- the rem plate you

have just re-sizl'd on 1he timber,

pattern side up, positioning it about

60111111 (2 lk.in) irom c.~ch side and

tor . and zibout JOmm ("1, in) irom

the bottL rn . Draw round thc:­

ternrl.:itc, and then nrnke the top

arch !' hapc by marking off points

60111111 t2 'I. in) away irom the dr,1wn

line all the way round to where it

meets the sidt'S. Join up the various

points. w for-rn the ,irch and cut

around this shape.

10 Drill a pilot hole insidL' tht' previous

line yLiu drew. k)r the ~c:rolls.:1w (or

fret. .1 w) blade to pass through, then

cut out the remplate shape. Offer up

the p.~intcd panel to rhe fr.:ime. to

check rh,1t t ht' opening is ihe correct

sizC' bi.:•fon., proceeding. Make <i

rebate in the back oi th<' frame - the

s.:irne depth as the acrylic sheet - for

tht stained glass panl'I to fit in. Draw

round thl' panel to gt't the right shape

for the rcbJce.

II Cut tlw two side p,1n~ls using

rempl,1tr.:> I CJ[) (on pag~' 11 9).

I 2 Cut the sm.:1ller lower front panel to

the size indicated in the materials list.

and tht-n angle the top cdgt:: d(Will

tow,1rliS the b;ick to march the anglr.:>

creared by the notch on the twl">

sidepieces. This can bt' done using .1

plane or sander.

l J i lark thl' b,1ck piece to the size givt.>n

in thc rna1crials list. use> the front as a template to create the s,1me arch

shape .1t the top, thrn cu1 it ut.

14 Drill two holes in the back near the top.

which will be used lu hang the light on

the 19,~ll. Use a drill bit l.1 rgl' enough for

a sci-cw hl',]() to pass thr1.x1gh. and then

drill a srnaller hole above it lo create an

upside down keyhole sh.:ipe th,1t the

screw will rest on .

I 5 Cut the base 10 size and cut out a

small squJre at the back to allow the

light c.1bk to pass do1v11 .

I

. I \

m 16 This phot..)gr.~ph 5how. al l the

compL)ne nts of the light box. except

for the hack. which is longer than lhe

front and without the ho le.

I i Paint th e i11 side L)f ,:ill the pieces \>1.-'hi tc,

wh ich will help show off the stained

gl.:iss w hen tlw Ji oht i. not on.

I 8 When dry .• )sscmblc as follows.

count<:'rsinkin8 ,111 rh c screw heads:

screw· the s1rip light i itting onlL1 the

base. placing it centrally a long thL'

length; glue .:i11cl ~crew the ~m.1ller

fn)J1 1 pit'Cl' to the front of 1he b.:isc.

Glue .111d screw the sides 10 the

base a nd shlirt front piece. Gluc

and screw the back to the base and

sides. ensuring that the light c.1bl1:'

iits down the h le be.tween the b.?isc

and the b.:ick.

19

19 Screw rhe metal plate ior rhc

n1agnetic cMch to the inside oi e,1ch

side, approximJtely 70mm ( 2 'i,in)

down from the top. Screw the other

part of the ..:.1tch to the inside of th~

front piece to match up with the

metal plate. Thi~ will hold the front

_ecu rely in pi<Ke. bL1t ena ble i1 10 be

removed , for access to the ligh t.

20 Check th .oit all tht' joins arc lightproLlf.

pa rticul<irly where the main frLint

piece rests on the sloping pa rt oi the

smJJI, lowct· front piece. (Ii you h.wi.:

difficu lt y wi th thi s, you can glue oil

strip o( fell behind the join to stop

any light t•scaping. after It h.as .111

been p,1i ntl:.'d .

21 Paint the box <15 desired. I used four

coats o( metallic blue enamel paint to

give ci deep richnC'ss to the box.

22 \Vhen the paint i - dry, glL1e the

painted p.rnel inro pla.cc in thl' tcbott'.

If the re are any gaps showing

bcl\\'een the outer kJd decoration

.:ind the frame, use the i111it<1tion lead

t.:i fill them in so that no str·ay light

wi 11 shmv when it is lit u'p.

Method for t he ca rving

Transkr the template for the carving

(I 9C on page I 20) onto the r·ernaining

piece oi timb~r. Cut out thL' internal

sh.ided areas •rnd then cut ruund the

L1utside. using .:i scml lsaw or fretsaw.

ii S ore the lines oi the deslgn and then reduce the wuod where the dl'sign

appears to weave under another band.

iii Round over the sides of the bodies

cind legs. and shape the cl,1ws as for

the eagle plaque <1 nd zoomoi-phk'

lovcspoon (see pages 26 and 61 ).

iv Shape the heads by reducing .1round

the forehead and cheeks. and then

rounding off the edges. Re luct' the

teeth by .:ibout I mm below thC' jmv

and round them over.

v Gluc the dog motif onto the front panl'i.

vi Finally. hook the upllghtcr over two

wall screws .

,,

m

T/1r ,-m1111/cwl dos: 1110/if

S1 .. 11NEll G L~ ss u ruc11 Tr R SI

Mare rials

Photocop.ies of tcm p l.~te~

201\-201. on pagl'S 12!-25.

Enl.1rgc 20F by 111 %

Timber measuring

1'15 x 1100 x 11::\mm

15'!. x 43 x -'A in) (pine)

Timber measuring

]CJO x 240 x 1 8mm

( 11 ··;., x 9 h x '/. in) (pine)

TimbC'r measuring 800 x

50 x 4mm (JI '·" x 2 x 'kin)

(1\111crican h<1rd m.ipld

Wood glue

10 x wood !'news. countersunk

6 x cross-slot chipbo,1rd

screws. countersunk

6 x pl.Jstic screw covers

I x lOOmm nail (4in)

Sprung toilet- roll holder

Cl.lss or plcis1ic \U mbler.

approx. 56m m ( 2 '/1in)

di.1meter at base

Wood primer

Emulsion or gloss p.;iint in

1wo contrasting sh~des

Clear varnish

8 2 c I I. r I ( \'\I LIL l ll L. ,, r r

his final project is in.:idt• up

oi lhrcc bathroom fitt ings -

toothbrush holder, lowcl

ring and toilet roll holder -

which are decorated with fish .1nd

inC'rmaid morifs.

Fish apptM on Celtic metalwork

such as coins .rnd cauldrons . and on

many Pictish stone ~·.1rvings.

panicularly in the form of a salm on . In

Celt ic mythology the s<1lrm1n

represents knowkdge and wisdL1m . In

Irish mythology .• 1 p.ir!icular Boyne

l~iw r salmon wa:; said tll be

empowered with great wisLfom and

whoever \Vas first to cat !ts fl e.· h would

gain grt'c'.11 kno1vkdge and havl? the

power· tL1 fc..)relell future evt>nts. Whrn

Finnegas the bc1rd caught ii, he gave it

to his ''PPl'l'ntice Finn 1VlcCL10I to cook,

with strict instnictions nut to t.1st c the

flesh. As 1hc fish W..1.S cooking. Finn

prodded it with his thumb .:ind burnt

himself. Ht• instinctiv~ ly put th' thumb

into his mouth ,;rnd unwittingl y became

the pussessor oi the gn~.~t knowledge.

He went L111 ro become a great leader.

and legend has ii that every lime he

faced a difficult decision. or w.rntcd to

sec into thL' fulurc. he would suck his

thumb tu ~all llf~Oll hi s magic rowl'rS.

In Celtic mythology. km,,Je dl'ities

were .:issoci.11ed with fresh Weller, and

natural springs and wdls were often

believed to h<ive healing powe1·s.

The image Llf the nwrm<iid as h.,lf­

woman. h ~If-fish appears in Till' Hool< of

Kells. ak111~ with ,1 niermc1 n. ThL' 111errn,1id

in this project is b.3sed on .:i carving on

one of th(' tv1cigle Stones hol1Scd in the

i\.1eigle lvlltSL'L1m in Angus. SCL1!],1m1.

She .-ippt>ars on a small fragment of

architE'l'lur.:il frieze. betvWL'll two

..1nimals.

With the coming of Christianity. the

iish became a symbol of Christ.

Method

1\'lake L'L)pies of templates 201\-2L1F.

paste 1hcm onto thin c~1rd and cut

them out.

Take templates 20A fback p!Jte fm

the toikt mil holder l and 20B (the

back pbte for both the IOL1t/lbrush

hL)lder and towel ringJ: draw around

these ontu the I 45mm (5'!.in) wide

timber-. m,1king ti.vu copies of

tempJatC' 2013. 011e ior each item. Cut

the shapes out oi the timber using a

scroll s.1w ur· fretsaw.

Draw around templates 20C (the

(till' arms of the towel ring) .:ind 20E

(the k)othbrnsh holder) L)n!o lhe

l'L'l1Bining I 45mm (S '/dnl wide

timber. CLlt out the sh<1 rcs. using J

scrolls.~w or fretsa1v.

2 If yoLJ h.we .:i router, re Lit a dccor<itive

edge on the face L>f the three back

pl.:ites and the arms of the tollet roll

hi..ilder and towel ring hokier. I used a

6mm ('.<iinl diameter ovolo hit. If you

don 't have access 10 a router, the

1tdgl·S L'.L~n be rounded over using .;

s,111ding drum anached to a Dremel or

other rotar·y loo!. or by using a

1m'dium (I 20) grade s.~ndp..1rer.

3 MJrk !he position of the rebates on

the iace of the three back plate~ and

arms c.if the toilet rnll holder. This can

be done either by drawing ar-ound thl'

outside guidelines of templates 20G.

20H and 201. or by culling the shape

out oi the card template and drawing

roLmd rhe cutout.

Rout the rebates to a depth of 4 mm

(··1 .. Jn). If you do not h,we a router.

SCOf'L' around the outlinL' with a sharp

knife .:md remow the inside waste

using a chisel. See the three photos of

1he ,1sscmbleci pans, on page 86.

arms of Lhe toilet roll hoi<.forl. 20D II

Tools

Sa0llsaw. or jigs..1\V .ind

fretsaw

Ori II and sncwdriwr

Router (optional) or

SJndpclpt:'r

Carving tools

R·' 111 uth1t\1 S ~r SJ

4 Cut pil'Cl'S 20C and 2DD in h,1lf down

the ccntr t2 line. wherl' m.1rkL'd on the

templates.

5 On the n:maini11g pie1.·c of l 8rnm

('/,inl t imber. dr.:iw J L'irdc

approximately 222111 111 (8"1iin) in

diamc.'tcr. rhen d1·J1<\1 ,111uth N l"in.:I~

I 8mm ('1<in) inside that. Llsl' tc-mpl.:itc

20F to give tlw top ·h,1pc.:' l.lf the ring

where inciic"1tcci by the lcmpl.:irc. (If

necessary. erase the do!!l'd line tL1

avoid confusion when ('Ulting out.)

Cut the piece l)Li!. using .1 S(Toll s,1w

or fretsa1,v. II' you h,w<;,> .1 r·l1ut~'I'. yuu

could use it to get an accur·atc sh-1p('

for the pdrt-circlc. follo1vin~ the

instructions for the Claddagh Mirror on page 71 _

6 Round over the front and rl'ar iaccs of

the ring. using ;,i router if .w.1ilablc. If

not. the corners can be s,,ndcd o(f.

le;,iving the ring in ;:i more.' squared-off

shape. Keep the two ends Llf the tof1

extrmsion square. where It will Sil

between the t\VO arms.

7 Drill a lrnle length wisl:'.' throLigh the top of th e piece as shown. m .. 1ki11g

i t slightly l.irger· in di .. 1rnct<.'r th .. 1n

the nail_

B Cu1 1 he lw.1d and point off the nail to

leave it 77m m Din) long. This can be

dune usi ng .1 cut-off disc in a rot .. iry

tool, or a hacks,m'_

9 Drill a llL1k Jt the centre of ecich

inside face of the towel ring arn1

pieces. t~·111plate 20D. to a ciepth of

6mm (',,<In).

10 Cut out the five holes. for the tooth

mug .111c1 toothbrushes, where shown

L)l1 fe l1l f'l .1te !OE.

11 Using a countersink bit in the drill.

111.-ike a depression on the inside Lli

t'ild1 toile t roll hokier arm (templ.:ire

200. Position the depr'ssions 35mm

( J ';,in) from the iront of rhe arms.

I 2 Drill pilo1 holes through the back

pl.:lles of the toiler roll holder.

toothbrush holder and towel ring. to

allow them !o bc screwed lo rhe

wall whC'11 finis hed. Position the

hL1lcs nc<H tlw top. on e ilhe r side of

lh c rebate.

1.1 TcJ make the;• decorative inserts, nit

the <Imm ('61inl thick ti mber rough ly

to the length of the nwtifs; you 1vill

need l\\IO of tcmpl.:ite 20G. four of

template 2011. '1nd tlrn~e of template

201. Stack the timber tog1.'ther for e,ich

motii using ch.:iuble- sidcd sticky t<ipe .

as described for the Celric l<n twork

Border 011 pag~' J J .

14 Pl<ice the appropriate motif 011 top of

each stack .rnd drill r1ifot holes 10

make the intcrn<1J rnts. Cut out the

intl' rna l waste .:ircas J11d tht'n cut

rl1u nd the ou tside li f the motif.

15 To make the two fi sh (template

20G I. carcftil ly SL' parat e the pieces

a11d transk1- the lines of the design

onto opposite faces of the timber,

5Ll th<.H ea (h fish facl's i11 the

orposite dircctk n.

16 S ore along the lines and rl'dtKe

either side of the cmssing bands.

!~educe the depth L'f the iins on the

body and t.:iil. Hound over the sidt>s of

thc bands and he..:id . and m.'.lrk in the

eye. Us€ a sma ll chisel to Sl'ore linr:s

on thl" iins.

I 7 ·1<_1 make the four mermaids, first

make the intt•rn..:il cuts. and us~ a

small 2mrri ('ld nl drill hit to make the

hoks in tlw tight c:urls oi the lt>gs.

18 Cut round the outside ._1f the design

and cardully separatc the pieces.

Tr .. rnsfcr Lhe lines onto c..:i<.:h f<ice . and

then CMVC in the usual way.

19 i'vlakc thrl'c CLipies oi templa te 201. in

the s.:i m~- wny.

20 Seal the Cill'V~ d decor,~tivc pieces with

..:i cle .. 1r v .. 1rrfr;;h.

21 Prime .. 111d paint the b.1ck platL'S oi

the remaining pieces - toilet roll

holder. !001 hbrush holder .~ nd rowe l

ring - ,)11d the arm s and !OWl'I ring

itsdf. usin1~ ,, darker con tras ting

colour in th e reb .. ~tcd JrcJs. Parnt the

face L'f the six screw-head covers to

match the back plates. Ii YL'LI prefer

the natural IOL)k oi th e wood, the 5€ l

can be v..unished instt'ad, in which

case us~· a L~ L ntra sting dark VJ rni sh

for the rdJates.

22 To a. srn1hk the set. screw llw arnis

of the tL1ilt?t roll holde r· on tL1 the back

plate from behind. leav ing a

dist.inn' of I 2Jmm (-t 'A in l bL' t\Veen

them. Place the sprung holder in

bct\\l('en. IL)cating it in lhe

COL.lllf('!'St!l1k holi;s_ m,~~------

T ~< ,~ ¥ -~ _J,

Tire nsscm!i/cd com/'(111e11/s fw c.nrl• 1mrt a{ llu: sci

Screw the toothbrush holder onto the

back plate from behind.

Pass the cut-down nail th roL1gh

the top of the towel ring bdorc

placing an arm 011 each end of the

nail. then screw the arms in pl,1cc

on the 1·cmaining back pl<1te. Th~'

towel ring shou ld then swing llllt

freely on its nlL)lllll.

Glue all the decorative ~'i 'ccs in

place. positioning the two fi5h motifs

- f.King forward - on the outside of ead1 .:irm of the toilet roll hL1lder. the

three fish motifs at the rop oi <?ilch

b<1ck plate, and the four· merm,1ids ,1t

ecich side of tooth mug holder ,, nd

towel ring.

23 Screw each piece to the b.:irhmom w.1 11

through the pre-drilled holes, using

the cross-siot screws. l~re · a painted

screw cover LWer each screw hea d.

The PROJeCT Oes1GNS

ht.> designs needed tl' make

.1/1 the proje1.:ts in this book

.ire induded here, and they

·hould be phot<.1coplcd or

traced off. Llnlcss otherwise st.:i1ed. the

designs are drawn to the corrC'Ct size to

mak<.' lhc rrojccts. \.Vllcrc a template

needs 10 be enlarged \·vhen phl)IOCopying.

thr size of enlargement is given.

Areas that Me to be cut out inside

the designs ure shown In diagonal

sh.1ding on the designs. (Noc all the st~p­

by-stcp phOLographs show this shading.)

Arens that need cl.:iriiying ior

.my other reason - for example where

b.-ickgrl)LJnd has to be reduced but not

completely rcmowd - are indicated by

vcrtic.-il shading.

Celtic knotwork border s ee page 12

Bi

------ -~---------~-----------

Knot\vork overlays see pngc 1;-;

28

2C

20

In it i a I 'm em 0 h 0 Ider t:;ce pogc I 8

Tiil~ 1•RPll LT l'l.S .C." .I~ SQ

Initial memo holder See page 18

38

Initia l memo holder sec pagl' 1s l

3(

---~~-"~~--- ----~-~-

Initial memo holder see page 1s

30

In it i a I 1m em o ho) de r see po,(jc 1 s

3E

Claddagh lovespoon s.:q111gc 2L1

Dou blc photo frame sei: 11aw 2J

T 1-11- PRop: CT \;'[SIG~S 95

Eagle wall plaque see r11 rgt· 26

..

. ~ . ~: : ~ ;~ -: -.... \ . ~ .. ·-

' - :

Message b oard -See page 31

.. i J

lhh t'J I - ' np ,lt~ need< 1 b ... L' e er J ··---·::---·· 1 ,1rged by

1 :".t< ·~<

--·-~------~~·~.. . . ..... -~ ... ~ ..... -~-

Message boa rd s ee po.gr J I

7B

7C

7D

L·-·-·------------------------~- ·~~·

'Tree of _Life ' seed keeper sec page _H

SA

'Tree Of Life' Seed keeper See page YI

This 1.-mpl.He llL'eds 10 be enlMged by 125 %

100 Cr1.nc WooncRArr

'Tree of Life' seed keeper s.:c page .H

SC

-~~~-~---·-----·---·· . . .

l j

l

L

Ha n d m i r r 0 r Sec pa.15e J 7

no nol l'lll Olll ~h.Hli!d ML'.JS

9A

---·· . --~-=---------------------~---------------------:

Dragon trinket box sec page -n

JOB

L

·------~------------------···-----·-------------------------------·· -- -----Knotwork jigsaw boxes sec pngc 44

llA

·------- -··~--· ······---·---.......,.---:---

Knotwork jigsa\v boxes see pr1gc +1

Knotwork jigsaw boxes sc"' page 44

I Ob CHT!c Wu0D~ "Af ~

Celtic cros s sec paf!e -·18

i L ~

107 - T 111 \ IGN$ Tll ! l '<U )h

Fun photo frame sec pnw s2

13/\

1 J C

•

::::;J 13B

.----'~-::...~ ... :.. ..... _ ........ . ~~---~- ......::..,_~----·· ---··-~~-

l\!lirrored candle sconce sec page s1 14A Bad

148 Sides

I Ill CELTIC \\I DODCR.-\1·[

Zoomorphic lovespoon ""c pngl' 61

L

' I

' \

l 11 r HPI~<. t l'!:~ll·'I' 11 1

Coasters in holder see page 64

J6A

Rmpl.:ite for holder

16B

ThL'Sc tl'rnplatcs need h> be en larged by 12.'. %

Coasters in holder sec page 6-J

160

!6[

\

16G

T11 1 1·ll~'l£cl llCSIG~'~ 11 J

~~-----~---'"' ........... .

17A 17B Tc1npl.1 ll' f•'r hon k~-1

11 4 C11r1c WL'wDc1;.ur

Claddagh m I rror see pnge 11

T~mp l ,1 t c~ 1 ~ 1\ . ll Jnd ( ro b~' (oined

JSA

This l<!111plalc lll'l'ds robe enlarged by 142 ~.

TH · 1 - f~:~ JL L T QEs:c ~.1 :-. I l 5

Claddagh mirror

~---~-.:-::

This 1er11 I p.11e ned · ' to bo:' ml ------~ ;irp:d bl'l42 %

1 16 c unl Wo i -l [lC It •\. f ·1

Claddagh mjrror see pngc: 11

Uplighter Sre pnge 76

T••mrl.it~ for <.:,1rvi11g on fronc L'I upllghtcr

19(

Bathroom set Secpn,~c8 2

r -

L_ - - - - - - - - - - - - -

,---

t_ -- -

---·---·---~-----------·----~-------..,-·=..,..-----

I

- J

Tiir. PIW1h" l 1.'I~ . l[,IJ~ 121

Bathroom set St'<! pagea2

20B

---·---~~-

Ba th room set si:c 11ngi: s2

] I 20C

I l l I

200 '

I I

20E

Bathroom set sc:c 11n.s.:c s2

- -- --

20 F

\ J

I I I

·-·· .. ------.,----~- . . ................... ·-··-~-~~------~--~-~~~-·

124 Cr1.11c W 00D-.: 1;.-'.FT

r Bathroo1n set s\·c page s2

20H

20G

201

Glossary

Ancl'Sfor stones

Fl.1t ptbbles. i11cis<c?d or painted. kiund in

a c,we in the Fr('nch Pyrenees. which

\Vl're believed to CL1ntain th~ spirits of the

de.id.

1\nthropomorph k

lksigns based upon the ior1111.1f hum,1ns

Book sh1foc

f\ box made of mL'lal. or wood ,1nd JTIL'Lll,

in which a !<PSpcl Lk1ok was :>101-c•d for

pl"lltcction.

c.1rpet page

1\n ornamental p.1ge in .1 gospel boL1k

that consists rurcly oi decor,11io11, with

11Ll text.

Folio Ont' page of s m,1nuscript book.

Insular

Produce l in Britain or Ireland <IS oppo. eel

to Continental Europe.

La Tcne

Prehistory periL1(.l, naJTIL'd after a S\viss

archaeo logical site.

i\'1cg.1 Ii I h ic

,\il.:ick ~1f or marked by the use oi hi~

stones.

Phylloinorphic

Design based upon th{' form of lea\'C'S

and plants.

Recto

The front of a folio .

1?.epoussc

Relid design on metalwork r1 roduced by hamrn(.'['lng from behind.

Triskdt'

Thrcc-lcggL'd spira l motif.

Verso

The bilck of a folio.

Votive

Civcn in fuliil ment of a VL)W.

Zoomorphic

Design based upon th<' forms oi ,1nim.1ls.

birds ,111d reptiles.

$17.95 Can. $27.95

Uplighter seepagc76

Tc•mpl.:ue for st,1incd gl.iss pand

l 9A

LI plighter St'c p11ge 7t•

198

Th is lt' l11J' l.1tc nt' t'd s to bt> t'nl.ug.:d by 133•.,

Tr&t- r~L"'ll"" 1 tH !>l\jN S l I CJ