The origins of the barley twist dateback to the earliest chronicles ofrecorded history. The decoration is

characterised by the spiral column shapeand has been used in a vast assortment ofdecorative applications.

An example is the Temple of Solomonin Jerusalem — thought to have beendestroyed more than 500 years BC —which is described as being adorned byspiral ‘Solomonic columns’. The decora-tion was also found on the architecture ofancient Greek and Roman civilizations.

In the late 17th century, the spiralforms became a popular feature in furni-ture, particularly as legs and column dec-orations in English, French and Dutchpieces. The decoration also becameknown as ‘barley sugar twists’ due to itssimilarity with the candy sweet of this era.

The twists were most commonlycarved from Oak, but fine examples canbe found in Walnut, depending on theperiod from which the piece originated.

Photo.1 shows an example of how thedecoration has been used to embellishchairs.

The BlankIn the interest of upholding tradition, I

have chosen to carve the barley twist fromOak. However, the decoration can becrafted from any species of suitable carv-ing timber.

Start by turning a long ‘rolling pin’.The diameter and length of the twist isentirely your choice.

I turned my blank to a diameter of40mm (Photo.2). The overall length, mea-sured from the centre of each cove ateither end of the ‘rolling pin’ is 225mm.

An important consideration is that thediameter of the cove on either end of theturning should be half the diameter of themain cylinder. Therefore, in this instance,the coved areas have a 20mm diameter.(Photo.3).

Photo.2: Turning a blank for the barley twist Photo.3: Marking two lines to create two halves

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NUMBERSPt.8 — The Barley Twistby Mike Davies

Woodcarving By

Fig.2: Tool profiles used in this series

Photo.1: Barleytwists incorporatedin chair design

20mm 40mm

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Marking OutUse your toolrest to draw a line that

runs down the centre of the cylinder.Then draw a second line on the oppositeside so that it divides the cylinder into twoequal halves (Photo.3).

With a pair of dividers mark equaldivisions from the centre of the covedown the length of the line. The final divi-sion must be made precisely in the centreof the opposite cove, so adjust thedividers accordingly (Photo.4).

On the reverse side of the cylinder,repeat the process, but this time start andend with a half division (Photo.5).

The next step is to mark the spiral. Cuta narrow strip of thin card with paralleledges and wrap the card around the cylin-der so that the top edge of the card makescontact with each division mark. Tape theends to hold the card in place.

Trace the line of the card templatewith a pencil to mark a perfectly equalspiral that runs the full length of the cylin-der (Photo.6).

Beginning the CutTake an old tenon saw (but one that

still cuts! — Ed.) and attach two lengths ofwood to the blade as shown in Photo.7.The pieces are set at the same height oneither side of the blade and act as a depthstop, to help establish a consistent depthto the spiral. The depth of the cut shouldbe the same as the depth of the coves atthe end of the cylinder.

In this instance the cylinder has a40mm dia. The coves have been turnedwith half of that diameter, ie. 20mm dia.Therefore the depth of the coves will be10mm.

A cylindrical or semi-circular rasp isrequired for the next step (Photo.8). Youcan use a conventional rasp or the fastercutting Microplane version (Microplanetools are available from Carba-Tec Ph:1800 658 111).

I used a Microplane rasp with a 15mmdiameter (take extra care when using theMicroplane because the cutting edges are

very sharp — Ed.).Follow the spiral with the Microplane

tool, ensuring that the saw cut remains inthe centre of the channel. Try to work asaccurately as you can, being vigilant tomaintain equal divisions on the surface ofthe cylinder.

Photo.9: Carving the Twist

Photo.8: Removing the bulk of the waste with a cylindrical rasp

Photo.7: Cut to depth along the marked line using a tenon sawfitted with a ‘depth gauge’

Photo.4: Dividing the length into equal sections

Photo.6: Tracing the shape of the template onto the wood

Photo.5: Repeating the dividing process but starting with a halfsection

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You can see the desired effect in thecompleted piece in the background ofPhoto.8.. Note how the ends of the spiralfinish where they lead into the cove. Thisillustrates the importance of maintaining aconsistent depth in the valley of the spiralso that it flows nicely into the coved area.

In terms of holding your work secure-ly, you can either continue with the workheld in the lathe, or alternatively you cansecure the work between the heads on asash clamp. To stop the sash clamp frommoving, hold it in a bench vice. If youhave a T-bar sash clamp, then the headcan be fixed to the workbench usingscrews and the bar section locked inplace with a G-clamp.

Carving the TwistThis series of carving articles is based

on the basic set of carving tools shown inFig.1. You can compile your own set oftools or they can be purchased as aRecord Power carving set with bonusDVD.

With carving tools #5, #6 and #11,begin to round over the edges of the divi-sions. The goal is to create a consistantprofile on each spiral.

In Photo.9 you can see how tool #6 isheld in the ‘fist position’ and the hand

holding the tool is anchored to the work-piece to ensure control at all times. This iscovered in the original article in this series(AWW #170 August 2013).

You can view a demonstration of thethe Significant Six techniques by scanningin the QR code, or by typing ‘RecordPower Significant Six Techniques withMike Davies’ intoyour Internet searchengine.

The majority ofthe shaping workshould be completedwith the carvingtools.

A handy tip forcleaning up thecarved surfaces is touse the sandpaperfrom a belt sander, which has been cutinto long strips. You can use the belts invarious grades to perfect the shape of thespiral and achieve a blemish free finish(Photo.10).

VariationsIn Photo.11 the barley twist in the cen-

tre of the picture has a different appear-ance. This example has two spirals run-ning along its length. The blank to theright shows how this is done. It has beenmarked with a red line and a black line

running around the length of the cylindersimultaneously.

To add greater interest, you can piercethe double spiral with a long hole boreron your lathe. This has the effect of sepa-rating the two spirals from each other.

You can also experiment with atapered barley twist. This has a wider baseand becomes thinner towards the oppo-site end.

For more information on the RecordPower carving Tool set, scan in the QRcode or view the promotional videoonline by typing ‘Record Power Carvingby Numbers’ into your internet searchengine.

The Record Power 12 piece CarvingTool Set with bonus WoodcarvingFoundation Skills DVD and booklet (RRP$132.00) is available from The AustralianWoodworker Mail Order Bookshop —pp.82-90, Ph: 024759 2844 andfrom Record Powerstockists.

Photo.11: The double twist (centre andright)

Photo.10: Removing the carving markswith strips of abrasive paper

Significant Six QR Code

QR Code CarvingPromo on YouTube

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