How to Do Carvings in Furniture

Furniture carving is a traditional skill used to create decorative elements in wooden furniture pieces. A flower is an ideal carving to begin with because it has simple flowing lines. Practice the carving on a furniture blank. A furniture blank is the size and shape of the furniture part but made from a less expensive wood such as basswood. Traditional furniture woods include cherry, walnut and mahogany. They are challenging woods to carve and expensive. Master your technique on a blank before attempting the real thing.

Pencil
Furniture blank
Bench vise
Bench knife
U-gouge chisels, assorted sizes
V-gouge chisels, assorted sizes
Straight chisels, assorted sizes
Fine-grit sandpaper

Instructions

- 1
  Draw a design such as a flower blossom on a furniture blank.
- 2
  Clamp the blank into a bench vise. Make a scored line along the pencil lines with the bench knife.
- 3
  Carve out the recessed areas around the outline of the flower with a shallow U-gouge. Cut away small shavings of wood. Observe the response of the wood to the chisel. Work with the grain of the wood to avoid damaging the carving.
- 4
  Round the edges of the petals and stem with a bench knife. Cut away small chips at a time until you are satisfied with the recessed background and outline of the flower.
- 5
  Carve thin lines and v-shaped details into the petals with a V-gouge. Use the straight chisels to further add details to the carving until you are satisfied. Straight chisels make a flat-bottomed cut into the wood. The key to carving wood is to gain a feel for the grain as you carve and never try to remove too much at a time.
- 6
  Sand the completed carving lightly with fine-grit sandpaper. Always sand in the same direction as the wood grain.

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