Looking around my shop for an idea about a carving project for the month of October, I noticed an old Mexican made mask hanging on the wall behind my rarely used hand miter saw. It was probably purchased with a few quarters by my mother at a rummage sale. I wondered, what could be a better wood carving project for October than carving a Halloween mask? Or maybe a Celtic or native ceremonial mask?
The following pictures show how I prepared a chunk of basswood for carving a Raven Mask. Hopefully a picture of the finished work will appear in the near future.
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| Cutting split basswood to length |
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| Attaching a base |
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| Paring the Bark |
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Shaping and planing the front
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| Grooving Back with King Arthur Squire 18 tooth |
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Hollowing the back with curved edge of Adze
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| Finsh hollowing back with King Arthur |
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| Tracing my own Raven Pattern |
There is always another way of doing things:
Carving a Mask
