Basswood Octagon

Every year I try and do one large chip carving and this was my 2008 large chip carving. I had approx. 100 hours from the start of design process to the finished piece. This piece is a 24" X 24" basswood octagon with a small butternut frame around it. I tried a few new elements in this piece, in the two narrow boarders you will notice a contrasting color and that is because I stippled those areas with a center punch. In the center petal areas I used three chips inside one chip to get more detail. I also used around the two stippled boarders a side by side boarder cut but with different sizes to give some contrast. I chose to leave this piece a natural finish to show off the quality of cuts and chips. Staining will tend to hide imperfections which I strive not to have. This piece was displayed at the 2008 Dayton Carving Show.

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