[mark yundt]

How long is the piece(s) you need?

[Thor]

I think I could use it for the entire room. That would be about 76 feet give or take a bit. The room is 20 feet X 36 feet, and I would use it where it needs the moulding. That is almost the entire house actually.
I've done 40 feet of trim before in 1X6 lumber with lots of design differences. The repeating pattern will surely not take me as long.
I'm going to try to create a pattern from your pictures this evening and see how it goes. This is fun.
I will let you know what happens.

[doris]

hi thor, wow, i really would like see this too, if you decide to do it. would be nice to see in place...and, i am sure you can do it :-)

mark, thanks on explaining with the jig. yes, i see, how minor improvement in workflow can add to big sum of improvement when the work required is big... i have see your description on the way you sharpen your chisels so they scoop out easier... mine were first this way too, mainy because i could not sharpen more evenly not because i had figured out this is best way ---lol---. i had recently read a book of chris pye, and he recommended to sharpen differently, and, i thought its worth trying. so, i made the front edge completely straight, and removed the belly, my gouges all had...well, yes, stop cuts now went easier, since the face edge is straight, but to me all other cutting went more difficult...so, i resharpened them again, to be like they were before, very slightly bullnosed, and with thinner walls on the sides. works better for me... so, yes, i appreciate for these improvements too, and love learning about them... thanks !

[mark yundt]

HAAAAA!!!! YES DORIS,,,YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CORRECT!!!!!!

Such a coincidence,,I just posted earlier today on Tools Techniques and Sharpening,,,titled..... curved edge = clean cuts....the very thing you are talking about! Everyone seems to think a square edge to the tool is what you are after.

IT ISN'T.

Some may not like that idea since it flies in the face of a name carver,,but the fact is,,,IT WORKS. Not just because I say it does,,,or you say it does,,but simply because I can't argue with the laws of Geometry as to what is happening at that edge,and why cuts aren't as accurate as they could be,,or why people can't make clean cuts where a stop cut and the paring cut are made. The way most chisels are sharpened preclude the edge from ever having a chance to cut the fibers. Cannot,,will not,,,and just ain't gonna happen. So you end up with fuzzy cuts.

That's why I tweek my tools in all sorts of ways to get them to perform the way they should. You've seen extreme close ups of my cuts and aren't they all clean? People ask how I do it.. I DON'T,,,MY CHISELS DO IT.

And no amount of sanding,,poking ,,digging around with a mini chisel or micromotor ,,or riffler file will get that area as clean as a chisel cut.That too just 'aint 'gonna happen.

[doris]

LOL ... we have similar ideas, and do to same time want tell about..lol... and you know, i always was thinking my way of sharpening is odd, the gouges dont look like the ones they sell., thats why i read in the first place about sharpening in that book.. ..i only knew it works for me, and, now you explain why it is actually working , i did not know that, only that for my way of carving it is better than what the book suggests... :-) ...

[Alice in Wonderland]

WOW Mark ,this would be my kind of Border too,just beautiful and the way you describe your work. for sharing.
Alice

[mark yundt]

Just a quick update,,all the carving is done. Now the sanding and making the corners. The carvings came out nice and clean,,I'm quite happy with them. The sanding should be easy.

[mark yundt]

Thought some pictures of the finished carvings might be nice. Even though not one section is the same as the next as far as pattern repeat is concerned,,it's not noticeable at all,,they essentially all look the same.And even though these look pretty straight forward in the design,,there are some tricks involved to get a consistent look. Getting the cove in the edge of the wide V's to be straight requires carving two edges with adjustments to both to get it to look that way. In reality,,the wide V in the center isn't really flat at all..neither is the shark looking V in the center. They are curved in both planes.

In situations such as this,,these areas look better if they aren't carved perfectly flat as you might imagine.But you still have to keep the edges looking straight as well as keep the center raised line straight,on a curved surface. It's all a matter of fooling your eye.

I used a #2 to carve all the surfaces as well as shearing the verticle stop cuts and edges of all V shapes,,an 8 to carve the coves,,and a straight to simply highlight the corner of the verticle stops and the base .

[doris]

wow, nice job, they really look neat !!! ah, a #2, funny, this has become my favourite too lately, i do have 2 width of this. my curved ones are more #8 or so, and in moment i love carving with the #2... wow, really great work you did. yes, this is a good point about the straight line in the center, whic forms the top of hill. thanks for showing, to me, this is always a preview, of what i might be able to do some day. thanks a lot.

[RussL.]

Powerful carving, man, powerful.

RussL.