Block Out and Template

It took the better part of this week's allotted time just to block out the mantle piece. At 40", the top and bottom are the longest runs I've carved to date. The repetition is helping my efficiency. Knowing when to switch from a claw to a bolster, how much is safe to remove per layer is permitting me to reach the surface in an economy of runs. My partner Sam is at about the same stage.

With everything straight and plumb we can begin applying our templates. Next week some serious carving begins as we go down, extruding profiles into the piece.

Go Big or Go Home

This week saw me undertaking the last and largest piece of the fireplace: the mantle piece. A spinner with a 9" diametre diamond blade was used to remove mass quickly. However, as usual all work gets finished with mallet and chisels. The limestone piece is big and heavy and requires at least two people to move position.

At 40" wide the top of the mantle is the longest run I've carved thus far. Keeping the surface flat and square over that distance requires focus and frequent checks with my combination square.

Most of my effort this week is just removing mass and blocking out the form. Next week the real work begins of applying and extruding profiles. Eventually, I'll be carving out the inset panels, a new skill to be learned.

Plinth and Jamb Complete

Hooray! The weather here in Charleston has finally broke. We've went from layers of thermals doing our best to keep warm indoors prior to spring break, to t-shirts and shorts working under our timber framed stone shed. Picking up speed and quality on our fireplace project as well.

First up was "tooling" all of the previously carved surfaces. For this we chose a bolster, 2" chisel to be struck with a "dummy", a very lightweight hammer that doesn't give much of an impact, allowing optimum control without risk of damage.

Next us was the last remaining profile the cavetto. I find convex shapes most challenging as it requires a instinctive feel for the precise angle of your chisel to assure you don't dig in to deeply. The process is carve a row top and bottom, carve out the mass in the middle, repeat with increasing caution. Repeating this when the profile is itself extruded on a curve is a real challenge to be faced in the next piece to be carved, the mantle.

I was able to borrow a 1" "bullnose" that was a tremendous help. Unlike a gouge which blade itself if curved, the bullnose is a straight chisel with the edges rounded. This one was the perfect size and I was able to carve out the cavetto quickly and accurately. Finally with jamb and plinth complete I was able to mount one atop the other. Exciting to see our design coming to realisation!