General Finishes - Wood Carvings & Sculpture

Labyrinth on Wall

WoodworkingManiak — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 21:56:24 +0000

A prayer labyrinth is a labyrinth used to facilitate prayer, meditation, spiritual transformation, and/or global unity. Unlike a maze, a labyrinth is designed for ease of navigation, and it is impossible to get lost within one.

This is a custom wall art piece that has a final dimension of 46" x 46". Labyrinth engraved in front with 4 keyhole slots on back to allow flush mounting to wall.

Products Used

Vintage Cherry Dye Stain
EnduroVar Satin

Cat

Captivahomedecor — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 14:38:13 +0000

Meticulously hand carved from birch and cherry wood, sanded to soft, smooth finish, details were handpainted and finally protected with satin spray lacquer. Each stainless steel wire whisker was shaped and placed to enhance the dimensional artwork.

Products Used

Lacquer

Ribbon

fiaschetti woodworking — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 00:08:40 +0000

My goal for this sculpture was to contrast the traditional form that wood comes in. I wanted to show that wood could be light and fluid while still being strong enough to suports itself. Ribbon has 150 separate pieces and is made of Walnut, Maple, and Lacewood. I loved the ironic nature of using lacewood to make a ribbon. I sanded this piece up to 320 grit and then polished it with steel wool. I wanted to allow the piece to speak for itself so I went with a matte finish. I used 3 coats of wipe on poly sanding in between coats. It was a challenge to get a consistant finish with all of the curves. To combat dripps, I started at the top of the piece, finishing both sides, and then worked my way down to maintain a wet edge. This sculpture is 18 inches high.

Products Used

Wipe on Poly
titebond 3

Ternary Waves

Nick Endle — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 18:24:34 +0000

This project consists of 3 walnut panels, each measuring 11 3/4" wide by 48" long, and just about 1" thick. They will be mounted in a stainless steel frame in the client's home - so I needed a high quality finish all around the panels, not just the carved side.

I wanted to finish the project with something that would really highlight the flow and the ripples in the beautiful walnut lumber - but also have some film protection. So naturally I went with General Finishes.

I applied a coat of Seal-A-Cell on all surfaces - starting with a penetrating finish that would really show off the warm tones in the grain right from the start, and allow me to fill in the pores a little.

After that, I applied 4 total coats of Arm-R-Seal satin to build protective layers, without having a super glossy or overly shiny look while still letting your attention focus on the lumber. I sanded between each coat with a 320 grit foam sanding pad. After everything was dry I rubbed it with #0000 steel wool to just slightly bring the shine down.

I feel this finishing technique (but really, General Finishes products in general) really lets the walnut do the talking, and ensures that there's no plastic feel to it - but there's still a durable, protective finish that's easy to clean up.

Products Used

General Finishes Seal-a-Cell
General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Satin

Hibiscus flowers in bloom

Derek McDonald — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 20:09:29 +0000

Woods: Basswood ( tilia americana)

After some practice carving traditional forms that would be found on furniture or architectural elements, I stumbled across the work of Grinling Gibbons, a 17th century English carver, famous for his intricate lifelike cascades of flowers, fruits, and animals. I was immediately taken aback by the beauty and skill of his work and decided to try a project in his style. I chose my wife's favorite flower, the hibiscus, as the subject, and gave it to her as a gift for Christmas.

Products Used

Shellac

Winning Category

1st Place

Woodcarving

Edgar WK — Wed, 19 Jul 2017 14:25:58 +0000

Using hand chisels and a mallet I carved this 3 foot Indian from a basswood log.

Products Used

Woodcarving, 3 foot basswood log

Winning Category

2nd Place

HAND CARVED MAPLE AND CHERRY PADDLE

tmolsen — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 10:37:55 +0000

This project was made as a housewarming gift to family friends who bought their first home. It was made by hand starting with rough sawn hard maple and cherry. It was shaped with a plane, spoke shave, and sanding. The "B" for their name was carved using chisels, and is flanked on the top and bottom with brass dowels.

It was finished in the following order with General Finishes products:

Mahogany stain --Patina Green Milk Paint - Snow White Milk Paint - High Performance

Products Used

GF Mahogany stain
GF Patina Green Milk Paint
GF Snow White Milk Paint
GF High Performance top coat