[Title]  [text TOC]  [image TOC]  [Site Search]    [Donation] 

	Hand Holding Cross

See the Wood Carving section for more instructions, hints and tips.

1. Layout the perimeter or glue a template on a piece of basswood. The grain should run in the long dimension.
2. Cut it out using a coping or scroll saw.
3. Layout the interior and make a line on the cross half the thickness of the wood.
4. Make stop cuts on the top of the thumb and around the bottom of the palm and fingers.
5. Remove the wood of the cross down about half the thickness. Try to keep it flat and smooth. The hardest part is the area between the palm of the hand and the tips of the fingers. A small skew chisel works best here.
6. Make a stop cut along the bottom of the thumb.
7. Round the palm and thumb.
8. Remove the wood behind the tip of the thumb.
9. Now form the slope of the fingers. The fingers are made up of three segments the tip and middle segments are angled like the roof of a house. The third segment that connects to the hand is vertical. At this point, the fingers should look like a mitten.
10. Now separate the fingers. Make a V cut in the middle of the fingers. Then another V cut on each side of that cut to make four fairly equal fingers. The tip segment of the fingers should be slanted slightly upwards towards. Remove a small triangle of wood at the base of each of these three cuts where the fingers join the hand.
11. Now adjust the length of the fingers. The pinky should be the shortest.
12. Round the bottom of the sleeve from the front to the back and top to the back.
13. Gouge out the sleeve by the base of the cross. You can either use a small gouge or a knife.
14. Gouge out the folds on the sleeve. Start on the front and then continue them on the top.
15. Add a crease where the thumb meets the palm and below the joint in the thumb.
16. Undercut all around the hand edge where it meets the cross. This will give the impression that the hand is separate from the cross.
17. Sand the cross and hand to remove any rough spots.
18. Glue a PVC ring to the back. Use a pin or clasp to make a SWAPS or bolo.
19. Finish with sealer or stain and seal.

Thanks to Bob Case for teaching me this project.