How to Carve Onlays
- 1). Place the maple board on a work surface. Draw a grape vine with leaves and tendrils that flow through a clump of grapes in the center.
- 2). Cut along the pencil lines with a chip carving knife to score the surface of the wood.
- 3). Carve out the recessed areas of the onlay design using a u-gouge chisel. Apply a slight pressure to the chisel as you push it across the surface of the wood to remove thin strips at a time. Cut around the grape vine, leaves, and tendrils with the u-gouge.
- 4). Carve along the vine and tendrils with a chip carving knife to make them rounded. Add details to the grape leaves with the chip carving knife such as veins. Cut thin slivers out of the wood to indicate the veins.
- 5). Carve around the grapes with the u-gouge. Round out the grapes with the chip carving knife. Take small chips away until they are rounded to your satisfaction.
- 6). Carve the fine details with the v-gouge. Make lines crisp and define separations within the carving with this chisel. Take thin strips at a time for best results.
- 7). Sand the onlay with fine-grit sandpaper. Sand in the direction of the wood grain.
- 8). Apply a wood finish to match the overall woodworking project. Allow the finish to dry prior to handling.
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