6. HOLLOW THE CENTER LINK
Hollow out the exposed long center parts of the
inside link. These are shown about halfway done
in Figure
G
. They are about the same narrow
width as the hollows in Step 5, but they’re longer
and feel more awkward. Don’t get impatient —
take out small bits of material at a time, working
on either side until the cuts meet. I find it easier
to make deeper cuts towards the center of the
piece until they meet, at which point there is more
room to work the blade and clear the rest of the
material.
7. FREE THE LINKS
This is the most exciting part! In this step you free
the links from each other; in Figure G you’ll see
blue arrows pointing to the three areas to cut, and
red X’s for areas to avoid!
The piece will be very delicate, so make tiny
“nibbling” cuts with the tip of the knife, being very
careful to not apply too much force, especially
with your gripping hand. Each of the three areas
you need to clear will have four sides; work each
side in turn until you break through and free the
links (Figure
H
).
Resist the temptation to try to “snap” the
remaining material when it gets thin; very little
torque will break the link itself.
8. FINISH THE LINKS
Almost there! Where you’ve separated the links,
there will be extra material to remove before
profiling the links into a more regular, rounded
form (Figure
I
). This is far less awkward and
risky than Step 7, because now you can move the
links around to create access to any part you need
to work on.
Sand the links if you like, and apply a bit of
mineral oil to protect the wood.
CHAIN REACTION
We made it — and the finished product is pretty
awesome! Everybody seems to love a hand-
carved chain, whether as home décor or just
because they’re cool. Nothing super-complex, but
great whittling practice that requires patience and
focus, both of which I can always use more of. And
I do love working with materials that come from
where we live. Fun stuff.
G
H
I
X
X
X
X
Cut
Cut
Cut
Don't cut
Don't cut
Don't cut
Don't cut
77
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