David Esterly has been carving in the style of 17th-century carver Grinling Gibbons for over 30 years. The key to his carvings (seen on the back cover of FWW #197) lies not in carefully guarded technique, but in the patience and dedication needed to develop a feel for the tools and motion of carving. In his book Grinling Gibbons and the Art of Carving (Harry N. Abrams, 1998), Esterly writes, “The secret of Gibbons’s carving is this: there is no secret. The sanctum is empty. What is hidden from view is not any trick of the trade but the carver’s midnight struggle with his material.” This is not to say that Esterly’s process is devoid of technique. As he shows here, he has developed proven methods for designing, holding workpieces, joinery, and final surface treatment.

One piece at a time
Esterly leaves wooden tabs on each of his workpieces as small handles. They allow each delicate carving to be raised, flipped, and clamped onto blocks, permitting the carver to attack the grain from different angles and undercut the backs for clearance.

Once the carving is finished, Esterly cuts off the tabs with a chisel or bandsaw.

Many become one
Esterly uses a sewing pin to help him locate dowels that will join the workpieces. First he slides the head of the pin between two adjacent pieces.

Then he presses the pieces together to mark them simultaneously for their mating dowel holes.

Next Esterly drills the dowel holes. Using the imprint of the pinhead as a center point, he drills holes ranging from 1/8 in. to 1/4 in., depending on the size of the items.

He uses white glue to secure the dowels and join the pieces.

The final touch, 17th-century sand­paper
Esterly discovered that Gibbons used Dutch rush, a leafless, bamboo-like plant, to surface his carvings.

Esterly stuck with the method because the result offers texture and character that sandpaper cannot match.

From Fine Woodworking #197

Photos: Anissa Kapsales