Brian's Wood Carving

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Carving Tool Collection

INTRODUCTION TO WOOD WORKING

My first item constructed was a small book rack made of white oak. I was about seventh grade and was lucky to attend a school in England where a modest wood shop existed. This book rack was not carved but I still use it today as it is the perfect size to store CDs and DVDs. The lesson taught me how to hand cut dovetail joints and rabbet joints.

The next item of furniture was a night stand, also of white oak. My sister Dee used it, and took it with her after she got married. While in tenth grade I also made a lamp giving the effect of two vines twining around a brass pole. This was produced on a wood lathe using indexing pins to mark the turning, and then drilling through with a drill press. This lamp was used in conjunction with the above mentioned night stand.

WOOD CARVING

I learned to carve from Grandpa Ivan Claude Satterlee during visits to Sacramento. My Uncle Charles Satterlee was also an accomplished woodworker and wood carver. I had many examples of carved furniture around my parents house as inspiration, produced by both Ivan and Charles Satterlee, and it seemed natural to examine those geometric designs to learn how best to cut the wood and produce the characteristic dark dusty finish.

Grandpa Ivan gave me three chisels and a woodcarver's mallet. These original tools can be used to chip carve almost any geometric design. I later acquired, while still in high school, the rest of the tools shown above. While seldomly required, these specialized tools are useful on certain types of carving.

I received a copy of the "Sunset Wood Carving Book" by Doris Aller about the same time, and made several of the projects described. An "Italian Dustpan" was made of redwood and decorated with the carving described in the book. It hung on a wall in the back yard holding various flower pots over the years. After I left home and enlisted in the Navy, I lost track of that item. I guess it succumbed to the weather and was eventually tossed away. My copy of the book is pretty worn and dog-eared by now but I still love it.

I next made a fireplace bellows. Construction was black walnut, with leather bellow, valve, and cuff hinge. The nozzle was a piece of heavy sheet copper rolled into a cone and soldered. I addapted the design to include a couple chip carving elements. Many fires have been started and stoked with this bellows.

For my sister Dee and husband Ivin I constructed a hope chest. Construction was black walnet, lined with aromatic red cedar. The frame and front panels were carved in traditional Satterlee geometric designs, with initials on one end and the date on the other. It weighed a ton!! I was amazed how much weight was added with the cedar lining, not to mention the 2x4 inch solid frame and one inch thick carved panels. Finish was the dark and dusty style, but over time the dusty rottenstone disappeared through repeated cleaning.

BREADBOARDS

A great many breadboards have been constructed and carved over the years as gifts to friends. Without access to a good wood shop, it was the easiest project I could manage. Many breadboards were commercial boards made from beech, oak, and other woods. Breadboards are meant to be used, (on the back side) and most were a light salad oil finish. Later a commercial salad bowl finish became available and this permitted a harder non-toxic finish to be used.

CLOCKS

Shortly after moving back to San Diego from Italy I constructed a grandmother clock in black walnut using an Emperor clock kit. The central base panel was walnut veneer plywood as received, and the first item of business was to replicate that item from solid black walnut. After all the pieces were cut to fit, the sections were carved prior to assembly. All the wood was stained and finished with a dark dusty style, then the clock mechanish was installed. Special feet were made from bolts ground into a taper so that it would penetrate the carpet into the house slab. We have since removed the carpet and I reinstalled the original feet to sit on the tile flooring.

A number of wall clocks were made, all from black walnut. Most were carved, but one was a simple modern design with maple inlay at the 3, 6, 9, and 12 o'clock positions. There are no numbers on the face.

One clock is a shadow box design, with a needlepoint floral face made by my wife Netty. The clock numerals are silkscreened on the cover glass. Geometric carving appears on the left and right sides.

TURNINGS

Wood turnings fall into two categories. Turned items can be made as part of an item of furniture, such as table legs, etc. Turned pieces can also be an item by itself such a a plate or bowl. The salad bowl is made of laminated hardrock maple and the top face was turned flat. Hexagonal sections of black walnut were then glued to the face, and the assembly was turned to the final bowl shape. After turning was completed, the walnut ring at the top was carved. A matching salad fork and spoon were roughed out on a band saw, and then hand carved from black walnut. Finish is a commercial, non-toxic, salad bowl finish.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

One of a kind pieces, such as the fireplace bellows described above, were made more as an exercise than an immediate need. This is also the case for the coffee grinder box, made for the sole purpose of learning how to cut box joints on a table saw. I also made a Celtic cross to use up some scrap mahogany. The fireplace mantle, on the other hand, was made specifically for my home in Lemon Grove, California. It is constructed of Phillipine mahogany and uses a commercial stain called "Special Walnut" to produce a darker, less red, color. A coating of shellac thinned with alcohol then seals the wood, and finally a wax coating with rottenstone patted into the carving gives it the dark and dusty finish used often by the Satterlees. Several brass cup hooks are placed on the underside of the mantle to hang Christmas stockings or other decorations, but do not show because of a small lip extending down from the front face.

I found a niche market for simple work in college. A friend up the street saw some of my work and asked me to make a "pledge paddle" for him and his fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon. Greek letters and modest chip carving was all he wanted. Word spread, and I ended up doing a dozen or more. One order requested the shape of a cricket bat, but most were simple flat pieces. I wonder if any still reside in trophy cases in Albuquerque?

Lastly, while I was working at Megatek Corporation in San Diego, a test program was used to tune up a computer vector graphics board, which was a company sales mainstay. The test pattern was adopted as the company logo. I was inspired to use that test pattern to make myself a company plaque for my office, since it seemed to be a natural for chip carving.

PICTORIAL OF ITEMS

A representative collection of items crafted by Brian Jon Satterlee are shown on the following pages. An exhaustive photographic collection is not possible since many of the items are no longer in my possession.

Chest, carved and finished with a dark stain and wax finish. This is made of black walnut, lined with aromatic red cedar.
Grandmother clock. Emperor clock kit with select replacement items. Sadly, the Emperor clock company is no longer in business. Constructed of black walnut with a homemade stain and wax finish, and a rottonstone accent applied periodically.
Clock. The numerals use "BRIAN" and "NETTY" instead of the typical 1 to 12 numerals. Constructed of black walnut but without the dusty finish. The letters need replacing because some of the laminations failed over time. This is one of my projects for the future.
Clock. Shadow box design with the clock face a needlepoint made by Netty. The glass face of the shadow box has silk screened numerals. Constructed of black walnut.
Clock. Modern art deco design of black walnut. Inlay of maple strips complete the design.
Book case. My first wood project described above.
Fireplace mantle. Built specifically for this brickwork, it is designed to be modifiable for another location.
Bowl and salad set. It takes a really big lathe to turn a bowl this size. Spoon and fork were actually made first, and the bowl later made as a companion.
Coffee Grinder. Carving covers all four sides. Crafted from white ash, this item is lightly stained and uses commercial salad bowl finish. The mechanism was purchased prior to construction of the box.
Breadboard. This first breadboard was made shortly after I was married. The NS monogram is for Netty Satterlee. The board is beech, and a brass handle was used as accent.
Breadboard. Example of several breadboards made from mahogany. This item is stained with "Special Walnut", and allowed to dry thoroughly for a month or more. A finish with commercial salad bowl finish then seals the wood making it suitable for food handling.
Breadboard. Another example breadboard. Finished in the same manner as the above.
Trivet. This item was seen in a picture on the Internet. I thought it would be fun to chip carve a completely curved design. Made of mahogany and finished in the same manner as the above breadboards.
Breadboard. Commercial oval oak cutting board. Made for a friend, it uses a vegatable oil finish.
Fish cutting board. This piece is from the Sunset Wood Carving book. Two were made, one of mahogany and the other ash.
Fireplace bellows. This piece is also from the Sunset Wood Carving book. See above for more description about construction.
Celtic cross. Made of mahogany, the cross pieces use a lap joint, while the halo segments are butt fitted with gussets on the back side for strength. The halo segments were made from the same piece of wood, but planed down to 1/2 inch thickness prior to cutting. carving was done after all assembly was completed.
Megatek company plaque. This piece is from black walnut. Letters are laser cut brass laminated on black plastic. On the back of the plaque is my old business card.
Travel Chess Set. This commercial piece is black walnut, purchased around 1965. I carved the top of the case and refinished the outside. The inside milling was a little rough so pieces of felt were glued in the cover and trays. I have been lucky not to have lost a chess piece over these many years.
Magazine Table. It is made of Phillipine mahogany with a light stain. The top is an oriental wicker rice winnowing tray. Made many years ago, I did not have time to carve the legs, but will get around to it after I retire. It will be re-stained a darker color and finished with wax and rottenstone in the usual manner.
Cutting Board. Made in 1972 for a friend as a wedding present. Beech with a salad oil finish from an Italian commercial breadboard.