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Bullet Designs
These are a common sight in New-Mexican furniture. Create this
motif by using a gouge with a pronounced sweep, such as the
10mm straight gouge with a #10 sweep shown in the photos. Tilt
the handle back very slightly from vertical (or perfectly vertical,
if you like the little "horns" that are created by
the corners of the gouge) and strike it with a mallet to make
a stop cut. A horizontal pencil line leading up to your mark
serves as a guide as you slide the gouge, beginning with a shallow
cut that becomes slightly deeper, toward the struck mark. Starting
with your gouge further away from the stop cut creates a longer
bullet, and if you create a number of rows at varying lengths,
a new pattern emerges.
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Creating
a bullet pattern. |
These design elements work well with furniture styles other
than New Mexican. They are easy to make and they add interest
to decorative boxes, picture frames or any project that can
benefit from a little ornamentación.
Kari Hultman
goodwoodworkshop@comcast.net
villagecarpenter.blogspot.com
References:
Taylor, Lonn, and Dessa Bokides. New Mexican Furniture, 1600-1940:
The Origins, Survival, and Revival of Furntiure Making in the
Hispanic Southwest. Sante Fe, New Mexico: Museum of New
Mexico Press, 1987. |
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