Carving the Back of the Peghead.

1. The paper pattern shows what the carving will look like when it is completed. The paper design was attached to the surface of the wood with spray adhesive and the paper was carved through using the same process as with the heel carving.
2. The wood carving was done with small carving chisels (a straight chisel is shown above.) For the smaller details, dental tools were used that were sharpened into mini carving chisels.
3. The carved elements go over the outside frame to enhance the three-dimensional quality. The carvings that go over center stringers appear to wrap around them. To enhance the feeling of depth, Dan hand shaded the background a halftone darker using a mixture of de-waxed shellac and a small amount of clear brown stain. The actual depth of the carving is only about one tenth of an inch.