![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB-yHz_AiI/AAAAAAAABYc/UXR3X1kpqLM/s200/2.jpg)
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB-yDiuZEI/AAAAAAAABYU/mFt-qhFF4LY/s200/1.jpg)
2. Match curves with gouges that have the same sweep.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB-yDFmGHI/AAAAAAAABYk/GG8Vpp2j8sU/s200/3.jpg)
3. Bevel down, remove the background areas that surround the shape. I used both chisels and gouges for this and tried to maintain a consistent depth of cut. Don't fret too much if it's not perfect; you'll have another shot at it as you're finishing the carving.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB-6YGliDI/AAAAAAAABYs/86bnTW5QCLw/s200/4.jpg)
4. My 1/16" chisel got a work out along the outer edges.
5. I used dental tools to pick out some obstinate chips. These tools are cheap and your dentist may even give you som
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB-6mq3pJI/AAAAAAAABY0/t_Ps-QOZIb8/s200/5.jpg)
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB-6sgsesI/AAAAAAAABY8/IAP1OhHD0UU/s200/6.jpg)
6. Bevel up, I removed the pencil-shaded areas of the drawing with a tapered slice—starting at the high point (the "over" knot) and slicing downward toward the pencil shading—but did not cut as deep as the background areas. Once all the pencil-shaded areas (the "under" knots) are removed, the woven design emerges. You can stop at this point if you like a more hard-edged look. And here's where you can tweak the depth of the background area. Since parts of the design have been made more shallow, you have easier access.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB_DBjOmKI/AAAAAAAABZE/HdUVk8M_ih8/s200/7.jpg)
7. If you prefer, you can round over all the edges with chisels and gouges to create a rope-like effect.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB_DmzkY7I/AAAAAAAABZU/4S58qwERg3k/s200/9.jpg)
8. The finished design.
9. My neck started hurting as I was hunched over the workpiece, which was lying flat on my workbench. Then I rememberd a drill press jig I had
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Tc0t8CgyXiI/SLB_DT4xtJI/AAAAAAAABZM/C2u9Ot9egrc/s200/8.jpg)
*I needed dental tools for a class taught by Steve Latta. Steve suggested that we ask our dentists for his/her throw-aways. So I called my dentist's office and rather than give the receptionist a long explanation, I merely asked if I could buy any of their used dental tools. "Hold on," she said. Moments later, "NO!" and she hung up. I figured she thought I was planning to pull a Hannibal Lecter on someone and freaked out. At my next appointment with my dentist I told him what happened. "Oh, that was you?! That phone call was the talk of the office!" His response confirmed my Hannibal Lecter suspicions. And it totally made my day.