Don't let the carving intimidate you. It's really not that difficult. Give this one a try and I think you will be surprised with the results. Just take your time and remember to wear a carvers glove and thumb guard to protect your fingers. Make sure you use a very sharp knife. Dull knives are way more dangerous than sharp ones. There are several videos about carving basics and safety on YouTube. If you have never done any carving before that would be a good place to start. You can do serious injury with a carving knife. There are no accidents in carving just poor decisions.
Cut the blank to .74 X .75 X 3 inches. I used walnut. It carves well and takes a nice oil finish. Bass wood would be another good choice. Cut out the compound pattern.
Apply the pattern to the blank with spray adhesive. I use clear box tape over the pattern. It helps lubricate the blade and makes for easier cuts.
Drill your interior holes. I suggest a #1 or #3 scroll reverse blade.
Cut the compound cuts and remove all the waste pieces.
After you remove the pattern you are ready to start carving.
I like to use a knife with a hook blade. It helps me round the ball as I make the cuts. That's just my preference and you may be more comfortable with a straight blade.
Make stop cuts about 1/8" deep around the ball next to the walls of the cage. Use your knife to take small shallow cuts working from all sides. The goal is to free the ball from the cage. Round and smooth the ball as much as possible before you free the ball. It's easier to keep control of the ball when it's still attached.
In the photo above you can see I am almost round and ready to cut the ball free.
At this point make shallow stab cuts around the ball where it is connects to the cage until it breaks free. Once it's free use your fingers to turn the ball and continue to take small shallow cuts. Don't let the ball get too small. You don't want it to come free from the cage. You can't put the wood back on so be careful at this late stage of the carving.Another caution it to make sure you do not apply too much pressure to the cage as you carve. The cage will break and that's no good.
After you finish the carving sand the cage and ball as smooth as possible. I just apply an oil finish. If you want to make it a key chain install an eyelet screw and ball chain.
This is a fun project and I hope you give it a try. Learning to do some basic carving is well worth the practice it takes. Many scroll saw projects can be embellished with carving. It will set your work apart and if done well make your work much more valuable.
