I’d been asked to carve a large felled log at a customer’s house as an anniversary present from wife to husband, the design of which was to be one used on a wax seal at the couple’s wedding. There was also to be an oak leaf, rowan leaves, birch and pine to surround the initials.
I though the carving would work best using the initials only.
On a second visit to inspect the log I felt it had seen better days and was in grave danger of splitting into quarters, judging by the expanding cracks radiating from the heart. This was a great shame as the couple had an emotional attachment to this particular log, but unfortunately I didn’t feel comfortable working on a piece with what I thought would be a very limited lifespan.
The decision was made to carve a plaque with the same design, and the plan was to use an oak plank I had ~ until the customer asked for something a bit more rustic, which made for a more interesting piece.
I’d had an angled slice of oak, still with the bark attached, laying around for about a year or so ~ obviously just waiting for this job.
Sanding and marking out the design
The initials are set in and 3 of the leaves around the circumference
The final leaf design……
……and finally oiled:
Happy Anniversary!!