Murray Taylor explores the spacing of letters, the different methods of carving them and some project ideas.
I read books on letter carving and they paid great attention to the spacing of the letters and that my feeling was I would worry about spacing when I could carve the letters. Well, I hope you have practised the carving of the Roman alphabet sufficiently to take you to the point where you feel it necessary to look at spacing.
Looking at spacing
The spacing between letters has no rules. It is determined by what is pleasing to the eye, aesthetic appeal and a general impression of balance and structure. In setting out a piece of work we have to consider the space between the letters, or the inter-space, and the space within the letters, or the counter-space. We also have to consider the shape of each individual letter.
There are no hard and fast rules on spacing, it’s just a matter of trial and error to get what looks right for the font being used, is legible and also what is appropriate for the context of what is being done for what purpose. If you keep your eyes open and your camera handy you will see many examples of good layout.
I do not usually give specific instructions for projects but rather open-ended ideas, principles and guidelines. In this article in which I am looking at the layout of letters I have prepared two examples of the same words: ‘The fruit of the vine’. This could, of course, refer to the grape or the delightful drink made from it.
Project ideas
The idea of an inscribed platter or box could be the basis of an idea for a project. Instead of a turned plate you could use a flat board. The box is of simple form, just four cross halving joints. A little imagination could turn these ideas into many different projects. You will notice that, although the words are the same, the spacing is different. In the carving on the box the perpendicular lines are all parallel, however on the plate they are not, and this makes for quite a different effect. There is obviously more space between the ‘T’ and the ‘H’ than there is between the ‘H’ and the ‘E’. There are no exact rules, just study as many examples of carved lettering as you can. There are many books on calligraphy which should create a fund of ideas for future study on spacing. At the end of the day if it is pleasing to the eye and it looks right, it probably is right.
Carver’s tip
If you are carving something like the plate with an uneven base you should rest your work on a cushion to keep it steady.
Getting smaller
One of the problems I most frequently encounter with students usually comes at the end of a project, maybe a lovespoon for example. The spoon is small and then they want to put an inscription or dedication on their treasured piece. To solve this problem, I have come up with a simple solution which works for letters from 10mm down to about 5mm. You simply draw parallel lines either straight or on a curve and draw in the letters free-hand. You do not need to draw the letters as double lines, you simply carve either side of the drawn letters with a fine chip carving knife or a small craft knife.
You will see from the photographs that carvers with limited experience can get quite good results using this method. If you have trouble with the letters with curves you could make them more square in nature or, as you progress, you could use small gouges to define the curves. Remember that if you are putting a small message on an object it is the sentiment that counts – the recipient will not be looking at your letter-carving ability. I suggest that you keep some tools specially for the purpose of small letter carving and remember, practice makes perfect.
Carver’s tip
A well-known brand of replaceable blade scalpels are ideal for small lettering. Blades of various shapes are available but be careful when changing blades as they have a tendency to snap. I use a pair of small pliers when changing a blade.
Getting bigger
It is widely believed that carving larger letters is not possible with a knife and I was quite happy to accept this until I met a carver in the United States. He was in a workshop in a marina making a boat sign on a piece of sapele. The letters were about 4in (100cm) high and, to my surprise, he was using a tool with which I was not familiar. It is called a mill knife and has a strong handle and a strong blade with a cutting edge of about 35°.
Being intrigued by his adept use of the mill knife, I bought one and was eager to try it at home. I found it very difficult to use at first because it is held with two hands and drawn towards you, however, with practice, it produces wonderful results and I am surprised that they have never caught on in the UK – they are the norm in the US. Instead of cutting down to the root of the letter with a chisel or gouge the centre of the letter is removed as a V-cut on the heavier sections and then you work out to the edges of the letter.
Although it is not easy to find mill knives in the UK they are available from the US and Canada. As you can see in the photograph of my mill knife the adapted versions are not difficult to copy. The use of knives for letter carving does not detract from the traditional use of chisels and gouges, it is just another string to the wood carvers bow. If you wish to read more about the use of the mill knife I highly recommend ‘Carving Signs’ by Greg Krockta and Roger Schroeder, which is published by Fox Chapel Publishing.
Some easier starter projects
Besides the obvious use of lettering for notice boards and signs etc. I was scratching my head for small project ideas (no splinter jokes please) and I came up with a few projects that are a little easier than the plate or the box. You could try things like the monogrammed coaster, just play around with the initials to form a balanced monogram and you have a very acceptable gift. The spelling tiles are approximately 50 x 50mm. and a set of 26 does not take long to carve.
Top tip
Carve the letters on a board and cut the tiles afterwards. It makes life much easier.
The Alphabet blocks are a little more difficult to do; I used a 50 x 50mm section of lime in 300mm lengths. I marked them off at 50mm divisions, carved the letters and parted the blocks afterwards. As always these are just suggestions, once you get going I am sure you will come up with lots of new ideas.
If you want to try a variation on the box it is just four cross halving joints as shown in the photograph. The use of simple line drawn lettering can be used to enhance any piece of work, it is quick and easy to master and can open up many possibilities in your future projects.
