Indonesian Arts and Crafts

by. Gary & Marie Crosby - This article is designed to provide you, the artisan, with a plan and instructions with the aim of you creating your own work of art and one you can enjoy for many years to come. I hope you have as much fun as I have doing this project.

This short e-book is designed to assist you with making your own personal Napkin Holder. The design is quite simple, very easy to do, you don’t need lots of fancy tools, and you don’t even need to know how to carve. So let’s get right to it. First thing you will need to do is select the wood you’re planning on using. Your wood could be anything from Pine to Oak. I personality prefer to use Mahogany because I find it provides me with that dark reddish color that gives you a more aged look, plus, it is relatively quite easy to carve .The basic wood dimensions required is in the Fig below. Now, this is my design and not the only size you can use. I just prefer my Napkin Holder this size.

Step 1 Select your wood.

Like I mentioned above, I normally like to select Red African mahogany but it's up to you to pick the wood you would like to use. Just remember how the wood will look after finishing, since some woods will not give you the desired look. An old carver told me once,' Choose wisely or you could end up wasting a lot of time.'

Step 2 Preparing your pattern

Remember to print out the pattern below to match the block of wood that you have selected. I would recommend using the wood block size above for your first one. In this case, I am using a chunk of Mahogany 6 inch in width, with a height of 7 inches and a thickness of 2 inches.

Pattern

Step 3 Laying out the pattern.

When laying out your pattern you will have two options. The first one is by using carbon paper; you do this by placing your carbon paper down first then lay your pattern on top of the carbon paper, then trace it out using a pencil following the lines on your pattern.
The second option is to trace your pattern out, but this time onto a sheet of 1/8-inch plywood. I do this to provide myself with a long- lasting pattern since I plan on using this pattern for many years to come. Below are the pattern examples of both options.

Above picture are Plywood Pattern Hand drawn pattern

Using carbon paper to transfer your pattern

You can see in this photo the lines that I traced out onto the Mahogany block.

Step 4, For the carving stage,

If you plan on carving the holder you have several options. The first is to do nothing, so that when you cut out the general shape you will still have a maple leaf. Next, you can use a small hand held router and score in the general leaf lines that I drew on the pattern. Last, is to do as I did and carve out the low areas of a leaf on both sides, staying within the lines you drew- as you can see below.

Carving using a number # 9, 5/16 (8mm) Straight Gouge

Cutting in just the lines using a 1/4 inch 70° parting tool

Step 5,

Next, you’re ready to start cutting out your napkin holder. Again, you can use a band saw or do it by hand. I use the band saw because it’s fast and clean. If you plan on using handsaws, make sure you have a couple of hours because of it's hard labor. When you cut it out, cut one side first from the bottom to the top center. Cut the center of the holder out completely, and then cut out your pattern on the other side.

Cutting out the center with a band saw.

So, first cut out ½ your pattern leaving one side flat. Then cut out the center portion. Next I cut out the rest of my pattern. Once that’s done I sand and prep my project for finishing.

Using a file to clean up the edges,

Step 6,

Next, all you have to do is to sand down your project, getting rid of all the sharp edges. Then add your finish. This can be anything from Tung Oil to Wax. I like to use Tung Oil first then Varnish or clear shellac. You can paint it as well if you want to.

Final product