DIY Network

Bud Ellis: Carousel Horse Carving There's no "Horsin' Around" when it comes to carving carousel animals. From "Woodsculpting" episode DWDS-107

	Master carver Bud Ellis through his Horsin' Around Carving School works to keep the art of carving carousel animals alive.

As a young man, Bud Ellis began studying carousel horses and learning the old masters' techniques of carving these animals. Needless-to-say, Bud has had a lifelong fascination with carousels. That early determination led him to create the world’s only carousel carving school, Horsin’ Around.

He begins demonstrating his methods of carving by gluing 3 slabs of basswood together. Bud continues demonstrating how to carve a carousel horse eyes and fitting in the eye. Once the eyes are fitted, Bud shows how to carve other parts of the horse such as the mane, tail, and leg.

Finally, Bud Ellis demonstrates how to sand the entire horse properly and how to apply latex primer prior to painting. Bud shows how to add layers of paint on top of an undercoat to give the illusion of shading and depth.

Students of the Horsin' Around Carousel Carving School learn every detail of creating these intricate animals, as seen in the horse-head photo, right.

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Materials:

basswood slabs (3 inches, glued together)
grinder with chainsaw blade
chisels
mallet
safety glasses
glass eyes
palm sander
rotary sander
sandpaper (various grits)
latex primer
latex paints

1. Work on each body part of the horse separately. Each body part will be fastened together using dowel rods (figure A). The body parts are made up of 3, 3-inch basswood slabs that have been glued together (figure B). Sketch out the body part silhouette and remove the excess wood using a grinder with a chainsaw attachment (figure C).

Figure A

Figure B

Figure C

2. To create the eye sockets for the horse head, hollow out each eye socket using a chisel and mallet (figures D & E). Once completed, a glass horse's eye will be inserted into each eye socket (figure F). These glass eyes can be found at any taxidermy supply. Putty is applied around the glass eye to hold it in place.

Figure D

Figure E

Figure F

3. Once the eye sockets have been carved out, it's time to work on the horse's mane (figure G). One style of mane commonly used in carousel horses is called a roach mane (figure H).

Figure G

Figure H

This mane is short-cropped and is achieved by using a small chisel to hollow out small "circles" in the top of the mane (figure I). The same small chisel, or veiner, is used to define the sides of the mane by making gouges in each side to mimic hair. When making the sides of the main, use the chisel and work the wood in different directions (figure J).

Figure I

Figure J

4. To carve a more free-flowing mane (figure K), use a larger chisel and mallet and take off wood in a free-flowing manner—like a river flowing (figures L & M). Carve off and round off any sharp edges.

Figure K

Figure L

Figure M

5. To carve a horse leg, cut the shape using a band saw and sketch out the silhouette of the horse leg onto the wood (figure N). Place "X" marks on the wood that is to be removed (figure O).

Figure N

Figure O

6. To carve the horse's tail, draw the silhouette onto the two basswood boards that have been laminated together (figure P). Using a U-shaped chisel, begin by removing excess wood to define the flow of the horse's tail (figures Q & R). Remember to use the chisel to remove and round off any sharp edges.

Figure P

Figure Q

Figure R

7. To prep the horse for painting, use a palm sander with medium grit sandpaper and go over all of the surface area of the horse (figure S). You can also use a small rotary sander with various sanding attachments to reach into tight areas (figure T). After the horse has been thoroughly sanded using medium grit sandpaper, sand the entire surface again with fine grit sandpaper (figure U).

Figure S

Figure T

Figure U

8. Paint the entire horse using a latex-based primer. Sand the entire horse after the first coat has dried. Paint a second coat of primer on and sand again. Paint a final coat of primer on. Now the carousel animal is ready for paint.

9. Start by applying black latex over the entire surface of the horse. This is called the undercoat. Additional colors will be applied over this undercoat to allow the black paint to show through (figure V). Pre-mixed latex paints can be purchased at any crafts store. Once the painting is complete, apply several coats of polyurethane sealer.

Figure V

RESOURCES :

Horsin' Around Carousel Carving School
Contact: Bud Ellis
302 Walmart Drive
Soddy Daisy, Tennessee 37379
423-332-1111
E-mail: carvingbud@comcast.net

Woodcarving Illustrated magazine
Website: www.woodcarvingillustrated.com

Fox Chapel Publishing Co.
Publishers of
Woodcarving Illustrated magazine and numerous books on woodcarving.
1970 Broad Street
East Petersburg, PA 17520

Websites:
www.foxchapelpublishing.com

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