Carvings by Roger Strautman

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Intricately carved wooden cross with detailed draped cloth and engraved text panel

In the Woodcraft & Pfeil Carving Artistry Contest, Roger Strautman from Woodburn, Indiana, earned a pfeil Swiss made Brienz Collection Boxed Carving Set for “The Shroud,” an amazingly beautiful chip-carved cross with carved wooden linen. This Shroud story was blogged previously and can be found at this link: http://www.woodworkingadventures.com/2009/12/04/the-shroud/. Additional information on Roger’s community involvement using his special talent can be found from this article: http://www.woodcarvingillustrated.com/editors-column/giving-back.html.

Strautman received his prize, a pfeil Swiss made Brienz Collection Boxed Carving Set, valued at nearly $900 in late March 2010 and put the tools to good use.

Set of wood carving gouges and chisels with wooden handles, honing oil, and mallet on a woodworking bench
Close-up of a carved wooden cross with a draped cloth featuring detailed wood carving and engraved text.

Strautman was commissioned to duplicate an antique carved wall panel. The panel was made out of 5/4 English Brown Oak. Progressive shots and the final project are shown below.

Triptych showing woodworker using a router to carve floral patterns into a wooden panel in a workshop setting
Close-up triptych showing detailed floral wood carving in progress with carving tools on a wooden panel

And the finished product…

Two wooden panels with detailed floral and scrollwork carvings in a workshop setting

Some of Roger’s other works of art below:

24″ x 24″ x 3/4″ Octagon – Basswood with Butternut frame:

Octagonal wood panel with intricate floral and geometric relief carvings in a symmetrical pattern
Close-up of detailed floral and geometric relief carving on light wood panel with beveled frame edges
Intricate geometric and floral wood carving patterns with textured backgrounds on light wood panel
Close-up of geometric wood carving with star and triangular patterns in light-colored wood panel

Above is Roger’s large chip carving in 2008. The design time he had in this was as much as the cut time, somewhere between 300-400 hours total. Roger used a vertical chip cut in the middle petal areas, carving with a modified stab knife with a beveled cutting edge, typical of a whittling knife. Other areas of this design were 30 – 60 degree chip cuts, then finished with a clear coat.

This next carving Roger calls “HIDDEN TREASURES” which consists of a 24″ Square to a 36″ Diamond using Basswood and Walnut.

Intricately carved wooden panel with symmetrical floral and leaf motifs in a square frame
Intricately carved wooden panel with geometric and floral patterns displayed on an easel.
Intricately carved wooden panel with geometric and floral patterns in light wood.
Intricate geometric and floral wood carving with textured background and raised diamond shapes
Intricate geometric and floral wood carvings on a hinged wooden panel with detailed border patterns.

Roger’s design concepts for chip carving tend to veer away from what is in common use and expressed today. He started with a 24” square wall plaque and added hinged leaves to the piece, framed with a contrasting wood. Not only did this increase its size from 24″ to 36″, but it also allowed its original geometrical shape to be changed from a square to a diamond alternatingly. A circle has been cut in the middle of the closed leaves so the outside design would be incorporated as the center of the inside design. This piece uses some of the most difficult cuts when chip carving, i.e., long straight double lines, very large chips, stippling, and side by side chips. A natural finish was chosen by applying several coats of lacquer sprayed on the entire piece.

Awesome job, Roger. Thanks for sharing with us. We look forward to viewing your next project.

Stay tuned for the interview with Roger with more of his special projects and an upcoming interview with Nairi Safaryan, our first place winner with an update on his statue carving from the Switzerland trip .

Auf wiedersehen….Frank

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