The look I wanted to achieve is a rough, unfinished look on the outside and a smooth, finished look on the inside. Hence the reason why I left the all-thread still attached.

If you notice, my initials (CB) are carved. The upper part of the 'C' comes down from the top and transforms into a turntable arm and cartridge. The needle is playing on a record, which is composed of the lower part of the 'C.' Behind the arm, you can see the letter 'B.'

For my first time, I should have used a more porous wood that would be easier to work with. (You learn this after you start!)

I chose cedar mainly because I liked the smell of the wood. To begin, I cut all the pieces different lengths to make it not so symmetrical. Next, I glued the pieces together and made sure they wouldn't slip by drilling holes through them and securing the all-thread with wingnuts. Afetr a couple days, I drew out my design and proceeded to hand-carve out the wood. On a side note, doing a relief sculpture by hand is extremely tough. Because I'm living in the year 2005, I decided to use power tools and cut out the main sections. I used a circular saw to cut lines, then dug out chunks of wood with a chisel and hammer.

Once all the main chunks were out, I began to use a chisel and hammer to carve the rest. It took me over 100 hours to complete the project, but when I look at it, I know that there is a huge sense of accompliment.

I chose a lighter stain for the letters in order to help distinguish them from the background.

Questions? Comments? Concerns?