How to Carve a Heart Locket From Wood
Wood carvings of all types are favorites of collectors the world over. A skilled wood carver can turn a hunk of wood into anything with nothing more than a carving knife, and collectors are willing to pay good money for these pieces. Hand-carved wooden jewelry is especially popular and can fetch a good price at flea markets or online stores. Learn how you can carve a wooden heart locket that will be a hit among collectors and jewelry lovers alike.
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Things You'll Need
- Wood Wood-carving knife Handsaw (or jig) Glass or Plexiglass 80-grit sandpaper Stain, lacquer, paint (as desired) Chain and chain hook Small hinge assembly
Instructions
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Draw two hearts on a block of wood the size you want your locket to be. Any hardwood will do, but think about using Cherrywood or Mahogany to add to the quality of your design. Cut the two hearts out of the wood with a handsaw and jig. Each heart should be about 1 inch to 1½ inches thick, depending upon how much shaping you intend to do.
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Use a precision carving knife to shape the two wooden hearts. Add roundness to the wooden heart pieces and add scallop designs if you'd like. Hollow out one side of each of the hearts, and carve a very thin slot around the inside perimeter of each. This will be the fitting for a glass or Plexiglass covering.
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Cut glass or Plexiglass to fit inside the locket. You will need to use a glass cutting tool or an X-acto knife, depending upon whether you want real glass or Plexiglass. Cut the glass or Plexiglass to fit the inside perimeter slots of the wooden heart pieces.
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Sand your heart pieces with 80-grit sandpaper until smooth. Stain or paint the pieces any way you like. Use a high-gloss, water-resistant lacquer to finish.
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Put the two halves of the hearts together and attach a very small hinge assembly to one side with screws. This will hold the hearts together and allow the two halves to open and close. A gold-colored hinge assembly with a wood-stained heart looks very pretty, but you can use a silver or black assembly if you prefer.
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Glue a small chain-loop hook on top of the finished locket, and loop the chain of your choice through it. The size of the loop hole depends on the size chain you want to use.
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Finish the locket by adding any personal engravings or your initials, then insert the glass or Plexiglass into the wooden heart locket. Now you have a hand-crafted wooden heart locket worthy of being passed from one generation to the next.
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Tips & Warnings
Wear protective eyewear when cutting glass.
Resources
- Photo Credit http://www.stockvault.net/
