Crucifix, Maple Wood

1. I carved this crucifix many years ago. It was carved from Maple wood.
2. I glued five pieces of maple lumber until I had one large block of wood.
3. Without a drawing or model I simply carved from the "picture" in my mind.
4. After the main corpus was done I now had the problem of making the arms and fitting them so that they flowed correctly from the deltoid muscles in one smooth motion.
5. I cut the edges of the corpus clean and flat then made the arms in wax as a model.
6. Drilling holes in the body larger than then the peg of wood which extended on the end of the finished arms.
7. I knew that I had to have play in affixing the arms to the corpus. Once I knew how it would fit I filled the hole with newspaper and Elmer's Glue then held the arms with bungee cords until the glue dried. I made sure the end of the arms where they joined were left unfinished so as to carve and sand them so they  would flow together.

I carved this crucifix many years ago. It stands around three feet tall and is made from maple wood. I've never carved anything before and I was very excited about the final results. I would never have attempted to undertake such a challenge however it was a commissioned piece and I had to follow through. I was paid the agreed price of $800, however it took me eight months to finish it.
I began by gluing five pieces of maple wood purchased from the lumber yard which gave me a simple large block of wood and went from there. Except for the "picture" in my mind I did not do any preliminary drawings or planing.