Architectural Woodcarving Books
Frederick Wilbur/Kurt Koch

Review by Mark Gezella – June 2006

This month I'd like to tell you about a couple of new entries to the library. I'm enthused about these because they relate to a specific woodworking topic the library didn't cover - carving architectural details for both buildings and furniture. The feature presentation is a new book entitled Carving Architectural Detail in Wood by Frederick Wilbur. Mr. Wilbur has been carving and writing about carving for over 25 years. He's widely known among conservators and preservationists, and has participated in restoring national landmarks such as the University of Virginia, Foley Square Courthouse (New York), and the Library of Congress. He holds multiple degrees, and has written articles for FWW, American Woodworker, Woodwork, and Woodcarving magazines. I also found that he writes poetry and is a devout follower of Buddhism, which fosters his deep appreciation of the natural world. He lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with Elizabeth, his wife of 30 years.

Carving Architectural Detail in Wood begins with an interesting overview, which discusses topics such as safety, workspace and methods, tools/techniques, materials, and a final note on terminology. These are rather nondescript, but what caught my attention was some references he made to the likes of Grinling Gibbons (touted to be the finest carver ever) along with contemporaries such as James Krenov. The way I see it, if he knows enough to throw around names of masters like these, he can't be all bad!

The book holds seven chapters. It begins with Classical Design, where this erudite author provides an extensive background on the history and methodology of ornamentation. It discusses historical notes, proportions, how to design for carving, and The Orders, which describes entire configurations of buildings. For example, did you know classic temples were constructed according to four specific floor plans? They are recognized by precise arrangement of structural components; distyle in antis, amphiprostyle, peripteral, dipteral…these terms might make sense to you, but they're all greek to me!

Chapters two and three discuss Moldings, which begin with the basics of working methods and decoration for flat designs using astragals and ovolos. A progression from basic to complex methods of work takes place by introducing cyma profiles and layering with foliage. He also stresses the importance of practicality in these chapters, exemplified by his handmade gauge blocks and marking wheels. Some are simple implements used for quick sizing, while others are more elaborate. The marking wheel is quite clever, which the Author uses often to delineate intervals for repetitive work. This proves useful for laying out frets and bandings.

Chapters four and five give attention to specific details of embellishment. Volutes (including spirals and scrolls) and Rosettes (multi-dimensional flowery depictions produced by incised, applied, or high relief) round out these subjects. The last chapter on specific elements contains detail on Capitals, including how they were defined and designed. Descriptions of Romanesque influence are discussed, and references to the three principal classical orders - Ionic, Doric, and Corinthian make an apropos appearance. The final chapter of the book offers some suggestion on how these elements can be combined and/or applied to a variety of more common objects. Applications contains some wonderful examples of picture frames, mantels, and gateposts adorned with the afore-mentioned accoutrements.

If after all of this you decide you don't want to check out the book, check out his website! The address is http://www.frederickwilbur-woodcarver.com/. Mr. Wilbur showcases much of his work on this site, along with a list of his two books (ours and another one I've read from the public library). He also lists all of the magazine articles he's written for Fine Woodworking, Woodwork, etc. It certainly bolsters my opinion of him being a very talented individual.

I would also like to mention, albeit briefly, a second book we acquired for this same genre of craft. Architectural Patterns for Woodcarvers, by Kurt Koch, is a paperback that contains 63 classical patterns, offered to add ornament to furniture and trim work. The book is pretty short; it provides a quick introduction on how to use the book (a single page), then presents what are basically pencil sketches of all the patterns. Nothing really surprising, but a great source of reference for many standard, time-honored patterns.

These are newer books bursting with some of the finest architectural detail ever conceived, and serve to reinforce the cliché that "everything old is new again". This is especially true for the Wilbur book. It provides a great reference, using many architectural examples with a level of detail that really clarifies his instruction. These books offer insight and clarity, and broaden the spectrum of our collection. I think these qualities make them a great addition to our library. I hope you find them as engaging as I did. These books will be available for check-out at the next general membership meeting.