Page 37 - BSAM 2018 Q4

After cleaning the live vein with a double-bladed “Swiss Made” Abegglen Detail Knife (shown below), I turned my attention to the foliage. The problem I needed to resolve was that all the foliage was too far away from the main trunk, which was to be the main focal point of the composition. I decided to separate the dead part from the live part. This would allow me to bend the live part and bring it closer to the deadwood of the main trunk.
Using a hand saw I separated the dead portion of the branch from the live part, that now became easier to bend. Using a clamp while sawing, helps me to apply pressure while moving the branch into position. I didn’t use raffia, followed by tape, this time, because while I was separating the live part from the deadwood, I wanted to see the reaction of the live wood. After I bent the live part of the branch into position I fixed it in place using a guy-wire. Now I began to manipulate the secondary branch structure.
Top right; The live vein after it was cleaned, the reason why this was chosen as the front. Detail shown top left.
Middle left; This special knife has two cutting edges, a rounded one on one side and a concave one on the other, which makes the tool extremely versatile.
Middle right; Sawing through the deadwood to make the live portion easier to bend and guy wire it closer to the main trunk.
Bottom left and right; A woodworking clamp is used to slowly apply pressure while sawing and moving the branch.
October/November/December 2018 | BCI | 35