To start this step you will need a steel ruler that will be used as a knife guide as you create the stop cut along each side of the sail line.  Avoid using wood or plastic rulers for this step! If your bench knife is properly sharp it will cut not only the wood plaque but also the edge of these rulers, shaving a thin layer of wood or plastic away from the ruler's edge.

The steel rule in my carving kit has a cork backing.  From a 1/8" thick sheet of cork board I have cut a strip that is the size of my ruler minus 1/4" per measurement. For a ruler that is 12" long by 1 1/2" wide this would be a cork strip that measures 11 3/4" long (12 - 1/4 = 11 3/4) by 1 1/4" (2 - 1/4 = 1 1/4) wide.  Using contact cement and closely following the directions on the package, I have glued this strip the back of the ruler, centering so that there is a 1/8" margin along each side. Cork board and contact cement are available at most hardware stores.  The cork backing offers two assets to the steel ruler.  First, it grips the wood reducing the chances of the ruler sliding out of position as I work.  Second, it raises the rulers edge slightly from the wood surface.  This allows me to clearly see the tracing line underneath the ruler's edge.

There are three stages to cutting a straight line.  First, use the steel ruler as a knife guide.  Lay the ruler on the wood surface along the pattern line for the sail line.  Let the side of the bench knife lie against the ruler.  As you pull the cutting stroke keep the side of the knife blade against the ruler's edge which will guarantee that your cut will be straight.  

The second stage is done using the v-gouge.  This tool is bent into a v angle so provides two cutting edges, one for both sides of the angle.   By holding one side of the v-gouge against the sail line and keeping that side perpendicular (at a 90 degree angel) to the line you can carve a straight sided trough along the outside of the sail line.  This makes a wide trough cut that will keep the roughing out cuts away from the sail line.

Third, use your fingers as a bracing tool as you work the wood background away from the sail line.  Place the tips of your fingers against the opposite side of the sail line to your rough out cutting strokes. Don't press your fingers into the sail line, instead set them firmly against the floor of your work.  You want to brace this thin strip of wood to absorb the pressure of the cutting stroke.

Start by placing your ruler along the
 straight line that is to be cut.  
Use a bench knife to stop cut
along both sides of the line using the ruler as 
a guide for the side of the knife.  
Keep the  bench knife as vertical to the board 
as possible.  Make several thin passes 
with the knife, developing the stop cut
slowly.

With a v-gouge carve a shallow trough 
along both sides of your line.  Hold the 
v-gouge so that one side of the v is square 
to the line.  Again, develop this trough 
slowly using several shallow strokes. 

Use a round gouge to rough out the surrounding background wood.  Keep with the direction of the wood grain as much as possible.

As you are working the 
rough out stage use  your
fingers to brace the sail line.  This way the
pressure of your cutting stroke is  caught
by your fingers not the thin wood line.

OK ... everyone makes mistakes once in a while.  We all, occasionally, have a tool slip or we take too deep a cut!  Even the most experienced wood carvers sometimes ends up with a project that is only suited for firewood kindling ...

If you should split the sail line or remove too large an area in the rough out from the sail line you will need to glue this chip make into place using wood glue.

For more information on repairing mistakes 
and problems during carving, please see:
OOPS, We All Make Mistakes!

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