1. The Linden Tree

• Grow up to 130 feet with a trunk diameter of 2 to 3 feet.
• Fragrant blooms in summer attract bees. Perfumes and tea are made from the flowers
• Basswood is soft, creamy and even-grained. Woodcarvers say it "cuts like cheese."
• The bark is fibrous. Native Americans used it to make cords, rope and matting.

3. The Rough Cut

Each horse required about 120 board feet of basswood from a Linden tree. The wood was cut into two-inch planks and laminated together using glue and heavy pressure. One of the full-sized drawings was then used as a pattern to band saw the wood. Each horse arrived at the carving studio in 7 rough-cut pieces: head, body, 4 legs and a tail.

Dave Walker, the Carousel's master carver, welcomed experienced artisans to the project. He also helped develop novice volunteers into a cadre of skilled carvers.

The process started with drawing each horse's design onto the rough cut blocks of wood. Large mallets and gouges were used to take off the edges and rough out each body part. As the wood was chipped away, smaller gouges, knives and files were used. The intricate details were carved in relief using specialized tools.

5. Assembly

Once the individual parts were carved, they were assembled using large dowels, glue and clamps. The seams were then shaped and smoothed, giving a flawless appearance to the body. At this point if a small nick or cut was discovered anywhere on the horse, it was coated with filler, then carved and sanded again to a smooth finish.

6. Sanding

An average of 50 hours was dedicated to sanding each horse without the use of electric tools. Rough sandpaper and files were used to erase saw marks and deep cuts. Small sanding tools made minute ridges and imperfections disappear. Volunteers used the finest grit of sandpaper to make the wood as smooth as possible.

Overview of the entire display case that exhibited how to carve a horse for the carousel.

A poster showed how the fawn Blackberry "comes alive." A new animal being prepared for the carousel for installation in 2016. Notice how a squirrel will be installed on the fawns rump.

A new horse under preparation for inclusion on the carousel was named Patch the Pirate. As the poster said, "Dry time runs > Dec 2015, the ClearCoat > Ready to ride! B4 Christmas."