Here is the side panel from the joined chest with drawers. This is a good example of what you can get away with while doing this style of carving. This pattern repeats from left to right, but it is not strictly speaking symmetrical. “The eye is very forgiving” Alexander used to tell anyone who would listen. I look for this type of variation when studying original artifacts from the period – this is how they should look, more or less.
The background is textured with a toothed punch, after having carved the design with the gouges and a mallet. If I remember correctly, this panel is about 10″x 13″ or so.
PETER FOLLANSBEE: JOINER’S NOTES 
Great pictures. By see your carvings I can see were I was going wrong. I was trying to make my shapes to complicated.
I think I was worrying to much about trying to get the depth of the carving uniform. It looks to me that the texturing tool can average out the differences. Do find this to be true?
I think you are completely right.