"Decoy - Start to Finish - Head Carving"
Posted: Fri Aug 06, 2010 1:52 pm
Before proceeding, please check out the first two threads:
"Pattern Development"
http://www.ducksouth.com/phpbb/viewtopi ... 24&t=82545
and
"Cutting Out the Pattern"
http://www.ducksouth.com/phpbb/viewtopi ... 24&t=82602
The list of tools for the actual carving process can be as minimal or as diverse as one can afford, need, or prefers. Here is a basic list of what's needed:
As pictured from left to right: a home made "bow sander" which really helps w/ the sanding process of the body, flexible ruler, protective eye glasses and face mask for lung protection, calipers, small files and a finger nail file, round rasp, kniife and various different blades, sharpie pen, and a push pull draw knife. As mentioned earlier, the cost prohibitive item is mainly the band saw (500-1000$ depending), and cork and wood are getting more expensive everyday. Once these obstacles are overcome - and, I'll again give some ways - the expense of actual carving comes more in time than anything.
Myself? Well, I do more "power carving" as it saves time due to removing a larger amount of wood in a faster fashion. My other instrument is a Wecheer Power Carver and as many bits as I can get my hands on. I'm going to save the "what I use so far as bits/grinders" for any questions via this thread or PM's as I get, in order to save time.
The grinder:
The first thing to do once the head is roughed out on the band saw is to make your markings on the head, signifying areas of interest you need to define and/or leave alone. Here is what I did for the beginners:
In this photo, I have defined for you the center of the head, given the width of the top of the head that I will try not to go past, detailed the bill, eye channel, and cheek areas, and given an area on the bottom of the bill I will not touch. You will also see the letters "A" and "B" - these are the "rounding" points. After the initial cuts and wood removal, I round from "A" to "B". The bottom of the cheek could very well be "C" (and is in my mind) and I round from "C" to "B". You will also see a circled "x". This is the high spot of the cheek that I will not touch w/ knife or grinder - I.e. the widest point on the head.
Also, not the "v" drawn on the top of the bill - again, this is an area I will do minimal carving on. In fact, this would but dug into, creating a trough. I don't do this persay, but rather, I carve it flat and only take enough off to keep my bill proportional.
As I'm typing this, I'm realizing how hard this may be to visualize. As such, I offer an open invite to anyone that's interested in carving to PM me for scheduling nothing more than a visualization of the process and talk about decoys.
Anyway, from here, there are as many ways to carve as there are to skin a cat. For those, like myself, that are more interested in a "look" rather than a anatomically correct rendition of a live duck, the process for carving, what you carve, where you carve, and when you carve takes on an approach towards those which yield the "look" you're after. Myself, I like a "fatter" head throughout and a bit more of a "boxy" look. Again, this is just personal preference towards my own aesthetics.
For some, they dig in square from the termination of the bill to the back of the head, taking the wood up to the top "boundary" I showed a photo above. Others simply round the head at this time, then take out the eye channel. I prefer to take the eye channel now, as it simplifies and defines the look I'm after. Examples:
Side view
Back view
Once this is done, I rough out my top profile to the "boundary":
Again, as I'm not used to these documentary type deals, I forget to photo my process for the cheek - which I do next. I make small cuts to define my "line", then dig deeper. After that, I round, again from point "A" to "B".
As an aside, I have realized it would be helpful to visualize how one may "cut to round." I will show and explain that when I carve the body - the bigger piece will make it easier to see anyways.
On these decoys (I'm doing a drake and hen, in the same general pose though slightly different) I have decided to not define the "bill" where it meets the head. Two reasons for this: 1) I suck at it, therefore, feel inadequate to try to describe the process and 2) I suck at it, therefore, I'm just going to paint it in, thus making myself feel better about not having to screw up a perfectly good decoy
.
Here are the 2 heads very roughed:
I had to stop due to the sweat dripping on the heads was causing the grain to raise and my sandpaper to get bogged down. From the point of the pic, all that's left in order to create a nice gunning block to more sanding and maybe some knife work here and there to remove more wood.
For those wondering about eyes. They will be tack eyes placed at the end, so no real tute on that - my decoys, my rules, hehe.
I hope to show the joining of head to body and carving the body over the next day or so.
I also hope you stay tuned, Justin
"Pattern Development"
http://www.ducksouth.com/phpbb/viewtopi ... 24&t=82545
and
"Cutting Out the Pattern"
http://www.ducksouth.com/phpbb/viewtopi ... 24&t=82602
The list of tools for the actual carving process can be as minimal or as diverse as one can afford, need, or prefers. Here is a basic list of what's needed:
As pictured from left to right: a home made "bow sander" which really helps w/ the sanding process of the body, flexible ruler, protective eye glasses and face mask for lung protection, calipers, small files and a finger nail file, round rasp, kniife and various different blades, sharpie pen, and a push pull draw knife. As mentioned earlier, the cost prohibitive item is mainly the band saw (500-1000$ depending), and cork and wood are getting more expensive everyday. Once these obstacles are overcome - and, I'll again give some ways - the expense of actual carving comes more in time than anything.
Myself? Well, I do more "power carving" as it saves time due to removing a larger amount of wood in a faster fashion. My other instrument is a Wecheer Power Carver and as many bits as I can get my hands on. I'm going to save the "what I use so far as bits/grinders" for any questions via this thread or PM's as I get, in order to save time.
The grinder:
The first thing to do once the head is roughed out on the band saw is to make your markings on the head, signifying areas of interest you need to define and/or leave alone. Here is what I did for the beginners:
In this photo, I have defined for you the center of the head, given the width of the top of the head that I will try not to go past, detailed the bill, eye channel, and cheek areas, and given an area on the bottom of the bill I will not touch. You will also see the letters "A" and "B" - these are the "rounding" points. After the initial cuts and wood removal, I round from "A" to "B". The bottom of the cheek could very well be "C" (and is in my mind) and I round from "C" to "B". You will also see a circled "x". This is the high spot of the cheek that I will not touch w/ knife or grinder - I.e. the widest point on the head.
Also, not the "v" drawn on the top of the bill - again, this is an area I will do minimal carving on. In fact, this would but dug into, creating a trough. I don't do this persay, but rather, I carve it flat and only take enough off to keep my bill proportional.
As I'm typing this, I'm realizing how hard this may be to visualize. As such, I offer an open invite to anyone that's interested in carving to PM me for scheduling nothing more than a visualization of the process and talk about decoys.
Anyway, from here, there are as many ways to carve as there are to skin a cat. For those, like myself, that are more interested in a "look" rather than a anatomically correct rendition of a live duck, the process for carving, what you carve, where you carve, and when you carve takes on an approach towards those which yield the "look" you're after. Myself, I like a "fatter" head throughout and a bit more of a "boxy" look. Again, this is just personal preference towards my own aesthetics.
For some, they dig in square from the termination of the bill to the back of the head, taking the wood up to the top "boundary" I showed a photo above. Others simply round the head at this time, then take out the eye channel. I prefer to take the eye channel now, as it simplifies and defines the look I'm after. Examples:
Side view
Back view
Once this is done, I rough out my top profile to the "boundary":
Again, as I'm not used to these documentary type deals, I forget to photo my process for the cheek - which I do next. I make small cuts to define my "line", then dig deeper. After that, I round, again from point "A" to "B".
As an aside, I have realized it would be helpful to visualize how one may "cut to round." I will show and explain that when I carve the body - the bigger piece will make it easier to see anyways.
On these decoys (I'm doing a drake and hen, in the same general pose though slightly different) I have decided to not define the "bill" where it meets the head. Two reasons for this: 1) I suck at it, therefore, feel inadequate to try to describe the process and 2) I suck at it, therefore, I'm just going to paint it in, thus making myself feel better about not having to screw up a perfectly good decoy
.Here are the 2 heads very roughed:
I had to stop due to the sweat dripping on the heads was causing the grain to raise and my sandpaper to get bogged down. From the point of the pic, all that's left in order to create a nice gunning block to more sanding and maybe some knife work here and there to remove more wood.
For those wondering about eyes. They will be tack eyes placed at the end, so no real tute on that - my decoys, my rules, hehe.
I hope to show the joining of head to body and carving the body over the next day or so.
I also hope you stay tuned, Justin
