DENNIS HAYS
Active member
I guess everybody is to busy hunting ? Thought i would post what Debbi has been working on.
December workbench
- Thread starter DENNIS HAYS
- Start date
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Dennis~
Very nice as always!
We've been trying to find ducks - not too much actual hunting....
My next post here will be the bird feeder I just made - to replace a worn-out one.....
All the best,
SJS
Very nice as always!
We've been trying to find ducks - not too much actual hunting....
My next post here will be the bird feeder I just made - to replace a worn-out one.....
All the best,
SJS
MLBob Furia
Well-known member
Love it , Steve....I've been out "trying to find ducks" about 3 days a week. (....beats sitting around at home though).
My December workbench offering was actually finished in late October, but had to wait until after it was "gifted" at Thanksgiving to my youngest son and his fiance, who will be getting married in two weeks.
The idea came from one of Keith Hendrickson's photos which I added to my reference files in 2011 thinking that the subject (a wood duck pair in courtship display) would someday make ideal frond carvings .....and what better subject for a wedding gift!
Here is the photo (Keith was gracious enough to give me the OK to display it with the carvings):
View attachment 022.jpg
And here is my frond interpretation on the water:
View attachment 023.jpg
And the "Coffee table book" pictures for the same birds:
View attachment 037.jpg View attachment 053.jpg
Lots of pictures of the entire process for this project at the link below.
My December workbench offering was actually finished in late October, but had to wait until after it was "gifted" at Thanksgiving to my youngest son and his fiance, who will be getting married in two weeks.
The idea came from one of Keith Hendrickson's photos which I added to my reference files in 2011 thinking that the subject (a wood duck pair in courtship display) would someday make ideal frond carvings .....and what better subject for a wedding gift!
Here is the photo (Keith was gracious enough to give me the OK to display it with the carvings):
View attachment 022.jpg
And here is my frond interpretation on the water:
View attachment 023.jpg
And the "Coffee table book" pictures for the same birds:
View attachment 037.jpg View attachment 053.jpg
Lots of pictures of the entire process for this project at the link below.
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Steve Sanford
Well-known member
I guess this is NDR....
My old feeder was a bit worn after 15 or so years.
Here's the new one. I kept the basic design but made a few minor improvements.
The tray is sealed with epoxy - but lets water through.
One new feature was the pale innards - so I can easily see when more sunflower seeds are needed.
The regulars waited patiently whilst I swapped out old for new.
I re-used the hook & eye for the closure - needed with a strong south wind. Groove in wider lid controls drips.
Perch edges are rounded and grooves for suet feeders are deeper.
Edges of lip are rounded, too - because chafe from all of those scaly feet is inevitable.
Probably the biggest change is removing a Sugar Maple limb from which Grey Squirrels would drop - about 8 feet - onto the feeder.
The new model was readily accepted. If we ever get winter, maybe we'll see some Pine Siskins, Redpolls - and even a Northern Shrike if we're lucky.
All the best,
SJS
My old feeder was a bit worn after 15 or so years.
Here's the new one. I kept the basic design but made a few minor improvements.
The tray is sealed with epoxy - but lets water through.
One new feature was the pale innards - so I can easily see when more sunflower seeds are needed.
The regulars waited patiently whilst I swapped out old for new.
I re-used the hook & eye for the closure - needed with a strong south wind. Groove in wider lid controls drips.
Perch edges are rounded and grooves for suet feeders are deeper.
Edges of lip are rounded, too - because chafe from all of those scaly feet is inevitable.
Probably the biggest change is removing a Sugar Maple limb from which Grey Squirrels would drop - about 8 feet - onto the feeder.
The new model was readily accepted. If we ever get winter, maybe we'll see some Pine Siskins, Redpolls - and even a Northern Shrike if we're lucky.
All the best,
SJS
Dave Speer
Active member
Couple things I finished today. Well the painting was all done today, the decoy just needed a final bill coat.
Bill Embacher
Well-known member
Finished up the torrent duck pair
and a black duck pair, solid pine for a change
and working on another first of species, a white-fronted goose, hollow pine
and a black duck pair, solid pine for a change
and working on another first of species, a white-fronted goose, hollow pine
Brandon Yuchasz
Well-known member
Bob,
Your work is always top notch but that pair really is just amazing. What a great gift!
Your work is always top notch but that pair really is just amazing. What a great gift!
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Good morning, Bob~
Spectacular!
I'll bet your painting took awhile - but what I really want to know is how long it took you to photograph your birds in the same positions as the original photo? (I know how frustrating it is for me to get he right angles, light, etc on a single floater....)
All the best,
SJS
Spectacular!
I'll bet your painting took awhile - but what I really want to know is how long it took you to photograph your birds in the same positions as the original photo? (I know how frustrating it is for me to get he right angles, light, etc on a single floater....)
All the best,
SJS
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Good morning, Dave~
It's great to see your Lonestar State Impressionism in full flourish!
Is that Grackle Boat-tailed or Great-tailed?
All the best,
SJS
It's great to see your Lonestar State Impressionism in full flourish!
Is that Grackle Boat-tailed or Great-tailed?
All the best,
SJS
Steve Sanford
Well-known member
Good morning, Bill~
Everything's gorgeous - but I cannot help but linger on those Blacks: You nailed The Look!
All the best,
SJS
Everything's gorgeous - but I cannot help but linger on those Blacks: You nailed The Look!
All the best,
SJS
Dave Speer
Active member
Great-tailed. I thought they were all boat-tailed and found some info on the web, apparently the great-tailed have yellow eyes. At least that's what I recall!
I have been meaning to carve one up, I love their iridescence. I'm not much of a flat painter so I thought I'd try my hand at it that way first.
Brandon Yuchasz
Well-known member
That Can is something new for you Dave. Trying some new styles?
I really like the paint.
I really like the paint.
Dave Speer
Active member
Painting or carving? That pattern is straight from Godin. I entered the head whittling contest in Strongsville this year. It was a canvasback. I figured they'd probably use a Godin pattern, and I had only ever carved one can with a Foredom. I practiced a couple with a knife, and then I had it laying around waiting on a body, so I used the Godin body as well.
I did relief carve the individual wing feathers though.
Brandon Yuchasz
Well-known member
Mostly I was talking the carving . the paint is what I liked most though.
It looks like everyone has been busy this December!
Dennis, Debbi does a great job. I really like the duck signs.
Bob, the woodies are awesome! Great animation.
Dave, I really like the mellow colors on the can.
Steve, that is one of the nicest bird feeders I've ever seen. As usual, a very well planned and well executed design.
Bill, I always like the classic feel of your decoys. Even if I am not familiar with the species!
Here are a few things that I've finished. I haven't participated in the past few months, so here is the result of quite a bit of time in the shop. I spend most of my time doing antique decoy restoration, but I am trying to create my own style of contemporary decoys. The heads are chip carved, wings are slightly v-cut, painted in oils, no sandpaper is used, and they are lifesize (or slightly smaller). I carve the out of whatever clean, tight grained wood that I can get my hands on- Maine white pine, white cedar, or red cedar. They are all hollow and have flat keels. On decoys used in my personal rig, I remarque the bottoms. Thanks for taking a look!
Canvasbacks
Decorative Style Shovelers
Dennis, Debbi does a great job. I really like the duck signs.
Bob, the woodies are awesome! Great animation.
Dave, I really like the mellow colors on the can.
Steve, that is one of the nicest bird feeders I've ever seen. As usual, a very well planned and well executed design.
Bill, I always like the classic feel of your decoys. Even if I am not familiar with the species!
Here are a few things that I've finished. I haven't participated in the past few months, so here is the result of quite a bit of time in the shop. I spend most of my time doing antique decoy restoration, but I am trying to create my own style of contemporary decoys. The heads are chip carved, wings are slightly v-cut, painted in oils, no sandpaper is used, and they are lifesize (or slightly smaller). I carve the out of whatever clean, tight grained wood that I can get my hands on- Maine white pine, white cedar, or red cedar. They are all hollow and have flat keels. On decoys used in my personal rig, I remarque the bottoms. Thanks for taking a look!
Canvasbacks
Decorative Style Shovelers
I do not like to post pictures of restoration work, without the owner's permission, but here are some "contemporary antique" pieces that I've made recently. These are brand new decoys, made to look close to 100 years old. I sign every decoy, and usually carve it out of very different wood than the original, real antiques were made out of. I do this to try to eliminate any chances of confusion. For example, northern decoys are carved out of a southern cedar and vice versa.
Here is a Cobb Island (Eastern Shore, VA) style, stick-up Brant. The Brant decoys that didn't float well often had a hole drilled in the bottom of them and were used as full-body stick-up decoys. The head/neck is carved out of a tree branch, in the traditional Cobb Island style.
Verity family (Long Island, NY) style Plover decoys. Supposedly, the feathering was NOT done with a brush. A small branch/twig was chewed flat and used to paint the black feathers.
Ringnecks....somehow they didn't get included in the first post.
Here is a Cobb Island (Eastern Shore, VA) style, stick-up Brant. The Brant decoys that didn't float well often had a hole drilled in the bottom of them and were used as full-body stick-up decoys. The head/neck is carved out of a tree branch, in the traditional Cobb Island style.
Verity family (Long Island, NY) style Plover decoys. Supposedly, the feathering was NOT done with a brush. A small branch/twig was chewed flat and used to paint the black feathers.
Ringnecks....somehow they didn't get included in the first post.
Pat Gregory
Well-known member
Spencer - Love the post and your work! Your ruddy is getting to work this year. Friday, we take it to the duck club. The aerial survey says there are 4,400 ruddies ducks on Clear Lake! Hopefully, at least one will fly!
Take care and God bless brother! Pat
Ps... post up some of your scaup sometime.
Take care and God bless brother! Pat
Ps... post up some of your scaup sometime.
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