Decoy Carving

F

Frank Lopez

New member
I've been carving working birds for a few years and have been using tools that I've had laying around. Most of the carving is done with a band saw, spoke shave and rasp. What I'd like to do is to get a drawknife, but I know little to nothing about them. For general decoy carving, what size? Shape?


Also, I'm looking for a source of white pine for carving. I've been using cedar, but good stock is getting difficult to find.


Thanks,


Frank
 
I have a couple of store bought draw knives and they are OK. The rest I have picked up at yard sales, flea markets and the like. I like the older ones much better. As far as shape and size... find one that feels right to you. I find that I prefer the smaller straight edged.
 
Good morning, Frank~

I use a straight drawknife - one my Dad had forever. I do 90 % of my body shaping with it. You can remove big chunks or very thin layers. I usually finish the ends with a rasp and/or Stanley Surform. The Surform is nice because it does not pull wood out and leave tiny pits - as a coarse rasp can do.

Tutorial is at: http://stevenjaysanford.com/carving-a-mallard-body-tutorial/

Also, I hope you are planning to come to the LI Decoy Collectors Show in Hauppauge on March 7. Please introduce yourself if you do. I will be hanging around our display When the Broadbill was King on Great South Bay. Here is the trailer: http://vimeo.com/116558936

Wish I had a good answer for carving wood - it's a continual challenge. You could probably order some thick Sugar Pine or White Pine through a good lumberyard like Riverhead Building Supply - but it's sure to be pricey.

All the best,

SJS
 
Bought a draw knife from Knotts Knives it about 8" across, as I was buying it an older gentleman said " that's going to make your life a lot easier" he was right.
I make a "t" out of oak and screw it to the bottom of the body or head and then clamp it in my vise. That makes it easy to remove big pieces to rough shape the piece.
Ken
 
When it comes to using a draw knife the best tool I have is the carving bench I made last fall.

I can adjust it to hold heads and bodies and it allows me to really work with the draw knife. I never had a work table that was sturdy enough for my carving vice and I always felt like I just could not get the decoy in the right position with the carving vise. With this bench, I can turn the body/head any direction I want and I don't have to run screws up into the wood.
 
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