Decoy Carving

B

Brian Glock

Member
Hi everyone. A little advice is needed. I have never carved decoys before but really want to give it an honest try this winter. I am looking for a little advice to get started. I think I want to use wood as my material of choice. As I get better, I like the option to add more detail.

My questions:
1). Best type of wood to use?
2). What tools do I need? I do have access to a band saw.
3). Where to get patterns?
4). Is there any website that show the process of making a decoy like scaup build project on this website?

Thanks for all your help in advance. Can't wait to get started!
 
Go to www.theduckblind.com and look at Willy"s cyber classroom. He takes you step by step through it. Lso Bob Furia has a great tutorial on www.mightylayoutboys.com on carving a decoy.
 
Go to the wildfowl carving and collecting website and look at their work bench projects books. Mark Costilow wrote their traditional hunting decoys book. If you are wanting to make gunners, it is the best book for the money. Contact Willy at The duck blind. If you have the money spring for a fordum power tool. May want to get the book,read through it and look at the tools Mark used in the book. I think Lou Tisch? at lockstockandbarrel may carry the book also.
 
Sometimes I forget how I got hooked...I bought some E Allens from Lou Tisch at Lock Stock and Barrel and a paint kit...I got Lou's video on painting and made up a dozen mallards. I was concerned that I wouldn't like or couldn't paint the birds. Lou's vid was the best money, next to Willy's class that I spent on decoys. The E Allens can be used for carving reference too. I've beat these dekes for about 8 years and they are still (almost) like the day I made them..they hunt every puddle hunt with me. It gave me confidence to make the plunge into carving.
 
Brian, where do you live?
If you are in maryland, delaware, or in that vicinity, i would be glad to bs with you and give you some help getting started--mentoring, yes, teaching-NO
 
Go to the wildfowl carving and collecting website and look at their work bench projects books. Mark Costilow wrote their traditional hunting decoys book. If you are wanting to make gunners, it is the best book for the money. Contact Willy at The duck blind. If you have the money spring for a fordum power tool. May want to get the book,read through it and look at the tools Mark used in the book. I think Lou Tisch? at lockstockandbarrel may carry the book also.
Click to expand...

Yes, we stock Costilow's book and it's a great way to get started with patterns, carving and painting. I also echo, echo, echo, echo (sorry, got caught in a loop there) about Willy & Di at the Duck Blind (www.theduckblind.com). Can't go wrong with those folks.

We also now have the video in DVD format (4 hr., 2 disc set on 6 drakes). Info is on the video page of our website: www.lockstockbarrell.com also www.eallendecoys.com (same site, two domains).

Let me know how we can be of service.

Oh..........Thanks Lee & Jason. :) Lou
 
1). Best type of wood to use?

Whichever suits your fancy. I like kiln dired Basswood and Cypress. One of these days I hope to start carving more White Cedar.

2). What tools do I need? I do have access to a band saw.

My main tools are a bandsaw, drill press, Foredom and Dremel Tool.

3). Where to get patterns?

I have Pat Godin Patterns from The Duck Blind and I draw alot of my own as well.

4). Is there any website that show the process of making a decoy like scaup build project on this website?

Yep, The Duck Blind. I suggest going ahead and buying the videos on how to carve hunting decoys. This is how I got started several years ago and it's a great way to learn. Besides then ou always can watch the videos as many times as you want. Basically your teacher is always there with you.
 
I'm no expert, I'm just getting going myself. Check out the MLB website, Bob Furia's tutorial is great. I read it a couple of times before I started, and as you go, reread it as some things become far more clearer as you start to see the duck in your hands (or at least for me). If you have access to a band saw then you probably can get access to enough hand tools to get through a bird or 2, before you spend a bunch of money on a fordom or other stuff.

I ordered some cork from Willy last week, and he is a great guy to talk to. I signed up for a painting class he is having in a couple weeks. It looks like that would geographically not be practical for you, but I would think that his or Lou's videos would be the next best choice.

Probably the most important thing when getting going (in any hobby, not just this) is to make sure you are going to enjoy it before you spend a bunch of money.

Have fun,
Chuck
 
What you may need to carve decoys depends on what you are looking for. As a minimalist, I would recommend a 1953 book by E.V. Connett entitled "Duck Decoys: How to Carve them, How to Carve them, How to Paint Them, and How to Rig Them." You can get a copy of this at abebooks.com for $12. All the books and programes that have been suggested are great, but some can be hard to get. This is a very basic book that includes some old patterns. Access to a bandsaw and drill press is great, but you can rough out a decoy with a hatchet, finishing it with a draw knife, spoke shave, knife and a rasp. I suggest white pine or white cedar to carve, but I have carved most of the other woods mentioned here, and then some ..... made a pair of Pintails with Teak for the fun of it. That may be the question you need to answer first, "Why carve?" In my case fun and relaxation, which allows me to do it on the cheap, but my observation and 50 cents won'tbuy you a cup of coffee. Hope you enjoy carving as much as I and a lot of members of this do, R.Bell
 
Thanks. I live in Porltand, OR. I wish I had someone to bounce ideas off of up here. Thanks again for the kind offer.

Brian
 
Brian, you are in timber country out there. See if you can find some 8/4 Sugar pine or some not too grainy Ponderosa pine. I own a Lumberyard and go out and sort 2x6..2x6 and sometimes 2x10 Western Spruce for clear in between knots and grain. I then glue it up into whatever thickness I need. When gluing up..I think you take a lot of the stresses that is in a solid chunk and reinforce or relieve it so you get less cracking.
 
I have an opportunity to collect some large diameter birch for furniture wood and some large diameter black cotton wood (Alaska species). The birch will be chain sawn rough and then air dried in planks for making small tables and such.

I have read that some east coast carvers have used cotton wood for carving both decorative birds and working decoys. The wood was harvested in the winter when the sap was down. Hey, its winter up here! Perfect!

Since this cotton wood will not cost me anything other than the time to haul, plank it, and dry it I am thinking that it will be a decent wood to start some practice carving for working decoys. Cedar will end up costing me a lot of money to get started in a hobby that will have some initial failures. I would rather fail at a lower cost.

So Lee, Mike, Jeff, Steve, how about it?
 
All people here got answers ... what to add ...

The best drawing you can find is Pat godin book .. www.godinart.com

The tool, you only need a knife ... but the best is to have a foredom , i know many here like duck blind or willy mcdonald, mind is Curts waterfowl corner in Louisiana ... and about the knife the only i used is a scalpel at 2$ and a lot of blade ( but i used tupelo wood ..

For a little help, go on my web page , you can see some pics of step, for sure you dont need to make a decorative ...

http://bougie.servibec.net/cl_scoter.htm

have good time in carving

Stef
www.bougie.rocler.com
 
I think I saw Ebay upstream somewhre but Ill repeat it. Got Rick Lubensky(sp?) Pat Godin book cheap!!!
The Eugene Connett book is a must have as well. Lots of great info.

If cottonwood is realated to our poplar on the east coast, and I think it is, use it. I have had real good luck with it, just make sure to seal the snot out of it. (dont ask).

That said the best way to learn is to find another carver in your neighborhood and try to learn from them.
Some may have some funny ideas or a technique you wont use but overall that is the easiest way to learn.
I think bluebills would be a nice starter bird as well. I started with mallards thinking they would be easy and still regret it. Simple paint= better paint.

Good Luck
Geoff
 
on the East Coast is a non native species also known as Paulonia....real light, nice grain but subject to being pithy and ant infested....its not the same thing as our native cottonwoods which I'm told is a poor choice for decoys.....

Steve
 
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