January "What's on your Workbench?"

John Lawrence

John Lawrence

Active member
Here we are in 2012. Mama Volleyduck and I were out last last night saying good bye to 2011. I know that a lot of people were glad to see it go but 2011 turned out to be an okay year around here.

Every year I give my son his choice of a decoy for Christmas. This year he chose a drake Labrador. Here is his Christmas bird for 2011. He is hollowed white pine and oils.

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Back in late 2008 I started making decoy bodies out of 2x10 lumber. They caused quite a bit of controversy at the time. Originally I made 14 of them, the original pair were gadwalls and they are in my hunting rig still, the other twelve went to live with other people. Throughout the past year and during the Easton show in November I kept getting asked if I had made any more. At the same time I've been on a kick with redheads recently and I just happened to have a couple of heads that were almost done just sitting around. So I thought that I might make a few more 2x10 birds this winter. Here is the first glue up ready to go. This one will be a high headed drake that I plan on pairing up with a low headed hen.

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I'm also planning on trying to get a pair of magnum ringneck 2x10 birds done for Westlake. The heads are just about ready to sand and the bodies just need some clamps and glue.

On the subject of the Westlake show it's less than three months away. If you are not familiar with the story the show is going to go through some changes this year. I got asked many times at Easton what weekend I would be attending. Well we just made the hotel reservation today for the 16th-18th of March. I'll be at the original show in the same room, to be clear that is the ODCCA Decoy Show and Competition. My buddy Jeff Cross will be putting on a lecture on Saturday of that weekend about antique Erie Pennsylvania decoys and their makers. He's extremely knowledgeable about the subject and is the discoverer of the Buchner group of antique makers. If I'm not mistaken his lecture will be free to the attending public and will be well worth your time.

So make your plans and look for me there.

I hope that 2012 will be a prosperous and joyous New Year for all of us.

What's on your Workbench this January?
 
Hey John,

Looks like the lumber yards are benifiting from the decoy makers this month...I opted for more 1x10 that 2x lumber though. Got a half dozen Brant frames built the other night.

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Otherwise, I have 5 swans in the build process and did some painting on three ducks yesterday...no sneak peeks though, two are for members and one is for our most favored lurker. Been putting these off too long, time to finish them and get on with these new birds.

See you at Westlake again John.

Chuck
 
Here's a green winged teal I've been working on this past week. I really had a ball both carving and painting it.



Also a wigeon I just finished.


 
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Here are three canvas buffles in various stages I am working on. It is my first go at canvas and I am loving it. I will be posting a pictorial step by step in the next day or two.

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Pat, Doug and John great birds!!! Chuck you have nice frame

got these based and ready a couple days prior to Jan but no further was to nice so I got a couple wood ducks carved yesterday. gotta trim some glue and sand them tomorrow after goose hunting. Will be ready to base them out late in the week. With the warm weather it has been a busy carving time for me this Winter. In an unheated detached garage it can be cool.

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Happy new year! For 2012 I'm starting with a new pattern from 1930. I've been reading New Jersey Decoys and have decided to copy a N. Rowley Horner decoy for my puddle duck rig. On page 76 he has a beautiful blue bill that I'm basing this pattern on. The plan is to make a rig of mallards and blacks for my marsh hunts.

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The head is almost done in this picture and the body is somewhere inside that Michigan white cedar, hahaha. I'll find it:)

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Keep your knife sharp in 2012!

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David -
That pattern is sweet! In the drawing the tail is flat, on the MI cedar it looks turned down a little... Is that just the angle as it leans?

Tom -
Great Pintails, I am working on a low head drake myself.
 
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Hank,

It's just a funny angle of the cardboard leaning against the wood. The tail will be flat on the decoy. I've just got to be careful to place the seam away from the tail.
 
Dave -
Wasn't critiquing, just curious. I really like what you have going. That is going to be a awesome rig.

Geoff -
Awesome as always.
 
Here's a woodie i've been working on for a while. Northern white cedar, will eventually be an urn and become a mantle piece and hopes it will get hunted atleast once.
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Looks good David. Here is one of the Barnegat's I did for my gunning rig this year. I like making them. There fun, quick and easy to do.

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Here are some birds I is paintin on . Hen Black, summer plumage pied grebe, b/w hen. and a shovler Cal Marter made ,but his eye site is to poor to paint or carve any more.

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Geoff and Sean, thanks for the reference pictures of your decoys. I draw a lot of inspiration from your work. Ya gotta love Barnegat!
 
Looks good David. Here is one of the Barnegat's I did for my gunning rig this year. I like making them. There fun, quick and easy to do.

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Here are some birds I is paintin on . Hen Black, summer plumage pied grebe, b/w hen. and a shovler Cal Marter made ,but his eye site is to poor to paint or carve any more.

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Sean, they certainly dont look quick and easy, I m gonna have to get pointers from a master one of these days, I love them!
 
Chuck, you gonna show those brant frames wired up?
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Yeah, been trying to keep the dust down and finish paint on three deeks that have been waiting WAY TOO long to be finished...patience...
 
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