need decoy head attachment help

J

Justin Harrison

Active member
so, a few weeks ago, i started scratching out a pattern (one of, if not the, first i have done).

i wanted a serious preener - let's call it a back scratcher - and did just that......

980168940_fLhZX-L.jpg


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upon looking at it today, i have realized i have no clue as to the best way to attach the head....up until this point, all my necks came in at a good straight angle to the shelf.

this one has a bit of a drastic angle, and not wanting to ruin it as this is some of my last cedar and it costs an arm and a leg to have it shipped down here, i thought i'd beg for professional help.

my first thought was to drill straight down from the top, and use a wood dowel, and just carve it down as i work the neck.......i want to use a lag screw, but the angle is so steep i'm not sure i can w/out doing something stupid.

thanks, justin
 
Have you considered cutting out another head that would incorporate the height of the shelf? I'm not sure why you have it that high to begin with. This would give you an extra 1/2" of material, as well as a bit ore surface area. I would drill and dowel the thin edge, and then use a mechanical fastener from the inside where you have a bit more meat. I would then use a 2 part epoxy to make it "one" with the body.

Just my take.....I could be wrong.......
 
Justin,

Carve and hollow the body halves. Carve the head. Before you glue up the body halves glue the head in place. Devise some type of shim to make that easier and clamp the head/neck and the top half of the body. Drill a hole at the correct angle from inside the the top half into the neck and insert a dowel with glue. Glue up the body halves. I do it that way all of the time. I've never had a head come loose, my son shot one off one time but that's a different story, but a good one.
 
That's a GREAT handle for picking up the decoy and putting a lot of strain on the joint. ME, I'd bore a hole as shown in red and put in a 3" coated deck screw or stainless screw and just fill in the hole after with some epoxy and cabosil/glass bubbles paste, just like you'd use for attaching the head.

980168940_fLhZX-L.jpg

 
Justin,

The problem you'll have trying to make a preener out of that bird is that you've cut a sleeper head. That head cutout is suited to a duck that has it's head nestled to some degree down into its body. As such. most of the neck will disappear, so that shelf you cut into the body block leaves you in no-man's land. No where near enough wood on the head to utilize the height of the shelf effectively.

I'd cut away the shelf, carve the breast to a "ball" shape. Then carve the head up, picturing what depth you'll want to set it into the balled up breast & back (angle it).
If this is the case, dont do any hollowing until you've fit the head & neck back down into the body. Dowel can go anywhere solid once this is done.

A preener is better depicted by a pattern that suggests the duck has raised (stretched) it's neck and then turned it back, leaving the separation you were shooting for. If you want this, I'd re-draw the pattern and head to start a new cutout from scratch.

Look at these pics; they better show what I'm trying to explain:

Preeners (see how they lift the neck & turn it? - They're "reaching" back, something the neck shelf on your cutout suggests):

View attachment pintails (5).jpg

View attachment pintails (9).jpg

Sleepers or resters - They "nestle" the head & neck into the body or rest the head on/in it (neck usually disappears in this pose):

View attachment Canvasbackpair 028 (600 x 399).jpg

View attachment Mallhensleeper 009 (600 x 399).jpg

View attachment frondrig27 (600 x 399).jpg
 
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