What's on your WORK BENCH ? - March 2020

Steve, would you be willing to deepen the keel prior weighting? This will lower the center of gravity on this bird and improve the ride a bit. That long neck and high head will catch a fair amount of wind...
 
Good morning, RL~


My experience has shown that lower ballast is likely unwarranted. The principal benefit of the flat keel is so a decoy will sit upright on a mudflat or shoal when the tide runs out. This is especially useful for species we hunt on the falling tides - like Black Ducks (and all other puddlers) and Brant. Many of these species have been shot over wet mud over the years. The stool look less than convincing when careened on their sides because of deep keels.


Of course, another benefit is more room in the decoy bag or boat. I set up my "freshwater" E Allen Mallards with flush keels and no ballast - because neither is needed for the protected waters they "inhabit" - and the lighter weight and smaller space are appreciated for walk-in hunts.



View attachment WS - E Allen Mallard Drake - Freshwater Rig.jpg



The sea trials for this Black Duck - another hollow-Cedar high-head - proved he will upright immediately when turned turtle.....


View attachment SJS Black Duck - sea trials 05.JPG



The keel is 3/4-inch X 3-inch Mahogany (Lauan) with a few ounces of lead poured inside.


View attachment SJS Black Duck - sea trials 06.JPG



Nevertheless, I do prefer his more stable (compared with the Brant) beam:freeboard ratio....


View attachment SJS Black Duck - sea trials 02.JPG



I look forward to gunning him on tidal waters next Fall.


View attachment SJS Black Duck - sea trials 01.JPG



All the best,


SJS





 
Good morning, All~


Another Shovin' Oar - a 12-footer - just came off the bench....


View attachment GE Shovin Oar - outside with SAS BEST.JPG



I was able to weave the Turk's Head without continual reference to the drawings - slow progress for an old brain!


View attachment GE Shovin Oar - Turks head + brand.JPG



There's something very pleasurable about crafting such a utilitarian - and ancient - "transportation tool". And, I am following Eric's advice re Tung Oil. I thinned the first coat ~ 50:50 with mineral spirits.



View attachment GE Shovin Oar - notch on blade.JPG



All the best,


SJS

 
Lots of great work this month, good work all.

Was planning on attending the ODCCA show but instead spent a lot of the weekend working in the shop. My fiance got me a boat shelf I've been eyeing for quite some time. A member of my duck club, who also carves his own blocks, makes them. These photos also remind me that I've been in this house for 5 years and still haven't gotten around to re-painting the basement.


View attachment Canoe Shelf 1 DB.JPGView attachment Canoe Shelf 2 DB.JPG

In the shop I've got two mallards ready for spar, have a pile of heads roughed out for carving this week and a new rig of buffleheads in progress. Stopped by the specialty lumber shop Saturday for head stock and bottom boards so I should be able to entertain myself for a while if we go into lock down. Was nice enough outside Sunday to work carve outside, chasing the sun.
View attachment IMG_1065.JPGView attachment IMG_1067.JPG

Stay healthy everyone!
 
Good morning, RL~


Funny you should ask....


I spoke this morning with yet another lumber yard - trying to find air-dried 5/4 Ash. My finished thickness is 1-1/8" - so even rough-sawn 4/4 is too thin.


The Oar pictured was made from kiln-dried stock - which a yard about an hour south of here carries. In fact, Zane Every put me onto Ghent Wood Products when I saw him at Tuckerton last September.


My first batch - in 2018 - was made from White Ash felled, sawn and planed by a succession of local friends.


I suspect kiln-dried is OK - but air-dried should be stronger viz. bending as the KD process can fracture the grain structure. I saw evidence of the in my last 2 Oars. One I filled - just a tiny void but nevertheless the last act of a desperate man - and the other I truncated by 4 inches.


My ideal would be 5/4 quarter sawn. One might think Ash would be readily available because of the recent invasion by the Emerald Ash Borer - but I'm having trouble finding a source. We have Ash here on the farm, but most is in hedgerows and so little chance of clear boards.


Maybe I need to corner the market on "traditional carbon fiber shovin' oars".....or maybe try some White Oak or even Sugar Maple (comparable viz. bending strength, stiffness and density).



All the best,


SJS

 
Patrick~


Thank you!


I just got off the phone with my local friends. The sawmill friend is already in the woods scouting for the right trees.


All the best,


SJS

 
Thank you, Zane~


Actually, the local stuff cut and milled by my friends is the ideal. Not only can I get green lumber - and then air-dry it in my loft over the Summer - but I truly enjoy the notion of taking a living organism from its natural habitat and then taking it through the process to the finished product. Sort of like we all do with our waterfowl-to-table practice.


All the best,


SJS







 
I made a Herring Gull confidence decoy a number of years ago. I was not pleased with how it came out and I gave it away. I had planned on making another but never got to it until this week. This one is a lot more realistic and has the Gull look.




View attachment GullA.JPG
 
Good morning, Joe~


I, too, carved one many years ago - 1981. I used some 6x6 "Ocean Parkway" Red Cedar. I set the tail way up, which required a deep keel for proper trim. I hunted it only once or twice. I did not "carve to the round" as much as I should have - so hints of the 6x6 are still in evidence....



View attachment Herring Gull 1981.jpg



I believe someone here asked for the pattern in my early years here at duckboats.net


View attachment Herring Pattern 1981-2014.jpg





The decoy now rests on a shelf and the pattern is pinned to a wall - both in my shop.


All the best,


SJS

 
Steve,

I used a pattern from the "Ducktrap" site. This is a large goose sized decoy. I shared your concern with the top heavy CG. I kept the body as light as possible. Balsa and cedar construction. It probably will need a deeper keel to stabilize it. How deep is the keel on your gull?

Joe
 
View attachment DSC02719.JPGView attachment DSC02720.JPG


I am still experimenting with different brush stroke depictions of vermiculation patterns on hen divers. I made another three black cork scaup and painted these prior tackling the tan cork birds that I combed. These three are done in oils. The third bird has a direct copy of a Wick's head with his bill style. I modified the remaining 27 heads to a bill profile, actually several, that I thought looked better.

The last bird is painted in Goldens Heavy Matte acrylics...with several brush stroke mistakes that will have to cure for awhile before I can repair, i.e "camouflage". them. Time to visit the optometrist.

Vince's earlier comments about ODCCA pool competition birds 'painted in plastic' not holding-up well reinforced my focus on not using the airbrush to paint birds.k
 
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