What's on your workbench ? MARCH

Steve, that jedi robe was lovingly sewn by Bomber's wife, and I have worn it to various locations., for quite a number of years. Somewhere on you tube is an old video of me using jedi tricks to open and close the entry doors in Westlake, ohio.
That was a good work crew this year in the lobby. They even put up with Wagner in the afternoon.
Once I shake this bronchial thing, I will return to the dungeon.
Thanks again for posting the images.
 
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Started on the broadbill pile. This guy had a couple of tailboard knots, which slowed me down. These are all cut out in an asymmetric pattern, canted one way or the other to match the head direction. I mention this because roughing the bodies out while maintaining the right curvature, particularly on the side-pockets is much more time consuming. I only have tailboard channels cut for seven of the nineteen, so I will take advantage of the warmer temperatures and get them cut, along with some heads on the band saw. Then I will glue and dowel all the heads and tailboards through the bottom boards.
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Here's the Jim Wicks original head that I based these on. I copied the general shape, but toned the stylized bill down to something closer to reality with some emphasis on "broadbill"! Wick's dog, Joey, ate the original body, so I put this head on another one, combed and textured, and painted it.
 
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Steve, a question or two. Do you leave the screw after gluing, for extra strength, and why do you hollow without leaving columns? I assume you do not screw the halves together after hollowing, which would account for the lack of same.
Do you use a washer with the screw?
Just picking your mind, since we have varied approaches to hollowing.[;)]
Sorry, one last question. What year was written on that pair of park ducks you rehabbed? Curious--anything prior to 2001 was still Wiley.
 
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Good morning, George~


1. I do leave the screw - but there's no need; it's truly just a very efficient clamp. I do not use a washer - but neither do I countersink the slip hole. This allows the "bugle" shape of the screw head to exert just a bit more pressure. The wood in the body is about a half-inch thick near the screw hole.



More typically, I fasten the head - bedded in thickened epoxy - at the same time I glue up (no fasteners - just straight epoxy if both surfaces are planed) the body. So, I can no longer get access to the screw once the bottom board is clamped on. Thus, my overnight curing is for both head and body - thus "losing" just 1 day and not 2.


In this instance, I kept the bottom off simply to display the process at my courses on March 30 & 31.


2. I do not leave a column of wood as added support for a couple of reasons. First is probably habit. I never thought of it until I came across it in recent years - maybe from you? It makes sense structurally - as an efficient way to protect the body from crushing. But, I've never had a structural failure. Lots of integrity to what is essentially a closed box of lumber.


The second reason probably stems from my desire to lighten the birds as much as practical. On some of my earlier birds, I would follow the Forstner with a bent gouge to get the "walls" of the body extra thin. The walls on this Ruddy (1988 bird for my wife) are about 1/4-inch - and the little fellow tips the Toledos at just shy of 8 ounces.



View attachment sm - Ruddy Drake - circa 1985.jpg



I always get a kick out of watching peoples' faces as they heft it for the first time. I regard it as a component of my overall aesthetic - showing the added-attention workmanship that complements the shapes and brush work.


3. Your Mister and Missus Mallid were signed back in Ought-nine. In truth, they did not "need" new paint. Yours had held up very nicely with just the usual unavoidable wear on the bills and tails. More powerful was my "need" to attack anything within arm's reach with a paint brush - nothing is safe once inside the confines of my shop.... Your victims follow bunches of Herter's, Beans, Chesapeakes, McCormicks and Wildfowlers to wear my latest line of Mallard fashions. A pair of what are now Joe Pendergast (Bellport, LI) Black Ducks are next in line for Mallard Makeover.....


All the best,


SJS

 
THAT is a sweet little ruddy. Even the photo makes it appear wispy!
Try to stay out of trouble up that way. Keep the brushes moving!
 
Hello all,

I'm a new member here on duckboats.net, but I recognize a number of the carvers from the decoycarvingforum. The workbench threads always inspire me to get carving and I enjoy seeing the different approaches to carving decoys. This month is no different.

Here are a couple of bluebills (lesser scaup) I just finished. The birds are hollow, self righting, and have northern white cedar bodies,basswood heads, and are painted in acrylics.




Joel
 
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Well nothing is on my workbench because I just finished building this bench. I started the day after duck season closed with this pile of boards. I used my table saw, planer, and biscuit joiner but most all of the work was done with handtools including the mortises, tenons, smoothing and jointing of boards. The wood is entirely European Beech except for the hand riven white oak drawbore pins. Now to build some furniture and decoys, but also thinking of a couple Sanford boxes and toying with the idea of a layout boat tender.

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Joel, I can see the "biologist's eye" applied to that pair of lesser scaup to bring them to life. Very nice!

Brad, over my life I have noted that a serious furniture maker always seems to move to eventually build their own bench...just to insure the precision and consistency of their work, or tailor the working surface to their specific preferences. I would be loath to spill on that or scar it via use... Nice beech, I could make some nice keels out of that.

Where did your son eventually get on at?
 
Rick, he left FWS and went to a state DNR position. He has been busy with fires already this month.
 
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Initially, I never noted the significance of your's and Joel's posts. Two waterfowl biologists posting back-to-back...
Hopefully that will keep him closer to home until the heart of fire season. Seney NWR is a pretty desolate place. By your initial statements, you likely were aware of that.

Man, I just can't get over how beautiful that workbench looks! Oh, BTW people would think you used to live in chest waders all the time, based on the number of boot driers arrayed in the background.
 
Hahaha, you?ve never seen a 6 pair boot drier? Good eye. Guess I should get a nice backdrop for photos like Steve Sanford.
 
Brad, what was on them drew my eyes there...thought they were buoys of some kind.

This weekend I cut out four more heads, some bottom boards and tailboards for the rest of the scaup when I cleaned-up the winter's clutter and sand in the garage and put my XC-waxing bench stuff away. I was short one scaup head and tossed three redhead heads into the repair pile that I didn't care to put on tan cork bodies. I changed the redhead head pattern a bit from the standard, not sure whether I will continue to use it because it altered the mandible line on the two birds I carved and rounded the head and neck a bit, compared to the original pattern bird in the first photo on the body. Second photo is one of a finished head and body mounted. Roughed-out scaup head and two more scaup decoys carved and heads mounted.
View attachment Duckboat cover 005.JPGView attachment Duckboat cover 007.JPGView attachment Duckboat cover 008.JPGView attachment Duckboat cover 009.JPGView attachment Duckboat cover 010.JPG
 
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Rick,
I look forward to seeing those finished birds on a string, and better yet some birds coming up that string.
Steve
 

Bob -

It appears that the Dead Mount inspiration and work has got it's hooks in ya pretty deep.

Feels good to be that stoked up doesn't it.

Looking forward to more photo's.


Best regards
Vince
 
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