Wood for tails?

[Kevin Puls]

I spent a little while laying out some of my precious remaining pieces of HD cork from a sheet I bought from the duck blind many years ago. I have a pattern for a canvasback that is too long for the blocks I have left (too narrow too but only by a little bit and can put it in a diet). That leaves me with the idea of using wooden tails. Putting a wooden tail on fixes my situation. (I don’t want to make smaller decoys by shrinking the pattern).

Anyone have tips on materials, thickness, and installation methods?

And while I’m being greedy for info- when putting a bottom board on cork do you glue it on before rough out and carving the decoy or after?

 

[Michael McCord1]

You could also integrate the tail into the bottom board on a diver decoy. I did that on some canvas decoys. That way you don’t have to worry whether the tail is supported well enough.

 

[Kevin Puls]

You could also integrate the tail into the bottom board on a diver decoy. I did that on some canvas decoys. That way you don’t have to worry whether the tail is supported well enough.View attachment 77466

That is a great decoy.
The tail support isn’t the problem. I’m using a wooden tail to get the length I want in the decoy as the cork is an inch short.

 

[Cody Foster]

Cut your tail slot while the block is square, much safer.
1x pine or cedar from the home store will work fine.
I use epoxy to attach my tails. Others use gorilla glue.
If you are not hollowing you can attach the bottom board permanently before you cut out your top and side patterns.

 

[Kevin Puls]

Cut your tail slot while the block is square, much safer.
1x pine or cedar from the home store will work fine.
I use epoxy to attach my tails. Others use gorilla glue.
If you are not hollowing you can attach the bottom board permanently before you cut out your top and side patterns.

Thank you. I actually have the right material for once. I’m not hollowing decoys. I’m a boat hunter no problem with a few extra ounces.

 

[benp]

Any typical carving wood is good, white pine, Tupelo, cedar, cypress, or basswood. As far as thickness, you should be fine for whatever matches the pattern. Ive seen thick ones at 1" and thin ones that were probably around 1/4".

Definitely cut the slot while block is square. For the bottom board, since you're not hollowing then permanently attach while squared up like Cody said. If you were to hollow you would still screw it on before cutting and then after carved you would take it off and hollow and then glue it back on, you could leave a "pillar" in the middle where it could be screwed through as well.

 

[Dave Diefenderfer]

I am very fond of the 1/4" pvc from home depot. Works like wood, paints well, no rot, no splitting.

 

[John Ascherman]

I am very fond of the 1/4" pvc from home depot. Works like wood, paints well, no rot, no splitting.

Sometimes I feel so stupid. I just looked that up. That's great idea. Thanks

 

[bob welsh]

I use a white cedar shingle bedded in epoxy. I leave it square until dry then cut off on the band saw.

 

[Kevin Puls]

Lots of great ideas. Thanks.