Yukon Mike, Scoter heads.

[Eric Caswell]

Mike, When I saw your post about the Scoter heads I knew I had to rethink my pattern.The profile was good enough to fool a couple with sillys but I hadn't taken a good look at my newly aquired reference bird to see what needed changing. Your post changed that.



The two on the right were from my original pattern made from pictures and what little I had remembered. (They are destined for the kindling pile.) I used the same side profile as before but changed the width a wee bit. :^)

I was really quick to copy your method of locating the eye and bill holes.

So far so good.

Eric

 

[Yukon Mike]

They are harder to do that you'd think eh? I really like using those extra nose holes for reference. Maybe someday I'll be as good as the old guys around here and not need 'em, but for now I'll keep drilling them in.

Wish I could get a chance to work on decoys - May is going by like a blur. Soccer four nights a week will do that.

Have you got any bodies cut?

Mike

 

[Eric Caswell]

What we won't do for our kids! I swore as long as the kids were willing to work at something I would support them in their [font=Verdana,Arial,Helvetica]endeavors[/font]. I'm not sure at todays fuel prices I would be able to do that today. Does soccer end when school is out? Summers here were taken away with work so it helped with hockey being my son's thing and horse shows were attended when we could to support my daughter.

I haven't thought out the bodies yet. These heads are a bit larger than the diver pattern I got from a book. The width will be limited to under 8" but I can shape a 4" and put a bottom board on it for 5" or so. We'll see. I've raided the wood pile and have a few off cuts but I should go into the bush and find some shake blocks that were discarded for the wrong grain pattern.

The bill holes really helped reduce the time needed to shape.I developed a system which brought the time down to 15 min or so to get them ready for sanding. We'll test that theory when I try to shape the last one. I'd better write that down though as I know I will forget in a flash!

I forgot to thank you for posting those pictures of the scoter heads.

Eric