Tutorial, the making of a labrador duck decoy

[wwbirds]

Going to try doing a tutorial for those who may be interested in learning how to make their own working decoys from wood.
I started a thread on the Sponsors area about the history of the Labrador duck and how I was going to make a pair for competition for 2012 but there is no way anyone can ask a question so I am going to add to this as I work along so you can ask about techniques if you like.
Not the only way to make a decoy but the method I use to make a strong utility decoy that could withstand years of hunting.
This particular competition is for a contemporary antique so I have chosen to use white cedar as a wood which is one of the traditional east coast decoy woods.
You need an appropriate size block of wood. Draw pattern from known specifications in appropriate posture.
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Lay the pattern pieces on the wopod to ensure you have adequate material to work with.
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Make sure over head and side view align. (I reversed them many years ago and had head end on side view lined up with tail view on overhead and didn't notice until I cut it out. Good way to waste $50. piece of wood)
Measure twice or three times and only cut once.

After you do the band saw you will be left with a blocky cut out that somewhat looks like the form of a duck. (this one is a blue wing teal I am doing which happens to be in the right stage for a picture)

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To the square shape I round everything to center lines I draw on the top and sides of the block. there are no flat spots on a duck so think foot ball shape and you will be fine. Many beginners carve round corners on a flat top and sided duck. Tools for rounding vary widely with what is available (in the day) from spoke shaves, knives, chisels and gouges to dremel tools and course bits. I used a 1/2 horse Foredom tool with Grizzly carbide cutters to get the rough rounded shapes.
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I have done the upright alert drake but wanted a more relaxed feeding coy posture pattern for the hen.

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Just when they are starting to look like ducks we take them back to the bandsaw and cut them in half just above where the waterline will be. Basswood and cedar decoys are generally too heavy to float naturally so the interior should be hollowed with chisels gouges or a bench mounted drill press.
Some times I drill 3/8 hardwood dowel holes before cutting in half so the two halves line up properly and some times I hollow and then just use a bit of hot glue to line them up after hollowing before drilling 3/8 holes. One done each way in photos. I also have plans to mount a weighted self righting keel on these birds so have left a rigid area throughout the base of each decoy for strength and mounting screws.
As a safety measure in case water ever seeps into the decoy I coat the interior with 3-4 good coats of marine spar varnish. If the water penetrates untreated wood it may warp the two halves. If sealed you can simply drill a hole in the bottom to drain if it takes on water years from now and reseal with marine epoxy.
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More pictures after I have completed a bit more on the pair. thanks for looking!
Rob

[wwbirds]

Back together with hardwood dowels for strength with a modification as one decoy had a knot right through which would wick water into the empty cavity if not cut out and plugged. Also wasn't happy with the hens bill once I got her together as it looked droopy. She now has a nice straight bill. Marine epoxy used everywhere to seal them.
Now for more shaping to bring them down to a less blocky and more ducklike shape.
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[Craddosk]

This is looking fantastic! Keep it up!

[wwbirds]

These are going alittle more slow than they usually would just because of time of year and amount of lab training I am doing for clients (came in from slough at 9 Pm last night) and moving pheasants outside on the funny farm. Normally I would be preparing to paint within 2 weks and here I am stil shaping.
Little more rounding and shaping this morning but the backs are gettting really thin so I have to proceed slowly or be prepared to insert more cedar plugs.
Manufacturers stopped making the white marine fast fix and substituted the clear stuff which could be better but I am not sure it has the same strength.
Paint will cover any epoxy anyway. New hen bill is very noticeable now but also too low until I trim it down to the proper size.

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[bb356]

Cool !!!

[threeforthree]

Wow that is amazing work...the time and Patience you must hold is unreal...keep up the great work

[WayneChristie]

thank you for sharing this, awesome work and a lot of good info

[wwbirds]

An old timer once told me carving decoys is easy you just take a block of wood and remove everything that doesn't look like a duck.
Wayne and Walking Buffalo have me impressed I could never work in stone sometimes the cedar feels like stone after working with tupelo for so long doing more decorative birds.
Going to give you the good and the bad for as I suspected earlier this morning in order to get the cape profile low enough to give some animation to the birds I busted through into the hollow shell today. Had to card some pheasants and chukars for some clients this afternoon as well as do some water tests with the client labs tonight but the plug/patch is epoxied in place as I type.
thanks again, if anyone has specific questions they can post here or PM me.
Everything I know about carving waterfowl I learned from someone else so there are no trade secrets.

[The Fisherman Guy]

Very cool birds, wwbirds!

Great idea on the tutorial thread; your hobby is workable art.

Looking forward to seeing more!

[Albertadiver]

This is too cool. Wow, the things a person can learn on this site.

Thank you for posting!

[Grizzly Adams]

Wayne and Walking Buffalo have me impressed I could never work in stone sometimes the cedar feels like stone after working with tupelo for so long doing more decorative birds.

I don't see any reason you couldn't do that in Soap stone. My brother even made a soap stone toilet, in his High School days. Curious, where do you get the wood?

Grizz

[wwbirds]

There is tupelo available in Canada but as a general rule it is probably exported since it is less carvable than the prime stuff. I get mine from Curt Lefebre in Louisiana. Ever see a bayou movie where the gators are living in the swamp and some of the trees have a large bulbous stump at or even under the water line. That is tupelo and Louisiana stil has 150 year old growth tupelo. Only the bulbous portion is soft like balsa wood as the upper portions are actually a hard wood used in pulp and furniture manufacturing. Very often the stuff available in Canada is from the Carolinas which is second growth of perhaps 60 to 75 year old trees from seasonally flooded swamps. The Lousiana tupelo is softer and lighter in weight for better floatation.
The good stuff is double the price at $8. a board foot or more since Katrina went through La.

[jungleboy]

Came apon this while doing a google search , And Because of the thread on making your own decoys that came up on the hunting forum I thought I would try a revival of this thread...

[twofifty]

Good idea - I missed WW's thread in 2011.

[Bonescreek]

You do outstanding work!

Is the 1/2 horse Foredom tool with Grizzly carbide cutters a
1/2 horse router used freehand ?

[wwbirds]

Been making a living on birds and dogs so the only carving painting done lately is the stuff that is ordered so teal, mallards and wood ducks take priority. Labradors havent been worked on since probably 2012 as dont have buyers waiting for them. Well known species sell better than the extinct ones I guess!
Foredom is a cabled machine with handpiece hanging like those little hobby dremel sets but 1/2 horse model is serious power. Seen more than a few disasters rushed to hospital when bit slipped and landed on finger or thumb due to inattention to task at hand (no pun intended)