Give a Gift
Video content available for Gold Club members only. Join today and access this video now!
In this chapter from Del Herbert’s bird carving series, learn an alternative method for creating a strong, durable bill using a straight-grain hardwood dowel. Del demonstrates how to position the pattern on an oversized block of wood, drill and fit a dowel using a Forstner bit, and secure it with wood glue before transferring the pattern and cutting the profile on a bandsaw. The lesson also covers refining the profile with a template, establishing a centerline to protect the bird’s shape, and flattening the joint surface to prepare the head for assembly with the body.
Transcript
In this chapter, we’ll talk about an alternate method for carving a strong bill using a hardwood dowel.
I prefer the straight grain birch dowels found in better lumber yards.
First, we’ll use an oversized block of wood, a block of wood that’s larger than the head that we’re going to carve, And I’ll tentatively place the pattern on the block of wood and draw the angle of the bill onto the piece of wood.
I’ll take this piece of wood to my drill press and use a forstner bit to drill a half inch hole, and then some minor sanding or fitting might be required to get a tight fit with a dowel.
Once I have the dowel fit in there, I’ll glue it with any good wood glue such as Titebond II.
Then I’ll put the pattern back on the piece of wood and redraw it so that I line my bill up with where the dowel is. That way we can assure that we’ve got proper alignment of the dowel.
And here’s the pattern transferred to the block, showing the cutout of the bill along the block.
Once I’m satisfied with that, I’ll go to the bandsaw and saw the profile view directly on the line.
Again, we’ll use a template and our knives or sanding discs or whatever tool you choose to make sure the fit of the profile view of the template is exactly on the piece of the wood, there are no gaps.
Again, I’ll go ahead and draw the centerline on my headpiece, and from this point forward we’ll never carve past the line of the head, past the centerline of the head.
As a last step again, I’ll go ahead and flatten my joint surface with a belt sander.