Body Carving Tutorial - Steve Sanford

Very nice Steve. The link seems to be working to get to the slideshow. I'll copy those photos and text a little later today.

Best
Chuck
 
1 - Draw profile onto body and bottom board.
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2 - Lay out plan view of bottom board; round the stern.
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3 - Saw profile on bottom board - leave 1/4" to secure block until later.
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4 - Saw out plan view of bottom board.
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5 - Bottom board is now ready for shaping.
4%2520-%2520Saw%2520bottom%2520board%2520profile.%2520%2520Note%2520center%2520line..jpg

6 - Saw out body profile by starting with neck elevation. Proceed with profile then plan as with bottom board.
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7 - Body ready for marking with reference lines.
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8 - Check against plans.
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9 - Ready for hollowing bottom board.
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10 - Mark upper edge and hollowing area on bottom board.
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11 - Mark center line and flat-tish area on bottom board.
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12 - Mark lower edge, perimeter, center line and hollowing area on body.
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13 - Mark "ridges" along wings and shoulders (scapulars).
13%2520-%2520Mark%2520lower%2520edge%252C%2520ridge%2520along%2520wings%2520and%2520scapulars%252C%2520and%2520neck%2520head%2520location..jpg

14 - Screw hardwood (maple) cleat to bottom board.
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15 - Machinist's vise is mounted on bench corner to allow access from many angles.
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16 - A nice sharp draw knife does almost all of the shaping.
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17 - Make lots of chips, shards and shavings!
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18 - The draw knife can take off razor-thin slices.
18%2520-%2520A%2520gentle%2520touch%2520allows%2520for%2520fine%2520shaving..jpg

19 - Shaping is complete - all done with draw knife so far..
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20 - Smooth with the block plane - it is always tangent to the curves so avoids digging or hollowing.
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21 - Bake the branding iron in the Defiant until it glows.
21%2520-%2520Bake%2520brand%2520in%2520Defiant%2520until%2520it%2520glows..jpg

22 - Burn it deep. Rock it slightly left and right and up and down.
22%2520-%2520Burn%2520good%2520and%2520deep..jpg

23 - Orbital sander with 40 grit smooths everything nicely for now.
23%2520-%252040%2520grit%2520in%2520orbital%2520sander..jpg

 
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24 - Pad table and set drill press depth - about 1/2" - on a 1" Forstner bit.
24%2520-%2520Pad%2520table%2520and%2520set%2520depth%2520on%25201%2520inch%2520Forstner%2520bit..jpg

25 - I clamp my shop vac intake to the table to get most of the chips. Some need help finding the vac.
25%2520-%2520Shop%2520vac%2520pulls%2520most%2520chips%2520away..jpg

26 - Drill perimeter first - just go a safe depth for now. Drill center to full depth.
26%2520-%2520Drill%2520perimeter%2520first%2520by%2520eyeball..jpg

27 - Rock the bottom board up on its side to drill around the edges.
27%2520-%2520After%2520middle%2520is%2520removed%2520rock%2520on%2520edges..jpg

28 - Bottom board is finished.
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29 - Mark neck perimeter and angle of the head.
29%2520-%2520Mark%2520head%2520location%2520and%2520direction..jpg

30 - Mark the edge of the tail.
30%2520-%2520Mark%2520edge%2520of%2520tail..jpg

31 - Mark the"stern" of the bottom board on the body.
31%2520-%2520Mark%2520edge%2520of%2520bottom%2520board..jpg

32 - Start shaping the body with the draw knife.
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33 - Use the gouge around the neck - but leave plenty of "extra" for finer carving later.
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34 - Use the gouge to hollow out between the primaries and the tail "deck".
34%2520-%2520Remove%2520wood%2520near%2520upper%2520tail%2520coverts%2520with%2520gouge..jpg

35 - Hollow under the tail with the gouge.
35%2520-%2520Rough%2520out%2520under%2520tail%2520with%2520gouge..jpg

36 - Refine the neck area with a knife - but still leave some extra stock.
36%2520-%2520Shape%2520more%2520closely%2520around%2520neck%2520with%2520knife..jpg

37 - Check for "the look".
37%2520-%2520Check%2520overall%2520shape%2520and%2520look..jpg

38 - Mark a reference line on outside of neck twist.
38%2520-%2520Establish%2520reference%2520line%2520for%2520neck%2520twist..jpg

39 - Mark center line on front of neck (even though it's facing the stern....)
39%2520-%2520Mark%2520head%2520position..jpg

40 - Hollow more closely under tail with a coarse rasp.
40%2520-%2520Finish%2520hollowing%2520undertail%2520with%2520coarse%2520rasp..jpg

41 - Lay out wings, tail, side pockets, et cetera.
41%2520-%2520Lay%2520out%2520major%2520shapes%252C%2520wings%252C%2520tail..jpg

42 - Sand with coarse grit to final shapes.
42%2520-%252040%2520grit%2520on%2520orbital%2520sander%2520again..jpg

43 - Lay out lines for finer relief carving - with smaller tools.
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44 - I use Warren Cutlery gouges and parting tools and my trusty X-acto # 22.
44%2520-%2520I%2520use%2520Warren%2520tools%2520for%2520fine%2520carving..jpg

45 - Lay out detail areas once again!
45%2520-%2520Ready%2520for%2520final%2520coarse%2520sanding..jpg

46 - Sand to 150 grit. I use coarse and fine riffler rasps along with sandpaper to smooth beneath primaries, at top of side pocket, et cetera.
46%2520-%2520Sand%2520to%252080%2520grit%2520and%2520use%2520coarse%2520and%2520fine%2520rifflers%2520as%2520needed..jpg

47 - High-tech "finger gauge" was used to check thickness during hollowing.
47%2520-%2520Hollow%2520body%2520same%2520as%2520bottom%2520board%2520but%2520check%2520thickness%2520with%2520high-tech%2520finger%2520device..jpg

48 - Wall is thinner near hole for head screw - the only fastener in the bird.
48%2520-%2520Bore%2520hole%2520for%2520deck%2520screw%2520to%2520fasten%2520head..jpg

 
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49 - I use 3 escutcheon pins - solid brass - to keep body halves from sliding during glue-up.
49%2520-%2520Push%25203%2520brass%2520escutcheon%2520pins%2520into%2520body%2520edge%2520with%2520pliers..jpg

50 - Press them with pliers into the body (not the bottom board) fore and aft - leave them about 1/4" proud.
50%2520-%2520Leave%2520pin%2520quarter-inch%2520proud..jpg

51 - Snip them off at an angle.
51%2520-%2520Clip%2520off%2520pin%252C%2520leaving%2520about%2520three-sixteenths..jpg

52 - Leave about 3/16 showing.
52%2520-%2520These%25203%2520pins%2520register%2520the%2520two%2520halves%2520when%2520glueing..jpg

53 - Then press the 2 halves together - without glue - to check fit. Mark several reference lines around the perimeter.
53%2520-%2520Dry%2520fit%2520the%25202%2520halves%2520and%2520mark%2520several%2520reference%2520lines%2520around%2520body..jpg

54 - I use a single padded wood clamp held in my vise. Padding is wrapped with cellophane tape so epoxy will not stick.
54%2520-%2520Wood%2520clamp%2520in%2520vise%2520is%2520padded%2520and%2520covered%2520with%2520cellophane%2520tape..jpg

55 - I use a marine epoxy thickened with colloidal silica (Cabosil).
55%2520-%2520I%2520use%2520a%2520marine%2520epoxy%2520thickened%2520with%2520colloidal%2520silica..jpg

56 - I mix to a consistency of mayonnaise.
56%2520-%2520Mix%2520to%2520mayonnaise%2520consistency..jpg

57 - I drill a pilot hole into the head (slip hole has already been drilled through body).
57%2520-%2520Pilot%2520drill%2520for%2520head%2520screw..jpg

58 - Spread glue thoroughly and generously on both head and neck area.
58%2520-%2520Spread%2520thickened%2520epoxy%2520heavily%2520on%2520both%2520surfaces..jpg

59 - Screw head to desired position then spread glue on both body halves.
59%2520-%2520Fasten%2520head%2520first%2520then%2520body%2520halves..jpg

60 - Clamp firmly - but don't go crazy - so glue eases out and joint appears tight all around perimeter.
60%2520-%2520Clamp%2520firmly%2520in%2520center%2520of%2520body%2520-%2520scrape%2520off%2520excess%2520but%2520do%2520do%2520wipe%2520seam%2520with%2520rag..jpg

61 - Scrape excess off with tongue depressor or putty knife but do not wipe aggressively with a rag because it could pull glue out of the joint. Let cure overnight.
61%2520-%2520Let%2520cure%2520overnight..jpg

62 - Shave perimeter with an older X-acto blade - no need to dull good edges for this job.
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63 - Sand with coarse grit ACROSS the seam - to maintain body contours.
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64 - Entire seam should be tight without any gaps.
64%2520-%2520Entire%2520seam%2520should%2520be%2520visible%2520but%2520with%2520no%2520gaps..jpg

65 - I leave the neck contours until last. It is the most challenging and the most satisfying. Make sure the curves look fair from every perspective.
65%2520-%2520Carving%2520the%2520neck%2520is%2520my%2520favorite%2520step%2520-%2520and%2520most%2520challenging..jpg

66 - Neck view # 1.
66%2520-%2520Neck%2520contours%2520-%25201.jpg

67 - Whole bird - starboard view.
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68 - Neck view # 2.
67%2520-%2520Neck%2520contours%2520-%25202.jpg

69 - Neck view # 3.
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70 - Whole bird - port side. ready for sealer....
69%2520-%2520Port%2520side%2520view.jpg

 
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Chuck~

Thanks for your persistence and willingness to do the drudge work!

Pat and Jon ~

Glad you enjoy!

All the best,

SJS
 
always nice to see someone elses processes steve, thanks for posting!

Are you going to finish it for us with the painting procedure?
 
Bill~

The painting is unlikely for this bird. I'm still learning how to use oils - so lots of experimentation will be going on. You'll probably just see the finished product on "Workbench"....

All the best,

SJS
 
Mike~

The brass is esp. nice because - even though they should never come into play - they'll never corrode and they're soft enough to be sanded flush if they ever pop through.

BTW: I really like your Euro-Wigeon Avatar!

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve, I just glued my first wood birds together and wish I would have known about the brass nail trick. I had issues with the halves slipping and was thinking of a way to help. I will use that tip on the next few I do.

I also learned a few pointers from the head tutorial you did. Thanks again.
 
Don't get too big of a head Steve....lol. At least 50 of the views are from me alone!! All kidding aside...I have found both of your tutorials to be most helpful. I do look at them several times a day. I am trying to visually imprint the process in my head! Thx -Jon
 
Jon~

Thanks - I've kept my old, smaller hat - just in case my head swelling ever goes back down....

Glad the pics are helpful. Chuck's original idea was that these tutorials would be posted on the Carving part of the site on a long-term basis.

All the best,

SJS
 
Steve,

Beautiful work...One question I have is the wood type...I am not expert on woods but is that just white pine?

Regards,
Kristan
 
Kristan~

Funny you should ask....

The head and the upper half of the body are from a piece of what is supposed to be Sugar Pine. A good friend bought it for me - and I know it was very expensive - but it has really strong grain; I cannot sand it truly smooth because it has hills and valleys between the hard and soft rings. I've carved Sugar Pine before and it was much more uniform. My guess is that it's really Western White Pine.

I use alot of Eastern White Pine - and never have the grain problem. I generally prefer it to basswood because: it sands more easily (basswood can "fuzz up" when sanded), smells better, and is more of a traditional wood for gunning birds.

The bottom board in the tutorial is a wonderful piece of basswood.

As it is for lots of carvers, finding a good supply of wood is a constant challenge.

All the best,

SJS
 
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