Finished up my cork gunning mallard "therapy decoy." Glad to report that the post-op visit with the surgeon went well, and he told me I'm well ahead of the curve for the way everything is going. Even got the clearance to play the guitar and was told it would be excellent therapy.
Some pics:
The new bird is in the foreground, and the decoy in the rear is another drake done back in 2006. I brought it into the studio for color reference while I was painting. That '06 bird has been hunted for 15 seasons now; and other than some minor dings & scuffs, it's in great shape.





Some head closeups:







Drake was comb-textured and spatter painted to suggest the vermiculation:







MLBob

"Art is like an ill-trained Labrador retriever that drags you out into traffic." (Annie Dillard)

....Here's to Joe Wooster, who made me realize that the useful could and should be beautiful; and who firmly believed that decoy carvers were the last free men in America.

Music is still important. Art is more important than ever. It does not have to be your livelihood to be a powerful part of your life.

https://www.facebook.com/KOOIdecoy?ref=hl

MLBob
Beautiful work. Your a tough act to follow, but here's my dead hang.

My workbench has several projects on it but this one was cleared as of last night. I completed the restoration of Jeff Smith's Powermatic 72. So happy to have this project behind me. Even happier to have a dual saw set-up. The 72 for ripping and sheet-goods, the 66 for crosscuts, dados, and joinery.

Whoa, that is a thing of beauty!

Tod

Thanks. It turned out to be a big job, bigger than I thought when I started. The table saw is the heart of my shop, so when I fit another in the workspace I had to do a lot of head scratching, rearranging, and tweaking. Glad it is behind me. God forbid I ever have to move them :) They aren't mobile like all my other machinery.

Eric

Beautiful piece of machinery!

BTW, your shop is way too clean.

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "

Very cool Bob. And great work by all.

Every June I do a Few shorebirds as they flock heavily to the Delaware Bay.

Here's a few I just got finished up.





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I never know which is worse: the sorrow when you hit the bird, or the shame when you miss.
http://www.hillmandecoys.com
Mullica Hill NJ

Eric, I've spent a lot of time on the 66. Both commercially and home projects. What is the main differences between it and the 72?

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I never know which is worse: the sorrow when you hit the bird, or the shame when you miss.
http://www.hillmandecoys.com
Mullica Hill NJ

The 72 is a 12" saw while the 66 is a 10" (later 72s went to 14") so it has another 1" depth of cut taking it to about 4 3/8". The biggest difference is the table size. The 66 is 28" deep while the 72 is 38" deep and the blade is set further back. This gives an advantage of being able to set more of your stock, or especially sheetgoods, on the table and against the fence before the blade starts cutting.

Eric

Eric,

Too bad you don't have any hobbies. You are going to be one bored individual when retirement rolls around.

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Take care, Huntindave McCann SHELL ROCK IA. ,,,,,, "As sailors grow older, the wiser ones move to smaller boats." Thomas Firth Jones, Multihull Voyaging

No way. I've got plans to keep me very busy. I've always balanced my time between the shop and the hunting property. Honestly, my hobby situation could change significantly after Thomas graduates in December. If he gets a job here we will have plenty to do working at the hunting property in addition to shop time and these activities could go on for many years. If his career takes him to another city I'm not sure I'll keep up with the hunting property work as I mostly do that so we can hunt together whenever we want. But less hunting might not translate into more shop time. Wish I had a crystal ball to see if he ends up back here. As he heads into his last semester I can't help but wonder where he will end up and how that will affect the time we spend together, and we spend a lot of time together.

Eric

Eric,
My best wishes for Thomas as he moves forward. It is amazing (to me) to realize I've watched more than one young person grow up into the next generation, just within this small community. Thanks again for such a nice place to hang out with friends.

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Take care, Huntindave McCann SHELL ROCK IA. ,,,,,, "As sailors grow older, the wiser ones move to smaller boats." Thomas Firth Jones, Multihull Voyaging

Oh that's great, especially more table in front of the blade. Getting parallel and true rips on plywood always is touchy the first few inches on a standard 10"'saw

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I never know which is worse: the sorrow when you hit the bird, or the shame when you miss.
http://www.hillmandecoys.com
Mullica Hill NJ

Well, they got placed on the cutting board that was on a work bench shortly after this pic....
Big Spanish mackerel were biting like crazy on the north end of Tampa Bay today.
Also got my first black sea bass. And a couple of keeper mangrove snapper

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "

Carl,
Nice haul, looks delicious.

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Take care, Huntindave McCann SHELL ROCK IA. ,,,,,, "As sailors grow older, the wiser ones move to smaller boats." Thomas Firth Jones, Multihull Voyaging

Thanks!
I don?t think I?ve ever landed a limit of Spanish macs that were that big. And I lost at least one that was bigger It was a fun morning.
The snapper and sea bass were filleted and pan fried in butter for dinner. Fanatic eats.

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "

I made 8 Buffleheads for next year. I always had 4 of my Buffleheads set outside the rig for esthetics. Last year a pair of Hooded Mergansers decoyed to them. Ready for paint.

I love carving Buffleheads. I picked a nice redwood table out of the trash that I made the lower section from. The rest is 5/4 white pine. I selected lightest I could find at H-D and then I hollowed it. Makes a lightweight decoy.

Another item off my workbench, sort of...


So about twenty years ago I bought a 1936 Delta wood/metal bandsaw. The previous owner restored it but it was lacking some original parts. The wheels were mismatched and the base was a wood box he built. It was actually quite nice but I wanted a prized art deco cast iron base. Several years after the purchase I started scavenging for original parts. It didn't take too long to find a Delta task light, original motor and "condom", and matching wheels (the solid steel type used on the earliest saws). Then the elusive art deco base showed up on craigslist about 5 hours away. With Jeff along for the ride we made a late night trip to Gainesville, GA and picked up a really beat up bandsaw that had the art deco stand. I think I paid $250 and parted out the saw for about that much. I got it home and in good light I could see a significant problem. The side panel with the big hole was badly cracked. I tried to have it fixed but the heat from the repair job caused the crack to grow until I was left with two parts when the repair failed. So up in the attic the rest of the base went. A couple years ago I found a replacement for the broken panel on ebay. I jumped on it knowing I'd probably never find that part again. Then last year I came across a "delta bandsaw belt guard" on FB. I snagged it too.


With all the parts in hand I decided to repaint and put it back together while I was working on the PM 72. Well today I did just that, except for one problem, the belt guard isn't a bandsaw guard like the seller said. BUMMER! I don't even know what delta machine it goes to. So for now I'm back in the hunt for the proper guard and have to wonder just how many more years this is going to take. A few snapshots are below.


So what is the longest amount of time you've taken to complete a restoration? With around 20 years and still working on this one I wonder if others have stretched one out further.


Eric

That looks fantastic that base is really something.




Since you asked... I got a restoration done last week that I've been working on for 7 years. Got the exterior of the house done. New windows, doors, roof, siding, gutters, downspouts, etc... Touched every part and replaced most of it. Let it go WAY too long, but lost some momentum the past couple years. Glad to be done.

Tod

I meant to say project and not just a restoration. Yes, seven years is a long time for any house maintenance. You weren't one of "those" neighbors that left ladders, scaffolding, and supplies in your front yard the entire time were you? Haha

Eric

I like the dust chute.Looks like the original base had a foot brake?

That's not a foot brake. The belt was tensioned by the motor weight and that was the lever to lift the motor to swap belts from wood to metal. That was the one feature that I really liked.

Eric

We were fairly efficient with the individual steps, so no long periods with ladders and pump jacks, there were just long periods of not working on it. For sure no HOA here, though!

There aren't really any neighbors that have a really good look at the house other than winter and we didn't work in the winter - brrrrr.

Fished Friday and today, going back in the morning.

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Carl
Mobile, AL
DHBP Member since 1998

"Life is too short to drink bad beer."
Disclaimer: This post and/or report is not a substantiation of or reflection on the true accuracy of the present surveying methods. It is only a report on or comment concerning local observation and/or results. Your results and observation may vary based on your location, local water conditions, food supply, weather conditions and migratory patterns "